bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of servant leadership on innovative work behavior and employee knowledge sharing in the Latvian ICT sector
Authors: Bou Reslan Fadi Youssef , Garanti Zanete , Emeagwali Okechukwu Lawrence
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to peruse the underlying effect of servant leadership (SL) on innovative work behavior (IWB) and employee knowledge sharing behavior (KSB), directly and through the mediating effect of job autonomy (JA), by using autonomous psychological needs of self-determination theory and embracing Hofstede's framework in information and telecommunication technology (ICT) companies in Latvia.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative analysis of data from 271 employees and managers in Latvian ICT companies was used by applying structural equation modeling.

Findings

The result discloses that SL can promote IWB and KSB directly and through mediating effects of JA.

Research limitations/implications

The research is constricted by geography and sample data representation from a specific sector. Hence, future studies can determine the gender effects, carry out more preventive measures to avoid common method bias between constructs, measure antecedents and the mediator before outcomes and examine JA as a moderator.

Practical implications

The findings demonstrate that the Latvian ICT sector should recruit managers with SL potentials, train and equip managers with the required resources to implement SL practices properly and integrate JA across the organization to increase the manifestation of IWB and KSB.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to examine JA as the underlying process through which SL’s effects on IWB and KSB are explained in an individualistic country.
Analytical magnetic field calculation for flat permanent-magnet linear machines with dual-rotor by using improved two-dimensional hybrid analytical method
Authors: Ladghem Chikouche Brahim , Boughrara Kamel , Dubas Frédéric , Ibtiouen Rachid
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to propose an improved two-dimensional hybrid analytical method (HAM) in Cartesian coordinates, based on the exact subdomain technique and the magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC).

Design/methodology/approach

The magnetic field solution is obtained by coupling an exact analytical model (AM), calculated in all regions having relative permeability equal to unity, with a MEC, using a nodal-mesh formulation (i.e. Kirchhoff’s current law) in ferromagnetic regions. The AM and MEC are connected in both axes (x, y) of the (non-)periodicity direction (i.e. in the interface between the tooth regions and all its adjacent regions as slots and/or air-gap). To provide accuracy solutions, the current density distribution in slot regions is modeled by using Maxwell’s equations instead of the MEC characterized by an equivalent magnetomotive force (MMF) located in slots, teeth and yokes.

Findings

It is found that whatever the iron core relative permeability, the developed HAM gives accurate results for no- and on-load conditions. The finite-element analysis demonstrates excellent results of the developed technique.

Originality/value

The main objective of this paper is to make a direct coupling between the AM and MEC in both directions (i.e. x- and y-edges). The current density distribution is modeled by using Maxwell’s equations instead of the MEC and characterized by an MMF.
Green maintainability assessment of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications: lessons learnt
Authors: Conejos Sheila , Chew Michael Y.L. , Tay Karlyn , Tay Stephen , Safiena Sufiana
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The maintenance of green building technologies such as building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) is a challenge due to the non-existence of maintainability considerations during the design stage. This led to building defects which accounts to high expenditures throughout the building's lifecycle. The use of BIPV in buildings is an emergent trend, and further research is requisite for their maintainability. This paper assesses the performance and maintainability of BIPV façade applications based on the green maintainability design considerations.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative method is undertaken in this study, which includes field surveys, instrumental case studies and stakeholder interviews to probe the issues linked with the BIPV's maintainability.

Findings

Findings have shown some technical defects discovered in BIPV applications in tropical areas, as well as issues on cost, aesthetics and implementation are the main causes for the low adoption of BIPV in Singapore.

Originality/value

Understanding the research outcomes will embolden designers and allied professionals to team up in ensuring the long-term maintainability and sustainability of green building technologies. This research gives recent and important information in the design, installation and maintainability of BIPV, as well as good practices that would add value to facilities management and to the design of green building technologies.
Foreign ownership, state ownership and cash holdings under the global financial crisis: evidence from the emerging market of Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Thi Quynh Nga , Tran Quoc Trung , Doan Hong Phat
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper investigates how the global financial crisis changes the effects of state ownership and foreign ownership on corporate cash holdings in an emerging market.

Design/methodology/approach

We employ an interactive term between state ownership (foreign ownership) and a crisis dummy to analyze how the global financial crisis determines the effect of state ownership (foreign ownership) on corporate cash holdings.

Findings

With a research sample including 5,493 observations from 621 listed firms over the period 2007–2017, we find that state ownership (foreign ownership) is negatively (positively) related to corporate cash holdings and the effect of state ownership (foreign ownership) is stronger (weaker) during the crisis period. Moreover, the increase in the effect of state ownership is larger in financially unconstrained firms.

