The β-hairpin effect: Structural insights into bacterial laccase function and stability.

Purpose Despite growing attention to sustainability, ambiguity remains regarding whether maintaining such initiatives during corporate financial crises may strain resources needed for recovery. Drawing on legitimacy theory and resilience perspectives, this study aims to examine how reinforcing corporate sustainability performance during a crisis influences recovery speed, the mediating role of investor commitment and the moderating influence of the economic environment. Design/methodology/approach Using secondary data from the LSEG Refinitiv database covering 190 firms across multiple industries over an eight-year period, this study applies regression, mediation and moderation analyses to assess how reinforcing corporate sustainability performance during a corporate financial crisis (i.e. a period in which a firm’s Altman Z-score falls below 2.99) affects recovery speed. Findings Firms reinforcing sustainability performance during crises recover faster. Investor commitment acts as a key mediator by providing capital, confidence and strategic support. The economic environment moderates this relationship: in hostile contexts, sustainability helps retain investor commitment, while in munificent environments, investor support strongly boosts recovery. Research limitations/implications Future research should explore how other stakeholders mediate the sustainability–recovery relationship. The authors contribute to the legitimacy and sustainability literature by theoretically identifying and empirically analyzing the specific way in which sustainability may enhance recovery from a crisis through investor commitment. Practical implications The results provide solid evidence for managers to get sustainability-related tools to speed the recovery from a corporate financial crisis. Contrary to popular beliefs, this manuscript will encourage the executives in financially difficult situations to reinforce investors’ commitment through internally demanding sustainability practices. The authors also expand implications to policymakers and investors to consider the impact of sustainability in times of crisis. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate how reinforcing corporate sustainability performance during corporate financial crises accelerates recovery time.

Tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate induces cardiac injury in juvenile mice by disrupting energy homeostasis: Focus on mitochondrial impairment.

Purpose This study investigates the influence of perceived corporate sustainability (PCS) and employee engagement (EE) on two critical workplace outcomes: pro-environmental behavior (PEB) and innovation in sustainability (IS). It also examines whether EE moderates the relationships between (a) PCS and PEB and (b) PCS and IS. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected through a structured survey of 215 employees across multiple countries and diverse industries. All variables were measured using multi-item Likert-type scales and validated through confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling using AMOS was employed to test the direct and moderating effects. Findings The results demonstrate that PCS and EE each exert significant positive effects on both PEB and IS, demonstrating their independent contributions to sustainable workplace outcomes. However, the hypothesized moderating role of employee engagement is not supported. These findings offer practical guidance for organizations seeking to enhance their sustainability performance. Originality/value This research extends prior studies by moving beyond CSR-oriented investigations confined to single countries or sectors and adopting a broader perspective on corporate sustainability. By empirically validating a conceptual model using survey data collected from employees across multiple countries and industries, the study elucidates the distinct effect of PCS and EE on PEB and IS.

