bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early posttraumatic brain injury tranexamic acid prevents blood-brain barrier hyperpermeability and improves surrogates of neuroclinical recovery
Authors: Culkin Matthew C. , Bele Priyanka , Georges Anastasia P. , Lopez Alfonso J. , Niziolek Grace , Jacovides Christina L. , Song Hailong , Johnson Victoria E. , Kaplan Lewis J. , Smith Douglas H. , Pascual Jose L.
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND

Tranexamic acid (TXA) given early, but not late, after traumatic brain injury (TBI) appears to improve survival. This may be partly related to TXA-driven profibrinolysis and increased leukocyte (LEU)-mediated inflammation when administered late post-injury. We hypothesized that early TXA (1 hour post-TBI), blunts penumbral, blood-brain barrier (BBB) leukocyte-endothelial cell (LEU-EC) interactions and microvascular permeability, in vivo when compared with late administration (24 hours post-TBI)

METHODS

CD1 male mice (n = 35) were randomized to severe TBI (injury by controlled cortical impact; injury: velocity, 6 m/s; depth, 1 mm; diameter, 3 mm) or sham craniotomy followed by intravenous saline (placebo) at 1 hour, or TXA (30 mg/kg) at 1 hour or 24 hours. At 48 hours, in vivo pial intravital microscopy visualized live penumbral LEU-EC interactions and BBB microvascular fluorescent albumin leakage. Neuroclinical recovery was assessed by the Garcia Neurological Test (motor, sensory, reflex, and balance assessments) and body weight loss recovery at 1 and 2 days after injury. Analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction assessed intergroup differences (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

One-hour, but not 24-hour, TXA improved Garcia Neurological Test performance on day 1 post-TBI compared with placebo. Both 1 hour and 24 hours TXA similarly improved day 1 weight loss recovery, but only 1 hour TXA significantly improved weight loss recovery on day 2 compared with placebo (p = 0.04). No intergroup differences were found in LEU rolling or adhesion between injured animal groups. Compared with untreated injured animals, only TXA at 1 hour reduced BBB permeability.

CONCLUSION

Only early post-TBI TXA consistently improves murine neurological recovery. Tranexamic acid preserves BBB integrity but only when administered early. This effect appears independent of LEU-EC interactions and demonstrates a time-sensitive effect that supports only early TXA administration.
Tipping points and interactive effects of chronic human disturbance and acute heat stress on coral diversity
Authors: Maucieri Dominique G. , Starko Samuel , Baum Julia K.
Published: April 2023

Multiple anthropogenic stressors co-occur ubiquitously in natural ecosystems. However, multiple stressor studies often produce conflicting results, potentially because the nature and direction of stressor interactions depends upon the strength of the underlying stressors. Here, we first examine how coral α- and β-diversities vary across sites spanning a gradient of chronic local anthropogenic stress before and after a prolonged marine heatwave. Developing a multiple stressor framework that encompasses non-discrete stressors, we then examine interactions between the continuous and discrete stressors. We provide evidence of additive effects, antagonistic interactions (with heatwave-driven turnover in coral community composition diminishing as the continuous stressor increased), and tipping points (at which the response of coral Hill-richness to stressors changed from additive to near synergistic). We show that community-level responses to multiple stressors can vary, and even change qualitatively, with stressor intensity, underscoring the importance of examining complex, but realistic continuous stressors to understand stressor interactions and their ecological impacts.
Outcomes of multifarious selection on the evolution of visual signals
Authors: Yeager Justin , Penacchio Olivier
Published: April 2023

Multifarious sources of selection shape visual signals and can produce phenotypic divergence. Theory predicts that variance in warning signals should be minimal due to purifying selection, yet polymorphism is abundant. While in some instances divergent signals can evolve into discrete morphs, continuously variable phenotypes are also encountered in natural populations. Notwithstanding, we currently have an incomplete understanding of how combinations of selection shape fitness landscapes, particularly those which produce polymorphism. We modelled how combinations of natural and sexual selection act on aposematic traits within a single population to gain insights into what combinations of selection favours the evolution and maintenance of phenotypic variation. With a rich foundation of studies on selection and phenotypic divergence, we reference the poison frog genus
Oophaga
to model signal evolution. Multifarious selection on aposematic traits created the topology of our model's fitness landscape by approximating different scenarios found in natural populations. Combined, the model produced all types of phenotypic variation found in frog populations, namely monomorphism, continuous variation and discrete polymorphism. Our results afford advances into how multifarious selection shapes phenotypic divergence, which, along with additional modelling enhancements, will allow us to further our understanding of visual signal evolution.
Vibrio paucivorans sp. nov. and Vibrio qingdaonensis sp. nov., two marine bacteria
Authors: Guo Ruihong , Yuan Yalin , Liu Ronghua , Hong Wen , Zhou Yi , Zhao Wenbin , Wang Xiaolei , Zhang Xiao-Hua
Published: April 2023

