Unique Assets Research Articles

Connectedness between energy cryptocurrencies and US equity markets: A quantile-based analysis

Energy cryptocurrencies emerge as a new class of digital assets for morally conscientious investors to build long-term portfolios with high risk-adjusted returns. Focusing on this unique asset class, the current study investigates the static and dynamic spillovers between energy cryptocurrencies and US equity sector stocks at various quantiles. We apply the quantile VAR technique on the selected sample of four energy cryptocutrrencies and eleven major US equity markets for February 27, 2018 to November 25, 2022. This period includes two important subperiods: COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukraine War. Our findings support higher connectedness levels at the extreme lower and upper quantiles compared to the mean and median quantiles. While all energy cryptocurrencies are shock receivers at the extreme lower quantile, the majority of US equity sector stocks are shock transmitters at the lower quantile. The IT sector is a shock receiver at all quantiles, whereas the energy sector is a shock transmitter. Overall connectedness fluctuates over time and shows a significant rise at the start of the COVID period. Our results provide insights to investors, portfolio managers, and policymakers regarding portfolio allocation, forecasting, and risk management during downward and upward market conditions. Additionally, the ideal hedge ratios slightly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased the cost of asset coverage.

Adapting Sustainability Certification Systems for Historic Buildings: A Qualitative Comparative Study in Denmark

Historical buildings are unique assets in any society, embodying cultural significance and architectural heritage. Denmark, with its rich architectural background, has taken steps to preserve these values. As the imperative of sustainability continues to grow, recognizing the social, economic, and environmental values of historic buildings is becoming increasingly important. As an important step towards adapting sustainability certification systems for historic buildings in order to identify and preserve their historical values, this paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis between the GBC and HB (Green Building Council–Historic Building), which has been adapted for historic buildings in Italy and the Danish GBC system (GBC-DK or so-called DGNB-DK). The study is based on a theoretical framework underpinned by a systematic approach utilizing a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) alongside the triangulation method. This includes a systematic literature review comparing the GBC-DK and GBC-HB systems and an analysis of an actual building renovation project at a municipal hospital in Aarhus, Denmark. The findings indicate a notable absence of criteria and sub-criteria pertaining to the protection of tangible and intangible values in the application of the GBC-DK system. It is justified that in order to improve the sustainability of historic buildings in Denmark, a broader and more in-depth study on the adaptation of the GBC-DK system for historic buildings is needed.

What Patients with Bipolar Disorder Need to Know about Lithium.

Lithium is the superior first-line treatment for bipolar disorder (BD). Yet the percentage of patients receiving lithium is abysmally low, especially in the US. Since psychiatrists have failed to place lithium in its appropriate role, we make the case that patients with BD themselves need to be better educated about the unique characteristics and pre-eminence of the drug so that it can be used more often and appropriately. Lithium has a highly unfavorable popular reputation among would-be patients and many psychiatrists. Thus, a direct appeal to patients with BD appears appropriate to try to remediate this situation. The unique assets of lithium are underappreciated or not well known. Conversely, the side effects profile of lithium are overestimated. Here, we make the case that lithium's image needs to be revised not only with better and more accurate information but also with a wholesale renaming and rebranding of the drug. We will not only outline the unique qualities and new information about the side effects of the drug but attempt to change some of the terminology conventionally used to refer to lithium so that its use may be appropriately applied earlier and at an increased frequency for patients with BD.

PERCEPTION OF SALVADOR DALí’S CREATION AND ITS INTERPRETATION IN THE TEXTS OF THE 20TH-21ST CENTURIES

The object of discourse is an extraordinary person with all his creations, which is constantly replenished by reviews of every subsequent generation of spectators revealing their attitude to the author and his works. The legacy of the great Spanish artist Salvador Dalí is a unique asset of the world artistic culture, which has come under scrutiny not only by his contemporaries, but also by a wide audience, art historians, scientists, film critics, literary scholars, poets and writers of the following generations. Due to the fact that the works of the great artist involve countless acts of interpretation and revision, and form an open space around the hitherto unsolved questions by the creator himself, the authors of the article proceed from the assumption that the discourse about Salvador Dali will continue to be enriched in the future cultural and historical context by the works of representatives of art and science. The present article focuses on the discourse about Salvador Dalí and his creations, which has been named the Dalinian discourse in the Spanish-language art tradition. The subject of the research are texts written by Dalí himself, his friends, and artists, as well as those written by the representatives of other sciences dwelling on the creations of the artist. The article attempts to systematise the main corpus of texts in Spanish about Dalí’s visual and literary work and to present its typology.