Purpose This study examines the role of enterprise learning in enhancing the performance of small businesses, emphasizing the mediating effect of innovation and the moderating role of enterprise culture. By integrating resource-based view (RBV) and knowledge-based view (KBV), it provides insights into how learning-driven innovation and cultural adaptation contribute to sustainable business growth and competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a quantitative, cross-sectional design and analyzes responses from 410 small businesses in a developing economy. Using SPSS v23, we assessed reliability and validity, mapped correlations, and ran regression models. Mediation and moderation were evaluated with Hayes' PROCESS macro, yielding a rigorous, end-to-end examination of how learning, innovation, and culture shape performance. Findings The study finds that enterprise learning is positively associated with firm performance, operating both directly and indirectly via innovation. Innovation partially mediates the learning–performance link, indicating that learning translates into superior outcomes by catalyzing new products, processes, and routines. Enterprise culture positively moderates the innovation–performance association, such that supportive cultural contexts magnify returns to innovative effort. The results underscore the managerial imperative to align learning investments with cultural enablers to realize innovation-led performance gains in small businesses. Research limitations/implications This study relies on closed-ended, self-report questionnaires, constraining depth on behavioral change and mechanism tracing. The single-city small business sample (Kumasi) also limits external validity across sectors and geographies. Future work should employ longitudinal, mixed-methods designs, linking surveys with interviews and archival data across multiple industries and regions to recover temporal dynamics, unpack cultural contingencies, and test generalizability. Practical implications Small businesses should institutionalize continuous learning that feeds disciplined innovation. Structured training, mentoring, and codified knowledge sharing should flow into time-bound pilots with after-action reviews to capture and reuse lessons. Cross-functional teams should test scalable ideas, supported by modest budgets and pragmatic technology adoption. Managers should align rewards and appraisals to learning and implementation and track a concise dashboard of innovation throughput, time to implementation, adoption, and performance uplift to guide resource allocation and scaling. Social implications Strengthening enterprise learning and innovation in small businesses can expand quality employment, deepen local supply chains, and raise community incomes through productivity-led growth. Learning-rich cultures build transferable skills, elevate employee voice, and reduce turnover, enhancing social mobility and workforce resilience. As small businesses institutionalize experimentation and knowledge sharing, they diffuse better practices across clusters, support youth and women's participation, and encourage formalization. Policymakers can amplify these spillovers by co-investing in workforce development, incubators, and digital infrastructure that lower adoption costs and scale inclusive, place-based growth. Originality/value This study extends RBV and KBV by specifying and testing a moderated-mediation model in a non-Western small business setting, where enterprise learning fuels innovation that enhances performance, and enterprise culture amplifies that payoff. It uniquely disentangles innovation as a behavioral capability mediating the learning–performance link from enterprise culture as a contextual moderator of the innovation–performance path. It also tests conditional indirect effects using Hayes Model 14, yielding contextually grounded evidence and actionable guidance for capability building in emerging economies.

The critical micelle concentration (CMC) is a fundamental physicochemical property of surfactants with significant implications across multiple industries. This paper presents an uncertainty-aware graph neural network (GNN) that integrates molecular structure and temperature to simultaneously predict CMC values and prediction uncertainties. Trained on a curated dataset of 2133 CMC values with temperature annotations, our GNN achieves comparatively similar performance on two external test sets from similar works. The model provides adequately calibrated uncertainty estimates that reliably quantify prediction confidence. This dual-output approach enables reliable CMC prediction with quantifiable confidence intervals, addressing a practical need for safety-critical applications where underestimation of uncertainty could have serious consequences.

Purpose This study investigates the factors that influence workers’ transition from informal to formal employment. It aims to understand the behavioural patterns, motivations and skill gaps contributing to this transition. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a qualitative design, utilising semi-structured interviews with 46 respondents across two phases. The first phase involved interviews with 29 young professionals who had recently adopted new-collar jobs. The second phase included interviews with 17 trainers from multiple industries. Findings The study revealed that individuals are more likely to transition from informal to formal employment when seeking financial stability, a better career and a sense of purpose. However, many people who make this change lack the skills to succeed. They must also collaborate with businesses to ensure their programs effectively convey the correct information. Research limitations/implications The research involved a small number of participants from various sectors. Additionally, the study employed qualitative methods, with findings based on people’s opinions and experiences. Future research may use quantitative methods to collect data that can be measured and analysed. Practical implications This study demonstrates pathways to vocational training programs towards advancement in career choice. This training can help people get the skills they need for career advancement. Social implications This study identifies pathways to vocational training programs that facilitate career advancement. This training can help individuals acquire the skills necessary for career advancement. Originality/value This research aims to explore the transition from informal to formal employment. It also demonstrates how vocational training programs can be enhanced to enable more people to secure decent jobs. It presents the concept of new-collar empowerment to conceptualise how digitally mediated professional routes can change the access of selected informal labourers to decent work, in an existing narrative of informal-formal transition.

