bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Establishing an EU internal market for depositaries
Authors: Buttigieg Christopher , Agius Joseph , Saliba Sandra 
Published: May 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to examine the rationale for the establishment of a depositary passport as the next logical step in building an internal market for investment funds in the European Union (EU). It makes the point that the de facto prohibition of depositary passporting poses risks to financial stability and has an adverse impact on investor protection in EU member states, which do not have a fully developed funds industry.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyses both the arguments in favour and against the adoption of a depositary passport. Moreover, it examines this proposal in the context of different approaches to fostering the internal market such as mutual recognition, harmonisation of regulation, reflexive governance of financial supervision and centralised supervision.

Findings
Based on the review of the current EU legal framework, this paper, subsequently, puts forward possible solutions for the establishment of an internal market for depositary business, which solutions have been discussed with various experts in the field to assess their feasibility in practice.

Originality/value
The paper contributes to the debate on the EU internal market in the field of asset management, which is topical in view of the upcoming review of the EU’s Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive.
Unlocking inhibitors to women's expatriate careers: can job-related training provide a key?
Authors: Shortland Susan , Porter Christine 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine what job-related training interventions female expatriates seek and can access in order to build necessary knowledge and skills to progress into further career-enhancing expatriate positions.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a cross-sectional qualitative research approach, drawing upon semi-structured interviews in respect of organisational training practice with 26 current female expatriates and nine human resource, international assignments and training managers in two oil and gas exploration firms.FindingsBudgets, time and travel restrictions and competitive business pressures constrain on-the-job training provision for expatriates. Assignees require specific knowledge and skills ahead of appointment to subsequent expatriate positions. HR personnel believe training provides appropriate knowledge and capability development, supporting women expatriates' career ambitions. Women assignees view training available within their current roles as insufficient or irrelevant to building human capital for future expatriate posts.Research limitations/implicationsLongitudinal research across a wider spectrum of industries is needed to help understand the effects of training interventions on women's access to future career-enhancing expatriation and senior management/leadership positions.Practical implicationsOrganisations should ensure relevant technical skills training, clear responsibility for training provision, transparent and fair training allocation, positive communication regarding human capital outcomes and an inclusive culture that promotes expatriate gender diversity.Originality/valueSet within the framework of human capital theory, this study identifies the challenges that female expatriates experience when seeking relevant job-related training to further their expatriate careers. It identifies clear mismatches between the views of HR and female assignees in relation to the value of job-related training offered and women's access to it.
Consumer protection and electronic commerce in the Sultanate of Oman
Authors: Belwal Rakesh , Al Shibli Rahima , Belwal Shweta 
Published: May 2020

