bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the persistence and utility of five wildVitisspecies in the context of climate change
Authors: Aguirre-Liguori Jonas A. , Morales-Cruz Abraham , Gaut Brandon S. 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTCrop wild relatives (CWRs) have the capacity to contribute novel traits to agriculture. Given climate change, these contributions may be especially vital for the persistence of perennial crops, because perennials are often clonally propagated and consequently do not evolve rapidly. By studying the landscape genomics of samples from fiveVitisCWRs (V. arizonica, V. mustangensis, V. riparia, V. berlandieriandV. girdiana) in the context of projected climate change, we addressed two goals. The first was to assess the relative potential of different CWR accessions to persist in the face of climate change. By integrating species distribution models with adaptive genetic variation, additional genetic features such as genomic load and a phenotype (resistance to Pierce’s Disease), we predicted that accessions from one species (V. mustangensis) are particularly well-suited to persist in future climates. The second goal was to identify which CWR accessions may contribute to bioclimatic adaptation for grapevine (V. vinifera) cultivation. To do so, we evaluated whether CWR accessions have the allelic capacity to persist if moved to locations where grapevines (V. vinifera) are cultivated in the United States. We identified six candidates fromV. mustangensisand hypothesized that they may prove useful for contributing alleles that may mitigate climate impacts on viticulture. By identifying candidate germplasm, this work takes a conceptual step toward assessing the genomic and bioclimatic characteristics of CWRs.
Statin use in relation to intraocular pressure, glaucoma, and ocular coherence tomography parameters in the UK Biobank
Authors: Kim Jihye , Kennedy Neary Marianne T. , Aschard Hugues , Palakkamanil Mathew M. , Do Ron , Wiggs Janey L. , Khawaja Anthony P. , Pasquale Louis R. , Kang Jae H. ,   for the Modifiable Risk Factors for Glaucoma Collaboration
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between statin use and various glaucoma-related traits.DesignCross-sectional analysis of UK Biobank data.ParticipantsWe included 118,153 participants (mean age (SD)=56.8 (8.0) years) with data on statin use (5 statin types – 2006-2010) and corneal-compensated IOP measured in 2009-2013). Also, we included 192,283 participants (with 8,982 self-reported glaucoma cases as of 2006-2010) for the glaucoma analyses. After excluding participants with neurodegenerative diseases, 41,638 participants with global macular retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (mRNFL) and 41,547 participants with ganglion cell inner plexiform layer thickness (mGCIPL) measurements in 2009–2010 were available for analysis.MethodWe examined associations with statin use utilizing multivariable-adjusted linear regression models for IOP, mRNFL, and mGCIPL and logistic regression models for glaucoma. We assessed whether a 2,673-member polygenic risk score (PRS) identified from a glaucoma multi-trait analysis of genome wide association study (MTAG) modified associations. We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) experiments using 5 gene variants as proxies for the cholesterol-altering effect of statins to investigate associations with various glaucoma-related outcomes.Main Outcome and MeasuresIOP; glaucoma; mRNFL; mGCIPL.ResultsStatin users had higher unadjusted mean IOP ± SD (16.3 ± 3.9 mm Hg; n = 20,593 participants) than non-users (15.9 ± 3.8 mm Hg; n = 97,560 participants), but in a multivariable-adjusted model, IOP did not differ by statin use (difference = 0.05 mm Hg; 95% CI: -0.02, 0.13; p=0.17). Similarly, statin use was not associated with prevalent glaucoma (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.13). Statin use was weakly associated with thinner mRNFL (difference = -0.15 microns; 95% CI: -0.28, -0.01; p=0.03) but not with mGCIPL thickness (difference = -0.12 microns; 95% CI: -0.29, 0.05; p=0.17). Among statins, simvastatin and atorvastatin, the two most commonly used statins, were not associated with any glaucoma outcome measures. No association was modified by the glaucoma MTAG PRS (Pinteraction≥0.16). MR experiments showed no evidence for a causal association between the cholesterol-altering effect of statins and various glaucoma outcomes (inverse weighted variance p≥0.14).ConclusionsStatin use was not associated with lower IOP, lower glaucoma prevalence, thicker mRNFL or thicker mGCIPL in the UK Biobank.
High performance of a GPU-accelerated variant calling tool in genome data analysis
Authors: Zhang Qian , Liu Hao , Bu Fengxiao 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRapid advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) have facilitated ultralarge population and cohort studies that utilized whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to identify DNA variants that may impact gene function. Massive sequencing data require highly efficient bioinformatics tools to complete read alignment and variant calling as the fundamental analysis. Multiple software and hardware acceleration strategies have been developed to boost the analysis speed. This study comprehensively evaluated the germline variant calling of a GPU-based acceleration tool, BaseNumber, using WGS datasets from several sources, including gold-standard samples from the Genome in a Bottle (GIAB) project and the Golden Standard of China Genome (GSCG) project, resequenced GSCG samples, and 100 in-house samples from the China Deafness Genetics Consortium (CDGC) project. Sequencing data were analyzed on the GPU server using BaseNumber, the variant calling outputs of which were compared to the reference VCF or the results generated by the Burrows-Wheeler Aligner (BWA) + Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) pipeline on a generic CPU server. BaseNumber demonstrated high precision (99.32%) and recall (99.86%) rates in variant calls compared to the standard reference. The variant calling outputs of the BaseNumber and GATK pipelines were very similar, with a mean F1 of 99.69%. Additionally, BaseNumber took only 23 minutes on average to analyze a 48X WGS sample, which was 215.33 times shorter than the GATK workflow. The GPU-based BaseNumber provides a highly accurate and ultrafast variant calling capability, significantly improving the WGS analysis efficiency and facilitating time-sensitive tests, such as clinical WGS genetic diagnosis, and sheds light on the GPU-based acceleration of other omics data analyses.
Covalency between the uranyl ion and dithiophosphinate by sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory
Authors: Zhang Yusheng , Duan Wuhua , Wang Qiang , Zheng Lei , Wang Jianchen , Chen Jing , Sun Taoxiang 
Published: December 2021