Sustainable corporate governance plays an essential role in promoting responsible economic growth and enhancing social and environmental well-being in emerging economies. In this context, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance has become an important indicator of a firm’s commitment to sustainable development and its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 8 and SDG 12. This study investigates the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance on the financial sustainability of publicly listed companies in Thailand, a rapidly developing Southeast Asian economy where empirical evidence remains limited. Using an unbalanced panel dataset of 965 firm-year observations across multiple industries, multiple regression models were employed to assess the influence of ESG performance on two financial indicators: return on capital employed and return on assets. Granger causality tests were also conducted to explore directional relationships between sustainability performance and financial outcomes. The empirical results reveal a significant negative short-term association between ESG performance and return on assets (ROA), whereas the relationship with return on capital employed (ROCE) is statistically insignificant. The causality analysis indicates that ESG performance Granger-causes ROA, implying that sustainability-driven strategic decisions may precede and influence financial outcomes over time. Additionally, leverage emerges as a key constraint to financial sustainability, negatively affecting both ROCE and ROA. These findings underscore the challenge of striking a balance between sustainability investments and immediate profitability in emerging markets. Policymakers and business leaders are encouraged to promote supportive governance frameworks, reduce financial barriers, and foster ESG-driven practices that contribute to long-term sustainable competitiveness and inclusive development.

With the rapid development of mobile communication technology, improving user satisfaction has become a core focus for mobile network operators. In an era of ubiquitous connectivity and homogeneous services, understanding and enhancing user experience is crucial for maintaining competitive advantages. Traditional methods to improve user satisfaction, such as responding to complaints and resolving specific issues, have become insufficient with the expansion of user bases and the diversification of mobile services. This study proposes a data-driven approach to analyze the factors influencing mobile user satisfaction in Beijing, focusing on voice and internet services. We combine feature engineering, decision tree models, and ensemble learning techniques to predict and quantify user satisfaction. Specifically, we use the CART (Classification and Regression Tree) model to extract feature importance, and integrate Random Forest and XGBoost models to further improve prediction accuracy through hyperparameter optimization and model fusion. This method combines structured data with unstructured text data, including user descriptions and service notes, to deeply explore the core factors of user experience. Experimental results show that multi-model fusion significantly improves prediction accuracy, with factors such as GPRS traffic, monthly usage, and network issues identified as the main drivers affecting user satisfaction. This study provides valuable insights for mobile network operators to optimize services and enhance customer experience. Additionally, the proposed method can be extended to other regions and applied to multiple industries where customer satisfaction is critical.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), extensively used across multiple industries, has long been discussed for its potential to enhance heavy metal mobility in aquatic systems, with studies yielding contradictory results. This study examines the remobilization of particle-bound lead from suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the Innerste River (Lower Saxony, Germany), which is affected by historical mining and known for substantial Pb contamination. Using real river water containing its native SPM to preserve the chemical matrix of the system, we assessed Pb partitioning between total and dissolved phases to evaluate EDTA's remobilization potential. Baseline dissolved lead concentrations reached up to 1.8 µg L-1 (median 0.69 µg L-1). Across all batch experiments, a measurable increase in the dissolved Pb fraction occurred only at EDTA concentrations far exceeding those measured in the river (0.68-3.8 µgL-1). Bayesian concentration-response modelling yielded no-effect concentrations (NEC) between 210 and 530 µgL-1. Complementary speciation modelling showed that shifts in Pb speciation occur only at EDTA concentrations near the experimentally derived NEC values. These findings show that current EDTA concentrations in the Innerste are unlikely to remobilize Pb from SPM. The study also provides a statistically supported NEC estimate based on batch experiments using unaltered river water containing its naturally present SPM. To our knowledge, this is the first application of Bayesian NEC modelling to EDTA-induced Pb remobilization.