Originality/value

Prior research shows that the effects of state ownership and foreign ownership on corporate cash holdings in emerging markets are still debatable. This paper extends this line of research by investigating how the global financial crisis – an exogenous shock – changes these effects.
Transnational universities, host communities and local residents: social impacts, university social responsibility and campus sustainability
Authors: Chen Chen , Vanclay Frank
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss how transnational universities create negative and positive social impacts on their host communities and what this means for campus sustainability and the expectation that universities contribute to sustainable development and to their local communities.

Design/methodology/approach

Using mixed methods, a multiple case study approach and qualitative meta-analysis, this study considers six transnational university campuses in China in terms of their relationship with local communities.

Findings

Because of the good reputation of universities generally, local residents tended to accord a social licence to operate (i.e. approval) to new university campuses. However, universities generally do not manage their social impacts, as well as many other industries and generally fail to consider the corporate social responsibility issues and the environmental, social and governance aspects of their activities. To improve their social licence to operate and grow and to meet expectations around “university social responsibility”, campus developments should observe key international principles and human rights standards: full disclosure of information; effective community engagement; appropriate resettlement and livelihood restoration; effective harm reduction procedures; provision of local benefits (benefit sharing); monitoring and adaptive management and implement a grievance redress mechanism.

Originality/value

This paper encourages broader thinking about sustainability in a higher education context and about what university social responsibility entails. Specifically, this study argues that the relationship between universities and their host communities also needs to be considered, especially during campus construction.
Innovation in the “forgotten businesses”
Authors: Silva Glessia , Di Serio Luiz Carlos
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The objective of this article is to discuss how the research on innovation in the small businesses may be operationalized. This paper discusses the field's concepts, typologies, units of analysis and the general basic assumptions pertaining to the operationalization of innovation research in small businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is an essay, whose format aims to provide the reader with reflections and multiple questions, by instigating the free thinking, the research as well as the construction of different ideas and/or perceptions in a logical and scientific way (Meneghetti, 2011). Thus, a conceptual approach for the operationalization of the innovation research in small businesses is proposed and discussed.

Findings

Most of the innovation literature has ignored the small businesses, so that its core concepts and basic assumptions should be reviewed in an inclusive approach. The authors developed an analytical proposal that consists of a four-step logical approach to researching innovation in small businesses, starting from the innovation's concept as something important and then evolving to discussing how one has to try and see the small business as an object of study.

Originality/value

The value of this paper lies with the attempt to critically bring the small businesses into the spotlight, as study them has practical and theoretical implications that go beyond the field of innovation itself.
Immigrant entrepreneurship motivation – scientific production, field development, thematic antecedents, measurement elements and research agenda
Authors: Duan Carson , Sandhu Kamaljeet
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Years of research into immigrant entrepreneurship motivation (IEM) call for a synthesis of the field to note field developments and identify thematic antecedents and measurement elements. The paper aims to fill this literature review gap in IEM field. Improving existing analytical frameworks and establishing a research agenda are also goals of the research.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting the PRISMA procedure, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted. This produced 53 IEM research papers (internationally, from 1974 to 2020) from a database search and other sources, each of which was reviewed based on extracted variables, findings and suggestions. A well-accepted entrepreneurial motivation model is used for thematic measurement analyzes.

Findings

IEM research has gained attention over the past 25 years as to the number of publications, research foci and antecedent discoveries. The review suggests that there are six motivational thematic dimensions: individual characteristics, personal experiences and circumstances, personal values, business ideas and opportunities, goal-setting and self-efficacy and immigrant entrepreneurial ecosystem (IEE). The results also reveal a relationship between entrepreneurship motivations and the IEE which is one of the keys recommended future research strands.

Research limitations/implications

This research contributes to entrepreneurship literature by providing a chronological timeline of IEM field development and antecedent discoveries. The review suggests applying the IEE and its associated components to investigate host and home countries’ interactive effects on IEM.

Practical implications

The research provides guidance for policymakers and practitioners concerning available policy instruments and IEM determinants in addition to individual factors.

Originality/value

This study is the first SLR on IEM. It presents a holistic view of the IEM field.
Testing the weak form of efficient market hypothesis for socially responsible and Shariah indexes in the USA
Authors: Khan Abbas , Khan Muhammad Yar , Khan Abdul Qayyum , Khan Majid Jamal , Rahman Zia Ur
Published: July 2021

Purpose

By testing the weak form of efficient market hypothesis (EMH) this study aims to forecast the short-term stock prices of the US Dow and Jones environmental socially responsible index (SRI) and Shariah compliance index (SCI).

Design/methodology/approach

This study checks the validity of the weak form of EMH for both SCI and SRI prices by using different parametric and non-parametric tests, i.e. augmented Dickey-Fuller test, Philip-Perron test, runs test and variance ratio test. If the EMH is invalid, the research further forecasts short-term stock prices by applying autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model using daily price data from 2010 to 2018.

