bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An EcR probe reveals mechanisms of the ecdysone-mediated switch from repression-to-activation on target genes in the larval wing disc
Authors: Wardwell-Ozgo Joanna , Terry Douglas , Schweibenz Colby , Tu Michael , Solimon Ola , Schofeld David , Moberg Kenneth 
Published: April 2022

AbstractFluctuating levels of steroid hormones provide both systemic and local cues to synchronize metazoan development and control germline and homeostatic processes. The main steroid hormone in Drosophila is ecdysone (Ec), which upon binding of its active form (20E) converts its receptor, EcR, from a transcriptional repressor to activator. Multiple co-repressors and co-activators are proposed to act with EcR in different tissues to control diverse targets and processes, including apoptosis, cell migration, and proliferation. Despite these diverse roles, relatively little is known regarding how EcR translates Ec temporal gradients into modulation of individual target genes. Here we use an Ec-binding fragment of EcR (EcRLBD) as a ‘sponge’ to sequester coregulators and probe the state of EcR activity as larval wing cells traverse the 3rd instar Ec gradient. This approach reveals a dramatic and rapid shift from EcR mediated repression-to-activation in late L3 cells, and that the extent of repression varies between targets. An Ala483Thr mutation that disrupts binding of the co-repressor Smr compromises the ability of EcRLBD to derepress reporters, but also limits its ability to block activation, suggesting either that a coactivator shares an EcR-interaction interface with Smr or that Smr-repression primes targets for 20E activation. Molecular and genetic data reveal that EcRLBD sequesters 20E, and that EcRLBD phenotypes can be modulated by manipulating intracellular 20E levels with Ec importer (EcI) and Cyp18a1, which inactivates 20E. Finally, we provide evidence that Smr repression of EcR activity varies spatially and by target in the wing disc. In sum these data reveal that relief of EcR-Smr repression is a major contributor to 20E induction of EcR targets in larval wing discs and highlight EcRLBD as an effective probe to define EcR-20E gene regulatory mechanisms in vivo.
The impact of COVID-19 on the grocery retail industry: innovative approaches for contactless store concepts in Germany
Authors: Heins Caroline 
Published: April 2022

Purpose
Contactless shopping concepts meet the needs of those consumers who want to minimise social interactions, especially due to COVID-19; they also offer added value by combining the advantages of traditional shopping with digital features that stem from online shopping. The development of digitalised retail concepts has been made possible through digitisation and the use of new technologies. To date, the concepts have been created with various formats through the application of the most advanced Industry 4.0 technologies. This paper aims to provide a deepened understanding of the latest trends and draws attention to the various classes, including shopping functionalities and features.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper performs a review of current disruptive and new business retail concepts within the grocery retail industry in Germany. Therefore, a secondary research methodology and observations were performed to create an overview and a categorization. This categorization has been used to identify the related cases.

Findings
The results add to the literature as follows. First, a matching of contactless shopping to innovative business models is made. Second, a status-quo analysis of contactless shopping solutions in Germany is carried out with defined set of criteria. This study created a list of all major available contactless shopping solutions. Third, this study examines two new business models, namely, automated vending machines and walk-in stores, which meet the changes in consumer behaviour and needs in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originality/value
This paper provides a deeper understanding of the latest trends within the retail industry and draws attention to disruptive business models as well as the functionalities and features of shopping solutions. New store concepts launched during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in unique selling propositions of 24-h everyday shopping and contactless shopping.
Digital identities of female founders and crowdfunding performance: an exploration based on the LDA topic model
Authors: Wang Yalin , Li Yaokuang , Wu Juan 
Published: April 2022

Purpose
This paper aims to investigate female founders’ digital identities (i.e. the founder’s online self-representation) and explore how female founders’ digital identities affect crowdfunding performance.

Design/methodology/approach
Leveraging a data set of 3,125 Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns launched by women between 2014 and 2019, this study uses the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic model to investigate female founders’ digital identities and explore their impacts on crowdfunding performance via logistic and Tobit regression analyses.

Findings
This study finds that on crowdfunding platforms, female founders display four main types of digital identities: educational practitioner, experienced entrepreneur, creative innovator and life dreamer. Moreover, our results reveal the differential influences of these identities on crowdfunding performance. Specifically, the experienced entrepreneur or educational practitioner portrayal may benefit fundraising; the life dreamer portrayal may hinder it; and the creative innovator portrayal may have no significant effect.