Two Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile, rod-shaped and flagellated marine bacteria, designated strains DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T, were isolated from the surface sediments of the Bohai sea and Qingdao coastal seawater, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA genes, multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), phylogenomic analysis of single-copy gene families and whole-genome data placed DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T within the genus

Vibrio

. DBSS07T was most closely related to

Vibrio aestivus

M22T, with 97.51 % sequence similarity, whereas ZSDZ65T was most closely related to

Vibrio variabilis

R-40492T with 97.58 % sequence similarity. DBSS07T grew with 1–7 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 3 %), at 16–37 °C (optimum 28 °C) and at pH 6.0–9.0 (optimum pH 7.0); whereas ZSDZ65T grew with 1–5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 2 %), at 16–32 °C (optimum 28 °C) and at pH 6.0–9.0 (optimum pH 8.0). Both strains shared the same major fatty acid components (more than 10 % of total fatty acids) of summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c or/and C16 : 1ω6c), with different proportions. The DNA G+C contents of DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T were 44.7 and 44.3 %, respectively. On the basis of the results of polyphasic analysis, DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T are considered to represent novel species within the genus

Vibrio

, for which the names V. paucivorans sp. nov. (type strain, DBSS07T = KCTC 82896T= MCCC 1K06284T) and V. qingdaonensis sp. nov. (type strain, ZSDZ65T = KCTC 82893T = MCCC 1K06289T) are proposed, respectively.
4′-Deoxypyridoxine disrupts vitamin B6 homeostasis in Escherichia coli K12 through combined inhibition of cumulative B6 uptake and PLP-dependent enzyme activity
Authors: Babor Jill , Tramonti Angela , Nardella Caterina , Deutschbauer Adam , Contestabile Roberto , de Crécy-Lagard Valérie
Published: April 2023

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) is the active form of vitamin B6 and a cofactor for many essential metabolic processes such as amino acid biosynthesis and one carbon metabolism. 4’-deoxypyridoxine (4dPN) is a long known B6 antimetabolite but its mechanism of action was not totally clear. By exploring different conditions in which PLP metabolism is affected in the model organism

Escherichia coli

K12, we showed that 4dPN cannot be used as a source of vitamin B6 as previously claimed and that it is toxic in several conditions where vitamin B6 homeostasis is affected, such as in a B6 auxotroph or in a mutant lacking the recently discovered PLP homeostasis gene, yggS. In addition, we found that 4dPN sensitivity is likely the result of multiple modes of toxicity, including inhibition of PLP-dependent enzyme activity by 4’-deoxypyridoxine phosphate (4dPNP) and inhibition of cumulative pyridoxine (PN) uptake. These toxicities are largely dependent on the phosphorylation of 4dPN by pyridoxal kinase (PdxK).
Global trends in antimicrobial resistance on organic and conventional farms
Authors: Ager Eldon O. , Carvalho Tamilie , Silva Erin , Ricke Steven C. , Hite Jessica L.
Published: April 2023

Various stewardship policies, regulations, and voluntary bans have focused on protecting antimicrobials by limiting their use in livestock. These efforts ignited management shifts ranging from largely nominal (e.g., drugs banned for use as ‘growth promoters’ were reclassified as ‘prophylactic’ drugs) to organic farming, which drastically reduces or eliminates use of antimicrobials. Understanding how these farming practices influence the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in livestock carries important implications for policy makers, public health officials, and farm managers. Here, we reviewed studies spanning the last 20 years to ask if the most stringent effort to reduce antimicrobial use in livestock — organic farming — results in notable reductions in the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance across broad scale geographic ranges, pathogens, and livestock hosts. Our results validate organic farming in reducing the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by ∼31.2%,∼26.9%, ∼28.2%,∼42.9 and ∼36.2% in cattle, chicken, environment, pigs and turkey respectively while also revealing significant variation in the strength of this reduction across contexts. Given that our results join others indicating that AMR is increasing across all types of farms, our results highlight areas where organic farming has been most effective and may provide economical and scalable solutions for farmers.
Estimating amino acid substitution models from genome datasets: A simulation study on the performance of estimated models
Authors: Nguyen Huy Tinh , Dang Cuong Cao , Sy Vinh Le
Published: April 2023