PurposeWithin a larger mandate of reviewing the key global trends concerning consumer protection in the electronic commerce (e-commerce) literature, this study aims to study the legal framework concerning e-commerce and consumer protection in the Sultanate of Oman and to analyse the current regulations concerning e-commerce and consumer protection.Design/methodology/approachThis study followed the normative legal research approach and resorted to the desk research process to facilitate content analysis of literature containing consumer protection legislation and regulatory provisions in Oman in particular and the rest of the world in general.FindingsThe study reveals that consumer protection initiatives in Oman are well entrenched for offline transactions, but are relatively new and limited for e-commerce. In spite of the promulgation of consumer protection laws, electronic transaction law and cybercrime law, consumer protection measures for e-commerce in Oman do not address a large number of the global concerns necessary to build consumer confidence and trust in the online environment.Research limitations/implicationsThere is a dearth of information concerning Oman on this topic in the extant literature. The research also witnessed the lack of empirical data on the issue of consumer protection and e-commerce in Oman that offer a detailed database of consumer complaints and associated outcomes.Practical implicationsThe mechanism of consumer protection in electronic transactions is not robust in many countries. Because of the lack of comprehensive and robust legislation, consumers remain vulnerable in the online contractual purchase process. Moving beyond the fragmented legislation, many countries are currently mulling an all-comprehensive e-commerce law, implications of this paper will help the policymakers in identifying the focus areas.Social implicationsConsumer protection is a burning global issue in this era of consumerism. It is important to build consumer trust, transparency and integrity of transactions to reduce the risk and uncertainties of purchase.Originality/valueConsumer protection studies conducted in the context of Oman, hitherto, deal more with data protection and dispute resolution mechanisms, and less with legal provisions, regulations and consumer confidence. The study shares newer insights based on a systematic review of legal and business databases. It is the first study of its kind in the context of Oman and the Middle East in general.
Symbiotic relationships in educational services for vulnerable adolescents
Authors: Battistella-Lima Suzana , Veludo-de-Oliveira Tânia , Barki Edgard 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and to what extent different forms of symbiotic relationships (named mutualism and collaboration) within a usage centre lead to different levels of value in use for its resource integrators. This study focusses on the educational services provided in deprived neighbourhoods to potentially vulnerable adolescents.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies a two-phase sequential exploratory mixed-method design. The first phase included a qualitative study that involved both the focal (the students) and peripheral resource integrators (the students’ parents) of a Brazilian educational institution that had exceptional results. The qualitative findings were used to build a comparative multi-group survey with four subgroups in which 530 peripheral resource integrators participated.FindingsA mutualistic educational institution in which the participation of students’ parents is mandatory creates more value in use than collaborative institutions in which parental participation is optional. In the context of educational services for vulnerable adolescents, value in use is echoed in the coexistence of families, greater caring about the students, and the encouragement from the adolescents’ positive beliefs about education and respectful relationships with others.Social implicationsInitiatives aimed at addressing social issues regarding children or adolescents in situations of vulnerability will achieve better results if their families are contemplated and involved.Originality/valueThis study is the first to empirically test Kleinaltenkampet al.’s usage centre framework (2017). In so doing, the study advances the understanding of how the interdependence of actors in the usage processes leads to value creation for vulnerable populations.
A novel approach for dyeing of polyester using non-aqueous deep eutectic solvent as a dyeing medium
Authors: Pawar Sushant S. , Adivarekar Ravindra 
Published: May 2020

PurposeTextile industry is considered to be one of the largest consumers of water. There needs to be an alternative for water in textile wet processing. Solvent dyeing can be an approach to replace the use of water in dyeing for water conservation.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the dyeing of polyester was carried out using conventional and solvent dyeing methods. The solvent used was non-aqueous, deep eutectic solvent (DES) prepared using choline chloride and urea. Dyeing parameters such as time, temperature and pH were optimized for a concentration of dye using the solvent and were compared with the conventional dyeing.FindingsThe prepared solvent was characterized in terms of Fourier-transform infrared resonance and1H and13C nuclear magnetic resonance to analyze the reaction between choline chloride and urea. Dyeing performance in terms of K/S and fastness properties of dyed fabrics were evaluated and found to be at par against conventional dyeing.Originality/valueUse of DES as a dyeing medium is a novel approach in the textile industry.
Role of financial and non-financial information in determining individual investor investment decision: a signaling perspective
Authors: Naveed Muhammad , Ali Shoaib , Iqbal Kamran , Sohail Muhammad Khalid 
Published: May 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the role of financial and nonfinancial information in determining individual investor's investment decisions by analyzing the mediating effect of corporate reputation.Design/methodology/approachThe approach of this study is deductive; therefore, the quantitative strategy is used for data collection. Primary data are collected from individual investors actively involved in stock trading at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Structural equation modeling is used to assess structural relationships.FindingsThe key findings of this study posit that financial and nonfinancial information positively influence an individual investor's investment decision. This study also provides empirical evidence confirming the mediating role of corporate reputation. Categorically, the findings indicate that financial and nonfinancial information remain significant to build perceived corporate reputation and influence investor's investment decisions.Practical implicationshe proposed model presents novel insight into the individual investor's investment decision in the context of Pakistan. The findings of this study remain robust for firms listed on the stock exchange and individual investors involved in stock trading. The results of this study are substantial to individual investor's and broker for making informed financial choices. Moreover, the firms listed on the PSX can use the findings to establish improved corporate reputation through reporting detailed financial and nonfinancial information.Originality/valueStudies based on subjective measures in finance are lacking. This study contributes to the existing literature of behavioral finance by analyzing variations in investor's investment decisions explained by informational factors. The proposed model testifies the mediating role of corporate reputation in guiding investor's investment decisions, which has been overlooked by past studies. Therefore, this study seeks to fill this gap in the context of the PSX.
A model for evaluating eHealth preparedness – a case study approach
Authors: Yusif Salifu , Hafeez-Baig Abdul , Soar Jeffrey 
Published: May 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to validate an initially developed e-Health readiness assessment model.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors thematically analysed an initial qualitative data collected and used the outcome to develop survey instruments for this study. To collect the quantitative data, the authors used the drop and collect survey approach given the research setting. The quantitative data was analysed using factor and regression analyses of SPSS 23 in which hypotheses formulated were tested.

