bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
UPLC-MS analysis of characterization of bioactive compounds produced by endophytic Bacillus tequilensis ALR-2 from Aloe vera plant
Authors: Akinsanya Mushafau Adewale , Goh Joo Kheng , Ting Adeline Su Yien 
Published: July 2020

AbstractEndophytic Bacillus tequilensis ALR-2 isolated from Aloe vera plant, was found to have antimicrobial activities attributed to a series of lipopeptide antibiotics and biosurfactants produced. Partial-purification of ethylacetate extracts by column chromatography revealed that fraction SF5 (5mg mL−1) effectively inhibited Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus (28.6±0.5 and 30.3±0.5 mm zone of inhibition, respectively), and was significantly more effective than the standard antibiotics Ciprofloxacin (5μg) (23.6 ±0.5 and 18.6 ±0.5 mm, respectively) and Kanamycin (30μg) (20.3 ±0.5 and 13.6 ±0.5 mm, respectively). UPLC-MS analysis of SF5 showed three series of ion peaks. The quadrupole-orthogonal ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer revealed [M+H]+ of 678.4601; 679.4690 and 680.5076 which corresponded to the oligopeptide antibiotic monamycin (mol. wt. 677.84). The [M+H]+ of 1119.8870; 1120.8992 and 1121.9119 corresponded to antibiotic complex 61-26 (mol. wt. 1120.348), a lipopeptide. The third peak of [M+H]+ of 1356.0151 and 1358.0664 could not be classified to existing known compounds in the literatures.
Inter-annual stability and age-dependent changes in plasma testosterone levels in a longitudinally monitored free-living passerine bird
Authors: Tešický Martin , Krajzingrová Tereza , Eliáš Jiří , Velová Hana , Svobodová Jana , Bauerová Petra , Albrecht Tomáš , Vinkler Michal 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWhile seasonal trends in the testosterone-driven hormonal regulation of resource allocation are known from cohort population samples, data on the inter-annual individual stability of blood plasma testosterone levels in wild birds are lacking, and our understanding of age-dependent changes is limited. We assessed plasma testosterone levels in 105 samples originating from 49 repeatedly captured free-living great tits (Parus major) to investigate their relative long-term stability and lifetime changes. Furthermore, we examined the inter-annual stability of selected condition-related traits (carotenoid- and melanin-based plumage ornamentation, ptilochronological feather growth rate, body mass, and haematological heterophil/lymphocyte ratio) and their relationships to testosterone levels. We show that testosterone levels in both sexes are inter-annually repeatable, both in their absolute values and individual ranks (indicating the maintenance of relative status in a population), yet with higher stability in females. Despite this stability, in males we found a quadratic dependence of testosterone levels on age, with a peak in midlife. In contrast, female testosterone levels showed no lifetime trend. The inter-annual stability of condition-related traits was mostly moderate and unrelated to plasma testosterone concentrations. However, males with elevated testosterone had significantly higher carotenoid-pigmented yellow plumage brightness, presumably serving as a sexually selected trait. Showing inter-annual stability in testosterone levels, this research opens the way to further understanding of the causes of variation in fitness-related traits. Based on a unique longitudinal dataset, this study demonstrates that male plasma testosterone undergoes age-related changes that may regulate resource allocation. Our results thus demonstrate that male birds undergo hormonal senescence similar to mammals.
The effectiveness of perceived social support in discount stores in Korea
Authors: Song Chanho , Brown Haakon T. , Tameez Rahmatullah Rami 
Published: July 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to bridge the gap in literature to examine social support that customers receive from their relationships with frontline service providers in discount stores.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 381 consumers are accessed through an online survey administered by an online research company in South Korea. The authors use the structural equation model (SEM) technique to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsSocial support (emotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal) significantly influences customer satisfaction in discount stores. In addition, customer satisfaction significantly influences word of mouth (WOM) and purchase intention.Originality/valueVery few studies have addressed the relationship between social support and consumer satisfaction in the discount store industry. This research helps to understand that social support is a basic consideration for customers of discount stores when they are shopping.
Contribution of informal and institutional skills provisions on business inception and growth: evidence from manufacturing and service industries
Authors: Alam Gazi Mahabubul , Parvin Morsheda , Rahman Md. Mahfuzur 
Published: July 2020