Estimating amino acid substitution models is a crucial task in bioinformatics. The maximum likelihood (ML) approach has been proposed to estimate amino acid substitution models from large datasets. The quality of newly estimated models is normally assessed by comparing with the existing models in building ML trees. Two important questions remained are the correlation of the estimated models with the true models and the required size of the training datasets to estimate reliable models. In this paper, we performed a simulation study to answer these two questions based on the simulated data. We simulated genome datasets with different number of genes/alignments based on predefined models (called true models) and predefined trees (called true trees). The simulated datasets were used to estimate amino acid substitution model using the ML estimation method. Our experiment showed that models estimated by the ML methods from simulated datasets with more than 100 genes have high correlations with the true models. The estimated models performed well in building ML trees in comparison with the true models. The results suggest that amino acid substitution models estimated by the ML methods from large genome datasets might play as reliable tool for analyzing amino acid sequences.
TerC Proteins Function During Protein Secretion to Metalate Exoenzymes
Authors: He Bixi , Sachla Ankita J. , Helmann John D.
Published: April 2023

Cytosolic metalloenzymes acquire metals from buffered intracellular pools. How exported metalloenzymes are appropriately metalated is less clear. We provide evidence that TerC family proteins function in metalation of enzymes during export through the general secretion (Sec-dependent) pathway.Bacillus subtilisstrains lacking MeeF(YceF) and MeeY(YkoY) have a reduced capacity for protein export and a greatly reduced level of manganese (Mn) in the secreted proteome. MeeF and MeeY copurify with proteins of the general secretory pathway, and in their absence the FtsH membrane protease is essential for viability. MeeF and MeeY are also required for efficient function of the Mn2+-dependent lipoteichoic acid synthase (LtaS), a membrane-localized enzyme with an extracytoplasmic active site. Thus, MeeF and MeeY, representative of the widely conserved TerC family of membrane transporters, function in the co-translocational metalation of Mn2+-dependent membrane and extracellular enzymes.
Nutrient Limitation SensitizesPseudomonas aeruginosato Vancomycin
Authors: Chan Derek C. K. , Dykema Katherine , Fatima Mahrukh , Harvey Hanjeong , Qaderi Ikram , Burrows Lori L.
Published: April 2023

Traditional antibacterial screens rely on growing bacteria in nutrient-replete conditions which are not representative of the natural environment or sites of infection. Instead, screening in more physiologically relevant conditions may reveal novel activity for existing antibiotics. Here, we screened a panel of antibiotics reported to lack activity against the opportunistic Gram-negative bacterium,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,under low-nutrient conditions, and discovered that the glycopeptide vancomycin inhibited growth ofP. aeruginosaat low micromolar concentrations through its canonical mechanism of action, disruption of peptidoglycan cross-linking. Spontaneous vancomycin-resistant mutants had activating mutations in the sensor kinase of the two-component CpxSR system, which induced cross-resistance to almost all classes of ý-lactams, including the siderophore antibiotic cefiderocol. Other mutations that conferred vancomycin resistance mapped to WapR, an α-1,3-rhamnosyltransferase involved in lipopolysaccharide core biosynthesis. A WapR P164T mutant had a modified LPS profile compared to wild type that was accompanied by increased susceptibility to select bacteriophages. We conclude that screening in nutrient-limited conditions can reveal novel activity for existing antibiotics and lead to discovery of new and impactful resistance mechanisms.

For Table of Contents Use Only
Arsenic(III) oxide intercalate with ammonium chloride: crystal structure revision and thermal characterization
Authors: Wrześniewska Weronika , Paluch Piotr , Guńka Piotr A.
Published: April 2023

According to the crystal structure determination by Edstrand & Blomqvist [Ark. Kemi (1955), 8, 245–256], intercalate NH4Cl·As2O3·0.5H2O ({\bf Y_{{NH}_{4}Cl}}) is not isostructural with compound KCl·As2O3·0.5H2O. This is very unlikely because both NH4Br·2As2O3 and KBr·2As2O3 as well as NH4I·2As2O3 and KI·2As2O3 are isostructural. Hence, intercalate {\bf Y_{{NH}_{4}Cl}} has been studied using single-crystal X-ray diffraction in addition to attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and 15N solid-state magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopies. These techniques indicate that revising the previous crystal structure model is necessary. Compound {\bf Y_{{NH}_{4}Cl}} crystallizes in space group P6/mmm with unit-cell parameters a = 5.25420 (10) Å and c = 12.6308 (3) Å and is isostructural with KCl·As2O3·0.5H2O. The presence of two symmetry-independent ammonium cations in the structure has been unequivocally confirmed using 15N ssNMR spectroscopy. The 15N ssNMR spectrum of intercalate {\bf Y_{{NH}_{4}Cl}} has been compared with analogous spectra of NH4Br·2As2O3 and NH4I·2As2O3 which allowed for a probable assignment of signals to ammonium cations occupying particular sites in the crystal structures. Thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and variable-temperature ATR-FTIR spectra have revealed that intercalate {\bf Y_{{NH}_{4}Cl}} is dehydrated between 320 and 475 K. Upon cooling or standing in moist air water is re-absorbed. Dehydration leads to significant shortening of the c unit-cell parameter as revealed by powder X-ray diffraction [c = 12.1552 (7) Å at 293 K]. Compound {\bf Y_{{NH}_{4}Cl}} decomposes on prolonged heating above 490 K to arsenic(III) oxide and ammonium chloride.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of (5aS,8aR)-3,5a-dimethyl-8-methylidene-2-oxododecahydrooxireno[2′,3′:6,7]naphtho[1,2-b]furan-6-yl (Z)-2-methylbut-2-enoate extracted from Ferula persica
Authors: Karimli Elvin G. , Khrustalev Victor N. , Kurasova Margarita N. , Akkurt Mehmet , Khalilov Ali N. , Bhattarai Ajaya , Mamedov İbrahim G.
Published: April 2023

