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Impact measurements and standards: Academic and practical perspectives
No full textWhile trillions of dollars are invested in sustainability, little is known about whether these investments result in a positive impact. This article presents the differences between impact measurement and ESG ratings. It also discusses the recent initiatives from academics and practitioners, and the challenges faced by impact measurement
Urban paradox and the rise of the neoliberal city: Case study of Lagos, Nigeria
No full textIn a bid to actualise the vision of transforming Lagos into Africa’s model megacity and global economic and financial hub, the state government has embarked on and/or supported various urban development projects. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of neoliberalism, we argue that governance practices in Lagos are transforming the city in a manner that is paradoxical to the intents of the city’s development plan. This paper, therefore, explores how government practices have shaped the city, and the socio-spatial consequences of the recent Lagos state government-supported developments. Of interest are projects from the Lagos State Development plan (2012–2025) which have resulted in significant spatial displacements – hence the selected case studies of Lekki Free Trade Zone and Badia-East Housing Estate. The study reveals that the Lagos state development policy results in creative destruction largely due to the uncritical embrace of market logic over social logic, thereby entrenching urban discontent and socio-spatial fragmentation across the city
Computational modelling of synaptic plasticity: A review of models, parameter estimation using deep learning, and stochasticity
No full textIt is imperative to understand the human memory formation and impairment to treat dementia effectively. There is ample scientific evidence that memory formation is strongly correlated to synaptic connections. Synaptic plasticity reflects the strength of these connections and is strongly related to memory formation and impairment. The complexity in the signalling pathways and interactions among proteins demands a systemic approach to study synaptic plasticity. Hence systems biology approaches are used in computational neuroscience. In this paper, we review the key computational models related to synaptic plasticity, the use of deep learning in parameter estimation, and the incorporation of epistemic stochasticity in the models
The postpandemic future of Australian regional aviation: How Regional Express (Rex) navigated the challenges and opportunities
No full textThis chapter provides an analysis of the journey an Australian regional airline has adopted to navigate the extreme challenges posed by the effect of COVID-19 on the passenger aviation sector. Operating in a deregulated and highly competitive sector characterized by competing stakeholder requirements, this regional airline initially responded to the crisis by ceasing almost all its passenger operations. Simultaneously, the airline proactively lobbied the Australian government on behalf of regional carriers in an attempt to highlight the severity of the crisis. The analysis of the financial reports of this airline presents a stark view of the financial consequences of the global pandemic. Despite the negative financial outcomes they recorded, the regional airline predicts a return to profitability as soon as the impact of their strategic response, supported by government intervention, is realized and as soon as the effect of the pandemic is mitigated by vaccination rates and by a gradual return to COVID-19 normal operations
Research and development investment and cash holdings of Asian start-up firms: Evidence from economic policy uncertainty : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
No full textEconomic policy uncertainty (EPU) affects firms’ financial decisions (Gulen & Ion, 2016). Scholars argue that firms might confront severe cash shortages and difficulties obtaining external funds during high EPU periods. Therefore, firms are more likely to defer their R&D investment projects and hold more cash when EPU increases. However, given the important contribution of start-up firms to economic growth and job creation, most studies focus on the effect of EPU on R&D investment and cash holdings of mature firms.
Several studies have recently investigated if ownership intervenes in the EPU – firms’ R&D investment relationship. However, scholars have paid limited attention to such ownership intervention in start-up firms’ R&D investment. Interestingly, the intervention of ownership in the EPU – firms’ cash holdings nexus has not been addressed. Therefore, further investigation is needed to address if ownership influences start-up firms’ cash holdings decisions in the presence of EPU.
The study is the first to investigate the effect of EPU on start-up firms’ R&D investment and cash holdings using a panel dataset of 3,536 start-up firms listed on the Asian start-up markets for the period 2010-2019. In addition, this study examines if institutional and insider ownership intervene in the EPU - start-up firms’ R&D investment and the EPU - start-up firms’ cash holdings relationships using the selected dataset. The study employs the instrumental variable (IV) estimator to control for potential endogeneity problems. The empirical results indicate that EPU positively affects R&D investment of start-up firms in the dataset. Meanwhile, a negative relationship exists between EPU and start-up firms’ cash holdings. The results show that institutional ownership has no effect on the EPU - start-up firms’ R&D investment. However, insider ownership encourages start-up firms to increase R&D investment when EPU is higher.
