bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Her village: experiences of drug-involved women in a female-only aftercare program in the Philippines
Authors: Hechanova Maria Regina , Tee Mariel Rizza C. , Co Trixia Anne C. , Rañeses III Benjamin Ryan M.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Women are exposed to vulnerabilities that can lead to drug use or hinder recovery. However, there is a dearth of studies on recovery programs for women. This study aims to add to the literature by examining the feasibility of a women-only aftercare program for recovering users in the Philippines.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed-method design with pre and post-program surveys used to measure changes in participants’ recovery capital. Focused group discussions elicited participants’ context, their reactions, perceived outcomes and suggestions on the program.

Findings

Women in the program shared narratives of pain, trauma and abuse before treatment. Participants reported significant improvements in personal, community and family recovery capital dimensions. The program enabled personal growth in the form of new knowledge, skills and self-confidence. The women-only program also provided a safe space for women, to receive support from other women, community members and family. However, the women continue to face continuing challenges related to stigma and discrimination and a lack of livelihood opportunities.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of the study was its small sample size and the lack of a control group. Another limitation was the variability in treatment received by the women, which could have affected overall outcomes. Future studies using a randomized control trial and longitudinal designs may provide more robust conclusions on the effectiveness of the program.

Practical implications

Given punitive contexts, gender-sensitive and trauma-informed programs and services for women involved in drug use could potentially mitigate the abuse, stigma and vulnerabilities they experience.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the sparse literature on women-only aftercare, particularly in countries that criminalize drug use.
The academic quality of universities and its contribution to the sustainable development goals
Authors: Sierra-García Laura , Gambetta Nicolás , Azcarate Llanes Fernando , García Benau María Antonia
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to examine whether the position of universities in the times higher education (THE) impact rankings (IR) is related to the different dimensions of academic quality of universities according to the THE world universities ranking.

Design/methodology/approach

The research, based on universities ranked in the top 100 of THE IRs, uses a regression model obtained by the panel data method, using the fixed effects approach, to identify the relationship of academic quality dimensions with that ranking.

Findings

The results show an increase in the dissemination of information on sustainable development goals (SDGs) by universities. In addition, it is shown that research, number of citations and international outlook are positively associated with a higher score obtained by universities in THE IRs, which implies a higher impact on the SDGs by these universities.

Originality/value

Based on multifaceted theories, the study highlighted the universities that are best positioned in the THE IRs in relation to their contribution to the SDGs.
Enterprise risk management (ERM) adoption in developing and developed markets: a comparative study
Authors: Agarwal Ruchi
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This study aims to explore the adoption of enterprise risk management (ERM) in developing and developed countries. Is there a similarity or difference between the two contrasting institutional markets and the reasons behind them?

Design/methodology/approach

The adoption of ERM is analyzed on the basis of the institutional framework. The author draws empirical evidence by comparing the cases of a British and an Indian insurance company using evidence from multiple sources. This paper focuses on extra-organizational pressures exerted by economic, social and political situations across two countries that influenced the adoption decision of ERM.

Findings

The findings of this research revealed that early adopters of ERM in different institutional markets face coercive and normative pressure but not mimetic pressure. The adoption of ERM in India and the UK is dissimilar. Companies in the British insurance market encounter higher institutional forces than those in the Indian market because of higher coercive and normative pressure. The aspirations to adopt ERM in the Indian and UK markets included improved strategic decision-making to maintain stakeholder expectations and higher standards of corporate governance. In the UK, ERM was adopted to reduce surprises and fluctuations under flexible regulations but with stricter adoption and to improve credit ratings.

Originality/value

Previous literature has discussed ERM adoption in similar markets or within one market with similar institutional pressure. In contrast, this research is a comparative study that explains the analysis of institutional theory in two different institutional environments in the adoption of ERM.
Navigating change: examining the influence of COVID-19 on knowledge-sharing dynamics in family firms within the restaurant and fast-food industry
Authors: Rezaei Mojtaba , Gündüz Cemil , Ghamgui Nizar , Pironti Marco , Kliestik Tomas
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on knowledge-sharing drivers in small- and medium-sized family firms within the restaurant and fast-food industry. The pandemic has led to significant changes in business culture and consumer behaviour, accelerating digital transformation, disruptions in global supply chains and emerging new business opportunities. These changes have also influenced knowledge sharing (KS) and its underlying drivers.