Findings

The research confirms that a weak form of EMH is not valid in the US SRI and SCI. The historical data can predict short-term future price movements by using technical ARIMA model.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides better guidance to risk-averse national and international investors to earn higher returns in the US SRI and SCI. This study can be extended to test the EMH of Islamic equity in the Middle East and North Africa region and other top Islamic indexes in the world.

Originality/value

This study is a new addition to the existing literature of equity investment and price forecasting by comparing and investigating the market efficiency of two interrelated US SRI and SCI.
Alternative theorizing of multicultural education: an Islamic perspective on interculturality and social justice
Authors: R’boul Hamza
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the possibility of embracing an Islamic perspective on interculturality and social justice as an underlying system of multicultural education. While western thought continues to dominate the education scholarship, advancing an alternative epistemology can ameliorate the scope of multicultural education by considering other relevant elements. In particular, interreligious relations have not been researched extensively in terms of managing cultural capital in schools. This paper argues that Islamic ethics provide a system of justice and rules of conduct that satisfy the principles of multicultural education.

Design/methodology/approach

Classical texts (Qu’ran and Hadith) are analyzed to explore the Islamic perspective on interculturality and social justice. While the plurality of interpretations is remarkable, the aim is to examine these texts on the basis of ethical and humanistic orientation.

Findings

Islamic ethics are commensurate with intercultural empathy and multicultural education. While some verses are interpreted as evidence of the religious legitimacy of enmity and hostility towards non-Muslims, they are decontextualized readings isolated from the verses’ historical contexts.

Practical implications

This paper proposes considering Islamic ethics as a foundation of multicultural education. Because Islam promotes social justice, teachers and students are encouraged to take action and never tolerate any act of oppression. Teachers should pay attention to conflicts that may arise from theological differences among students.

Originality/value

This paper offers a new perspective that has been sidelined and not considered in Modern issues. Because multicultural education recognizes the necessity of appreciating all cultures, Islam delivers a similar framework that is based on peaceful intercultural communication and social justice.
“They act like they went to hell!”: Black teachers, racial justice, and teacher education
Authors: Duncan Kristen E.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

While Black teachers have engaged in racial justice-oriented teaching for centuries and the body of research on racial justice-oriented teachers is growing, very little is known about how teachers come to this work. The purpose of this paper is to focus on where and how Black teachers who teach with racial justice aims learned to engage in this work.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a narrative inquiry (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000) study that was designed and analyzed using a critical race theory lens.

Findings

Participants learned to engage in racial justice-oriented teaching from their lived experience, particularly from their K-12 teachers who showed why this kind of teaching was necessary. Additionally, participants were highly skeptical of whether or not teacher education programs could prepare White preservice teachers to engage in this kind of teaching.

Originality/value

There is very little research focusing on how Black teachers come to engage in racial justice-oriented teaching, and even less that provides insight into how Black teachers perceive teacher education programs at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). This study sheds light on when, where and how Black teachers learn to teach with racial justice aims, and it also illuminates the experiences of Black teachers in PWI teacher education programs.
The anti-money laundering act of 2020
Authors: Galeazzi Marc-Alain , Mendelson Barbara , Levitin Malka
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to inform stakeholders about the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AMLA), explain its impact on the U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) regime, and highlight critical updates for financial institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

The article provides an overview of the AMLA, and specifically addresses three key components: (1) the development of uniform beneficial ownership requirements and the creation of a beneficial ownership registry at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN); (2) the expansion of FinCEN’s powers and the Bank Secrecy Act/AML program requirements; and (3) new subpoena powers with potential extraterritorial effect granted to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Attorney General for documents located at foreign banks that have a correspondent banking account in the U.S. The article also notes the purpose and goals of the AMLA.

Findings

The AMLA is the first major overhaul of the U.S. AML regime since the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act, and is designed to strengthen national security, protect the financial system, and simplify compliance obligations. The beneficial ownership reporting requirements represent an effort to combat illicit financial activity conducted by shell companies formed and registered in the U.S.

Originality/value

The article provides financial institutions with a brief overview of a lengthy new law that will impact their AML compliance obligations. Financial institutions should be on alert for forthcoming regulations.
Shaping social marketing research: a retrospective of the journal of social marketing
Authors: Farrukh Muhammad , Raza Ali , Meng Fanchen , Wu Yihua , Gu Zhouyang
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the publication trend and trajectories of the Journal of Social Marketing (JSOCM) from its inception in 2011 to 2020.

Design/methodology/approach

The bibliometric approach is used to present publication characteristics. For so doing, the bibliographic data was extracted from the Scopus database.

Findings

The results show an increasing trend in the publication and in the number of citations. Moreover, the findings also revealed that although JSOCM received publications worldwide, countries from the developed world such as Australia and the USA are the most productive countries.

