Genes and speciation: is it time to abandon the biological species concept?

The biological species concept (BSC) is the cornerstone of neo-Darwinian thinking. In BSC, species do not exchange genes either during or after speciation. However, as gene flow during speciation is increasingly being reported in a substantial literature, it seems time to reassess the revered, but often doubted, BSC. Contrary to the common perception, BSC should expect substantial gene flow at the onset of speciation, not least because geographical isolation develops gradually. Although BSC does not stipulate how speciation begins, it does require a sustained period of isolation for speciation to complete its course. Evidence against BSC must demonstrate that the observed gene flow does not merely occur at the onset of speciation but continues until its completion. Importantly, recent genomic analyses cannot reject this more realistic version of BSC, although future analyses may still prove it wrong. The ultimate acceptance or rejection of BSC is not merely about a historical debate; rather, it is about the fundamental nature of species – are species (and, hence, divergent adaptations) driven by a relatively small number of genes, or by thousands of them? Many levels of biology, ranging from taxonomy to biodiversity, depend on this resolution.     

Is it possible to establish the link between drug busts and the cryptocurrency market? Yes,we can

Following the rampant increase in Bitcoin prices, there has been a proliferation of cryptocurrencies, which have become a major way of doing business across national boundaries. This paper investigates the link between cryptocurrency markets and drug trafficking activities. More specifically, we explore the impact of the announcement of 24 major drug busts on the systematic risk and return of the world cryptocurrency market. We deploy an event study methodology to estimate the abnormal returns associated with drug trafficking activities in the cryptocurrency market. We find that the relationship between the two is quite strong in the case of some cryptocurrencies, albeit weaker in others. However, we show that drug bust news tends to create uncertainty, and accordingly impart risk into cryptocurrency markets. This study confirms the predictions of convenience theories of crime as to the relative attractiveness of cryptocurrencies to criminals, and the extent to which not only general, but also their own future interests, sacrificed readily on the altar of accessibility. We highlight how when social and regulatory foundations are weak, criminal behaviour may overwhelm virtual spaces, marginalizing more orthodox businesses, no matter how altruistic the intentions of their founders.     

Minding the communications gap: How can universities signal the availability and value of their scientific knowledge to commercial organizations?

We posit that a communications gap exists between universities and commercial organizations, attributed to their idiosyncratic goals, interests, and incentives. To bridge this gap, universities need to recognize and leverage observable differences in the strength of signals and the width of channels used to disseminate their scientific knowledge externally. We explore these ideas by analyzing knowledge dissemination and academic engagement activities in 133 UK universities in the period 2011–2019. Our analysis shows that universities with a lower scientific impact have a higher intensity of collaborative research, contract research, and consultancy activities if they communicate that impact through more prominent scientific outlets. In turn, universities with a higher scientific impact have a lower intensity of interaction with commercial organizations if they communicate their scientific impact through less prominent scientific outlets. We further reveal that universities with a higher economic impact show a higher intensity of collaborative research. At the same time, we find no evidence that the social impact generated by universities is linked to the intensity of university-industry interaction, no matter the channels through which that impact is communicated. Using these findings, we draw implications for practice and policy.     

How can contributors to open-source communities be trusted? On the assumption,inference, and substitution of trust

Open-source communities that focus on content rely squarely on the contributions of invisible strangers in cyberspace. How do such communities handle the problem of trusting that strangers have good intentions and adequate competence? This question is explored in relation to communities in which such trust is a vital issue: peer production of software (FreeBSD and Mozilla in particular) and encyclopaedia entries (Wikipedia in particular). In the context of open-source software, it is argued that trust was inferred from an underlying ‘hacker ethic’, which already existed. The Wikipedian project, by contrast, had to create an appropriate ethic along the way. In the interim, the assumption simply had to be that potential contributors were trustworthy; they were granted ‘substantial trust’. Subsequently, projects from both communities introduced rules and regulations which partly substituted for the need to perceive contributors as trustworthy. They faced a design choice in the continuum between a high-discretion design (granting a large amount of trust to contributors) and a low-discretion design (leaving only a small amount of trust to contributors). It is found that open-source designs for software and encyclopaedias are likely to converge in the future towards a mid-level of discretion. In such a design the anonymous user is no longer invested with unquestioning trust.     

How to deal with corruption? Examining the roles of e-government maturity,government administrative effectiveness,and virtual social networks diffusion

The role of e-government in combating corruption is an active area of research in Information Systems (IS). Drawing on the value framework for assessing e-government impact, and grounding our discussion on three theoretical perspectives, namely, (1) technological determinism theory, (2) general deterrence theory, and (3) Habermas’ public sphere perspective, we seek to explore how the diffusion of virtual social networks (VSNs) influences the relationships among e-government maturity, government administrative effectiveness, and corruption in a country. Our analyses based on publicly available archival data substantiate the (1) indirect relationships between e-government maturity in a country and corruption in three branches of its government (i.e., legislature, executive, and judiciary) through government administrative effectiveness, (2) interaction effect of VSN diffusion on the relationship between e-government maturity in a country and its government administrative effectiveness, and (3) interaction effects of VSN diffusion on the relationships between government administrative effectiveness in a country and its corruption dimensions. The key contributions of this research include the establishment of the (1) role of e-government in combating corruption in three branches of the government, and (2) idea of the public sphere in the context of VSN diffusion, and the subsequent exploration of its effects on e-government outcomes of a country.     