Further, the empirical results reveal a positive effect of institutional ownership on the relationship between EPU and start-up firms’ cash holdings. This means institutional shareholders encourage start-up firms to spend their cash holdings in the presence of EPU. However, insider ownership discourages start-up firms from using their cash holdings when EPU increases
The impact of COVID 19 on Bangladeshi female migrants: Preliminary analysis with phone survey data
No full textPresentation at "Strengthening Institutions for Empowering Female Migrants in Bangladesh", Lakeshore Hotel, Dhakal, 12 May 202
The influence of ownership structure on the extent of CSR reporting: An emerging market study
No full textTo examine how different ownership structures, varying from diverse ownership bases to narrow ownership bases, influence the extent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting by companies in emerging market. The motivation for this study is the reported inconsistent results for this association in developing countries and the lack of research in emerging markets. Eight hundred observations of 80 nonfinancial sector listed companies in the Amman Stock Exchange for the period 2006 to 2015 were used for a content analysis to assess the extent of CSR reporting. Ordinary least square multiple regression analysis was undertaken to examine the association between five different ownership structures and their extent of CSR reporting. The results reveal three separate associations between the types of ownership and the extent of CSR reporting. First, the two types of ownership (foreign and government) have a significant and positive influence on the extent of CSR reporting. Second, another two types of ownership (Family and managerial) have a significantly negative association. Finally, institutional ownership has an insignificant and negligible influence on the extent of CSR reporting. These findings provide insights into how ownership structure influences the CSR reporting extent by emerging market companies such as Jordan. These findings suggest that policy makers, regulatory bodies, companies, and investors should increase their awareness about how different concentration of company ownership influences the extent companies voluntarily disclose CSR reporting. The evidence adds to the limited body of knowledge about different ownership groups' influence on the extent of CSR reporting in a developing country because few empirical studies have undertaken such a comprehensive analysis of this association
Indigenous informal land markets, land banking, and land values: A national case of Ghana
No full textLand banking practices can fail in efficiently controlling the value of land. These failures stem from the difficulty in reducing speculative holdings to levels exceeding the size of the banked lands. Such underlining traits of the practice have been drawn from public land banking practices in formal land market settings. Public practices are markedly different to private and quasi-public land banking practices in an indigenous informal land market. Consequently, this paper explores how indigenous informal land markets are influenced by private land banking practices and land values under new land tenure regimes post Ghana’s land reforms. Semi-structured interviews with thirty-three participants made up of experts and stakeholders were drawn from four case studies within the Ghanaian indigenous informal land market. We find that land bankers are banking large tracts of indigenous informal lands as capital investments for profits through land dispositions. This is different from the possession of land banks as a production factor for their housing development motives suggested to indigenous heads. The paper recommends a revisit of discussions on the enforcement and monitoring of the processes required under the lands commission guidelines for large-scale land transactions
Trichoderma rhizosphere competence, suppression of diseases, and biotic associations
No full textTrichoderma fungi are facultative plant symbionts that colonize multiple plant species. In natural environments, the process of root colonization by Trichoderma involves several stages. The first is the capacity of Trichoderma to colonize the rhizosphere by sensing molecules secreted by the roots, and the ability to compete or cooperate with the microbial community present in the rhizosphere. Once Trichoderma reaches the rhizoplane, the fungus must next overcome/manipulate the innate plant defenses by releasing secreted molecules which will allow its establishment inside the root. During this process of rhizosphere and root colonization, Trichoderma release specialized metabolites (commonly known as secondary metabolites) that manipulate the roots and also restrict bacteria, nematodes, and filamentous pathogens. The impact of Trichoderma in agriculture relies on the capacity to combat the negative effects of plant pathogens, and the ability to induce resistance in plant tissues far from the site of colonization (induced systemic resistance, ISR). ISR is activated by the sensing of Trichoderma elicitors and does not require root colonization. Here, we describe the different components as well as the impact of Trichoderma on the rhizosphere microbiome, the mechanisms of root colonization, and ISR activation
Efficacy of gene therapy in a CLN5 sheep model using a dual route of administration supports a first-in-human clinical trial
No full textCLN5 Batten disease is a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of vision, decline in intellectual and motor capabilities and seizures, with typical disease onset in early childhood. Pathogenic variants in the CLN5 gene are responsible for disease, therefore gene therapy represents a promising treatment approach. To establish efficacy and safety, an adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) gene therapy containing ovine CLN5 (AAV9/ oCLN5) was evaluated in an early and advanced symptomatic ovine model (CLN5−/−) recapitulating multiple facets of human CLN5 disease. Combined intraventricular (ICV) and intravitreal (IVT) routes of administration were used to maximize treatment outcomes. Animals were treated with a dose of either AAV9/oCLN5 of 2.9E11vg or 3.2E12vg ICV and 6.5E10vg IVT into a single eye. Disease progression was significantly slowed or halted as measured by clinical scoring. 6- and 9-month animals receiving the higher ICV dose had the most robust response. MRI results confirmed reduced brain atrophy. Disease-associated pathology (neuroinflammation and storage body accumulation) was improved. Vision was preserved in most treated sheep to 24months of age, with improvements in retinal pathology and function. On the basis of these data, we designed a first-in-human, open-label Phase 1/2 study, which aims to assess safety, tolerability and efficacy of NGN101, an AAV9 investigational product containing the human CLN5 transgene. 3 symptomatic individuals, ages 3–8 years, with confirmed biallelic pathogenic or likely pathogenic CLN5 variants, with disease onset age of ≤4 years will receive a single dose of NGN101 via ICV and IVT administration. Assessments will include physical and neurological examinations, Hamburg Scale, the Unified Batten Disease Rating Scale, visual acuity, Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography, and the Caregiver Global Impression of Severity Scale. Biomarker assessments will also be collected. Data from this study has the potential to advance development of a disease-modifying treatment for CLN5 Batten disease