Frequently observed in both fully matured ripe bananas and raw unripe green bananas, along with banana stems, these three parts have garnered substantial interest from nutritionists, biochemists, botanists, industrialists and researchers alike, owing to their rich array of bioactive compounds. Through this extensive review, diligent attempts were made to affirm the establishment that bananas are a good source of natural antioxidants and a substantial reservoir of diverse bioactive molecules. The paper also emphasises the potential pharmaceutical applications of these phytoactive compounds isolated from the members of the Musaceae family, ranging from the treatment of common ailments to the treatment of serious diseases, including cancer. The utility of this plant and its various parts extends far beyond medical and pharmaceutical applications, reaching into diverse non-medical fields such as culinary arts, cosmetics, textiles and biofuel production. From enhancing flavours in the kitchen to providing sustainable materials for fashion and art, this plants’ versatility makes it a valuable resource across multiple industries. Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical commercial products can effectively employ bananas, including even their peels, as food ingredients. Research on bananas, their stems and their by-products may open up new possibilities as this plant has proven to be a cornerstone in both traditional and innovative practices, demonstrating its profound impact on everyday life.

Purpose This paper aims to address the theoretical and methodological gaps in the green logistics and supply chain management (GLSCM) literature through the lens of knowledge management. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review of 80 articles was conducted following a strict research protocol and the theories-contexts-methods framework, refined through explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings Results show that the resource-based view, the natural-resource-based view and institutional theory are the most frequently applied theories in GLSCM research. The literature is dominated by single-country studies, with limited attention to multi-country contexts. A similar pattern is observed at the industry level, where only a few studies cover multiple industries. Building on these findings, this study develops a framework that extends current theoretical approaches and emphasizes the need to incorporate global, national and organizational-level knowledge-sharing and innovation practices to prepare for and respond to disruptions like the global pandemic. Research limitations/implications Although justified in the existing literature, the research protocol applied may exclude relevant studies. Similarly, the coding procedure, while guided by strict rules, may unintentionally introduce bias. Practical implications When facing multiple combined external pressures on the supply chain network, firms can mitigate adverse effects by creating knowledge, engaging knowledge brokers and establishing a digital platform and governance mechanism for effective knowledge transfer. The study also highlights a growing trend in stakeholder activism. Stricter regulations and transparent incentives tied to sustainable practices throughout the supply chain could encourage more sustainable behaviors among all stakeholders. Originality/value This study proposes a knowledge-driven framework to enable firms to achieve sustainability in logistics and supply chain networks within the global economy.

This study examines whether corporate climate performance is reflected in firm valuation by synthesising recent empirical evidence, using Tobin’s Q as a forward-looking indicator of market expectations. Employing a random-effects meta-analysis of 30 peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025 across multiple industries and regions, the findings reveal a modest yet statistically significant positive association between stronger climate performance and higher market valuations, suggesting that investors increasingly incorporate climate-related information into firm pricing. Contrary to prevailing assumptions in the literature, proactive climate strategies, such as emissions-reduction initiatives, do not systematically generate greater valuation benefits than disclosure-oriented approaches; both exhibit comparable positive effects. Similarly, valuation outcomes do not differ materially between self-reported and externally verified climate data. Meta-regression analysis identifies data source as the only statistically significant moderator, although its influence remains nuanced. Overall, the results indicate that climate performance enhances firm valuation in a context-dependent manner, challenging the view that only proactive strategies or externally verified data are uniquely rewarded by financial markets. The study contributes to the sustainable and corporate finance literature by clarifying how capital markets price climate-related corporate behaviour under heterogeneous strategic responses.

Grounded in the dynamic capabilities framework, this study examines how entrepreneurship and technological innovation jointly shape business performance and how sustainable management conditions these effects across its economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Using survey data from 300 firms across multiple industries, we find that entrepreneurship significantly enhances both non-financial and financial performance, and that technological innovation serves as a key mediating mechanism through which entrepreneurship translates into performance outcomes. The results reveal differentiated moderating effects of sustainable management. While the economic dimension of sustainable management shows a limited moderating influence, the social and environmental dimensions significantly amplify the returns to entrepreneurship and technological innovation. By disentangling sustainable management into distinct dimensions, this study moves beyond prior research and demonstrates that sustainability functions as a contextual capability that asymmetrically conditions the returns to entrepreneurship and innovation. The findings offer actionable insights for managers and policymakers seeking to align entrepreneurial initiatives and innovation strategies with social legitimacy and environmental stewardship to achieve sustained value creation.