In the title compound, C20H26O5, the two cyclohexane rings adopt boat and half-chair conformations. In the crystal, adjacent molecules are connected by intermolecular C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network. According to a Hirshfeld surface study, H...H interactions are the most significant contributors to the crystal packing (63.0%).
“Stop talking about gender:” Toward positive diversity and inclusion experience of female IT professionals in Poland
Authors: Sońta Monika
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to explore the experiences regarding diversity and inclusion in the professional context. The stories of female IT professionals included the discussion around enablers and blockers of career and development in IT and talking about worst and best daily experiences at the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative study that presents the findings from four focus groups with 50 participants – selected female IT professionals working in Poland. The IT professionals were taking part in the Women in Tech Summit in Warsaw in 2019. LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® projective technique has been applied during the group interviews to help the participants express their experiences in a creative way.

Findings

The findings include conceptualization of the three main sources of inequalities: (1) Imbalance in rewards and recognition and performance visibility (2) Inability to build wider women-oriented strategic alliances and meaningful relationships around D&I and (3) Willingness but no practical mechanisms to contribute to the business value and being a part of meaningful activities and two concepts of how to improve employee experiences, namely: business strategizing based on daily meaningful experience and mentoring others and impacting business reality through creating professional alliances that matter and are recognized as business value generators as the key directions.

Research limitations/implications

The research was conducted before the pandemic.

Practical implications

The research creates a practical conversational framework for managers giving directions on how to talk about diversity and inclusion in the workplace using a perspective of “daily interactions” and “everyday employee experiences”.

Social implications

The emerged concepts help to direct the corporate discussions around Social Development Goal No. 5 – Gender Equality in a practical business dimension.

Originality/value

The originality is brought by (1) LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® – the method of creative exploration used during the focused groups (2) social significance of gender equality in the technological roles and industries, especially in the context of reskilling approaches (3) Central and Eastern European perspective of the research.
Managerial stereotypes over time: the rise of feminine leadership
Authors: Feenstra Sanne , Stoker Janka I. , Lammers Joris , Garretsen Harry
Published: April 2023

Purpose

A key obstacle to women’s advancement to managerial roles and leadership positions is the stereotype of the “good” manager, which is characterized by masculine traits. Although this gendered managerial stereotype has been very persistent over the past decades, Powell et al. (2021) recently showed that business students in the USA reported a decreased preference for masculine leadership traits and an increased preference for feminine leadership traits, resulting in a so-called “androgynous” manager profile that contains both masculine and feminine characteristics. This study aims to replicate Powell et al.’s (2021) findings among an older sample of working adults in The Netherlands.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study tests for changes in the managerial stereotype in a sample of 5,542 Dutch employees across 2005, 2010 and 2020.

Findings

In line with Powell et al. (2021), the results confirm employees’ decreased preference for masculine and increased preference for feminine leadership traits in 2020 compared to 2005. Nevertheless, Dutch employees still favored masculine over feminine leadership traits in 2020, contrary to the findings by Powell et al. (2021).

Practical implications

These observed changes in the managerial stereotype could prove to be an important step forward for women’s advancement to management and leadership positions.

Originality/value

With the present study, the authors demonstrate cross-cultural generalizability and conclude that the stereotype of a “good manager” is not only changing among US business students but also among working adults in The Netherlands. Overall, this study strengthens the observation that the stereotype of a “good manager” is becoming less gendered.
Barriers to university social responsibility implementation in the Vietnamese higher education
Authors: Do Manh-Hoang , Huang Yung-Fu
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This article aims to identify the critical barriers to university social responsibility (USR) implementation and explore the most significant obstacles in Vietnamese higher education practice.