PurposeCriteria of skills and their schemata have evolved out of historical social practices. Interpretation of social events is guided and constrained by the prevailing rationality which itself reflects the dominant constellation of power. Hence, some argued that informal provision of skills delivery is the base of business growth. Upon the success of informal provision, institutional counterpart unethically grabs the market, kicking off the earlier. Evidences arguably confirmed that the institutional provision of skills delivery contributes to rapid business growth. Business growth is indeed important but not at the cost of exploitation of ethics which is the central focus of this study.Design/methodology/approachGiven the differentiated nature of research questions, multiple techniques are used to collect the data. However, this research adopts the norms of qualitative methods. Both secondary and primary data are used. While secondary data are collected through document reviews, primary data are collected via interviews. In total, 12 industries are sampled and equally distributed into two sectors (manufacturing and services).FindingsFindings show that the professional positions in the manufacturing industries at their inception phase were occupied by non-university graduates who received neither informal trainings nor on-the-job trainings. Over the time, university graduates started capturing the market. This has forced the non-university graduates to accrue a diploma from the universities in order to retain. Those who failed to obtain a university diploma are compelled to leave the sector. In fact, professional positions in service industries at the inception phase were mainly occupied by the university graduates who did not study the relevant subjects from the universities but received training from the informal provision. Later, universities started offering these programmes.Originality/valueA few studies have been published in the area of manufacturing industries especially on garments sector. None covers the paradigm transformation of skills (human capital theory) in garments. The authors also failed to locate a comparative study that maps the contribution of different provisions of skills providers and their paradigm transformations occurred within manufacturing and service industries. Therefore, this project explores the contribution of informal and institutional provisions of skills delivery for the inception and growth of industries by comparing between manufacturing and service industries.
A 4:1 multiplexer using low-power high-speed domino technique for large fan-in gates using FinFET
Authors: Garg Sandeep , Gupta Tarun Kumar 
Published: July 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to propose a new fin field-effect transistor (FinFET)-based domino technique low-power series connected foot-driven transistors logic in 32 nm technology and examine its performance parameters by performing transient analysis.

Design/methodology/approach
In the proposed technique, the leakage current is reduced at footer node by a division of current to improve the performance of the circuit in terms of average power consumption, propagation delay and noise margin. Simulation of existing and proposed techniques are carried out in FinFET and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology at FinFET 32 nm technology for 2-, 4-, 8- and 16-input domino OR gates on a supply voltage of 0.9 V using HSPICE.

Findings
The proposed technique shows maximum power reduction of 77.74% in FinFET short gate (SG) mode in comparison with current-mirror-based process variation tolerant (CPVT) technique and maximum delay reduction of 51.34% in low power (LP) mode in comparison with CPVT technique at a frequency of 100 MHz. The unity noise gain of the proposed circuit is 1.10× to 1.54× higher in comparison with different existing techniques in FinFET SG mode and 1.11× to 1.71× higher in FinFET LP mode. The figure of merit of the proposed circuit is up to 15.77× higher in comparison with existing domino techniques.

Originality/value
The research proposes a new FinFET-based domino technique and shows improvement in power, delay, area and noise performance. The proposed design can be used for implementing high-speed digital circuits such as microprocessors and memories.
Is it worth relying on potential overeducation?
Authors: Vermeylen Guillaume , Waroquier Alexandre 
Published: July 2020

PurposeThe authors provide first evidence regarding the direct effect of a hiring policy oriented through higher (over) education on firm productivity. Moreover, the authors shine light on the moderating role of the working environment of the firm, qualified as (1) high-tech/knowledge-intensive and (2) knowledge-intensive activities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a detailed Belgian firm panel data and compute a measure of high-education hiring policy robust to sectorial bias.FindingsThe authors show that firms that decide to increase their hiring standards with a higher risk to hire overeducated workers are found to be more productive than others which follow the hiring norms in terms of educational levels. Concerning the role of the technological environment, the authors show that high-tech firms may take advantage of additional skills provided by highly educated workers to a bigger extent, such hiring policy leading to even higher productivity improvements.Originality/valueUnlike much of the earlier literature (still essentially focussed on workers' wages, job satisfaction and related attitudes and behaviours), the authors’ econometric estimates are based on direct measures of productivity. They are also robust to a range of measurement issues, such as time-invariant labour heterogeneity and firm characteristics.
A new simulation framework for crowd collaborations
Authors: Yang Rui , Sun Hongbo 
Published: July 2020

Purpose
Collaboration is a common phenomenon in human society. The best way of collaborations can make the group achieve the best interests. Because of the low cost and high repeatability of simulation, it is a good method to explore the best way of collaborations by means of simulation. The traditional simulation is difficult to adapt to the crowd intelligence network simulation, so the crowd collaborations simulation is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the atomic swarm intelligence unit and collective swarm intelligence unit are proposed to represent the behavior of individuals and groups in physical space and the interaction between them.

