bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Magnetospirillum magneticumas a living iron chelator induces TfR1 upregulation and decreases cell viability in cancer cells
Authors: Menghini Stefano , Shu Ho Ping , Gwisai Tinotenda , Schuerle Simone 
Published: May 2020

AbstractInterest has grown in harnessing biological agents for cancer treatment as dynamic vectors with enhanced tumor targeting. While bacterial traits such as proliferation in tumors, modulation of an immune response and local secretion of toxins have been well studied, less is known about bacteria as competitors for nutrients. Here, we investigated the use of a bacterial strain as a living iron chelator, competing for this nutrient vital to tumor growth and progression. We established anin vitroco-culture system consisting of the magnetotactic strainMagnetospirillum magneticumAMB-1 incubated under hypoxic conditions with human melanoma cells. Siderophore production by 108AMB-1/mL in human transferrin (Tf)-supplemented media was quantified and found to be equivalent to a concentration of 3.78 μM ± 0.117 μM deferoxamine, a potent drug used in iron chelation therapy. Our experiments revealed an increased expression of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) and a significant decrease of cancer cell viability, indicating the bacteria’s ability to alter iron homeostasis in human melanoma cells. Our results show the potential of a bacterial strain acting as a self-replicating iron-chelating agent, which could serve as an additional mechanism reinforcing current bacterial cancer therapies.
Study of the Sudanese perceptions of COVID-19: Applying the Health Belief Model
Authors: Nasir Elwalid F. , Yagoub Hatim Mohammed Almahdi , Alhag Ahmed Khalid 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundCOVID-19 a pandemic declared by WHO, is the first in recent history pose challenges on public health. Health Belief Model is a psychosocial model explains and predicts health-related behaviours. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of the Sudanese on COVID-19-related preventive measures.MethodsA Cross-sectional study using online-questionnaire was conducted between 1st-16th April 2020 among Sudanese adults (aged ≥18 years). We used a snowball sampling technique, starting from known professional and social media groups, and individuals and then was distributed on various internet platforms. The survey instrument was based on HBM constructs.ResultsSome 877 individuals participated in the survey with a mean age 37.8 (SD±11.94) more males, mostly having a university education, employed and residing in Khartoum. More than half of the participants scored high in almost all Health Belief Model constructs, except for benefits of hand hygiene. The findings show that the HBM constructs are correlated to each other’s as well as to other socio-demographic factors. Self-efficacy correlated negatively with susceptibility (r −0.084), while positively with severity, benefits of and barriers to hand hygiene, benefits and barriers to social distancing (r 0.117, r 0.347, r 0.202, r 0.396, r 0.276), respectively.ConclusionThe findings show that the HBM constructs are correlated to each other’s as well as to other socio-demographic factors. Self-efficacy must be taken into account as a strong changing factor to susceptibility and severity perceptions. Correlations found in this study might help drive behaviour-changing efforts.
Advances in the smart materials applications in the aerospace industries
Authors: Basheer Al Arsh 
Published: May 2020

Purpose
Smart materials also called intelligent materials are gaining importance continuously in many industries including aerospace one. It is because of the unique features of these materials such as self-sensing, self-adaptability, memory capabilities and manifold functions. For a long time, there is no review of smart materials. Therefore, it is considered worthwhile to write a review on this subject.

Design/methodology/approach
A thorough search of the literature was carried out through SciFinder, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library and reputed and peer-reviewed journals. The literature was critically analyzed and a review was written.

Findings
This study describes the advances in smart materials concerning their applications in aerospace industries. The classification, working principle and recent developments (nano-smart materials) of smart materials are discussed. Besides, the future perspectives of these materials are also highlighted. Much research has not been done in this area, which needs more extensive study.