Transplantation of Pre‐Differentiated 3D Neural Spheroids in Decellularized Extracellular Matrix Microgels Promotes Neuronal Network Reconstruction and Functional Recovery after Severe Spinal Cord Contusion

AbstractTraumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) causes massive death of neurons in the spinal cords and almost complete neurological dysfunctions. Transplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) is acknowledged as one of the viable SCI treatments for complementing lost neurons and neural network reconstruction. However, administration of NSPCs suffers from extremely low survival rate and uncontrolled differentiation of the transplanted cells, which impairs the therapeutic effects significantly. Herein, NSPCs are encapsulated in decellularized spinal cord matrix (DSCM) microgels using a customized microfluidic system, then the obtained NSPCs‐encapsulated DSCM microgels (NSPC@DSCM‐MGs) are subjected to neuronal differentiation induction. Consequently, the resulting pre‐mature 3D neural spheroids are injected into severely contused spinal cords in rats. The DSCM microgels effectively protected the transplanted cells from shear damage and the inflammatory microenvironment at the lesion site. The survival and accommodation of the pre‐differentiated NSPC@DSCM‐MGs actively contributed to axonal regeneration, inhibiting glial scar formation, as well as remodeling the microenvironment that facilitated endogenous cell recruitment and neuronal network reconstruction. Consequentially, administration of the neural spheroids led to maintenance of spinal cord integrity, and significantly improved hindlimb locomotor function. This biomaterial‐based transplantation strategy has shown unique assets in cell protection and cell‐fate manipulation, which holds great promise in versatile biomedical applications.

"Unnatural resources?": parallels and distinctions between the Newfoundland Genome and traditional resource sectors.

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) has a long history of resource development, exploitation, and frequent mismanagement. Even before joining the Canadian confederation in 1949, industries such as mining, fishing, and forestry had significantly shaped the province. Recently, a new "resource" has been recognized: NL's genetic data, often described as a "genetic gold mine" and "the new oil." These analogies reflect the perception of genetic data as a valuable resource, resonating in a province historically reliant on resource extraction. Since the early 2000s, NL's genetic data has been recognized as a unique asset, prompting provincial reports on its management. Renewed interest has emerged with a local biotechnology company aiming to leverage NL's unique genetic architecture. This paper examines the implications of conceptualizing genetic information as a resource, exploring how this fits within existing resource development frameworks and policies, and considering its potential to shape policies for managing the benefits and burdens of genetic data exploitation. I conclude that while the NL genome is not a natural resource in the traditional sense, the province nevertheless needs to take more direct responsibility for its development and to ensure that any potential benefits from exploiting it are shared with the population.

Halal Industry and Tourism in Maros: Exploring the Harmony between Faith and Travel Values

As halal tourism gains momentum, the tourist destination of Maros, Indonesia, with its predominantly Muslim population and stunning natural beauty, presents a unique opportunity. This paper explores the potential of halal tourism in Maros, exploring the benefits, challenges and main considerations for sustainable development. Analyzing Maros' unique assets with a variety of halal-friendly attractions and government support, this paper highlights the potential of Maros and its surroundings, such as Bonto Bunga village, Moncongloe sub-district, Maros Regency, to serve Muslim tourists looking for experiences according to their religion. However, there are challenges such as standardization, human resource development and infrastructure that need to be overcome. Recommendations focus on stakeholder collaboration, community empowerment, environmental sustainability, and targeted marketing of local products. By navigating these aspects, Maros and especially Bonto Bunga village will be able to open the potential of halal tourism, contribute to economic development, foster cultural understanding, and offer satisfying travel experiences while still upholding Islamic religious values ​​and prioritizing responsible practices. answer.

Unveiling the Indian REIT narrative-qualitative insights into retail investors’ perspectives

PurposeThe present study delves into the causes of relatively lower retail participation in the Indian REIT market. Specifically, it investigates investors' attitudes and perceptions towards REITs as a unique asset class. This paper provides a comprehensive understanding of the perception and factors influencing Indian retail investors' reluctance to participate in the REIT market.Design/methodology/approachQualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews to gather insights from non-investors in REITs. The data were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis techniques. Finally, coding techniques were used to identify broad study themes.FindingsAccording to the study results, many retail investors are unfamiliar with REITs. Even among those knowledgeable about REITs and with a favorable view, it is not commonly seen as a feasible investment option due to its early stage, unattractive returns and limited number of REITs.Practical implicationsDeveloped countries have established REIT markets, while it is still in its infancy in developing countries such as India. Financial advisors, fund houses and the media should focus on educating investors to increase awareness.Originality/valueThe study is the first qualitative investigation into the perception of retail investors to understand the reasons for lower retail engagement in the Indian REIT market.