The dithiophosphinic acids (HS2PR
2) have been used for the selective separation of trivalent actinides (AnIII) from lanthanides (LnIII) over the past decades. The substituents on the dithiophosphinic acids dramatically impact the separation performance, but the mechanism is still open for debate. In this work, two dithiophosphinic acids with significantly different AnIII/LnIII separation performance, i.e. diphenyl dithiophosphinic acid (HS2PPh2) and bis(ortho-trifluoromethylphenyl) dithiophosphinic acid [HS2P(o-CF3C6H4)2], are employed to understand the substituent effect on the bonding covalency between the S2PR
2
− anions (R = Ph and o-CF3C6H4) and the uranyl ion by sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in combination with density functional theory calculations. The two UO2(S2PR
2)(EtOH) complexes display similar XAS spectra, in which the first pre-edge feature with an intensity of 0.16 is entirely attributed to the transitions from S 1s orbitals to the unoccupied molecular orbitals due to the mixing between U 5f and S 3p orbitals. The Mulliken population analysis indicates that the amount of \% S 3p character in these orbitals is essentially identical for the UO2(S2PPh2)2(EtOH) and UO2[S2P(o-CF3C6H4)2]2(EtOH) complexes, which is lower than that in the U 6d-based orbitals. The essentially identical covalency in U—S bonds for the two UO2(S2PR
2)2(EtOH) complexes are contradictory to the significantly different AnIII/LnIII separation performance of the two dithiophosphinic acids, thus the covalency seems to be unable to account for substituent effects in the AnIII/LnIII separation by the dithiophosphinic acids. The results in this work provide valuable insight into the understanding of the mechanism in the AnIII/LnIII separation by the dithiophosphinic acids.
The role of project managers’ attributes in project sustainability management and project performance under China-Pakistan economic corridor
Authors: Hashim Muhammad Zaheer , Chao Liu , Wang Chao 
Published: December 2021