Design/methodology/approach

To address the research objectives, a two-phase study was conducted. In the first phase, an exploratory analysis using the Delphi method was used to identify the essential drivers and factors of KS in family businesses (FBs). This phase aimed to establish a conceptual model for the study. In the second phase, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the identified knowledge-sharing drivers. The study examined both the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods to capture the shifts in attitudes towards KS.

Findings

The findings indicate a significant shift in attitudes towards knowledge-sharing drivers. Before the pandemic, organisational drivers played a central role in KS. However, after the emergence of the pandemic, technological drivers became more prominent. This shift highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on KS within FB.

Originality/value

The research contributes to understanding knowledge-sharing in the context of FBs and sheds light on the specific effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on knowledge-sharing drivers. The insights gained from this study can inform strategies and practices aimed at enhancing KS in similar organisational settings.
The influence of mentorship in workplace on teachers' professional development a meta-analysis based on 66 experiments
Authors: Zhang Sihang , Ma Xiaojun , Xu Huifen , Lu Jijian
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper seeks to investigate the differences in the teachers’ professional development (TPD) by mentorship in workplace. The authors examined the role of mentorship in the PD of teachers and conducted a meta-analysis of pertinent empirical data.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from over 2,900 individuals, 66 experiments and 12 countries, the authors presented a meta-analysis of the association between workplace mentorship and TPD.

Findings

The authors concluded that mentoring activities could boost the TPD to some extent. It contributes positively to the discipline of science and language, kindergarten, individual mentoring and curriculum research. In addition, the periodicity should not exceed 1 year.

Research limitations/implications

The results of the meta-analysis are restricted to short-term mentorship activities, and the sample size is modest. Building upon the findings from the literature review and meta-analysis, the authors delineated a research agenda for prospective investigations. This includes an imperative for further exploration into the nexus between mentoring and the PD of educators.

Practical implications

Based on the available literature and meta-analysis findings, the authors developed a framework for the “Experts in the classroom” TPD pattern.

Originality/value

This is the first meta-analysis evaluating the association between mentorship and TPD.
Entrepreneurial marketing strategies, resources and social disadvantage: exploring the role of resources and minority status among US agrofood enterprises
Authors: Entsminger Jason Scott , McGowan Lucy
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate associations between firm resources and reliance on entrepreneurial marketing (EM) channels among agrofood ventures. It accounts for agropreneur gender and racial/ethnic status in the context of marketing channel portfolio composition. The authors examine the established assumption that resource limitations drive EM and whether socially disadvantaged status of agropreneurs is associated with marketing strategy beyond standard resourcing measures.

Design/methodology/approach

Using 2015 Local Foods Marketing Practices Survey data, the authors apply linear regression to investigate differences in the use of EM channels, accounting for resources, social status and other factors.

Findings

Limited-resource ventures rely more on consumer-oriented channels that require EM practices. Socially disadvantaged entrepreneurs favor these channels, even when accounting for resources. Notably, ventures headed by men of color rely more on the most customer-centric local foods marketing channel.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should investigate how social and human capital influences the use of EM.

Practical implications

Entrepreneurial support policy and practice for agropreneurs should be cautious about the “double-burden” folk theorem of intersectional disadvantage and review how to best direct resources on EM to groups most likely to benefit.

Originality/value

This paper uses a unique, restricted, nation-wide, federal data set to examine relationships between resource endowments, social status and the composition of agrofood enterprises’ marketing channel portfolios. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first to include racial- and ethnic-minority status of agropreneurs and to account for intersectionality with gender.
Forecasting ultimate bond strength between ribbed stainless steel bar and concrete using explainable machine learning algorithms
Authors: Sun Y.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of stainless steel (SS) in reinforced concrete (RC) structures due to its distinctive corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties. To ensure effective synergy between SS and concrete, it is necessary to develop a time-saving approach to accurately determine the ultimate bond strength τu between the two materials in RC structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Three robust machine learning (ML) models, including support vector regression (SVR), random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), are employed to predict τu between ribbed SS and concrete. Model hyperparameters are fine-tuned using Bayesian optimization (BO) with 10-fold cross-validation. The interpretable techniques including partial dependence plots (PDPs) and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) are also utilized to figure out the relationship between input features and output for the best model.