Thermodynamic investigation of a Carnot battery based multi-energy system with cascaded latent thermal (heat and cold) energy stores

Carnot batteries store electricity in thermal form, allowing for power balancing and also multi-vector energy management as a unique asset. Cascaded thermal energy storage therefore has a vital role in Carnot battery, particularly multi-energy systems delivering electricity and thermal energy at various temperatures. Here, we propose a Carnot battery multi-energy system with cascaded latent thermal energy stores. The effects of compressor pressure ratio, total stage number, stage area and fluid velocity in tubes, on system-level coefficient of performance and total exergy efficiency are investigated. The results show that both the coefficient of performance and exergy efficiency increase significantly and then level off with the total stage number and stage area increasing, while they only increase slightly before a significant decrease with the increase of fluid velocity in tubes. The selection of compressor pressure ratios relates to the demands of cold, heat and electricity. The multi-energy system achieves a maximum coefficient of performance of 95.0% in combined cooling, heating and power mode. Although the thermodynamic performance yileds comparable with Carnot battery systems integrated with packed-bed or liquid-based sensible heat stores, the Carnot battery multi-energy system can deliver electricity and multi-grade heat and cold simultaneously, thus increasing flexibility in future energy systems.

Does Transformational Leadership Matter for Employee Performance?

The positive role of the employee cannot be underestimated in the organization's success because employees are the main asset of any organization; these unique assets must be fascinated through an organizational learning culture (OLC). They must also adapt to the changes in the organization to accept the challenges of the current era. Subsequently, this study expects to evaluate the impact of transformational leadership (TL) on faculty performance in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). In addition, it examines the mediating role of organizational learning culture (OLC) between transformational leadership and employee performance (EP). Data is collected from HEIs in Pakistan. The questionnaire was adopted from past studies and distributed to 400 faculty members of business schools in Pakistan. The result of the study indicates that transformational leadership significantly impacts employee performance (EP) in the presence of a learning culture (mediating variable). The study's findings can be used in other organizations in Pakistan rather than only in academic institutions.

Hedging rainfall risk: An illustrative analysis of rainfall index-based futures contracts

Various studies have attempted to explore rainfall index (RI)-based derivatives as a tool to hedge rainfall risk. But no study delved into the issue to discuss the potential deployment of those tools for hedging rainfall risk on a model based on RI-based futures (RIBFs). An illustrative analysis of RIBFs contracts as hedging instruments has been undertaken in this study. The study is fundamentally based on empirical data. A brief account of the rainfall risk profile is presented to indicate the risk diversification opportunity. Besides, the results of an analysis of the correlation between the RI and the stock market index are projected to establish the RI as a unique asset class. The monsoon rainfall data for 50 years, i.e., from 1971 to 2020 have been considered. The Sensex and Nifty stock market indices data covered a period of 30 years, from 1991 to 2020. The study used correlation, the GARCH (1,1) model, and ratio analysis to test the hypotheses. A hypothetical insurance company representing major stakeholders in need of rainfall risk hedging has been taken as an example for evaluating the utility of RIBFs contracts as hedging tools. The results reveal that the party buying RIBFs contracts can significantly reduce the loss of revenue due to adverse monsoon outcomes.

Literature Review on Valuation and Accounting Recognition for Heritage Assets

Historic assets can also be said to be unique assets because of the diverse ways of obtaining them ranging from development, purchase, donation, inheritance, booty, or confiscation and their management and maintenance are protected by the local government (Agustini, 2011). In accordance with applicable laws the validity of a historic asset can be proven by legality to maintain the unlimited existence of historic assets. There are several valuation models for Historic Assets based on accounting standards that apply in the world, namely: Accounting Policy Act, Generally Recognized Accounting Practice (GRAP) 103, Financial Reporting Statements (FRS) 30, and Government Accounting Standards Manual (PSAP) 07 (2010). These differences arise due to the conditions and situations in each country in adopting a guideline that regulates accounting for heritage assets as well as the characteristics of heritage assets that are considered unique and diverse (Ouda, 2014). The accounting treatment for historic assets varies greatly depending on the nature of the asset and also the nature of the entity that holds it. Based on the results of the literature review conducted by the author, regarding how accounting records for heritage assets in Indonesia provide diverse results where there are heritage assets that are recorded in accordance with applicable standards and there are also heritage assets that are not in accordance with applicable accounting standards, namely PSAP 07 2010 regarding Fixed Asset Accounting. This is due to the inadequate quality of human resources who understand the assessment and accounting treatment of heritage assets and unclear policies in the treatment of heritage assets.