Findings
To explore the best collaboration mode of the group, a framework of crowd collaborations simulation is proposed, which decomposes the big goal into the small goals by constructing the cooperation chain and analyzes the cooperation results and feeds them back to the next simulation.

Originality/value
Two kinds of swarm intelligence units are used to represent the simulated individuals in the group, and the pattern is used to represent individual behavior. It is suitable for the simulation of collaboration problems in various types and situations.
What determines renewable energy consumption? Startling evidence from Ghana
Authors: Kwakwa Paul Adjei 
Published: July 2020

Purpose
Owing to the adverse effect of carbon dioxide emission, there have been calls for economies to rely on (cleaner) renewable energy. Although empirical studies on the subject matter abound the conflicting outcome, the less attention paid to combustible renewable and waste, and the little empirical evidence of the effect of financial development and industrialization on renewable energy consumption necessitate further studies. This study aims to examine the drivers of renewable energy consumption for Ghana whose share of renewable energy consumption in the total energy consumption has been reducing over the past decade, with fossil fuel consumption remaining high.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on the demand theory and empirical studies, the paper models total renewable energy consumption and combustible renewables and waste as a function of income, price, financial development and industrialization. Regression and variance decomposition techniques were used to analyze the data.

Findings
Ghana’s renewable energy consumption is positively influenced by industrialization, but negatively influenced by price, income and financial development in the long run, while in the short run, industrialization and financial development affect renewable energy consumption.

Research limitations/implications
The findings imply that the transition to cleaner energy is not a matter of income level alone. Future research should investigate the drivers of other renewable energy consumption and the possible challenges to green finance in Ghana’s financial sector.

Originality/value
The effect of financial development and industrialization on renewable energy consumption is examined. Previous econometric analyses have also focused on total renewable energy, but this study adds combustible renewable and waste to the analysis.
Achieving value for money in waste management projects: determining the effectiveness of public–private partnership in Ghana
Authors: Ishawu Mumuni , Guangyu Chen , Adzimah Emelia Darko , Mohammed Aminu Aliu 
Published: July 2020

PurposeGovernments all over the world are increasingly entering into partnership agreement with the private sector through public–private partnership (PPP) models for the development and management of public projects and services. Thus, the purpose of this study is to first examine the factors that enter into government's attitude, value for money (VFM) and PPP-based waste management projects (WMPs) in Ghana. Further, this study examines the relationship between PPP-based waste management and VFM, along with the mediating role of government's attitude.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a survey questionnaire from four metropolitan municipal assemblies of Ghana. This study’s sample consisted of 230 respondents, and structural equation modeling was employed to conduct an empirical analysis.The structured model had evaluated the critical success factors (CSFs). Subsequently, the measurement model helped in the path analysis of the proposed model.FindingsThe authors found a nonpositive relationship between PPP-based WMPs and VFM; however, government's attitude will influence the achievement of VFM. Reliance on quality targets is ranked as the highest CSF in PPP-based WMPs in Ghana. Also, incentives for private sector participation and effective private sector participation are ranked as the least CSFs.LimitationsMost of the questionnaire's items were self -rated by employees of municipal assemblies who were not policymakers. This must have increased the possibility of common method bias. In addition, the study was limited to Ghana (a developing economy); therefore, the generalization of the results should be done with much caution.Practical implicationsThis study suggests to develop a network of private sector consortiums considering international and national participants who are engaged in PPPs in order to ensure successful delivery and hence valuing for money.Originality/valueThis study offers a novel perspective to investigate the relationship of PPP-based WMPs and VFM and shows how the government's attitude mediates this relationship.
Single-loop sigma delta modulator design and verification for cognitive IoT applications
Authors: S. Vamsee Krishna , Reddy P. Sudhakara , Reddy S. Chandra Mohan 
Published: July 2020

Purpose
A third-order discrete time sigma delta modulator (SDM) is proposed with optimum performance by addressing instability and power dissipations issues, and a novel SDM architecture is designed and verified in behavioural modelling in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. Simulation results show that performance parameters of proposed modulator achieved SNR of 105.41 dB, SNDR of 101.96 dB and DR of 17 bits for the signal bandwidth of 20 kHz.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes single-loop SDM design with optimum selection of integrator weights for physiological signal processing in IoT applications.