Design/methodology/approach

To rank the vital barriers in USR implementation between public and private universities, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) techniques have been employed. The authors collected data from twenty experts across Vietnamese universities, ten respondents for each kind correspondingly. All experts have at least five years of experience in terms of the USR regard.

Findings

Sixteen critical barriers to USR implementation have been identified in the context of Vietnamese universities. Among these barriers, those related to legal issues, USR knowledge and stakeholders are deemed the highest priority to overcome. However, the findings revealed that the lack of metrics to quantify USR benefits, local societal pressure and the complexity of USR adoption are comparatively easier to remove when implementing USR initiatives.

Practical implications

The article suggests that for Vietnamese universities to adopt USR initiatives successfully, higher education administrators and senior project managers should prioritize overcoming obstacles based on their university's capabilities.

Originality/value

This work is the first research considering the barriers and challenges of Vietnamese universities struggling to implement USR programs.
The adoption of Lean in the Greek public sector. An employee perspective
Authors: Psomas Evangelos , Keramida Efthalia , Bouranta Nancy , Kafetzopoulos Dimitrios
Published: April 2023

Purpose

In times of strong global competition and worldwide economic downturn, there is an imperative need for public services organizations to reform and improve their quality. These organizations can base their improvement efforts on Lean philosophy. The purpose of this study is to assess the employees’ perceived degree of adoption of Lean principles by public services organizations in Greece. Determining the differences in the perceptions of groups of employees with regard to the adoption of Lean principles by public organizations is also an aim of the study.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was published online, inviting employees of Greek public services organizations to assess the degree of Lean adoption by their organizations, specified on the basis of general principles. A total of 1,022 employees completed the structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were applied to assess the degree of adoption of Lean principles by public organizations. The nonparametric Mann–Whitney U Test and Kruskal–Wallis Test were also applied to determine whether there are statistically significant differences in the perceptions of groups of employees with regard to the adoption of Lean principles by public organizations.

Findings

According to the perceptions of employees, Greek public organizations adopt Lean principles to a high extent. However, there is room for further improvement in the degree to which Lean is adopted. Statistically significant differences are observed in the perceptions of groups of employees from different sized organizations, hierarchical levels, skill sets and service subsectors, with regard to the degree of adoption of Lean principles by their organizations.

Research limitations/implications

The employees of the public sector who were invited to respond to the survey through social media, the subjective nature of the data collected and the fact that this is a country-specific study constitute the main limitations of the present study, based on which future studies can be designed.

Practical implications

By determining the strong and weak points of the adoption of Lean principles by Greek public services organizations, suitable managerial initiatives can be undertaken by these organizations to fully adopt Lean, eliminate waste and enhance quality management.

Social implications

Understanding and improving the current status of the adoption of Lean principles by Greek public organizations will influence the services provided to the citizens in terms of time, quality and delivery.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which provides insights, based on employees’ perceptions, into the adoption of Lean by the public services sector.
Empirical benchmarking of virtual service centers' service quality: a case of a large telecom service provider in India
Authors: Kukreti Kamlesh , Ganguly Kunal , Samad Taab Ahmad
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to present a hybrid approach to measure the efficiency of virtual contact centers (VCCs) started during the pandemic and benchmark them for service performance. The results are used to plot the VCC's efficiency score (performance) and customer perception (Importance) to propose appropriate strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the survey method, 854 responses were collected from customers who used VCC services during the pandemic. This data was then employed to assess the performance of VCCs using SERVPERF and DEA methods, followed by the development of the model for performance analysis.

Findings

Results reveal the ranking of different VCCs started during the pandemic for the telecom company using SERVPERF and DEA methods. Further, the performance analysis model highlighted the strategies appropriate for each VCCs.

Practical implications

The findings add to the body of knowledge on how multiple service units of a large organization can assess service efficiency utilizing a combination of SERVPERF-DEA. The present work also contributes to the performance analysis field by proposing a model to assess the service centers and provide improvement guidelines.

Originality/value

The work is one of the first to assess the service efficiency of the VCCs started during the pandemic by using a unique hybrid approach of SERVPERF and DEA. This approach provides a direction to whom to benchmark and to what degree service quality should be improved. Further, the study proposes a unique performance analysis model based on performance scores and customer perception.
D&C technique as an MCDM tool for managing the heritage value assessment of historic buildings in post-war cities: Mosul Old City as a case study
Authors: Ismaeel Emad Hani
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The value assessment process of the built heritage is a multipart procedure that includes diverse aspects with overlapping requirements. This process requires various measures to obtain better results, making it a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) process. In post-disaster cases, a management system is required to promptly evaluate the degree of risk and damage and to set the preservation priorities in order to effectively supervise and protect the heritage places. MCDM is utilized for configuring and solving decision and planning problems encompassing multiple criteria, to assist decision-makers.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper suggests an approach as a tool to be used in the development of the Built Heritage Record for Mosul Old City. It proposes a D&C technique as an MCDM effectual tool for solving multifaceted problems of heritage significance assessment process in post-conflict cities, adopting the conservation of the traditional houses of Mosul Old City as a case study.