Practical implications
This study suggests how women can use their digital identities to improve their crowdfunding performance, indicating a fruitful way to overcome female entrepreneurial financing hurdles in the digital age.

Originality/value
This study highlights the digital identities of female founders engaged in crowdfunding, enriching the emerging research on digital identity in entrepreneurship and crowdfunding. Furthermore, the application of the LDA topic model in the study enlightens future research on leveraging big data analytic methods to examine female entrepreneurship in the digital economy context.
Wave propagation at the welded interface of an elastic solid and unsaturated poro-thermoelastic solid
Authors: Kumar Manjeet , Liu Xu , Kumari Manjeet , Yadav Poonam 
Published: April 2022

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate propagation characteristics of seismic waves at the welded interface of an elastic solid and unsaturated poro-thermoelastic solid.

Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical formulation of partially saturated poro-thermoelastic solid is used in this study established by Zhou et al. (2019). The incidence of two primary waves (P and SV) is taken. The incident wave from the elastic solid induces two reflected waves and five refracted waves. Due to viscous pore fluids, partially saturated poro-thermoelastic solid behave dissipative, whereas elastic solid behaves non-dissipative. As a result, both reflected and incident waves are homogeneous. However, all the refracted waves are inhomogeneous. A non-singular system of linear equations is formed by the coefficients of reflection and refraction for a specified incident wave. The energy shares of various reflected and refracted waves are determined by using these reflection and refraction factors. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed, and the effect of critical variables on energy partitioning at the interface is observed. The numerical example shows that throughout the process of reflection/refraction, the energy of incidence is conserved at all angles of incidences.

Findings
This study demonstrated two refracted (homogeneous) and five refracted (inhomogeneous) waves due to the incident wave from elastic solid. The reflection and refraction coefficients and partitioning of incident energy are acquired as a part of diverse physical parameters of the partially saturated poro-thermoelastic media. The interference energies between unlike pairs of refracted waves have been discovered due to the dissipative behavior of unsaturated poro-thermoelastic solid.

Originality/value
The sensitivity of different energy shares to various aspects of the considered model is graphically analyzed for a specific numerical model. The energy balance is maintained by combining interaction energy and bulk wave energy shares.
Solution of a nonlinear fractional COVID-19 model
Authors: Abukhaled Marwan , Khuri Suheil , Rabah Fatima 
Published: April 2022

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to obtain an analytical solution for a nonlinear system of the COVID-19 model for susceptible, exposed, infected, isolated and recovered.

Design/methodology/approach
The Laplace decomposition method and the differential transformation method are used.

Findings
The obtained analytical results are useful on two fronts: first, they would contribute to a better understanding of the dynamic spread of the COVID-19 disease and help prepare effective measures for prevention and control. Second, researchers would benefit from these results in modifying the model to study the effect of other parameters such as partial closure, awareness and vaccination of isolated groups on controlling the pandemic.

Originality/value
The approach presented is novel in its implementation of the nonlinear system of the COVID-19 model
The impact of audit characteristics, audit fees on classification shifting: evidence from Germany
Authors: Usman Muhammad , Ezeani Ernest , Salem Rami Ibrahim A. , Song Xi 
Published: April 2022

Purpose
This paper aims to examine the relationship between audit characteristics (ACs) and audit fees on classification shifting (CS) among German-listed non-financial firms.

Design/methodology/approach
Using a sample of 130 German-listed (Deutscher Aktienindex, Mid Cap dax and Small caps Index) firms from 2010 until 2019, this study investigated the impact of audit committee size, audit committee meetings, audit committee financial expertise and audit fees on CS.

Findings
This study found the evidence of CS, meaning that managers misclassify recurring expenses in the income statement into non-recurring expenses to inflate core earnings. This study also found that the audit fee ratio, audit committee financial expertise and frequency of audit meetings are negatively associated with CS among German-listed firms. However, the audit committee size does not influence CS.

Research limitations/implications
This study will help the board improve its internal auditing practices and provide essential information to investors to assess how ACs affect the quality of financial reporting.