Atmosphere profiles and spatial distributions of rare earth element-containing nanoparticles released from multiple industries in China.

Diesel engines remain a critical technology across multiple sectors, including transportation, industry, marine, and agriculture, due to their well-known benefits such as high fuel efficiency, robust durability, and superior torque output. Even as electric vehicle technology rapidly advances, diesel engines continue to be utilized in demanding applications that require reliable, high-power performance under harsh conditions. This enduring relevance stems from their higher thermal efficiency and remarkable ability to function in extreme environments. However, diesel fuel differs from petrol in its combustion characteristics, notably having a lower combustion rate. This rate is measured by the cetane number, with higher cetane values indicating better combustion quality. To optimize engine performance, especially when using lower-cetane diesel fuel, additives are often used to increase the cetane number. This study explores the effects of combining 2-ethylhexyl nitrate, a cetane number enhancer, with Pertamina’s biodiesel product, bio solar. Using a single-cylinder diesel engine and a prony brake for testing, the study found that a 1:100 ratio of CNE to fuel delivered the best results among all mixtures. This blend achieved the highest thermal efficiency at 30.23% and recorded the lowest brake specific fuel consumption at 7.78265E-05 kg/kWh.

Purpose This paper aims to examine how employees of a large Slovak energy company perceive selected elements of the company’s ethics programme (EP) and how these perceptions relate to ethical behaviour in the workplace. It also explores whether attitudes toward key EP components differ according to employees’ education, job position and length of service within the organization. Design/methodology/approach The study applies a single-company case study design with a quantitative, questionnaire-based survey. Data were collected online from 118 employees (42% response rate) of ZSE Energia, a.s., and focused on four EP elements: (P1) ethical and communication training, (P2) employee care (benefits and well-being measures), (P3) conflict-of-interest monitoring and anti-corruption policy and (P4) transparency in stakeholder relations. Responses were measured predominantly on a five-point Likert scale and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s chi-square tests and Z-scores for differences in proportions across employee groups defined by education, job position and tenure. Findings All four EP components are generally perceived as suitable tools for supporting ethical behaviour, with transparency in stakeholder relations (P4) and ethical and communication training (P1) receiving the strongest endorsement. Conflict-of-interest monitoring and the anti-corruption policy (P3) are also evaluated positively, while employee care (P2) is viewed favourably overall but with more ambivalence. Job position is significantly associated with perceptions of employee care: traders and sellers tend to see benefits and allowances as a strong ethical support, whereas analysts are more hesitant. No statistically significant differences in attitudes are identified with respect to education level or length of service. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to a single company in the Slovak energy sector, with a relatively small sample size (n = 118) and a cross-sectional, self-reported design. These features constrain the generalisability and causal interpretation of the results. Future studies could extend the analysis to multiple firms, different industries and ownership structures and combine quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews or longitudinal designs to capture the dynamics and implementation of ethics programmes over time. Practical implications The findings suggest that, from employees’ perspective, ethics programmes in Slovak companies should balance formal tools (such as training, codes and anti-corruption policies) with visible care for employees and transparent stakeholder relations. Managers are encouraged to monitor how different groups of employees perceive specific EP elements and to adapt communication and implementation accordingly, particularly in the area of employee benefits and well-being. Regular feedback from staff can help ensure that ethics initiatives are not only formally in place but are also viewed as fair, credible and relevant across hierarchical levels. Social implications By aligning ethics programmes with the expectations of diverse employee groups, organizations in transition economies such as Slovakia can strengthen a culture of integrity, enhance internal trust and contribute to more responsible business conduct. Robust EPs that combine transparency, anti-corruption measures and employee care may help reduce the space for unethical practices and support broader societal efforts to improve ethical standards in business. Originality/value The paper offers one of the few empirical analyses of ethics programme effectiveness from the viewpoint of employees in the Slovak business context. Rather than focusing solely on managers or formal codes, it provides a fine-grained picture of how specific EP elements are experienced by staff in different positions and at different stages of their employment. In doing so, it highlights the importance of tailoring ethics programmes to the structure of the workforce and to the realities of post-socialist corporate cultures.

