bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Middle-income customers and their perception of Islamic banking in Sylhet: one of Bangladesh’s most pious cities
Authors: Rahman Md. Mizanur , Chowdhury Mohammad Ashraful Ferdous , Haque Md. Mahmudul , Rashid Mamunur 
Published: September 2020

PurposeOwing to religious and economic preferences in Muslim-dominated countries, middle-income customers are at the heart of banks’ strategic targeting. This study aims to investigate selected middle-income Islamic bank customers from Sylhet, one of Bangladesh’s top religious and cultural cities, to examine their perceptions of the Islamic banking services.Design/methodology/approachThis study forwards three determinants of overall satisfaction. These are perceived relative advantage (PRA), perceived risk management (PRM) and perceived customer engagement (PCE). The study has used structured questionnaire and collected complete data on 300 middle-income Islamic bank users. The data was analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM).FindingsWhile all the three selection factors significantly influence overall satisfaction, PCE has greater positive impact on overall customer satisfaction, followed by PRA and PRM. “Convenient location”, “competitive charges” and “return on deposit despite low earnings” are the top three instruments measuring “PCE”. Religion did not qualify as a standalone selection factor. The results are robust across tests conducted by using EFA, CFA and SEM.Practical implicationsGross purchasing power of middle-income class in Bangladesh grew from 7% to over 30% during the past decade, and the purchasing power of this class stood at US$100bn. Having a greater portion of this population as Muslims, banks can design products and marketing campaigns by using the three selection criteria that offer a combination of faith and non-faith-based variables.Originality/valueSimilar studies on the middle-income customer group have been rare, especially from the Islamic banking perspective. These findings offer a concise list of three factors for the bank managers to build their strategies. With respect to the Vision 2021, these findings carry greater socio-economic significance given the transition of Bangladesh to a middle-income country.
Nigeria’s automotive policy and the quest for a viable automotive industry: a lesson for the developing economies
Authors: Agbo Cornelius Ogbodo Anayo 
Published: September 2020

Purpose
It is of concern that several attempts at making Nigeria an automobile producing country have not yielded much success. This paper aims to re-examine the history of automobile manufacturing and the consequences of auto policies of successive governments towards having a viable automotive industry in Nigeria and the lessons therefrom.

Design/methodology/approach
Dispersed data were assembled from both primary and secondary sources on the automobile industry activities in Nigeria. The historic data cover Nigeria’s vehicles need, production levels, importations and local content developments. Time series data on Nigeria’s crude oil prices and the devaluation of the local currency were obtained and analyzed to elucidate effects and provide the trajectory. A comparative analysis of the policies of successful countries with initial status with Nigeria was carried out to elucidate the policy pitfalls in Nigeria’s industrial policies.

Findings
The automotive policies in Nigeria are not self-sustaining. It has been curiously observed that the automotive policy on import substitution and local content development approach did not include the key components in automobile manufacturing, making it a footloose industry. Nigeria’s crude petroleum mono-economy affects the manufacturing sector negatively. A fall in international crude oil price causes free fall of the country’s currency in the international market, the cost of imported new vehicles and parts become prohibitively high, consequently, individuals, as well as corporate organizations, resorted to imported fairly used vehicles and parts for their transportation needs. Capacity utilization dropped abysmally.

Originality/value
Nigeria’s experience has demonstrated the critical role the government can play in safeguarding the automobile industry in the developing economies. Apart from diversification of the economy, there is a need, therefore, for a more refined and pragmatic approach in the formulation of policies to enable only genuine investors to operate in the automobile industry which hitherto has been an all-comers affair with many taking advantage of unguarded and unguided government incentives.
A preliminary study on exploring the critical success factors for developing COVID-19 preventive strategy with an economy centric approach
Authors: Kashyap Ankur , Raghuvanshi Juhi 
Published: September 2020