Findings

Among the three ML models, BO-XGBoost exhibits the strongest generalization and highest accuracy in estimating τu. According to SHAP value-based feature importance, compressive strength of concrete fc emerges as the most prominent feature, followed by concrete cover thickness c, while the embedment length to diameter ratio l/d, and the diameter d for SS are deemed less important features. Properly increasing c and fc can enhance τu between ribbed SS and concrete.

Originality/value

An online graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed based on BO-XGBoost to estimate τu. This tool can be utilized in structural design of RC structures with ribbed SS as reinforcement.
Compressive properties of AlSi10Mg lattice structures with novel BCCZZ and FCCZZ configurations fabricated by selective laser melting
Authors: Seremet Hubannur , Babacan Nazim
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the static compression characteristics of cell topologies in body-centered cubic with vertical struts (BCCZ) and face-centered cubic with vertical struts (FCCZ) along with novel BCCZZ and FCCZZ lattice structures.

Design/methodology/approach

The newly developed structures were obtained by adding extra interior vertical struts into the BCCZ and FCCZ configurations. The samples, composed of the AlSi10Mg alloy, were fabricated using the selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing technique. The specific compressive strength and failure behavior of the manufactured lattice structures were investigated, and comparative analysis among them was done.

Findings

The results revealed that the specific strength of BCCZZ and FCCZZ samples with 0.5 mm strut diameter exhibited approximately a 23% and 18% increase, respectively, compared with the BCCZ and FCCZ samples with identical strut diameters. Moreover, finite element analysis was carried out to simulate the compressive response of the lattice structures, which could be used to predict their strength and collapse mode. The findings showed that while the local buckling of lattice cells is the major failure mode, the samples subsequently collapsed along a diagonal shear band.

Originality/value

An original and systematic investigation was conducted to explore the compression properties of newly fabricated lattice structures using SLM. The results revealed that the novel FCCZZ and BCCZZ structures were found to possess significant potential for load-bearing applications.
Can money buy happiness? Bribery practices and ethical awareness in emerging markets
Authors: Tangdenchai Chomsorn , Chintakananda Asda
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationships among senior managers’ reports of bribery practices, ethical awareness and firm productivity in Thailand. Bribery pervasiveness is examined as moderating the relationship between bribery practices and ethical awareness. Ethical awareness is examined as a mediating effect of bribery practices and managerial perceptions of firm productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a mixed-method approach consisting of interviews with more than 20 senior managers and surveys collected from more than 200 senior managers in Thailand’s manufacturing and construction industries. Hierarchical regression is used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Senior managers report that their firms are more likely to flout ethical principles when they perceive that their industries feature widespread bribery practices. However, the tests fail to support the hypothesis that the flouting of ethical principles leads to less productivity.

Originality/value

This study contributes to transaction cost economics theory by extending the concept of illegal transaction cost minimization to managerial perceptions of firm productivity. This study also integrates research on bribery rationalization by considering how managerial rationalization and justification of bribery practices impact managerial perceptions of firm productivity and ethical awareness. This research provides managers with an understanding of how attitudes toward ethical conduct and unethical actions impact perceptions of firm productivity.
The influence of supervisors and peers on PhD students’ sense of belonging and their success at Kenyan universities
Authors: Matheka Hyrine Mueni , Jansen Ellen P.W.A. , Suhre Cor J.M. , Hofman Adriaan W.H.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Given declining tuition funds and government grants, Kenyan universities need to develop strategies, including increased research grants and collaborations, to diversify their income sources. Well-managed doctoral students can boost a university’s teaching and research outputs. However, numbers of students enrolled in doctoral programmes at Kenyan universities are low, and graduation rates and time-to-graduate statistics are disturbing. Research undertaken elsewhere underline the important role played by supervisors and peers in facilitating students’ sense of belonging and their success. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of supervisory and peer support on PhD students’ sense of belonging and their success at Kenyan universities.

Design/methodology/approach

In this cross-sectional study, data were gathered through an online questionnaire from 614 students admitted to doctoral programmes at Kenyan universities between 2010 and 2018. We used multi-item scales to collect data on PhD students’ self-efficacy, supervisory and peer support and a sense of belonging.