Originality/value
This study focused on a bank-oriented economy, i.e. Germany, with lower investor protection and low transparency. This paper documents new evidence on how ACs and audit fees impact CS among German firms, as most of the previous studies on CS mainly focused on market-oriented economies such as the UK and the USA.
Paragliding festival: understanding stakeholder perception of environmental attitudes and tourism performance
Authors: Gyepi-Garbrah Theophilus Francis , Preko Alexander 
Published: April 2022

PurposeParagliding festivals have become significant events in the global tourism space, attracting tourists to local and international destinations. The purpose of this study was to assess environmental attitudes and rate the performance of the paragliding festival of the Kwahu traditional area in Ghana, from the perspectives of four stakeholder groups.Design/methodology/approachThis study was grounded on the salient stakeholder theory. A quantitative cross-sectional study, with a convenience sampling approach, collected 372 useable questionnaires from four major stakeholders/participants (i.e. Kwahu residents, Kwahu returnees, non-Kwahu Ghanaian tourists and foreigners). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data.FindingsThe findings of the Games-Howell post-hoc test show no significant differences among the four stakeholder groups in the festival performance assessment. However, there is a significant statistical difference between the Kwahu residents and foreign tourists regarding environmental attitudes towards the paragliding festival.Practical implicationsVisitors' perceptions and experiences of the environmental performance could inform the planning and execution of festive events that have a direct impact on the natural environment. Policymakers at the community levels must enact environmental protocols that uphold the value propositions of the stakeholders and that of the community at large.Originality/valueThe study expands the application of the salience stakeholder model within festival tourism by highlighting under-represented stakeholder voices in a single study on paragliding festivals in a developing country context.
Direct and mediation effect of supply chain complexity drivers on supply chain performance: an empirical evidence of organizational complexity theory
Authors: Chand Pushpendu , Kumar Anil , Thakkar Jitesh , Ghosh Kunal Kanti 
Published: April 2022

PurposeIn today's globalized business environment, growing supply chain complexity (SCC) is arguably a major threat to the firm's business continuity with an adverse impact on the firm's competitive advantage and business performance. Researchers, though, investigated the impact of SCC drivers on a firm's operational performance, but the key question “Which supply chain complexity drivers severely impact the supply chain performance (SCP)?” remains largely unanswered from empirical research. The present study aims to decompose the SCC into four major constituting sub-categories (upstream, operational, downstream and external) to explore the causal impact of SCC drivers on SCP in direct and mediated manner.Design/methodology/approachThe indicators applied for measuring constructs in the “Measurement model” are obtained from existing literature to increase the validity and reliability of the model. First, a pilot survey involving 25 SC managers from various manufacturing firms was conducted for indicator refinement and content validation. Second, the large-scale response data were collected through extensive surveys. This research explores the causality by testing the hypothesis applying Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on the responses received from 246 firms.FindingsThe study investigates the impact of SCC drivers on SCP through direct and mediation effect. The results indicate that upstream and operational SCC drivers play a mediating role in managing SCP. The findings reveal that upstream and operational SCC drivers adversely impact the SCP. Furthermore, the impact of downstream complexity on SCP is moderated through operational complexity drivers. The result explains the theoretical relation among SCC drivers supported by empirical validity.Practical implicationsThe outcome offers practical relevance to supply chain (SC) managers in SCC and SCP management. Knowing the effect of SCC drivers among themselves and on SCP will facilitate the SC managers in devising the right strategies. The study provides a framework for prioritizing the resource in addressing the SCC issues among many.Originality/valueThe study addresses the apparent gap in the literature by modeling the impact of SCC drivers on SCP, which remained largely unexplored. First, it contributes to developing complex relationships among SCC drivers. Second, the direct and mediated causal effect of the SCC drivers individually and combinedly on SCP are explicated.
Market impact cost asymmetry of the National Pension Service and its determinant analysis
Authors: Eom Yunsung , Woo Mincheol 
Published: April 2022

As of March 2021, the National Pension Service (NPS) is the world’s 3rd largest pension fund with 872.5tn won (KRW) in management. Recently, the NPS proposed a policy to gradually reduce the proportion of domestic stocks in the portfolio in the future. This change in the asset allocation strategy is related to the NPS’s exit strategy for domestic stocks. This study aims to examine the market impact cost asymmetry between buys and sells of the NPS and suggest a trading strategy for mitigating the market impact cost. The results are as follows. First, there is an asymmetry between buys and sells in the market impact cost of the NPS. The market impact cost of the NPS is gradually increasing over time. In particular, the market impact cost from selling has increased significantly in recent years. Second, past returns, volatility, liquidity and trading intensity can be found as external factors affecting the asymmetric market impact cost of the NPS. Although there is no difference between the buying and selling ratios of the NPS, the market impact cost from sells is relatively higher than that from buys. Third, after controlling for the order execution size of the NPS, the longer the trade execution period, the lower the market impact cost. This result implies that the strategy of splitting orders as a way to reduce the market impact cost is effective. The trading behavior of the NPS directly or indirectly affects other investors. If the sell of the NPS incurs excessive market impact cost, the negative impact on the stock price will be further exacerbated. Therefore, it is necessary for the NPS to reduce the market impact cost through split trading in executing orders in the domestic stock market. Findings of this study provide implications for countermeasures and long-term management strategies that can minimize the market impact cost of the NPS in the process of reducing the proportion of domestic stocks in the future.
Is there a link between undernourishment, political climate and other socio-economic variables? Evidence from low-income countries
Authors: Dabir-Alai Parviz , Arvin Mak , Pradhan Rudra P. 
Published: April 2022