PurposeIn the wake of COVID-19, most of the countries at present, are in a dilemma whether to extend lockdown at the cost of economy or to improve the hard-hit economy by lifting the lockdown. It is indicated by the reputed organizations and medical fraternity that corona will stay here for a longer period contrary to the earlier assumptions. Hence the purpose of this study is to suggest a strategy which balances both preventive measures and economic losses to control the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThere is a need for the identification of the critical success factors (CSFs) for developing COVID-19 preventive strategies to control the pandemic with an economy-centric approach.FindingsThe six CSFs identified are “Effective communication”, “Social distancing”, “Adopting new technology”, “Modify the rules and regulation at workplace”, “Sealing the borders of the territory” and “Strong leadership and government control”.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has a vital contribution to literature as no previous study has identified CSFs for developing COVID-19 preventive strategies while focusing on the economy.Practical implicationsFurther, these identified CSFs are helpful in medium and longer-term planning which is required to rebalance and re-energize the economy following this epidemic crisis.Originality/valueThe study has given a model that depicts the cause and influence relationship between the key factors in the system under question. The importance of study increases many fold, as resources are limited and the outcome of the study could be used to channelize the resources effectively.
Disease's hidden death toll: Using parasite aggregation patterns to quantify landscape‐level host mortality in a wildlife system
Authors: Wilber Mark Q. , Briggs Cheryl J. , Johnson Pieter T. J. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

World‐wide, infectious diseases represent a major source of mortality in humans and livestock. For wildlife populations, disease‐induced mortality is likely even greater, but remains notoriously difficult to estimate—especially for endemic infections. Approaches for quantifying wildlife mortality due to endemic infections have historically been limited by an inability to directly observe wildlife mortality in nature.

Here we address a question that can rarely be answered for endemic pathogens of wildlife: what are the population‐ and landscape‐level effects of infection on host mortality? We combined laboratory experiments, extensive field data and novel mathematical models to indirectly estimate the magnitude of mortality induced by an endemic, virulent trematode parasite (Ribeiroia ondatrae) on hundreds of amphibian populations spanning four native species.

We developed a flexible statistical model that uses patterns of aggregation in parasite abundance to infer host mortality. Our model improves on previous approaches for inferring host mortality from parasite abundance data by (i) relaxing restrictive assumptions on the timing of host mortality and sampling, (ii) placing all mortality inference within a Bayesian framework to better quantify uncertainty and (iii) accommodating data from laboratory experiments and field sampling to allow for estimates and comparisons of mortality within and among host populations.

Applying our approach to 301 amphibian populations, we found that trematode infection was associated with an average of between 13% and 40% population‐level mortality. For three of the four amphibian species, our models predicted that some populations experienced >90% mortality due to infection, leading to mortality of thousands of amphibian larvae within a pond. At the landscape scale, the total number of amphibians predicted to succumb to infection was driven by a few high mortality sites, with fewer than 20% of sites contributing to greater than 80% of amphibian mortality on the landscape.

The mortality estimates in this study provide a rare glimpse into the magnitude of effects that endemic parasites can have on wildlife populations and our theoretical framework for indirectly inferring parasite‐induced mortality can be applied to other host–parasite systems to help reveal the hidden death toll of pathogens on wildlife hosts.
Harrison's rule scales up to entire parasite assemblages but is determined by environmental factors
Authors: Maestri Renan , Fiedler Maico S. , Shenbrot Georgy I. , Surkova Elena N. , Medvedev Sergei G. , Khokhlova Irina S. , Krasnov Boris R. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Harrison's rule states that parasite body size and the body size of their hosts tend to be positively correlated. After it was proposed a century ago, a number of studies have investigated this trend, but the support level has varied greatly between parasite/host associations. Moreover, while the rule has been tested at the individual species level, we still lack knowledge on whether Harrison's rule holds at the scale of parasite and host communities.

Here, we mapped flea (parasites) and rodent (hosts) body sizes across Mongolia and asked whether Harrison's rule holds for parasite/host assemblages (i.e. whether a parasite's average body size in a locality is positively correlated with its host's average body size). In addition, we attempted to disentangle complex relationships between flea size, host size and environmental factors by testing alternative hypotheses for the determinants of fleas' body size variation.