Originality/value

As the first retrospection of the journal, this study not only educates and enriches JSOCM’s global readers and aspiring contributors but may also be helpful to its editorial board, as it provides several inputs to navigate the way forward.
Predicting information exposure and continuous consumption: self-level interest similarity, peer-level interest similarity and global popularity
Authors: Guan Lu , Zhang Yafei , Zhu Jonathan J.H.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study examines users' information selection strategy on knowledge-sharing platforms from the individual level, peer level and societal level. Though previous literature has explained these three levels separately, few have simultaneously examined their impacts and identified the dominant one according to their effect strengths. The study aims to fill this research gap of the competitions among different levels of information selection mechanisms. Besides, this study also proposes a three-step decision-tree approach to depict the consumption process, including the decision of first-time exposure, the decision of continuous consumption and the decision of feedback behavior participation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzed a clickstream dataset of a Chinese information technology blogging site, CSDN.net. Employing a sequential logit model, it examined the impacts of self-level interest similarity, peer-level interest similarity and global popularity simultaneously on each turning point in the consumption process.

Findings

The authors’ findings indicate that self-level interest similarity is the most dominant factor influencing users to browse a knowledge-sharing blog, followed by peer-level interest similarity and then global popularity. All three mechanisms have consistent influences on decision-making in continuous information consumption. Surprisingly, the authors find self-level interest similarity negatively influences users to give feedback on knowledge-sharing blogs.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills the research gap of the dominance among three-levels of selection mechanisms. This study's findings not only could contribute to information consumption studies by providing theoretical insights on audience behavior patterns, but also help the industry advance its recommendation algorithm design and improve users' experience satisfaction.

Peer review – The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-10-2020-0475
Increasing service quality at a university: a continuous improvement project
Authors: Gonzalez Aleu Fernando , Granda Gutierrez Edgar Marco Aurelio , Garza-Reyes Jose Arturo , Garza Villegas Juan Baldemar , Vazquez Hernandez Jesus
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a continuous improvement project (CIP) at a Mexican university designed to increase engineering graduate student loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

A plan-do-check-act problem-solving methodology was implemented, and a SERVQUAL survey was conducted on 67 master’s engineering students.

Findings

Five factors were found to affect student loyalty: facility cleanliness; faculty teaching skills; evening student services; master’s degree student management roles at work; and master’s degree students’ ages. After the implementation of the improvement and control actions, there was a 7.7% increase in the engineering master’s degree students’ loyalty scores.

Research limitations/implications

However, there were several research limitations: data availability (such as student loyalty, student satisfaction and a small master’s degree student population size) and factors outside the CIP’s scope (such as the country’s economic situation, university rankings, master’s programme accreditations and COVID-19).

Practical implications

The findings from this research study could be used by other higher education institutions (HEIs)to improve student loyalty and as a reference when conducting similar studies in other service organisations such as hospitals and hotels.

Originality/value

This research work took a different approach in assessing student satisfaction and student loyalty in a HEI by using the SERVQUAL survey as the data collection instrument for conducting CIP.
Learning organization as a framework for networks’ learning and collaboration
Authors: Dirani Khalil , Baldauf Jack , Medina-Cetina Zenon , Wowk Katya , Herzka Sharon , Bello Bolio Ricardo , Gutierrez Martinez Victor , Munoz Ubando Luis Alberto
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to use Watkins and Marsick model of a learning organization (1993, 1996), the dimensions of the learning organization questionnaire as a framework for interdisciplinary network collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

The research team used a mixed-methods approach for data collection. Survey data was collected from 181 networks. In addition, data was collected from two focus groups with six participants each.

Findings

Results, in general, showed that the learning organization culture could be used as a framework for interdisciplinary network collaboration. In particular, results showed that shared vision, imbedded systems and knowledge sharing were key driving forces required for successful collaboration.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretical and practical implications were discussed, and conditions for learning organization culture for networks were established.

Originality/value

People in a network era need more than training; they need ongoing, interdisciplinary, collaborative support to solve complex problems. Organizations can only work effectively if barriers to organizational learning were removed. This originality of this paper lies in applying learning organization framework at the network level.
Improving the structural performance of reinforced geopolymer concrete incorporated with hazardous heavy metal waste ash
Authors: Arunachalam Suresh Kumar , Muthiah Muthukannan , Rangaswamy Kanniga Devi , Kadarkarai Arunkumar , Arunasankar Chithambar Ganesh
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Demand for Geopolymer concrete (GPC) has increased recently because of its many benefits, including being environmentally sustainable, extremely tolerant to high temperature and chemical attacks in more dangerous environments. Like standard concrete, GPC also has low tensile strength and deformation capacity. This paper aims to analyse the utilization of incinerated bio-medical waste ash (IBWA) combined with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) in reinforced GPC beams and columns. Medical waste was produced in the health-care industry, specifically in hospitals and diagnostic laboratories. GGBS is a form of industrial waste generated by steel factories. The best option to address global warming is to reduce the consumption of Portland cement production and promote other types of cement that were not a pollutant to the environment. Therefore, the replacement in ordinary Portland cement construction with GPC is a promising way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. GPC was produced due to an alkali-activated polymeric reaction between alumina-silicate source materials and unreacted aggregates and other materials. Industrial pollutants such as fly ash and slag were used as raw materials.