Purpose The cold chain (CC) is critical in preserving perishable goods across multiple industries. Insufficient infrastructure, along with other challenges, contributes to extensive food wastage. Although numerous studies have focused on the challenges of the CC, an integrated framework is required to prioritize and tackle these challenges. Design/methodology/approach The empirical research utilizes a conscious capitalism perspective and employs multi-criteria decision-making methods, specifically fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution and the best-worst method to analyse various factors affecting the cold supply chain (CSC). Findings The findings of this research emphasize that implementing best practices, forming partnerships and alliances and government initiatives are significant non-information technology (IT) solutions. Automating data collection, integrating logistics management systems and creating integrated platforms are notable IT solutions for addressing CSC challenges. These findings align with the recent focus on sustainability in the CCs. Originality/value The current study contributes a novel integrated framework and seeks to fill the existing gap by analysing issues and proposing solutions to mitigate the adverse effects of these issues on the CC. The study attempts to further build upon prior research by extending it through the utilization of a unified model with a focus on sustainability.

This study develops and empirically validates the Budi Pekerti Luhur Corporate Ethics (BPLCE) framework as an indigenous Indonesian ethical model for building sustainable corporate culture in Bangka Belitung Province. Drawing from traditional Javanese moral philosophy, BPLCE comprises five dimensions: Integrity, Responsibility, Justice, Care, and Wisdom. Using structural equation modeling with survey data from 650 employees across multiple industries, we examine how BPLCE influences sustainable corporate culture directly and through three mediating mechanisms: organizational ethical climate, ethical leadership, and employee moral development. Results demonstrate that BPLCE significantly predicts sustainable corporate culture (β = 0.426, p < 0.001), explaining 69.7% of variance (R² = 0.697). The total indirect effect (β = 0.563) exceeds the direct effect, indicating substantial partial mediation (VAF = 56.9%). Organizational ethical climate shows the strongest mediation (β = 0.207), followed by ethical leadership (β = 0.194) and employee moral development (β = 0.162). Contextual factors significantly moderate these relationships. Industry sector exerts the strongest moderating effect (Δχ² = 18.742, p = 0.001), with mining demonstrating the highest impact (β = 0.512). Organizational size also moderates significantly (Δχ² = 7.926, p = 0.019), as larger organizations show stronger effects (β = 0.465). Regulatory environment positively moderates the relationship (β = 0.142, p = 0.002). Comparative analysis reveals BPLCE's superior explanatory power over Western virtue ethics (ΔR² = 0.083) and conventional CSR models (ΔR² = 0.099), confirming its cultural resonance and practical effectiveness for addressing sustainability challenges in emerging economies.

As the concept of sustainable development becomes increasingly popular, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings have become a key metric for assessing a company's comprehensive value and long-term resilience. This paper aims to systematically explore the mechanisms by which ESG ratings influence the multidimensional performance of companies. This paper first examines the theoretical origins of ESG and its core theories linking it to corporate performance (such as stakeholder theory and the resource-based view), establishing its analytical framework. Then, by integrating empirical research and case studies from multiple industries, it provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of ESG ratings on companies' financial performance (such as profitability and market valuation) and non-financial performance (such as employee satisfaction and brand reputation). This research reveals that superior ESG performance not only improves financial metrics by reducing financing costs and improving operational efficiency, but also enhances a company's long-term competitiveness and risk resilience by strengthening stakeholder trust and building sustainable brand equity. Case studies further demonstrate the diverse successes and common challenges faced by different companies in implementing ESG strategies. The paper concludes by emphasizing that ESG ratings, far from being a passive responsibility, are a strategic core for companies to drive innovation and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Accordingly, companies should deeply integrate ESG into their corporate strategies and business processes to achieve the synergistic creation of economic and social value. Finally, looking ahead, the article proposes further exploration of the cross-national and cross-industry boundary conditions for the effectiveness of ESG ratings based on institutional theory and a comparative perspective.