We gathered occurrence data for fleas and rodents from 2,370 sites across Mongolia, constructed incidence matrices for both taxa and calculated the average body sizes of fleas and their hosts over half‐degree cells. Then, we applied a path analysis, accounting for spatial autocorrelation, trying to disentangle the drivers of the correlation between parasite and host body sizes.

We found a strong positive correlation between average flea and host size across assemblages. Surprisingly though, we found that environmental factors simultaneously affected the body sizes of both fleas and hosts in the same direction, leading to a most likely deceptive correlation between parasite and host size across assemblages.

We suggest that environmental factors may, to a great extent, reflect the environmental conditions inside the hosts' burrows where fleas develop and attain their adult body size, thus influencing their larval growth. Similarly, rodent body size is strongly influenced by air temperature, in the direction predicted by Bergmann's rule. If our findings are valid in other host–parasite associations, this may explain the dissenting results of both support and lack thereof for Harrison's rule.
The political economy of Australian regulatory reform
Authors: Allen Darcy W. E. , Berg Chris , Lane Aaron M. , McLaughlin Patrick A. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe problem of regulatory accumulation has increasingly been recognised as a policy problem in its own right. Governments have then devised and implemented regulatory reform policies that directly seek to ameliorate the burdens of regulatory accumulation (e.g. red tape reduction targets). In this paper we examine regulatory reform approaches in Australia through the lens of policy innovation. Our contributions are twofold. We first examine the evolutionary discovery process of regulatory reform policies in Australia (at the federal, intergovernmental, and state levels). This demonstrates a process of policy innovation in regulatory mechanisms and measurements. We then analyse a new measurement of regulatory burden based on text analytics, RegData: Australia. RegData: Australia uses textual analysis to count ‘restrictiveness clauses' in regulation – such as ‘must’, ‘cannot’ and ‘shall’ – thereby developing a new database (RDAU1.0). We place this ‘restrictiveness clauses’ measurement within the context of regulatory policy innovation, and examine the potential for further innovation in regulatory reform mechanisms.
Molecular basis of the silkworm mutant rel causing red egg color and embryonic death
Authors: Luo Jiang‐Wen , An Er‐Xia , Lu Ya‐Ru , Yang Ling , Gai Ting‐Ting , He Song‐Zhen , Wu Song‐Yuan , Hu Hai , Li Chun‐Lin , Lu Cheng , Tong Xiao‐Ling , Dai Fang‐Yin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe coloration and hatchability of insect eggs can affect individual and population survival. However, few genetic loci have been documented to affect both traits, and the genes involved in regulating these two traits are unclear. The silkworm recessive mutant rel shows both red egg color and embryo mortality. We studied the molecular basis of the rel phenotype formation. Through genetic analysis, gene screening and sequencing, we found that two closely linked genes, BGIBMGA003497 (Bm‐re) and BGIBMGA003697 (BmSema1a), control egg color and embryo mortality, respectively. Six base pairs of the Bm‐re gene are deleted in its open reading frame, and BmSema1a is expressed at abnormally low levels in mutant rel. BmSema1a gene function verification was performed using RNA interference and clustered randomly interspersed palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associate protein 9. Deficiency of the BmSema1a gene can cause the death of silkworm embryos. This study revealed the molecular basis of silkworm rel mutant formation and indicated that the Sema1a gene is essential for insect embryo development.
Co‐fermentation of lentils using lactic acid bacteria and Bacillus subtilis natto increases functional and antioxidant components
Authors: Chen Kaiyang , Gao Congcong , Han Xuemei , Li Dan , Wang Haikuan , Lu Fuping 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWe identified lentil products with both nutritional value and antioxidant capacity by studying the changes of probiotics and functional substances during single fermentation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) or co‐fermentation using LAB and Bacillus subtilis natto. After fermentation, the best growth of LAB was observed in anaerobic solid‐state co‐fermentation, whereby the viable counts of Lactobacillus plantarum TK9 and Lactobacillus paracasei TK1501 reached 2.77 × 109 and 2.78 × 109 CFU/g, respectively. Furthermore, the total phenol and genistin content produced by the two mixed groups, respectively, increased by 0.52‐ and 0.66‐fold, as well as 0.63‐ and 0.64‐fold, compared with unfermented samples. Similarly, the free amino acid content increased by 0.53‐ and 0.49‐fold, respectively. The 50% inhibitory concentrations for the radical‐scavenging against 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl and α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity were lower following anaerobic co‐fermentation. Consistently, products of anaerobic mixed solid‐state fermentation had higher oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Therefore, anaerobic solid‐state co‐fermentation of lentils using B. subtilis natto may promote the multiplication of LAB and enhance the antioxidant activity of fermented lentil products.Practical ApplicationSimple and efficient food handling is more suitable for industrial production. Co‐fermentation is a good method to optimize the fermentation process. Co‐culture technology has high potential in terms of functionality and antioxidant capacity.
Encapsulation of tributyrin by gamma‐cyclodextrin: Complexation, spray drying, and in vitro fermentation
Authors: Shi Xueqian , Monaco Marcia H. , Donovan Sharon M. , Lee Youngsoo 
Published: September 2020