Design/methodology/approach

Laboratory experiments were performed on three different proportions (reinforced cement concrete [RCC], 100% GGBS as an aluminosilicate source material in reinforced geopolymer concrete [GRGPC] and 30% replacement of IBWA as an aluminosilicate source material for GGBS in reinforced geopolymer concrete [IGRGPC]). The cubes and cylinders for these proportions were tested to find their compressive strength and split tensile strength. In addition, beams (deflection factor, ductility factor, flexural strength, degradation of stiffness and toughness index) and columns (load-carrying ability, stress-strain behaviour and load-deflection behaviours) of reinforced geopolymer concrete (RGPC) were studied.

Findings

As shown by the results, compared to Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) and 100% GGBS based Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete (GRGPC), 30% IBWA and 70% GGBS based Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete (IGRGPC) (30% IBWA–70% GGBS reinforced geo-polymer concrete) cubes, cylinders, beams and columns exhibit high compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, load-carrying ability, ultimate strength, stiffness, ductility and deformation capacity.

Originality/value

All the results were based on the experiments done in this research. All the result values obtained in this research are higher than the theoretical values.
The impact of entrepreneurship education on innovative start-up intention: the mediating role of entrepreneurial mind-sets
Authors: Hanandeh Rami , Alnajdawi Sakher M.A. , Almansour Ammar , Elrehail Hamzah
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Entrepreneurship education at universities aims to create entrepreneurial thinking and spread the culture of entrepreneurial awareness, skills and attitudes to students to stimulate their entrepreneurship intentions as graduates. This study investigates the impact of entrepreneurship education on innovative start-up intention as well as the mediating role of entrepreneurial mind-sets of university students.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for analysis with (n = 204) valid questionnaires collected from university students.

Findings

The main findings show that entrepreneurial mind-sets mediate the relationship between entrepreneurship education and innovative start-up intention.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the body of knowledge by its application in a higher educational institution and enriches the literature with new evidence that entrepreneurship education could enhance innovative start-up intention.
Browsing is a strong filter for savanna tree seedlings in their first growing season
Authors: Archibald Sally , Twine Wayne , Mthabini Craddock , Stevens Nicola
Published: July 2021

Newly germinated seedlings are vulnerable to biomass removal but usually have at least 6 months to grow before they are exposed to dry‐season fires, a major disturbance in savannas. In contrast, plants are exposed to browsers from the time they germinate, making browsing potentially a very powerful bottleneck for establishing seedlings.

Here we assess the resilience of seedlings of 10 savanna tree species to topkill during the first 6 months of growth. Newly germinated seeds from four dominant African genera from across the rainfall gradient were planted in a common garden experiment at the Wits Rural Facility and clipped at 1 cm when they were ~2, 3, 4 and 5 months old. Survival, growth and key plant traits were monitored for the following 2.5 years.

Seedlings from environments with high herbivory pressure survived topkill at a younger age than those from low‐herbivore environments, and more palatable genera had higher herbivore tolerance. Most individuals that survived were able to recover lost biomass within 12 months, but the clipping treatment affected root mass fraction and branching patterns.

Synthesis. The impact of early browsing as a demographic bottleneck can be predicted by integrating information on the probability of being browsed and the probability of surviving a browse event. Establishment limitation through early browsing is an under‐recognized constraint on savanna tree species distributions.
Interplay between the cyclic di‐GMP network and the cell–cell signalling components coordinates virulence‐associated functions in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae
Authors: Kakkar Akanksha , Verma Raj Kumar , Samal Biswajit , Chatterjee Subhadeep
Published: July 2021