How can tacit knowledge be shared more in organizations? A multidimensional approach to the role of social capital and locus of control

This multidimensional study looks at the influence of social capital and internal vs external locus of control on tacit knowledge-sharing intention and behaviour, and the relationship between the two. The relations studied within the framework of the proposed model are tested by regression analyses. The findings indicate that social capital and its basic structural, cognitive, and relational dimensions tend to increase tacit knowledge-sharing intention, which gradually turns into behaviour because, according to Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour, behavioural intention is the immediate antecedent to behaviour (or according to Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour, a person’s intention to perform a behaviour increases as subjective norms become more favourable). It is further concluded that having an internal locus of control increases both the intentions and behaviour, whereas external locus of control only increases the behaviour. The study also concludes that tacit knowledge-sharing intention gradually turns into sharing behaviour. The study is considered to contribute to the field of knowledge management in various ways. In this study a multidimensional survey of 42 questions was used to investigate the research topic and its sub-dimensions, and the data were collected via face-to-face interviews. The population of the study was 106 nursing students, and all components of the research universe were reached. It was found that social capital positively affects and increases tacit knowledge-sharing intentions and behaviour. A research model based on the conceptual framework was developed and research questions were addressed by means of this model and the findings.     

“Silent Hypoxemia” Leads to Vicious Cycle of Infection,Coagulopathy and Cytokine Storm in COVID-19: Can Prophylactic Oxygen Therapy Prevent It?

Humankind is facing its worst pandemic of the twenty-first century, due to infection of a novel coronavirus named as SARS-CoV2, started from Wuhan in China. Till now, 15 million people are infected, causing more than 600,000 deaths. The disease, commonly known as, COVID-19, was initially thought to be associated with ARDS only, but later on revealed to have many unexplained and atypical clinical features like coagulopathy and cytokinemia, leading to multi-organ involvements. The patients also suffer from ‘Silent Hypoxemia’, where there is no immediate respiratory signs and symptoms even though alarmingly low SpO₂ level. We hypothesize that this covert hypoxemia may lead to molecular changes exacerbating coagulopathy and cytokine storm in COVID19 patients, which again, in turn, causes a vicious cycle of more hypoxemia/hypoxia and progression of the infection to more severe stages through HIF-1α dependent pathway. Although molecular mechanisms are yet to be substantiated by scientific evidence, hypoxemia remains an independent worsening factor in serious COVID 19 patients. Keeping all in mind, we propose that even in the early and asymptomatic cases, prophylactic oxygen therapy to be initiated to break the vicious cycle and to reduce the mortality in COVID 19 to save precious human lives.     

“Mobile internet is worse than the internet; it can destroy our community”: Old Order Amish and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women’s responses to cellphone and smartphone use

Abstract

In this article I explore use patterns and perceptions of cellphone and smartphone use among Old Order Amish and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women with participant observations, interviews, and a survey. My findings show that although they differ in their cellphone use (the Amish mostly do not use them and the Ultra-Orthodox only use those deemed to be “kosher”), they concur in their nonuse of smartphones – they see the smartphone as impure. Both view smartphones as undermining social relations and community by distracting users away from friends and family.     

How and when information proactiveness leads to operational firm performance in the banking sector of Pakistan? The roles of open innovation,creative cognitive style,and climate for innovation

Utilizing the assumptions of the Resource-based theory, this study examined how and why new, rare, and inimitable resources in the form of information proactiveness motivation influence operational firm performance. We hypothesized open innovation as a mediator between information proactiveness motivation and operational firm performance. We also hypothesized the interactive effects of an individual’s creative cognitive style and information proactiveness motivation on open innovation whereas climate for innovation and open innovation jointly influence operational firm performance. A temporally segregated data (n = 260) was collected in three-time intervals from employees working in the banking sector of Islamabad, Pakistan. Utilizing the PROCESS approach, the findings of the study indicate that open innovation mediates the relationship between information proactiveness motivation, and operational firm performance. Moreover, the creative cognitive style was found to moderate the relationship between information proactiveness motivation and open innovation whereas climate for innovation emerged as a moderator between open innovation and operational firm performance. This research focused on unique information and contextual resources which directly and indirectly play significant roles in promoting the firm's open innovation and subsequent operational firm performance.     

Enacting taboos as a means to an end; but what end? On the morality of motivations for child murder and paedophilia within gamespace

Video games are currently available which permit the virtual murder of children. No such games are presently available which permit virtual paedophilia. Does this disparity reflect a morally justifiable position? Focusing solely on different player motivations, I contrast two version of a fictitious game—one permitting the virtual murder of children, the other virtual paedophilia—in order to establish whether the selective prohibition of one activity over the other can be morally justified based on player motivation alone. I conclude that it cannot, for reasons discussed.