Findings
The proposed discrete time modulator designed with 1-bit quantizer and optimum oversampling ratio proved as power efficient. Integrator scaling coefficients are generated in LabVIEW environment for pure third-order noise shaping.

Originality/value
This paper contains the novelty in the work, and it is suitable for cognitive Internet of Things applications.
Striving for sustainable value chain establishment: a multiple feasibility analysis approach
Authors: Herman Marie Ingrid , Thai Minh Thi 
Published: July 2020

PurposeOver the last decade, value chain for development has shown its bias towards global value chain approaches. This article proposes a holistic framework to carry out feasibility analysis for the establishment of a value chain.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was used to collect and analyse data from a wide range of stakeholders potentially involved in establishment of a global cut-foliage value chain based on wild harvesting of ornamental ferns in New Caledonia.FindingsMultiple feasibility analyses revealed issues that need to be addressed, priorities for different stakeholders and possible ways forward in the establishment of a value chain.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework supports businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, donors and governments in proceeding with value chain establishment with significant consideration of social, economic and environmental drivers for sustainability.Originality/valueRelevant concepts in several fields are integrated into a single framework that can guide feasibility analysis of value chain establishment.
Carbon risk real estate monitor: making decarbonisation in the real estate sector measurable
Authors: Spanner Maximilian M. , Wein Julia 
Published: July 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the functionality and effectiveness of the Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (CRREM tool). The aim of the project, supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, was to develop a broadly accepted tool that provides investors and other stakeholders with a sound basis for the assessment of stranding risks.Design/methodology/approachThe tool calculates the annual carbon emissions (baseline emissions) of a given asset or portfolio and assesses the stranding risks, by making use of science-based decarbonisation pathways. To account for ongoing climate change, the tool considers the effects of grid decarbonisation, as well as the development of heating and cooling-degree days.FindingsThe paper provides property-specific carbon emission pathways, as well as valuable insight into state-of-the-art carbon risk assessment and management measures and thereby paves the way towards a low-carbon building stock. Further selected risk indicators at the asset (e.g. costs of greenhouse gas emissions) and aggregated levels (e.g. Carbon Value at Risk) are considered.Research limitations/implicationsThe approach described in this paper can serve as a model for the realisation of an enhanced tool with respect to other countries, leading to a globally applicable instrument for assessing stranding risks in the commercial real estate sector.Practical implicationsThe real estate industry is endangered by the downside risks of climate change, leading to potential monetary losses and write-downs. Accordingly, this approach enables stakeholders to assess the exposure of their assets to stranding risks, based on energy and emission data.Social implicationsThe CRREM tool reduces investor uncertainty and offers a viable basis for investment decision-making with regard to stranding risks and retrofit planning.Originality/valueThe approach pioneers a way to provide investors with a profound stranding risk assessment based on science-based decarbonisation pathways.
Keywords and collocations in US presidential discourse since 1993: a corpus-assisted analysis
Authors: Hamed Dalia 
Published: July 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to apply a corpus-assisted analysis of keywords and their collocations in the US presidential discourse from Clinton to Trump to discover the meanings of these words and the collocates they have. Keywords are salient words in a corpus whose frequency is unusually high (positive keywords) or low (negative keywords) in comparison with a reference corpus. Collocation is the co-occurrence of words.

Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this purpose, the investigation of keywords and collocations is generated by AntConc, a corpus processing software.

Findings
This analysis leads to shed light on the similarities and/or differences amongst the past four American presidents concerning their key topics. Keyword analysis through keyness makes it evident that Clinton and Obama, being Democrats, demonstrate a clear tendency to improve Americans’ life inside their social sphere. Obama surpasses Clinton as regard foreign affairs. Clinton and Obama’s infrequent subjects have to do with terrorism and immigration. This complies with their condensed focus on social and economic improvements. Bush, a republican, concentrates only on external issues. This is proven by his keywords signifying war against terrorism. Bush’s negative use of words marking cooperative actions conforms to his positive use of words indicating external war. Trump’s positive keywords are about exaggerated descriptions without a defined target. He also shows an unusual frequency in referring to his name and position. His words used with negative keyness refer to reforming programs and external issues. Collocations around each top content keyword clarify the word and harmonize with the presidential orientation negotiated by the keywords.

Research limitations/implications
Limitations have to do with the issue of the accurate representation of the samples.

Originality/value
This research is original in its methodology of applying corpus linguistics tools in the analysis of presidential discourses.