PurposeSteered by upper echelon theory, this study aims to scrutinize the prevalence of project manager demographic factors (age, education and experience) in project sustainability management and project performance.Design/methodology/approachWe used a sample of 209 project managers/supervisor/team leaders who were working in the projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).FindingsThe results indicate that project manager demographic factors have a significant influence on project performance (except experience) and project sustainability management. Moreover, project sustainability management partially mediates the relationship between age, education and project performance while it fully mediates the path between experience and project performance.Practical implicationsThe research recommends senior, high educated and experienced managers for CPEC who promote sustainability and gain high project performance.Originality/valueA number of studies have been carried out to assess the relationship between top managers’ attributes and environmental activities. However, so far, none of the studies has paid attention to the CPEC and projects working in Pakistan.
McDonald’s versus Vikram Bakshi
Authors: Pangarkar Nitin , Yadav Neetu 
Published: December 2021

Learning outcomes
The case illustrates the challenges of managing JVs in emerging markets. specifically, after going through the case, students should be able to: i.Analyze the contexts in which firms need to form JVs and evaluate this need in the context of emerging markets such as India; ii.Understand how multinational corporations can achieve success in emerging markets, specifically the role of strategic (broader than the product) adaptation in success; iii.Evaluate the impact of conflict between partners on the short-term and long-term performance of a JV; and iv.Create alternatives, evaluate each alternative’s pros and cons, and recommend appropriate decisions to address the situation after a JV unravels and the organization is faced with quality and other challenges.

Case overview/synopsis
McDonald’s, the global giant in the quick service industry, entered India in 1993 and formed two JVs in 1995 one with Vikram Bakshi (Connaught Plaza Restaurants Ltd or CPRL) to own and operate stores in the northern and eastern zones, and another with Amit Jatia (Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited or HRPL) to own and operate stores in the western and southern zones. Over the next 12 years, both the JVs made steady progress by opening new stores while also achieving better store-level metrics. Though CPRL was ahead of HRPL in terms of the number of stores and total revenues earned in 2008, the year marked the beginning of a long-running dispute between the two partners in CPRL, Bakshi and McDonald’s. Over the next 11 years, Bakshi and McDonald’s tried to block each other, filed court cases against each other and also exchanged recriminations in media. The feud hurt the performance of CPRL, which fell behind HRPL in terms of growth and other metrics. On May 9, 2019, the feuding partners reached an out-of-court settlement under which McDonald’s would buy out Bakshi’s shares in CPRL, thus making CPRL a subsidiary. Robert Hunghanfoo, who had been appointed head of CPRL after Bakshi’s exit, announced a temporary shutdown of McDonald’s stores to take stock of the current situation. He had to make a number of critical decisions that would impact the company’s performance in the long-term.

Complexity academic level
MBA, Executive MBA and executive development programs.

Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
Amtek Auto – financing under distress
Authors: Raghupathy M.B. 
Published: December 2021

Learning outcomes
The primary teaching objective is to discuss the capital raising efforts of a firm under financial distress. It also provides supporting data to calculate cost of capital, DuPont/modified DuPont values and Altman’s Z-Score that can appropriately be incorporated into the discussion. Case-B provides information and data of the company’s recent performance and to changes in bankruptcy law in India. Overall, this case study provides ample scope to discuss, understand and provide the solution to the following key corporate finance themes as follows: 1. Analyzing accounting statements and examine potential earnings quality issue. 2. Predicting default and bankruptcy using qualitative analysis, financial ratios, traditional and modified DuPont models and Altman’s Z score model. 3. Examining the capital raising efforts of a distressed firm, which has already defaulted on borrowings. 4. To explore the impact of changes in regulation on the turnaround efforts of the firm as well as on the promoters of the firm.