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes a serious disease of rice known as bacterial leaf blight. Several virulence‐associated functions have been characterized in Xoo. However, the role of important second messenger c‐di‐GMP signalling in the regulation of virulence‐associated functions still remains elusive in this phytopathogen. In this study we have performed an investigation of 13 c‐di‐GMP modulating deletion mutants to understand their contribution in Xoo virulence and lifestyle transition. We show that four Xoo proteins, Xoo2331, Xoo2563, Xoo2860 and Xoo2616, are involved in fine‐tuning the in vivo c‐di‐GMP abundance and also play a role in the regulation of virulence‐associated functions. We have further established the importance of the GGDEF domain of Xoo2563, a previously characterized c‐di‐GMP phosphodiesterase, in the virulence‐associated functions of Xoo. Interestingly the strain harbouring the GGDEF domain deletion (ΔXoo2563GGDEF) exhibited EPS deficiency and hypersensitivity to streptonigrin, indicative of altered iron metabolism. This is in contrast to the phenotype exhibited by an EAL overexpression strain wherein, the ΔXoo2563GGDEF exhibited other phenotypes, similar to the strain overexpressing the EAL domain. Taken together, our results indicate a complex interplay of c‐di‐GMP signalling with the cell–cell signalling to coordinate virulence‐associated function in Xoo.
Genome‐wide profiling and identification of insulin signaling pathway genes of subterranean termite castes
Authors: Haroon  , Li Yu‐Xin , Ye Chen‐Xu , Ma Xiao‐Qin , Su Jian , Su Xiao‐Hong , Xing Lian‐Xi
Published: July 2021

Aging and longevity is a dynamic, chronological process assumed to originate from several hallmarks causing archetypal and beguiling cycles with incredible natural diversity. This phenomenon is widely observed in different animals, and the estimated age of Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, Daphnia longispina are a few days to weeks. Reproductive termites live for 30 years, although the root cause of longevity in termite castes is still debated for molecular and cellular changes. Insulin and insulin signaling pathway‐related (IIS) genes are important metabolic factors (glucose) highly conserved in lower to higher organisms. Therefore, in this study, we pooled Reticulitermes chinensis castes as primary king (PK), primary queen (PQ), ergatoid king “SWRK” and queen “SWRQ”, male (WM), and female (WF) workers. We determined transcriptome sequencing of R. chinensis castes as a model organism for longevity to investigate the insulin signaling pathway and longevity genes. Through RNA‐sequencing, we identified 35 IIS‐pathway‐related genes out of 343 to the KEGG pathway in ergatoid king and queen, PK, PQ, WM, and WF. Among these genes, Tsc2, akt2‐a, mTOR, EIF4E, Pdk1, and RPS expressed highly in ergatoid king and queen, PK, and PQ. However, a significant cornerstone tradeoff between reproductive and non‐reproductive efforts for early life is essential for evolutionary longevity. The present study concludes that a highly conserved IIS‐pathway is evidence for the prolonged termite reproductive life span. We recommended devoting insulin signaling pathway genes to their biological function for termite survival and new insights into the maintenance and relationships between biomolecular homeostasis and remarkable longevity.
Clinical and biochemical characteristics of postpancreatitis diabetes mellitus: A cross‐sectional study from the Danish nationwide DD2 cohort
Authors: Olesen Søren Schou , Svane Helene Matilde Lundsgaard , Nicolaisen Sia Kromann , Kristensen Jette Kolding , Drewes Asbjørn Mohr , Brandslund Ivan , Beck‐Nielsen Henning , Nielsen Jens Steen , Thomsen Reimar Wernich
Published: July 2021

Background

Postpancreatitis diabetes mellitus (PPDM) is a common metabolic sequalae of acute and chronic pancreatitis. We conducted a cross‐sectional study to examine the proportion of PPDM among patients clinically diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Denmark and their clinical and biochemical characteristics.

Methods

We identified all past diagnoses of pancreatitis among patients in the Danish Centre for Strategic Research in Type 2 Diabetes (DD2) cohort through linkage with national health registries. Using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes we categorized patients as PPDM and further divided them into acute/chronic subtypes (PPDM‐A and PPDM‐C). We assessed PPDM prevalence and examined associations with clinical and biochemical parameters using log binomial or Poisson regression to calculate age‐/sex‐adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs).

Results

Among 5564 patients with a clinical diagnosis of T2D, 78 (1.4%) had PPDM. Compared to T2D, PPDM patients were more often underweight or normal weight (body mass index ≤25.0 kg/m2: aPR 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6‐3.2) and had lower waist‐to‐hip ratio (≤0.95/≤0.80 in men/women: aPRs 1.8; 95% CI: 1.2‐2.7). PPDM patients had lower plasma amylase levels (<17 U/L: aPRs 2.2; 95% CI: 1.1‐4.3), higher insulin sensitivity (homeostatic model assessment 2S [HOMA2S] >63: aPR 2.0; 95% CI: 1.2‐3.2) and tended to have worse glycaemic control (HbA1c ≥8.0%: aPRs 1.4; 95% CI: 0.8‐2.4). PPDM‐A was largely indistinguishable from T2D, whereas PPDM‐C had impaired insulin secretion, higher insulin sensitivity, and worse glycemic control.