Findings

Structural equation modelling results revealed that PhD students’ modes of study and self-efficacy were significantly associated with the quality of supervision, peer support and a sense of belonging. However, only age, a sense of belonging and the quality of supervision were directly linked to their success.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on doctoral-level education, responding to the need for research on the influence of relationships with supervisors and peers on PhD students’ sense of belonging and their success, especially in developing countries.
Governance for the implementation of the sustainable development goals in tourism: a 2050 horizon paper
Authors: Alvarez Maria D.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the capability of current governance models to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the tourism sphere and propose a broad model of governance to support the SDGs agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the existing literature and uses it as a basis for developing a model of governance. The proposed model is inspired by recent studies that discuss the implementation of the SDGs agenda in tourism and on Fennell’s (2019) framework for tourism ethics.

Findings

The study proposes a multi-level model of governance that espouses the need for a stronger supranational system that curtails the power of both governments and the private sector. It also emphasizes the need to identify hypernorms that delimit the capacity for action at the various levels and which are determined by accessing varied stakeholders’ views within this system at the international level.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a model of governance for the implementation of the SDGs as a foothold for future discussions. It highlights the main challenges that may be faced in the implementation of such a system and suggests several avenues for future research.
eDITH: An R‐package to spatially project eDNA‐based biodiversity across river networks with minimal prior information
Authors: Carraro Luca , Altermatt Florian
Published: March 2024

Ecological and ecosystem monitoring is rapidly shifting towards using environmental DNA (eDNA) data, particularly in aquatic systems. This approach enables a combined coverage of biodiversity across all major organismal groups and the assessment of ecological indices. Yet, most current approaches are not exploiting the full potential of eDNA data, largely interpreting results in a localized perspective. In riverine networks, by explicitly modelling hydrological transport and associated DNA decay, hydrology‐based models enable upscaling eDNA‐based diversity information, providing spatially integrated inference. To capitalize on these unprecedented biodiversity data and translate it into space‐filling biodiversity projections, a streamlined implementation is needed.

Here, we introduce the eDITH R‐package, implementing the eDITH model to project biodiversity across riverine networks with minimal prior information. eDITH couples a species distribution model relating a local taxon's eDNA shedding rate in streamwater to environmental covariates, a mass balance expressing the eDNA concentration at a river's cross‐section as a weighted sum of upstream contributions, and an observational model accounting for uncertainties in eDNA measurements. By leveraging on spatially replicated eDNA measurements and minimal hydro‐morphological data, eDITH enables disentangling the various upstream eDNA sources, and produces space‐filling maps of a taxon's spatial distribution at any chosen resolution. eDITH is applicable to both eDNA concentration and metabarcoding data, and to any taxon whose DNA can be retrieved in streamwater.

The eDITH package provides user‐friendly functions for single‐run execution and fitting of eDITH to eDNA data with both Bayesian methods (via the BayesianTools package) and non‐linear optimization. An interface to the DHARMa package allows model validation via posterior predictive checks. Necessary preliminary steps such as watershed delineation and hydrological characterization are implemented via the rivnet package. We illustrate eDITH's workflow and functionalities with two case studies from published fish eDNA data.

The eDITH package provides a user‐friendly implementation of eDITH, specifically intended for ecologists and conservation biologists. It can be used without previous modelling knowledge but also allows customization for experienced users. Ultimately, eDITH allows upscaling eDNA biodiversity data for any river globally, transforming how state and change in biodiversity in riverine systems can be tracked at high resolution in a highly versatile manner.
A systematic review of effective local, community or peer‐delivered interventions to improve well‐being and employment in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia
Authors: Luke Jennifer , Bartlett Cristy , March Sonja , McIlveen Peter
Published: March 2024

Objective

To systematically review evaluated local, community or peer‐delivered well‐being and employment interventions delivered within regional, rural and remote Australia.

Design

Searches within nine databases retrieved peer‐reviewed and grey literature from an initial pool of 3186 papers published between 2012 and 2022. PRISMA guidelines were adhered to, and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess the quality of the well‐being or employment (or both) articles.

Findings

A total of 19 items met the inclusion criteria, which included two quantitative, 12 qualitative and five mixed‐methods evaluations. Intervention cohorts included Indigenous Australians, youth, older people, workers and the general community. The average methodological rating was 83%. The overall level of evidence for the interventions was low due to mostly descriptive studies.

Discussion

Interventions that appeared effective in improving well‐being tended to focus on addressing social connectedness and self‐determination. Unexpected employment outcomes were evident across many of the studies, which highlighted the reciprocity between well‐being and employment.