Case overview/synopsis
Since 2005, Amtek Auto moved at a breathtaking speed with the goal of reaching $10bn in sales, from the current level of about $1.2bn. The group had acquired more than a dozen companies spending about Rs.5,000cr. ($850m) during this period primarily through borrowed funds. However, the market and business expansion was not happening as expected. The company’s capacity utilization was just about 40% (approx.) during much of this period. The mounting fixed costs of operation and debt servicing grew to the level of unsustainability, led the firm to default on its borrowing. Now the company had to quickly recapitalize itself to run its operations and retain the premier position in auto component industry. The company and its promoters were considering various methods of debt restructuring, asset sale and further equity infusion.

Complexity academic level
Introductory and elective level corporate finance.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code
CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.
Automatic interpolation algorithm for NURBS trajectory of shoe sole spraying based on 7-DOF robot
Authors: Xu Gaoping , Zhang Hao , Meng Zhuo , Sun Yize 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose an automatic interpolation algorithm for robot spraying trajectories based on cubic Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) curves, to solve the problem of sparse and incomplete trajectory points of the head and heel of the shoe sole when extracting robot motion trajectories using structured-light 3D cameras and to ensure the robot joints move smoothly, so as to achieve a good effect of automatic spraying of the shoe sole with a 7-degree-of-freedom (DOF) robot.Design/methodology/approachFirstly, the original shoe sole edge trajectory position points acquired by the 3D camera are fitted with NURBS curves. Then, the velocity constraint at the local maximum of the trajectory curvature is used as the reference for curve segmentation and S-shaped acceleration and deceleration planning. Immediately, real-time interpolation is performed in the time domain to obtain the position and orientation of each point of the robot motion trajectory. Finally, the inverse kinematics of the anthropomorphic motion of the 7-DOF robot arm is used to obtain the joint motion trajectory.FindingsThe simulation and experiment prove that the shoe sole spraying trajectory is complete, the spraying effect is good and the robot joint movement is smooth, which show that the algorithm is feasible.Originality/valueThis study is of good practical value for improving the quality of automated shoe sole spraying, and it has wide applicability for different shoe sole shapes.
A systematic literature review exploring the psychosocial aspects of palliative care provision for incarcerated persons: a human rights perspective
Authors: Johns Lise , Weightman Stacey , Blackburn Pippa , McAuliffe Donna 
Published: December 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the psychosocial aspects of palliative care provision for incarcerated persons drawing on a human rights perspective.

Design/methodology/approach
Seven databases were searched to identify empirical studies published from 2010 to 2020. Articles included were qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, written in English and with westernised health/prison settings, with a key focus on the psychosocial aspects of palliative care provision and human rights. The quality of the articles was appraised using the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool (2018).

Findings
The results from 26 articles revealed multiple models of care, with the US prison hospice program depicted as optimal, because of the use of trained incarcerated caregivers, working as aides to the interprofessional team. The bereavement needs of caregivers were highlighted. The barriers to adequate psychosocial care were negative public discourse, prison processes and resources, provider attitudes and the incarcerated person’s level of knowledge and trust. Identified facilitators were related to incarcerated persons’ caregiving programs, a sense of purpose and visitation leniency. Human rights principles were identified in studies that featured compassionate release and advance care planning.

Research limitations/implications
There is inconsistency in the literature regarding what constitutes psychosocial care, which meant that the authors needed to draw on multiple literature sources to formulate a definition. Additionally, the review only included studies written in English, meaning some high-quality studies could have been missed. The articles that conducted interviews with incarcerated individuals were undertaken in male prisons only and not female prisons.

Practical implications
Understanding the importance of psychosocial care for incarcerated persons with a life-limiting illness requires a shift in negative public discourse and the need for a stronger human rights focus. Some countries, such as the USA and UK, are achieving effective outcomes; however, countries such as Australia are yet to contribute to this knowledge base.