Conclusions

The proportion of PPDM among patients with clinically diagnosed T2D is ~1.5% in an everyday clinical care setting. Glucose metabolism of PPDM‐A is largely indistinguishable from T2D, whereas PPDM‐C differs in relation to insulin secretion and sensitivity.
55 years of Abacus: Evolution of Research Streams and Future Research Directions
Authors: Belloque Guilherme , Linnenluecke Martina K , Marrone Mauricio , Singh Abhay K , Xue Rui
Published: July 2021

This article offers a systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis of articles published over the history of the journal Abacus and marks its 55th anniversary. The article draws on the latest available bibliometric tools to provide a citation map, burstiness analysis, and further visualization using R Bibliometrix, highlighting highly cited articles and their interrelations across different research streams, as well as trending (or ‘hot’) topics over the journal's history. We offer reflections on the journal's past and discuss emerging future research directions.
The trade and welfare impacts of the U.S. retaliatory tariff on EU olive oil
Authors: Hammami A. Malek , Beghin John C.
Published: July 2021

We investigate the welfare and trade impacts of U.S. retaliatory tariffs from the Airbus WTO dispute on EU olive oil, using a calibrated multi‐market partial‐equilibrium displacement model. The model accounts for four differentiated types of retail olive oil in the U.S. market. U.S. retailer‐blenders source olive oil in eight foreign markets and domestically and for two qualities of oil (virgin, other), and in two shipping container types (non‐bulk, bulk). We consider two main scenarios: A 100% tariff on all EU olive oils as initially announced by the USTR, and the actual and final 25% tariff on non‐bulk Spanish olive oil. The first scenario leads to significant loss of welfare for U.S. consumers of $924 million, much reduced EU olive oil exports to the United States ($360 million), and increased imports from non‐EU sources ($90 million). The second scenario has much more muted effects, with mitigated welfare losses for U.S. consumers ($55 million), strong decreases of Spanish olive oil exports shipped in smaller containers, much larger exports of bulk Spanish olive oil and other olive oils. Aggregate EU exports to the United States are slightly lower given the substantial trade diversion induced by the targeted tariff. We discuss the political economy of the contrasting initial announcement and limited implemented retaliation.
Disrupting archives: Empire, extractivism, and the visual trace in photographs of rural agricultural Puerto Rico, 1941–1942
Authors: Diaz Ileana I.
Published: July 2021

Archives can be rich sources of information, yet they are also very often built within the violent processes of empire‐building, setting the stage for how knowledge about colonised places are constructed, disrupted, and how their histories are understood. Archives often tell us more about power and the kinds of knowledge that were important to imperial powers than the people and places disrupted by empire. This necessitates careful consideration of the archive itself, and not simply the information it contains. The relationship between the visual aspects of the archive and the ways that we come to know about colonised sites is the focus of this paper. Focusing on photos of rural Puerto Rico taken after The Depression (circa 1941–1942), this paper builds an understanding of archives as sites that can be transformed into conceptual or imaginary space that exists outside of the original purposes of the archives. This space is reliant on the willingness of those who encounter archives to read beyond what they are presented with. This in turn allows for careful reading of the traces and possibilities inside archives that subvert their seemingly totalising narrative.
How to evaluate a flexible ureterorenoscope? Systematic mapping of existing evaluation methods
Authors: Hendriks Nora , Henderickx Michaël M.E.L. , Schout Barbara M.A. , Baard Joyce , van Etten‐Jamaludin Faridi S. , Beerlage Harrie P. , Pelger Rob C.M. , Kamphuis Guido M.
Published: July 2021

Objectives

The objective of this study was to identify, map and review scope‐related and user‐related parameters used to evaluate the quality of flexible ureterorenoscopes. Thereby identifying key items and variability in grading systems.

Methods

A literature search of four databases (MEDLINE [Ovid], EMBASE [Ovid], Web of Science, Google scholar and the Cochrane Library) was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines encompassing articles published up to August 2020. A total of 2386 articles were screened.

Results

A total of 48 articles were included in this systematic scoping review. All studies had a prospective design. Five key items in the assessment of flexible ureterorenoscopy were distinguished: ‘Manoeuvrability’ (87.5%), ‘Optics’ (64.6%), ‘Irrigation’ (56.3%), ‘Handling’ (39.6%) and ‘Durability’ (35.4%). After regrouping, every key item could be divided into specific subcategories. However, the quality assessment showed a wide variation in denomination, method of measurement, circumstances of measurement, tools used during measurements, number of measurements performed, number of observers, and units of outcomes.