Findings

The research results showed the need for a method to solve the complexity of the decision-making problem regarding the process of determining the value and significance of heritage buildings and sites in the old city of Mosul, and how to develop a methodology to facilitate decision-making within databases related to such a multi-criteria issue.

Research limitations/implications

For an effective judgment of the expert or participant in the evaluation process, and to contribute to the decision-making more objectively, exploiting digital management programs including an interactive user interface with the ability to share on the Internet is the focal next intention of the project.

Originality/value

The paper shows that by using specific software, a database for heritage places of the old city of Mosul could be generated to apply the proposed system. The expert can utilize the software to calculate and define the total value of the place automatically according to the entered data.
Business intelligence and analytic (BIA) stage-of-practice in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)
Authors: Hoang Thinh Gia , Bui Minh Le
Published: April 2023

Purpose

While business intelligence and analytic (BIA) systems have been developed by large corporations around the world, micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have recently paid attention and deployed BIA adoption, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic disruption. This study sheds light on how MSMEs adopt the BIA systems and then proposes a framework for the BIA adoption process in the context of MSMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

The multiple case research design and interpretivism approach are employed for expanding the theoretical boundary of the strategic management fields in BIA adoption by MSMEs. In total, 35 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers and owners involved in BIA adoption from 17 participating MSMEs.

Findings

The research study identifies three BIA adoption stages with specific technical and managerial features in the path of BIA adoption in each stage, corresponding to the level of BIA maturity of MSMEs. The authors also highlight other factors that directly influence the successful adoption and transformation from each stage to another.

Research limitations/implications

The research study identifies three BIA adoption stages with specific technical and managerial features in the path of BIA adoption at each stage that corresponds to the level of BIA maturity of MSMEs. Besides, this study also extends the current literature on BIA adoption in an organisation during the Covid-19 pandemic by identifying several contextual barriers that directly influence the BIA adoption.

Practical implications

Research findings can help business leaders and owners of MSMEs to determine the BIA maturity of their organisation. Furthermore, the authors’ framework can also be used by consultancies and standard setters to develop detailed BIA adoption strategies and tactics that support MSMEs' digitalisation towards BIA adoption.

Originality/value

The research study’s results highlight that contextual factors, leadership competencies, motivations and barriers for BIA adoption can also be used to help MSMEs' leaders and owners to trigger, advance or eliminate challenges for the adoption of BIA initiatives in MSMEs.
Governance and the double-bottom-line performance of microfinance institutions: evidence from Bangladesh
Authors: Hussain Mohammad Delwar , Ahmed Iftekhar
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of governance on the double-bottom-line performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on three dimensions of corporate governance (CG) practices, that is, functions of the board of directors (BoD), top-level management activities and external governance mechanisms. This study uses panel data econometrics, particularly pooled OLS, fixed effects and two-stage system generalized method of moments to deal with potential endogeneity concerns. The panel data set covers 1,200 MFI year observations from Bangladesh for the period between 2005 and 2019.

Findings

The findings show that the presence of stakeholders on boards plays a critical role in MFIs. The dual goals of MFIs are influenced by board size, board independence and CEO duality. Internal management activities, risk perceptions and external governance also impact MFIs’ performance. Women on board have an inverse association with outreach. The activities of female managers have a significant impact on depth of outreach.

Research limitations/implications

Like many others, this study also admits the data constraint issues in microfinance research. CG data for MFI are mostly unavailable in the public domain; therefore, this study must rely on third-party data sources. This study only includes MFIs that has data for all variables of interest.

Practical implications

Governance attributes in hybrid organizations are constituted differently. To warrant multistakeholder engagement, there is a need to develop a distinctive governance manual for hybrid organizations like MFIs.

Social implications

This study proposes adopting a Social Director on the BoD to ensure the scope of outreach depth, given the importance of social goals in MFIs.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the ongoing debate on microfinance governance, addresses the issue based on different theoretical aspects using a country-specific data set and uses dynamic panel models to deal with potential endogeneity concerns.
The effect of Covid-19 on digital banking explored under business model approach
Authors: Yıldırım Ahmet Coşkun , Erdil Erkan
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aims to understand the impacts of Covid-19 on the progression of digitalization of banks in an emerging market. For this purpose, business model canvas (BMC) is used as a theoretical framework to explore these effects on each business elements of Turkish Banks’ business strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected through structured interviews with the top managers of seven diversified banks. Interview questions are designed based on BMC.