“Finding light in the darkness”: exploring comedy as an intervention for eating disorder recovery

PurposeEating disorders (EDs) remain a major health concern, and their incidence has further increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the equally increasing demands on treatments and service provision and the high levels of relapse post-treatment, it is important that research explore novel and innovative interventions that can further support recovery for individuals with EDs. There is growing evidence that arts interventions are beneficial for recovery from EDs. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a stand-up comedy course to support ED recovery.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a qualitative interview study design to evaluate the recovery benefits of participating in stand-up comedy workshops for a pilot group of people in recovery from EDs (n = 10).FindingsThe comedy intervention was well-attended and had high acceptability and feasibility. For most individuals, participating in the course had a positive impact, including promoting personal recovery (PR) outcomes across all five elements of the CHIME framework. Unique assets of the course included providing participants with an opportunity to distance themselves from everyday worries of living with an ED; the opportunity to cognitively reframe situations by making them the object of humour; and providing a safe space to (re-)build a positive sense of self.Originality/valueThis is the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, that evaluates stand-up comedy workshops for ED recovery and further demonstrates the potential of arts interventions and the relevance of PR frameworks in this field.

Implementing Blockchain for Secure Electronic Medical Certifications: An Analytical Study

The assessment of Electronic Medical Certification (EMC) plays a pivotal role in modern healthcare infrastructures, serving as a comprehensive repository for patients' medical histories. Given the inherent challenges related to security and privacy within electronic medical certification systems, there exists a critical need to address the issues of system incompatibility that hinders data sharing among healthcare providers. This not only raises concerns over potential data breaches but also underscores the diminished control patients have over their own medical information. Blockchain technology, known for its significance in securing confidential corporate data, offers a promising solution to redefine the management of medical records. By leveraging a decentralized, peer-to-peer network, blockchain has the potential to transform the security dynamics and enhance the integrity of healthcare record exchanges. This research introduces a novel, lightweight blockchain framework, utilizing the Flask technology, aimed at securely storing and presenting patient statuses and detailed logs of disease diagnosis transactions. Within this envisioned blockchain architecture, patients are represented as unique assets, with their historical health data forming the individual blocks of the chain. The findings of this study suggest that by adopting blockchain technology, healthcare entities can surmount existing barriers, paving the way for a more effective and patient-focused electronic medical certification system. Such advancements promise to fortify the Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, ensuring a secure, transparent, and efficient healthcare delivery model.

The role of BIM and GIS in HS2 historic environment data management, an overview of HS2 Phase 1, UK

The HS2 historic environment programme undertaken for Phase One of HS2 between London and the West Midlands has resulted in a substantial digital archive, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data. According to the BIM (Building Information Modelling) approach, HS2 historic environment assets are considered as part of the construction assets, alongside the other disciplines assets such as highways, bridges, tunnels, and fencing. The GIS and spatial data play the role of a glue to demonstrate the interrelationship and hierarchy between archaeological assets, recording their location and geometry. Designating a unique asset ID (UAID) to each archaeological asset, and joining them to their attributes table and relating documents, creates a relationship between historic environment assets GIS data and their respective non-GIS data. According to HS2 digital engineering with BIM approach, HS2 historic environment core and primary assets have been identified, which the hierarchical order of them is as follows: Location Specific Written Scheme of Investigation (LS-WSI) and Project Plans (PPs) as core assets, and Written Scheme of Investigation Interventions (WSI-Interventions), Archaeological Features, and Archaeological Objects as historic environment primary assets. Such an efficient, transparent, and readable asset data structure provides a lasting and valuable legacy for the lifecycle of the project digital data. Four different systems combine to form the digital legacy of the project, which complement the physical archive. These four systems are: HS2 Asset Information Management System (AIMS) and GIS systems, as well as Online Access to the Index of Archaeological Investigations (OASIS), and supporting digital data curated with the Archaeological Data Service (ADS) systems. As significant parts of the programme legacy, HS2's historic environment physical and digital archive establish an unprecedented opportunity for knowledge creation.