Originality/value
Certainly, this study will be highly useful for academicians, researchers and technocrats working in aerospace industries.
Skills required to deliver energy efficient school retrofit buildings
Authors: Bevan Whitney , Lu Shu-Ling , Sexton Martin 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe prevailing literature argues the need for “new” skills to deliver energy-efficient buildings. The concept of new skills, however, has not been subject to empirical investigation. This paper aims to provide insight on the required new skills, and their development and application, for the successful delivery of energy-efficient school retrofit buildings.Design/methodology/approachThe research employed a case study approach of a school retrofit building project in the early stages of the adoption of energy-efficient measures. Through the application of the socio-technical network approach (STNA) as the data collection and analysis framework, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and a review of relevant organisational documentation and were analysed using thematic coding.FindingsThe findings reveal key actors (i.e. the local authority, energy contractors and school end-users), their principal interests and the required communication, project management, energy management, technical and research skills during their interactions in the successful delivery of the school retrofit building project. The results further reinforce the crucial role of the local authority in driving energy performance improvement of school buildings.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates empirical evidence of the principal actors and skills required for the delivery of energy-efficient school retrofit buildings, contributes to new theoretical insights at the identification of key micro-level development of construction skills through the project network and evidences on how the STNA can be mobilised in construction skills research.
ANN-based prediction intervals to forecast labour productivity
Authors: Nasirzadeh Farnad , Kabir H.M. Dipu , Akbari Mahmood , Khosravi Abbas , Nahavandi Saeid , Carmichael David G. 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis study aims to propose the adoption of artificial neural network (ANN)-based prediction intervals (PIs) to give more reliable prediction of labour productivity using historical data.Design/methodology/approachUsing the proposed PI method, various sources of uncertainty affecting predictions can be accounted for, and a PI is proposed instead of a less reliable single-point estimate. The proposed PI consists of a lower and upper bound in which the realization of the predicted variable, namely, labour productivity, is anticipated to fall with a defined probability and represented in terms of a confidence level (CL).FindingsThe proposed PI method is implemented on a case study project to predict labour productivity. The quality of the generated PIs for the labour productivity is investigated at three confidence levels. The results show that the proposed method can predict the value of labour productivity efficiently.Practical implicationsThis study is the first attempt in construction management to undertake a shift from deterministic point predictions to interval forecasts to improve the reliability of predictions. The proposed PI method will help project managers obtain accurate and credible predictions of labour productivity using historical data. With a better understanding of future outcomes, project managers can adopt appropriate improvement strategies to enhance labour productivity before commencing a project.Originality/valuePoint predictions provided by traditional deterministic ANN-based forecasting methodologies may be unreliable due to the different sources of uncertainty affecting predictions. The current study proposes ANN-based PIs as an alternative and robust tool to give a more reliable prediction of labour productivity using historical data. Using the proposed method, various sources of uncertainty affecting the predictions are accounted for, and a PI is proposed instead of a less reliable single point estimate.
Proposing a strategy map for coastal urban project success using the balanced scorecard method
Authors: Huynh Truc Thi-Minh , Dang Chau Ngoc , Le-Hoai Long , Pham Anh-Duc , Nguyen Truong Duy 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis study aims to develop a strategic framework for the success of coastal urban projects in Vietnam, which is one of the Asia Pacific countries significantly affected by climate change.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was used to collect data from practitioners in Vietnam. Principal component analysis (PCA) technique was used to identify critical success factors (CSFs) of coastal urban projects. A strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects was also proposed using the balanced scorecard (BSC) method.FindingsThis study identified 41 project success factors that could contribute to project success, and thence, extracted 11 CSFs for coastal urban projects using the PCA technique. In addition, 11 key performance indicators (KPIs) for coastal urban projects were listed and their linking with project success factors and CSFs was explored. Furthermore, a strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects was proposed using the BSC method. The strategy map included five perspectives: learning and growth, internal processes, social and environmental performance, financial performance, and stakeholders' satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study identified 11 CSFs for coastal urban projects and proposed a strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects.
Yaqoob biscuit manufacturers – missing contingency plan
Authors: Shaikh Abdul Rehman , Qazi Asad Ali 
Published: May 2020

Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes are as follows: to describe the possible problems in cross hierarchical and cross-functional coordination; to illustrate the month/year-end closing operations related issues at logistics and warehousing end; to analyze the importance of supply chain resilience/ contingency plan; and to compare the role of the tradeoff in decision-making: ethics (policies) vs operations.

Case overview/synopsis
Mr Azhar Ali working as a regional distribution manager was waiting for the finalization of sales orders, it was the last working day of the financial year. He had to fulfill all the orders to achieve his personal and organizational goals. He was excited as he was supposed to be promoted and transferred to Head Office on a national role, after a successful annual closing. It was not too late when his excitement turned into anxiety when he received a never expected direct call from Director Sales. Around 7:00 p.m., he was informed of some new orders for an important institutional customer, which was out of his own region. The orders were placed in Ali’s region because of stocks’ availability. Ali had no time to plan this huge order and there were no dispatch trucks available at that time. Should Ali take risk of organizational goals and his promotion and cancel those orders? Should Ali generate sales invoices to record sales and dispatch the stocks on next day compromising the organizational core values and policies?

Complexity academic level
BBA.

Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code
CSS 9: Operations and logistics.
Diffusion of IFRS using innovation diffusion models
Authors: Dayyala Niharika , Zaidi Syed Kashif Raza , Bagchi Kallol 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis study aims to examine the diffusion pattern of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) into the countries and identifies the channels of diffusion.Design/methodology/approachData includes 98 countries that made a public commitment to IFRS adoption from 2000 to 2016. Adoptee countries are categorized based on Rogers’ adopter categorizations to understand country characteristics. Innovation diffusion models such as internal influence, external influence and bass diffusion that explain diffusion patterns are applied to the cumulative adoption of IFRS. Coefficients of internal and external diffusion are obtained using the models to explain the mode of diffusion pattern of IFRS. Further tests are done to identify the best model that explains IFRS diffusion.FindingsFindings show that IFRS diffusion is a result of external influence through vertical communication from a centralized body (IASB) and internal influence due to imitation and interpersonal communication between countries. Imitation effect among the countries has a stronger effect on the IFRS adoption compared to the communication obtained from IASB.Practical implicationsFindings obtained can help standards-setting bodies, organizations and countries to understand the potential future of adopters and non-adopters. It facilitates the standard-setting bodies to manage IFRS diffusion by implementing measures to spread the word on the benefits of IFRS.Originality/valueThe study generates value by modeling a successive increase in the number of IFRS adoptee countries using empirical methods and identifies the reasons for the diffusion life cycle of IFRS.
Whistleblowing: still not an issue of social policy, but an issue for social policy
Authors: Powell Martin 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis paper revisits the claim of Vinten (1993) in this journal that whistleblowing is achieving prominence as a question of social policy.Design/methodology/approachIt examines literature from social and health policy to focus on the importance of whistleblowing and the policies that may encourage whistleblowing. However, it finds little extant academic literature in social policy, and so it turns to examine documents on whistleblowing in the British National Health Service such as NHS Inquiries, Parliamentary Debates, Parliamentary Committee Reports and government documents.FindingsIt is found that whistleblowing has not achieved prominence as a question of social policy in nearly 30 years since Vinten's argument. However, it argues that whistleblowing should be an issue for social policy as it is clear that whistleblowing can save lives.Practical implicationsIt supports the growing Parliamentary agenda for legislative change for whistleblowers.Originality/valueThis is one of the first articles on whistleblowing in a Social Policy journal for nearly 30 years and provides an argument that the discipline should pay more attention to a topic that can save lives.
COVID-19 in Africa: socio-economic impact, policy response and opportunities
Authors: Ozili Peterson 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis paper examines the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and the policy response in African countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses discourse analysis to analyse the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa.FindingsThe findings reveal that African countries have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and the effect was more severe for African regions compared to other regions. The rising pandemic affected social interaction and economic activities through the imposed social distancing policies that have different levels of strictness in several African countriesPractical implicationsThe implication of the findings is that social policies can affect the social and economic well-being of citizens. Secondly, the coronavirus outbreak has revealed how a biological crisis can be transformed to a sociological subject. The most important sociological consequence of the coronavirus outbreak for African citizens is the creation of social anxiety among families and households in the region. The outbreak has also shown how vulnerable African societies are in facing health hazards. Policymakers should enforce social policies that unite communities in bad times, to reduce social anxiety.Originality/valueThis is the first paper that explore the socio-economic impact of coronavirus and the policy response in African countries.
Geographical indications in the wine industry: does it matter for South Africa?
Authors: Lubinga Moses Herbert , Ngqangweni Simphiwe , Van der Walt Stephanie , Potelwa Yolanda , Nyhodo Bonani , Phaleng Lucius , Ntshangase Thandeka 
Published: May 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to assess the impact of protected geographical indications (GIs) on the trade performance of South Africa’s wine industry within the European Union (EU). This is critical in enhancing informed policy decisions towards securing more GIs for wines and other products. The unearthed evidence may provide a basis for more government interventions in support of the initiative while protecting the good reputation in communities where production occurs.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses the gravity flow model framework. The Rand value of wine exports was used as a trade performance measure whereas GIs data was extracted from the E-Bacchus database, and three proxies are used to capture the GIs variable.

Findings
GIs foster South Africa’s wine exports into the EU. When GIs were proxied as a dummy variable, results suggest that GIs led to about 170% increase in wine exports. However, when the actual number of GIs was used, the estimate also indicates 0.7% rise in exports, whereas using the difference between South Africa’s and the EU’s number of GIs, results suggest that GIs are associated with 87% increase in wine exports.