PurposeThe authors investigate the role played by the political climate and other covariates on the prevalence of undernourishment for 34 low-income countries across a 21-year period.Design/methodology/approachPolitical climate is measured in terms of political freedoms and civil liberties. The authors follow a Granger causality approach, which looks at predictive causality (i.e. causality in a temporal sense). For the socio-economic data, the authors rely on annual time series data from the World Bank.FindingsMost of the findings are in keeping with our expectations: (1) Lowering women's fertility rate lowers undernourishment; (2) undernourishment converges to its long-run equilibrium path in response to changes in income, political climate, health expenditure, fertility rate and drinking water access; (3) the effect of an instantaneous shock from income, changes to the political climate, health expenditure, fertility rate and drinking water access on undernourishment are completely adjusted in the long run. One surprising result is that there is a positive and significant relationship between the prevalence of undernourishment and political freedom. The authors offer several possible explanations for this unexpected result.Practical implicationsGiven our results, careful attention to the co-curation of policies is desirable. As an example, the authors would advocate a more proactive role by the richer countries in terms of their commitments to foreign aid in addressing the identified problems.Originality/valueThe authors use advanced panel data techniques, considering a long span of time. Unlike other studies which aim to establish correlations, the authors test for Granger causality.
Australian COVID-19 measures and its international investment obligations
Authors: Sharmin Tanjina , Laryea Emmanuel 
Published: April 2022

Purpose
This paper aims to examine the prospect for international investment disputes in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic due to measures implemented by the Australian government to tackle the pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach
Doctrinal research. Contains qualitative analysis.

Findings
This paper finds that claims based on the protections in the International Investment Agreements (IIAs) signed by Australia are unlikely to succeed and that Australia’s COVID-19 measures can be justified as necessary measures under the general and security exception clauses included in more recent IIAs and under customary international law.

Originality/value
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars have written papers apprehending possible claims by international investors against emergency measures adopted by host countries to face the pandemic which might also have damaged the interest of the foreign investors. The existing literature is too vague and general. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that draws some specific conclusions in this regard applicable to the COVID-19 regulatory measures taken by Australia. While the existing literature projects the possibility of such investor claims, this paper argues that at least no such claim would succeed against the COVID-19 measures taken by Australia.
Flexibilization and precarization of working conditions and labor relations in the perspective of app-based drivers
Authors: Silva Júnior Jeová Torres , Carneiro Jailson Santana , Lessa Patrick Wendell Barbosa , Vieira Carlos Leandro Soares 
Published: April 2022

PurposeThe challenges of the growth of the sharing economy are becoming more and more noticeable and urgent, especially concerning labor relations (e.g. uberization). The purpose of this paper is to understand what app-based drivers think of working conditions and labor relations.Design/methodology/approachThe research was carried out in three stages: bibliographical and documental research, and two empirical research, a quantitative one with the application of a questionnaire in a sample of 54 respondents and another qualitative one using an interview script with ten drivers. For data analysis, the abductive method and the content analysis technique were used.FindingsThe results reveal they have an exhausting labor routine, by checking that they work more hours per week than those who have a formal job. They are driven mainly by the extra income and flexibility that digital platforms of the sector of shared private transportation can offer, although the costs intrinsic to the activity often affect their revenues significantly.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of answers from women was very small, which hinders the analysis of the potential specificities of women app-based drivers. Future studies could focus on this public for a more precise analysis, to bring the discussion on gender to the working context of app-based drivers.Practical implicationsThe authors’ intention with the research reports was to make them relevant, leading to effective policies concerning working conditions and labor relations in the sharing economy, and to stimulate other surveys to understand the activity of an app-based driver of shared private transportation.Originality/valueThe authors’ research and this article contribute to the discussion on new work relationships, motivations and (dis)satisfaction with the activity, from the perspective of app-based drivers.