Museum Education Using XR Technologies: A Survey of Metadata Models

Museum education is a constantly evolving field that adapts to the changing needs and expectations of learners. By combining the unique assets of museums with innovative educational practices, the field continues to create enriching and engaging learning experiences. eXtended Reality technologies play a key role in this evolution, allowing museums to extend their reach and create more immersive, inclusive, and accessible educational experiences for a broader audience beyond their physical walls. Embracing well-structured and standardised metadata modelling is vital in achieving this vision. It can serve as the foundation that enables widespread interoperability and seamless integration of systems as well as in fostering synergies among the domains of cultural institutions, education, and XR technologies. This work surveys the historical and current state-of-the-art advancements in metadata models for each pillar of the work’s theme, namely the domains of education, cultural institutions, and XR while also detailing the key steps of metadata model amalgamation as a promising direction towards creating robust metadata frameworks from constituent models.

How APIs Create Growth by Inverting the Firm

Traditional asset management strategy has emphasized building barriers to entry or closely guarding unique assets to maintain a firm’s comparative advantage. A new “inverted firm” paradigm, however, has emerged. Under this strategy, firms share data seeking to become platforms by opening digital services to third parties and capturing part of their external surplus. This contrasts with a “pipeline” strategy where the firm itself creates value. This paper quantitatively estimates the effect of adopting an inverted firm strategy through the lens of application programming interfaces (APIs), a key enabling technology. Using both public data and those of a private API development firm, we document rapid growth of the API network and connecting apps since 2005. We then perform difference-in-difference and synthetic control analyses and find that public firms adopting public APIs grew an additional 38.7% over 16 years relative to similar nonadopters. We find no significant effect from the use of APIs purely for internal productivity: the pipeline strategy. Within the subset of firms that adopt public APIs, those that attract more third-party complementors and those that become more central to the network see faster growth. Using variation in network centrality caused by API degradation, an instrumental variables analysis confirms a causal role for APIs in firm market value. Finally, we document an important downside of public APIs: increased risk of data breach. Overall, these facts lead us to conclude that APIs have a large and positive impact on economic growth and do so primarily by enabling an inverted firm strategy. This paper was accepted by D. J. Wu, information systems. Funding: This work was partially supported by Mulesoft and Apigee Corporation. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4968 .

Exploring Chinese and Korean American Teachers' Perceptions of Their Cultural Identity as Assets and Barriers.

The representation of Asian American teachers in schools is a unique asset in promoting diversity and advocating for social justice. However, they also face various barriers that negatively affect their work experiences. The diverse nature of the Asian American population is likely to yield different assets and barriers among teachers from different ethnic groups. To gain insight into how Chinese and Korean American teachers perceive their cultural identity in their teaching practices, we utilized a qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with nine teachers who identified as Chinese and/or Korean American in K-12 public schools in California. Findings based on thematic analyses of the interview data revealed several assets, including empathy and understanding towards minority groups, more exposure to diversity, increased representation, and shared language skills. However, there were also identified barriers, including internalized model minority beliefs, cultural expectations of being passive observers, internalized racism, an overemphasis on education, and a savior complex. Based on our findings, we provide practical suggestions for recruiting and retaining Chinese and Korean American teachers in schools.

Comprehensive Analysis of the Trade of NFTs at Major Auction Houses: From Hype to Reality

On 11 March 2021, amidst the lingering grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, the art world witnessed an extraordinary event. Christie’s, the renowned auction house, hosted a groundbreaking auction counting just one lot: a Non-Fungible Token (NFT)—a digital asset that had been generating buzz in recent times. The astounding price fetched by the NFT sent shockwaves through the art world. While the 255-year-old auction house was known for selling unique assets, its auctioning of an NFT was surprising as Christie’s online marketplace was not on the blockchain, contrarily to NFT platforms such as Opensea, Nifty Gateway, etc. The resounding success, however, of its historic auction was followed by a surge of NFT off-chain sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips. While extensive research has been done on the trade of NFTs on the blockchain, little research exists on the trade of NFTs at public auction houses. Based on more than two years’ tracking of NFTs auctioned at major auction houses, our research identifies three phases in the development of the trade and provides valuable insights into the unique factors that contributed to the growth of NFTs at public auctions between the springs of 2021 and 2023.

First Chinese American Newspaperwoman: Mamie Louise Leung at the Los Angeles Record, 1926-1929

ABSTRACT This article chronicles the early journalism career of the first Chinese American newspaperwoman, Mamie Louise Leung, who reported for the Los Angeles Record from 1926 to 1929. Despite feeling insecure about her lack of journalism experience right out of college and intimidated by the idea of a Chinese girl not standing a chance among American news writers, Leung built a journalism career that spanned five decades. She proved to be a successful newspaperwoman with her intellect, skills, ambition, hard work, and the unique asset of being ethnically Chinese. Even though she was typecast by her bylined stories as a minority reporter covering topics related to the Chinese community in Los Angeles, she took charge of reporting for the important court beat for the Record throughout her tenure.