Findings
The results suggest that the model [R2 = 0.971; F (5, 214) = 1414.303], which is made up of readiness assessment factors (constructs) and measuring tools explain about 97% of the variance of the overall health information technology/e-Health adoption readiness at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. The measuring tools were reliable for assessing the composite variables (constructs): technology readiness; operational resource readiness; organizational and cultural readiness; regulatory and policy readiness; and core readiness, which have significant influence on eHealth adoption readiness assessment..

Originality/value
This study has successfully validated empirically developed eHealth readiness assessment model with complete reliable indicators given that existing eHealth readiness assessment models have not been effective due to a general lack of standard indicators for measuring assessment factors. The study also contributes to the growing research on the adoption of information technology/systems in health-care environment using the Technology–Organization–Environment framework.
C4 photosynthesis and the economic spectra of leaf and root traits independently influence growth rates in grasses
Authors: Simpson Kimberley J. , Bennett Christopher , Atkinson Rebecca R. L. , Mockford Emily J. , McKenzie Scott , Freckleton Robert P. , Thompson Ken , Rees Mark , Osborne Colin P. 
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Photosynthetic pathway is an important cause of growth rate variation between species such that the enhanced carbon uptake of C4 species leads to faster growth than their C3 counterparts. Leaf traits that promote rapid resource acquisition may further enhance the growth capacity of C4 species. However, how root economic traits interact with leaf traits, and the different growth strategies adopted by plants with C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways is unclear. Plant economic traits could interact with, or act independently of, photosynthetic pathway in influencing growth rate, or C3 and C4 species could segregate out along a common growth rate–trait relationship.

We measured leaf and root traits on 100+ grass species grown from seeds in a controlled, common environment to compare with relative growth rates (RGR) during the initial phase of rapid growth, controlling for phylogeny and allometric effects.

Photosynthetic pathway acts independently to leaf and root functional traits in causing fast growth. Using C4 photosynthesis, plants can achieve faster growth than their C3 counterparts (by an average 0.04 g g−1 day−1) for a given suite of functional trait values, with lower investments of leaf and root nitrogen. Leaf and root traits had an additive effect on RGR, with plants achieving fast growth by possessing resource‐acquisitive leaf traits (high specific leaf area and low leaf dry matter content) or root traits (high specific root length and area, and low root diameter), but having both leads to an even faster growth rate (by up to 0.06 g g−1 day−1). C4 photosynthesis can provide a greater relative increase in RGR for plants with a ‘slow’ ecological strategy than in those with fast growth. However, above‐ground and below‐ground strategies are not coordinated so that species can have any combination of ‘slow’ or ‘fast’ leaf and root traits.

Synthesis. C4 photosynthesis increases growth rate for a given combination of economic traits, and significantly alters plant nitrogen economy in the leaves and roots. However, leaf and root economic traits act independently to further enhance growth. The fast growth of C4 grasses promotes a competitive advantage under hot, sunny conditions.
COVID‐19 and toxicity from potential treatments: Panacea or poison
Authors: Wong Anselm 
Published: May 2020