Findings

The results show that the onset of the Covid-19 is a shock that has made digitalization a strategic issue that necessitates an urgent change in many business elements of banks such as customer relationships, communication channels, resource allocation, partnerships and financing. Further, it has stimulated redefining value proposition and collaboration/interaction among all financial institutions through digital platforms.

Practical implications

BMC can be used to explain decision-making and business processes of banks for exploring the effect of recent and/or unexpected developments in the business environment of an emerging economy. The results provide insights and recommendations to managers of financial institutions into the impacts of Covid-19 on banks’ operational and strategic processes. That allows financial institutions, including Fintechs, to use this information for taking precautions and proactive actions against shocks.

Originality/value

This study is an initial attempt to explore the impacts of the Covid-19 on banks in an emerging economy by using BMC. With that, this study contributes to the literature by explaining the effect of progression of digitalization in banking from a strategic business model perspective using a qualitative research method.
Time‐lapse PS‐wave time‐shifts and quantitative pressure‐saturation discrimination applications
Authors: Tura Ali , Simmons James , Damasceno Andrea , Held Marihelen
Published: April 2023

We show that time‐lapse (4D) time‐shifts from PS‐wave data are valuable as they are very sensitive to pressure changes, whereas 4D time‐shifts from PP‐wave data are sensitive to both pressure and saturation changes. This gives another opportunity from using 4D amplitudes alone to understand and discriminate areas of pressure changes from areas of saturation changes in field data. 4D PS time‐shifts sense transmission related changes taking into consideration propagation through the altered medium, whereas amplitude changes are reflection or backscattered signals from the boundary. Therefore, these two attributes will be complimentary in 4D interpretation. Rock‐physics‐based time‐shift cross‐plots are generated to analyse how pressure and saturation changes in a reservoir impact PP‐ and PS‐wave time‐shifts. The developments of 4D time‐shifts are shown fixing the reservoir properties and varying reservoir layer thickness. Synthetic seismic data from a wedge is modelled to understand differences between 4D amplitude and time‐shift changes and the value of PS time‐shifts. Cases with pressure changes only and saturation changes only are also analysed with the wedge model. The method is next applied to two 4D field data sets. One is in the North Sea and the other offshore Brazil. In these field data sets, with different levels of noise in the 4D data, we see interpretable results from PS‐wave time‐shifts that can help in 4D signal understanding and improve reservoir characterization and monitoring practices. We believe that with modern acquisition and processing, this technology is realizable and provides quantitative and accurate 4D interpretations. It is shown that the use of PS‐wave data can lead to a larger chance of success in placing development wells.
Foraging distances, habitat preferences and seasonal colony performance of honeybees in Central European forest landscapes
Authors: Rutschmann Benjamin , Kohl Patrick L. , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf
Published: April 2023

Unmanaged forest is considered as native habitat of the Western honeybee Apis mellifera and is assumed to provide important pollen and nectar sources. However, resource supply might be spatially and temporally restricted in managed forests and landscape‐scale studies in European forest regions are currently lacking.

Capitalizing on a unique communication behaviour, the waggle dance, we investigated honeybee foraging in a deciduous forest region in southern Germany. We analysed 2022 waggle dances performed by bees of 12 colonies placed in the centre of landscapes with varying degree of forest cover (50%–99% at a 2‐km radius) from March to August 2019, thereby identifying foraging distances and habitat preferences over almost an entire foraging season. By connecting dance information with colony weight recordings, we assessed the role of landscape composition and the contribution of different habitat types to colony weight gain.

Foraging distances generally increased with the amount of forest in the surrounding landscape pointing to inferior food resources in the forest. Yet, this effect strongly depended on the season and was more pronounced for pollen than for nectar foraging. Even though colonies in forest‐dominated landscapes had to fly further, colony weight was not significantly affected by forest cover.

Compared to expectations based on the proportions of different habitats, colonies foraged more frequently in grassland and cropland than in deciduous and coniferous forests, with late summer being an especially difficult period for pollen foraging in forests. During a phase of colony weight gain in early summer, the use of forests for nectar/honeydew foraging was close to the expectation, highlighting forests as an important complementary source of carbohydrates during short periods of the year.