Research limitations/implications
This paper did not take into consideration protected designation of origins (PDOs) on the side of the Europe given that South Africa has no registered PDOs. Further research at industry level should be undertaken to ascertain whether some of South Africa’s wine meets the specifications required to register as a PDO.

Originality/value
This paper adds empirical evidence to the existing literature on the competitiveness of South Africa’s wine industry. The role of GIs in international markets remains a silent feature in the literature yet the industry exhibits an outstanding footprint in GIs. This paper, in part, responds to Biénabe and Marie-Vivien’s (2017) recognition for the need for interdisciplinary empirical analyses to better understand the GI concept. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to analyse the impact of GIs on the industry’s trade performance.
Why online medical teams disband? The role of team diversity and leadership type
Authors: Li Jiaying , Wu Hong , Deng Zhaohua , Evans Richard David , Hong Ziying , Liu Shan 
Published: May 2020

PurposeOnline medical teams (MTs), involving collaboration between remote healthcare workers, can provide comprehensive and rapid healthcare to patients. The growth in MTs is continuing, with popularity growing among doctors and patients, but some MTs disband, which could break the continuity of healthcare services provided. We aim to address this pressing issue by exploring the effects of team diversity and leadership types on team status (i.e. team disbandment (TD)). This paper systematically investigates the influences of team diversity, including separation, variety and disparity diversity and the effects of leadership types, including strong, equal and weak types.Design/methodology/approachA data set consisting 1,071 online MTs was collected from the Good Doctor website, a leading Chinese online health community (OHC), on January 10, 2018. The data captured included 206 teams which disbanded after 3 months collaboration. Logistic regression and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) were used to examine their effects.FindingsThe results show that variety diversity, related to departments, positively affects TD, but disparity diversity, referring to clinician titles, negatively affects TD. Separation diversity, in terms of team member attitudes, exerts a negligible influence on disbandment. Although strong and equal leadership types negatively influence TD, they are seen to strengthen the positive effect of variety diversity, suggesting stable structure combinations of strong or equal-type leadership and low department diversity, as well as the match of weak-type leadership and high department diversity.Originality/valueThis paper extends the current understanding of virtual teams and OHCs by examining the role of leadership types and team diversity, and their influencing role on team status. The pairwise combinations are obtained to effectively reduce the disbandment probability of medical teams operating in OHCs, which could help platform managers, team founders and those connected with MTs deal with the team-disbandment crisis, providing both theoretical and practical implications to healthcare providers and researchers alike.
Inventory management, managerial competence and financial performance of small businesses
Authors: Orobia Laura A. , Nakibuuka Joweria , Bananuka Juma , Akisimire Richard 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is twofold (1) to establish the relationship between inventory management, managerial competence and financial performance and (2) to test whether inventory management mediates the relationship between managerial competence and financial performance.Design/methodology/approachWe employed cross-sectional and correlational research designs. A questionnaire survey of 304 small businesses in Uganda was utilized. Hypotheses were tested using a bootstrap analysis technique with the aid of Analysis of Moments Structures (AMOS) software.FindingsResults indicate that inventory management and managerial competence are significantly associated with financial performance of small businesses. Further, inventory management partially mediates the relationship between managerial competence and financial performance.Originality/valueRather than focusing on only the direct effects of managerial competence and inventory management, moreover independently, the indirect effect of inventory management is tested. Further, the behavioral perspective of inventory management, as opposed to financial ratios, is utilized.
Review of empirical research on leadership and organizational learning
Authors: Do Thanh Tung , Mai Ngoc Khuong 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate how the relationships between different leadership approaches and organizational learning have been examined in the literature, from which future research areas can be recommended.Design/methodology/approachThis systematic literature review applies matrix method to examine major literature in leadership and organizational learning. A total of 57 peer-reviewed English publications from 45 journals were selected and analyzed.FindingsThe synthesis of these empirical studies revealed as follows: the relationship between leadership and organizational learning has been mostly quantitatively investigated in many countries and sectors; multiple leadership styles have been identified to ameliorate processes, levels and capabilities of organizational learning and transformational leadership still remains the most commonly used style; there are mediating mechanism and boundary conditions in the relationship between leadership and organizational learning.Research limitations/implicationsThe literature search in this study was mainly focused on English articles only; therefore, some papers in other languages may have not been included.Practical implicationsThis review offers an overall picture of the existing knowledge of organizational learning and leadership that will be fruitful for practitioners to understand and replicate these concepts.Originality/valueThere are little systematic literature reviews on the relationship between leadership and organizational learning. This paper is among the first systematic reviews to analyze how leadership has been associated with organizational learning and provide potential research directions.