AbstractButyrate is a short‐chain fatty acid (SCFA) known for support in gastrointestinal (GI) health. Tributyrin (TB) could be used as an alternate source of butyrate. The objectives of this study were to encapsulate TB using gamma‐cyclodextrin (CD) by spray‐drying and to investigate the physicochemical and the fermentation properties of TB/CD complex. The TB/CD complex precipitated in water with an average stoichiometry of 1:1.3 of TB:CD. At a 1:2 molar ratio of TB:CD, TB was fully retained in the spray‐dried TB/CD complex. The spray‐dried TB/CD complex showed crystalline structure, supported by both X‐ray diffraction spectra and scanning electron microscopy images. The TB/CD complex at 1:2 molar ratio was fermented and several SCFAs, including butyrate, were produced in an in vitro test using piglets’ ileal and colonic contents. A dose‐dependent increase in the butyrate concentration in both ileum and ascending colon was observed. Approximately, 426 and 1189 μmole butyrate was produced per gram of TB/CD powder at 9 mM treatment in ileum and ascending colon, respectively. Thus, the production of the TB/CD complex using spray drying is feasible and the complex has the potential for food applications to improve intestinal health.Practical ApplicationThe findings in this study can be applied to produce encapsulated tributyrin with gamma‐cyclodextrin efficiently using spray‐drying. The TB/CD complex was highly fermentable and caused an increase in the butyrate concentration in both ileum and ascending colon, which can be incorporated in foods to enhance butyrate delivery to the GI tract to assist gut health.
Chocolate desserts with ricotta hydrolysates: In vitro study of inhibitory activity against angiotensin‐converting enzyme and cholinesterase
Authors: Kobus‐Cisowska Joanna , Szczepaniak Oskar , Szymanowska Daria , Przeor Monika , Jarzębski Maciej , Ligaj Marta , Gramza‐Michałowska Anna , Szwajgier Dominik , Foksowicz‐Flaczyk Joanna 
Published: September 2020