AbstractSince December 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) has been increasingly spreading from its origin in Wuhan, China to many countries around the world eventuating in morbidity and mortality affecting millions of people. This pandemic has proven to be a challenge given that there is no immediate cure, no vaccine is currently available and medications or treatments being used are still undergoing clinical trials. There have already been examples of self‐medication and overdose. Clearly, there is a need to further define the efficacy of treatments used in the management of COVID‐19. This evidence needs to be backed by large randomised‐controlled clinical trials. In the meantime, there will no doubt be further off‐label use of these medications by patients and practitioners and possibly related toxicity.
Marijuana and alcohol: Evidence using border analysis and retail sales data
Authors: Baggio Michele , Chong Alberto , Kwon Sungoh 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe use retail scanner data on purchases of alcoholic beverages across US counties for 2006 to 2015 to study the link between medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and alcohol consumption. To do this, we exploit differences in the timing of marijuana laws among states and find that they are substitutes. We show that unlike traditional national‐level analysis, focusing on contiguous‐border county pairs provides unbiased estimates of the effect of MMLs on alcohol sales. Specifically, alcohol sales in counties located in MML states decreased by 12.4%. Results are robust to including placebo effective dates for MMLs in treated states.
The width of keratinized mucosa around dental implants and its influencing factors
Authors: Wang Qi , Tang Zhihui , Han Jie , Meng Huanxin 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundA few evidence is available in the literature concerning the pattern of variation in the width of keratinized mucosa (KMW) around dental implants and factors that may affect the KMW.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the KMW at the buccal aspect of dental implants and to analyze its influencing factors.Materials and MethodsThe current study was a retrospective study conducted on 726 patients with 1252 dental implants. The following parameters were evaluated by reviewing the medical records of each patient, including the age, gender and smoking status of each patient, the reasons of teeth loss, the position of implants, the bone augmentation procedures, and the KMW. Binary logistic regression analysis with the generalized estimating equations was utilized to analyze the factors that may affect the KMW of dental implants.ResultsThe KMW of implants located in the maxilla was significantly higher than that of implants located in the mandible (P < .01), except for the upper and lower canines. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the risk of the implants presenting inadequate KMW (<2 mm) in the periodontitis‐caused tooth loss group was 1.91 times of the non‐periodontitis‐caused tooth loss group. The risk of implants presenting inadequate KMW after receiving simple and complex bone augmentation procedures was 1.65 and 2.62 times of the risk of implants without bone augmentation, respectively. The longer the follow‐up period, the higher the risk of implants presenting inadequate KMW will be.ConclusionsThe KMW at the buccal aspect of implants is related to the position of implants. Tooth loss due to periodontitis, the bone augmentation procedures, and the process of functional period would increase the risk of implants presenting an inadequate amount of keratinized mucosa.
Ought implies can, asymmetrical freedom, and the practical irrelevance of transcendental freedom
Authors: Scholten Matthé 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIn this paper, I demonstrate that Kant's commitment to an asymmetry between the control conditions for praise and blame is explained by his endorsement of the principle Ought Implies Can (OIC). I argue that Kant accepts only a relatively weak version of OIC and that he is hence committed only to a relatively weak requirement of alternate possibilities for moral blame. This suggests that whether we are transcendentally free is irrelevant to questions about moral permissibility and moral blameworthiness.
Long‐term sustainability of wood‐pasture separation processes—A matter of seed mixtures and management
Authors: Schaumberger Silke , Krautzer Bernhard , Graiss Wilhelm , Pötsch Erich M. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe studied the performance of different seed mixtures and the influence of liming on the establishment of a montane pasture under acidic site conditions during a wood‐pasture separation process from 1998 to 2001 in Styria, Austria. Two treatments (with and without liming) were established, each with four seeding treatments (without seeding, commercial, site‐adapted and site‐specific mixtures), and all plots were regularly fertilized from 1998 to 2002. Vegetation surveys and forage analyses regarding development of vegetation cover, seeded species persistence, quality and yield parameters were conducted again in 2014 and 2016; soil samples were taken in 2015. After cessation of regular fertilization, the analysed soil parameters declined to levels that were sufficient or low for grasslands. pH decreased again over time, but still was significantly higher (p = .0034) in the liming treatment. The single liming during experimental set‐up also caused better long‐term performance for nearly all vegetation, quality and yield parameters. The site‐specific seed mixture performed best regarding most analysed parameters, under both liming treatments. Concerning seeded species, the habitat‐typical species Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra agg. and Trifolium repens persisted best with and without liming. All analysed vegetation and yield parameters stayed far behind their results of 2001 and their potential. The use of site‐specific seed mixtures supports the establishment of productive grassland on specific locations. The long‐term results also illustrated that even low‐input management like liming in multi‐annual intervals can help to improve acidic site and growing conditions significantly and thereby increases the sustainability of cost‐intensive wood‐pasture separation processes under similar conditions.