Originality/value
If palliative care is a human right, then its philosophy should be considered in its entirety, with the inclusion of psychosocial care.
Non-linear pricing in E-commerce: an exploration
Authors: Das Dipankar , Jadhav Vivek Sharadadevi 
Published: December 2021

PurposeTo understand the new non-linear pricing in E-commerce. The present paper aims to put forth an idea of using tie-in agreement in the electronic commerce market in the name of trust in India. According to the Indian antitrust law, tie-in agreement is not allowed to use as compulsory in an offer to the buyer. This means that a tie-in agreement cannot be a compulsion or only an option to the buyer. This means it can be an extra option.Design/methodology/approachThe paper shows that using this logic the sellers are giving two options simultaneously to the buyer: (1) a commodity with a tie-in agreement and (2) the same commodity without a tie-in agreement. Therefore, there are two price mechanisms that are present. Now it is the decision of the buyer to choose between the two. These two price mechanisms create a new variable called trust. If the buyer selects the first option, then that buyer will not be treated as a trustworthy buyer, but in the second case, the buyer would be treated as a trustworthy or the affianced buyer. Therefore, the buyer would be leaning toward the second option. The paper proves that in the second option it would be difficult to minimize the consumer expenditure. As a result, there would be a situation of non-linear pricing in the name of trust which is hidden in the offer. The present work gives both theoretical models and empirical justifications.FindingsWe find that E-wallet is often used when a consumer orders food online but offline cash payment is preferred. Therefore, the offer does matter for the consumer. Hence, the offer can be used to make a tie-in arrangement. Therefore, even if there is a tie-in arrangement in online food servicing applications, the Competition Commission of India can restrict such practices as for illegal tying, the firm has to have the monopoly power in one market and there should be compulsory tie-arrangement in another market. But it does not mean that E-wallet tie-arrangement cannot be ignored as the monopoly power in the online food servicing market can influence the market share in the E-wallet market. Tie-in arrangement is also important, as the consumer has to spend more under cashback offer conditions which reduce the long-run gain of consumers.Originality/valueThe paper considered trust as a new element in forming non-linear pricing. This is new to this literature.
Ecological well-being performance and influencing factors in China: from the perspective of income inequality
Authors: Zhou Lijun , Zhang Zongqing 
Published: December 2021

PurposeChina's increasing income inequality might cause a series of problems, such as the slowdown of economic growth, social and economic tension, the decline of the ecological environment quality and the threat to citizens' health. Consequently, income inequality will inevitably affect the ecological well-being performance (EWP) level of China's provinces through the above aspects. Analyzing the impact of income inequality on EWP and its spatial spillover effects are conducive to improving the level of EWP in China. Therefore, the research purpose of this paper is to use China's provincial data from 2001 to 2017 to analyze the impact of income inequality on EWP and the spatial spillover effect based on the evaluation of the EWP value of each province.Design/methodology/approachAt first, this study utilizes the super efficiency slacks-based measure model (Super-SBM model) to calculate the EWP values of 30 provinces in China, which can evaluate and rank the effective decision units in the SBM model and make up for the defect that the effective decision units cannot be distinguished. Then this study applies the spatial Durbin model and Tobit regression model (SDM-Tobit model) to explore the impact of income inequality and other influencing factors on EWP and the spatial spillover effects in adjacent areas.FindingsFirstly, the average EWP in China fluctuated slightly and showed a downward trend from 2001 to 2017. In addition, the EWP values of the provinces in the western region are usually weaker than those in the eastern and central regions. Moreover, income inequality is negatively correlated with EWP, and the EWP has a spatial spillover effect, which means the EWP level in a region is affected by EWP values in the adjacent regions. Furthermore, the industrial structure and urbanization level are both negatively related to EWP, while technology level, investment openness, trade openness and education level are positively related to EWP.Originality/valueCompared with the existing research, the possible contribution of this research is that it takes income inequality as one of the important influencing factors of EWP and adopts the SDM-Tobit model to analyze the impact mechanism of income inequality on EWP from the perspective of time and space, providing new ideas for improving the EWP of various provinces in China.