Conclusion

The research field regarding quality assessment of ureterorenoscopes is heterogeneous. In this systematic scoping review we identified five key parameters: Manoeuvrability, Optics, Irrigation, Handling and Durability, used to grade flexible ureterorenoscopes. However, within these categories we found a wide variety in terms of method of measurements. A standardised, uniform grading tool is required to assess and compare the quality of flexible ureterorenoscopes in the future.
Chlorite coating patterns and reservoir quality in deep marine depositional systems – Example from the Cretaceous Agat Formation, Northern North Sea, Norway
Authors: Hansen Henrik Nygaard , Løvstad Kristoffer , Lageat Gildas , Clerc Sylvain , Jahren Jens
Published: July 2021

Sediment gravity flows transport large volumes of sand and clay minerals into submarine systems, which store some of the world's major reserves of oil and gas. However, knowledge about grain‐coating clay mineral formation and its role in preserving reservoir quality in deep marine settings is poorly documented. Here we present a case study on the Agat Formation, a deep marine deposit interpreted as a series of turbidites, using a multimethod approach including petrographical, petrophysical and sedimentological data. This study investigates the occurrence and origin of chlorite coating and demonstrates how extensive chlorite coating substantially affects reservoir quality. The presence of green marine clay pellets suggests an initial shallow marine origin and sedimentological evidence reveals that the sediments were later remobilized by gravity flows and deposited at their present location. We suggest that the precursor clay coating was emplaced prior to sediment remobilization because of the presence of clay coating on grain contacts and all detrital components, the continuous nature of coating and the lack of clay bridges between the grains. Therefore, the origin of chlorite coating in deep marine environments may be recognized using the characteristic properties of inherited precursor clay coating. Chlorite coating thickness varies between an upper and lower sand unit, with an average of ca. 4.5 µm and ca. 24 µm, respectively. Permeability is significantly reduced in the interval with exceedingly thick chlorite coating but shows only a subtle decrease in helium porosity. This study enlightens the importance of crucially evaluating porosity in sandstones with thick chlorite coating using a multimethod approach. The results from this study can be useful in future exploration endeavours in the area and in other deep marine systems with a similar setting worldwide.
Therapeutic potential of ferulic acid and its derivatives in Alzheimer’s disease—A systematic review
Authors: Phadke Apoorva V. , Tayade Apurva A. , Khambete Mihir P.
Published: July 2021

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily caused by accumulation of amyloid‐beta (Aβ) peptide extracellularly and neurofibrillary tangles intracellularly. Recently, it has been shown that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysregulation play an important role in pathology of AD. Therefore, modulating various targets such as Aβ aggregation, neuro‐inflammation, and oxidative stress, genetic factors such as Apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE) are some of the ways to manage AD. Studying the natural products which can act as multifunctional agents could be key toward discovering new therapeutics. Ferulic acid (FA) represents one such natural product, which has exhibited great potential in this regard. Found in the plant cell walls, FA is an antioxidant, free radical scavenger with anti‐inflammatory activity. Taking this into consideration, over the years, various derivatives have been reported as anti‐AD molecules based on structure of FA. The present review explores the role of FA and its derivatives as therapeutic agents in AD.
Finding the needle in the haystack: the diagnostic accuracy of the faecal immunochemical test for colorectal cancer in younger symptomatic patients
Authors: D’Souza Nigel , Monahan Kevin , Benton Sally C. , Wilde Lisa , Abulafi Muti ,   the NICE FIT Steering Group
Published: July 2021

Aim

Detection of early onset colorectal cancer is challenging, and remains a rare diagnosis amongst younger people with gastrointestinal symptoms. We investigated whether faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) could identify younger patients at higher risk of colorectal cancer or serious bowel disease including colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease or advanced adenomas.

Methods

A subgroup analysis was performed of symptomatic patients under 50 years of age (<50) from the NICE FIT study, a multicentre, prospective diagnostic accuracy study of FIT conducted between October 2017 and December 2019. The diagnostic accuracy of FIT for colorectal cancer and serious bowel disease was investigated in younger patients at different faecal haemoglobin (f‐Hb) cut‐offs of 2, 10 and 150 µg blood/g faeces (µg/g).

Results

Early onset colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 1.5% (16/1103) of younger symptomatic patients. The sensitivity of FIT for younger patients aged <50 was 87.5% (95% CI 61.7%–98.4%), 81.3% (54.4%–96.0%) and 68.8% (41.3%–89.0%) at f‐Hb cut‐offs of 2, 10 and 150 µg/g, respectively. The positive predictive value for colorectal cancer increased from 4.2% (2.3%–6.9%) to 11.5% (5.9%–19.6%) at cut‐offs of 2 and 150 µg/g, while the positive predictive value for serious bowel disease increased from 31.3% (26.3%–36.5%) to 65.6% (55.2%–75.0%) at the same cut‐offs. The negative predictive value of FIT for colorectal cancer remained above 99.5% at all cut‐offs.

Conclusion

Detectable f‐Hb on FIT in symptomatic younger patients may indicate referral for investigation of colorectal cancer and serious bowel disease.