AbstractFood can be a source of valuable peptides with high bioactivity, which regulate the functioning of cardiovascular and nervous systems. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility of usage ricotta after hydrolysis to obtain innovative chocolate desserts. It was shown that the hydrolysis of whey proteins in ricotta had insignificant effect on the texture indices of the products, except gumminess, as it declined to 16% in ricotta samples and to 7% in case of chocolate dessert samples. Confirmed was that the hydrolysis of the ricotta affected the activity of prepared desserts with respect to cholinesterases and angiotensin‐converting enzyme. Enzymatic hydrolysate of ricotta may be consider as a semifinished product of high functional activity, and its further application in dessert production allows to provide novel prohealth new products.Practical ApplicationStudy results indicate new feasibilities of ricotta application as functional ingredient of new products––chocolate desserts. The results show that ricotta after the stage of enzyme hydrolysis of proteins might have noticeable effect on product functionality. A measurable benefit for the consumer is the receipt of a new product with favorable health‐promoting properties, and for the entrepreneur new possibilities to expand the range of functional products. Moreover, described technology allows to use dairy byproducts for new products developments, such as chocolate desserts, due to sustainability development strategy.
Comparison of the viscosity of camel milk with model milk systems in relation to their atomization properties
Authors: Habtegebriel Haileeyesus , Wawire Michael , Gaukel Volker , Taboada Martha L. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractTo correlate the viscosity of camel milk with its atomization properties, first, the viscosity profiles of camel milk are compared with model milk systems (reconstituted skimmed cow milk powder). Then, atomization experiment was conducted using model milk systems and finally, the findings of the atomization experiments were coincided with the viscosity profiles. The effect of total solids of whole (10% to 40%) and skimmed (7.5% to 30%) camel milks on its viscosity was investigated. At 30% total solids level and a temperature of 20 °C, skimmed camel milk exhibited a viscosity of 7.68 mPa.s whereas whole camel milk 8.96 mPa.s. This value is small compared to suspension of reconstituted skimmed cow milk powder, which reached up to 18.55 mPa.s and to that of suspension of whey protein concentrate (28.15 mPa.s). By raising the total solid from 20% to 30%, it was shown that, the average spray droplet size would be changed from 18.77 to 29.40 µm and the span from 1.76 to 1.55. Based on their viscosity profiles, these values would be obtained for camel milk at total solid values of 35% for whole and 38% for skimmed milks. This would allow camel milk to be concentrated to higher total solid levels than bovine milk.Practical ApplicationConverting camel milk into powder by spray drying will have a great role in its commercialization. To do so, establishing knowledge on the viscosity of camel milk at different total solids levels in relation to its atomization properties would be of paramount importance. Because, this would enable us to fine tune the viscosity of the milk to arrive at a quality powder with all the desired techno‐functional properties. Moreover, it will also contribute by furnishing engineering data pertinent to the development, design, or choice of appropriate nozzles for atomization of the milk during spray drying at different drying set ups.
Significance of hyperglycaemia in first trimester pregnancy (SHIFT): A pilot study and literature review
Authors: Kuehn Johanna , Gebuehr Alison , Wintour Jasmine , Woods Andrew , Luu Judy , Wynne Katie 
Published: September 2020

International guidelines recommend screening for overt diabetes in early pregnancy. Women in their first trimester with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels that would be diagnostic of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in later pregnancy are being identified and treated despite uncertainty regarding the risks and benefits. The evidence for the current diagnostic criteria and management recommendations in early GDM are reviewed. The results of a prospective observational study assessing the progression to GDM and prespecified maternal‐fetal outcomes in women with mild fasting hyperglycaemia in the first trimester suggest that women with FPG 5.1–5.6 mmol/L may warrant proactive management in early pregnancy.
Making Space for Embodied Voices, Diverse Bodies, and Multiple Genders in Nonconformist Friday Prayers: A Queer Feminist Ethnography of Progressive Muslims’ Performative Intercorporeality in North American Congregations
Authors: Thompson Katrina Daly 
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACTIn contemporary North American Muslim congregations involved in the “progressive Muslim movement,” prayer practices rework tradition in recognizably Muslim ways while nevertheless differing markedly from those of most mosques. Ethnographic description and participant narratives shed light on the process through which intercorporeality impacts interpretation of Islamic gender norms, outlining the connections among epicene prayer space, bodily proximity, multivocality, and multicorporeality in creating support for feminist and queer religious interpretations and solidarity with marginalized others. Interreligious critiques of such nonconformist approaches have tended to treat nonconformist Muslims as inappropriately concerned with individual liberties or as individual activists seeking media attention. Attention to alterity in context, however, demonstrates that alternative understandings develop not from individual beliefs, practices, or desires but rather through somatic practice within a community of like‐minded co‐religionists learning new habits through intercorporeality. [progressive Muslims, performativity, congregational prayer, intercorporeality and embodiment, sexual diversity and gender variance]