Policy implication. The ecological and economic value of managed forest as habitat for honeybees could be significantly increased by the continuous provision of floral resources, especially for pollen foraging. Therefore, we recommend diversifying forest stands with insect‐pollinated trees, permitting secondary successions in forest gaps, and at larger scales, creating forest landscapes with high habitat diversity. This will not only help native, wild‐living honeybees and beekeepers' colonies residing in forest areas but will also foster social bees in general.
Economic Resilience in a Pandemic: Did COVID‐19 Policy Effects Override Industry Diversity Impacts in Australia?
Authors: Angelopoulos Sveta , de Silva Ashton , Navon Yonatan , Sinclair Sarah , Yanotti Maria
Published: April 2023

The industry diversity thesis of economic resilience to economic shocks is embedded in community development policy across Australia. The idea being that in the event of an economic shock some industries will prove more recession‐proof than others. The greater the industry diversity, the greater the likelihood of off‐setting industry effects, resulting in greater economic resilience. The COVID‐19 pandemic and the associated restrictions created a unique natural experiment to explore whether the industry diversity thesis holds true under the conditions of a global health pandemic. In this policy paper, we use JobKeeper applications as a proxy for decreased economic resilience. We explore if Australian local government areas (LGAs) with higher industry diversity had less necessity for JobKeeper. We also briefly consider if concentrations of certain industries acted as a better economic buffer to the COVID‐19 economic shock. We observe that as diversity increases, economic resilience strengthens except for Victoria (where the association is inverted). This observation has important implications for current and future policy formation and implementation across all layers of government.
Arteriovenous malformation of the spermatic cord mimicking reducible inguinal hernia
Authors: Nakabayashi Rumi , Matsubara Taketo , Shimada Gen
Published: April 2023

Arteriovenous malformations are a vascular anomaly most often found in the central nervous system; however, they can present ubiquitously in any organs or tissues. We present the case of a 55‐year‐old man who developed a tender, reducible inguinal bulge and underwent laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair under the clinical diagnosis of an inguinal hernia. Intraoperative observation revealed no hernia sac, but a poorly defined spermatic cord mass, appearing to be responsible for the patient's symptoms, was found and removed. The pathology of the mass was consistent with the diagnosis of an arteriovenous malformation of the spermatic cord. Surgeons should keep in mind the small possibility of arteriovenous malformations in patients with clinical presentation of an inguinal hernia, as they may cause massive bleeding during and after the operation unless handled appropriately.
Refractory multiple myeloma: Count refractory drugs, not lines of treatment!
Authors: Scheid Christof
Published: April 2023

Current approved immunotherapeutic agents such as CART cells are limited to patients with at least 3 or even 4 prior lines of treatment. However more and more patients become refractory to standard regimens in earlier lines. Mohyuddin et al. examined the inclusion criteria of current immunotherapeutic trials in myeloma and propose a change to put more emphasis on refractoriness to 3 or more agents and to omit a required number of lines of therapy in current and future protocols.

Commentary on: Mohyuddin et al. Inclusion criteria of currently enrolling T‐cell engaging trials in multiple myeloma: Should we be focusing on lines of prior therapy? Br J Haematol 2023;202:e1‐e2.
Can we prevent social identity switches? An experimental–computational investigation
Authors: Zinn Anna K. , Koschate Miriam , Naserianhanzaei Elahe , Lavric Aureliu
Published: April 2023

Previous studies suggested that social identity switches are rapid and highly effective, raising the question of whether people can intentionally control such switches. In two studies, we tested if participants could exert top‐down control to prevent a social identity switch triggered by the experimental context. In Study 1, participants (N = 198) were given a writing task aimed at prompting a switch from their parent identity to their feminist identity. Before the prompt, half of the participants (the experimental group) were instructed to remain in their parent identity, avoiding an identity switch; the control group was not given such instructions. We found no significant difference between the groups in either self‐reported salience or the implicit computational measure of salience based on participants' linguistic style, both measures suggesting a switch in both groups. Study 2 (N = 380) followed the same design but included a monetary incentive to prevent the switch in the experimental group. The groups differed significantly in their self‐reported salience but not in the implicit measure, which suggests limited ability to avoid the switch even when participants report being able to do so. These results point to limited intentional control over exogenously triggered identity switches, with important practical implications.
Suicide mortality, long‐term unemployment, and labor‐market policies: Evidence from European countries
Authors: Goulas Eleftherios , Zervoyianni Athina
Published: April 2023

Using data from 25 EU countries spanning the period 1999–2017, this paper examines the relationship between working‐age suicides and changes in long‐term unemployment and tests for mitigating effects through the implementation of labor‐market policies. The estimates suggest higher suicide risks following a rising rate of long‐term unemployment. Passive support policies have a suicide‐decreasing impact. Among active policies, a significant suicide‐decreasing effect is found for training and direct job creation. The results have important policy implications in that they suggest that strong commitment of governments to passive or to certain types of active labor‐market policies can, on average, contribute to social stability and the welfare of populations.