Conclusion

This review highlights promising interventions for improving well‐being by focusing on social connectedness and self‐determination. Further empirical evidence is encouraged to explore the reciprocal relationship between well‐being and employment, emphasising the significance of social connectedness and self‐determination in this context.
A qualitative exploration of the role of a palliative care pharmacist providing home‐based care in the rural setting, from the perspective of health care professionals
Authors: Downing Natasha J. , Skaczkowski Gemma , Hughes‐Barton Donna , Stone Helen , Robinson Leah , Gunn Kate M.
Published: March 2024

Introduction

Pharmacists are often not recognised as a core part of palliative care teams, despite their ideal placement to assist with the burden of medication management.

Objective

This study explored the role of pharmacists working in the rural palliative care team, in the home‐based setting.

Design

Health care professionals working with palliative care patients in rural South Australia participated in semi‐structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Data from 20 participants identified 10 themes. Theme 1: This model of care gives patients a choice. Theme 2: The pharmacist is a trusted source of support and information. Theme 3: Patient, carer and family distress is reduced. Theme 4: Enables patients to stay at home by improving medication knowledge and decreasing burden; 4.1—Patient, carer and family's understanding about medication management is improved, 4.2—Patient, carer and family travel is decreased, 4.3—Burden associated with getting to the doctor is decreased. Theme 5: Communication between all parties is enhanced; 5.1—Enhanced communication between the patient and health care team, 5.2—Enhanced communication within the health care team. Theme 6: Patient, carer and family burden of coordinating prescriptions and medications is reduced. Theme 7: Benefits health care professionals by improving medication knowledge, reducing workload and stress; 7.1—Understanding about medications and their management is improved, 7.2—Workload is reduced, 7.3—Work‐related stress is reduced. Theme 8: The disparity of care between rural and urban patients is reduced. Theme 9: Helps to address rural workforce shortages. Theme 10: Challenges of this model of care; 10.1—A need for greater pharmacist capacity to meet demand, 10.2—A need for increased and sustained funding for the pharmacist role, 10.3—Large amount of travel to get to patients.

Conclusion

Rural health care professionals are supportive of pharmacists working as part of the palliative care team in home‐based settings and identified many benefits of this model of care.
Within‐group apologies can restore a sense of justice more for non‐victimized observers than for victims
Authors: Yu Yeongjin , Jung Taeyun
Published: March 2024

Within‐group apologies are effective for governments to address injustices, but they often hesitate due to public reception concerns. With justice theory as the starting point, this study investigated the psychological effects of within‐group apologies, excuses and silence between the empathetic group towards victims' experiences (i.e. victim‐empathic group) and the observers (Study 1) and between the actual victims and the observers (Study 2). Findings indicate that within‐group apologies restore justice and social engagement for all participants, while excuses and silence are ineffective. Victims' justice restoration was notably weaker than observers when encountering the apology (Study 2), while the victim‐empathic group had similar justice restoration as observers (Study 1). Thus, within‐group apologies are more effective at restoring a sense of justice for observers than victims.
The decolonial pedagogies of colonial violence: Curricular decolonisation in the (geo)sciences
Authors: Cupples Julie
Published: March 2024

This article explores the ways in which physical scientists, especially in the geosciences, are responding to calls to decolonise university curricula in current conjunctural conditions. It asserts that it is crucial not to strip decolonisation of its radical political potential and reduce it to an instrumental Equity, Diversion and Inclusion (EDI) initiative. Geoscientists in higher education who wish to decolonise their curricula must also pay attention to epistemological pluralism, politics, and colonial violence and free themselves from Eurocentric legacies of positivism, universality and objectivity. They must also make the turn to social theory, in ways that address the politics of geologic matter and the modes of violence that geoscientific practice and knowledge reproduce. Engaging with curricular decolonisation has potential not only to arrest the decline being experienced by the geosciences, but to make the forced neoliberal mergers between geography and geology less painful and more intellectually productive.
Brain drain in Pakistan's pharmaceutical industry: factors and solutions
Authors: Khan Hassan Ali , Hayyat Asghar , Ziaullah Muhammad , Rehman Zia‐ur , Shafiq Muhammad Aqib
Published: March 2024

This study sheds light on strategies for retaining skilled pharmacists in Pakistan's pharmaceutical sector, offering valuable insights for both academia and industry stakeholders by investigating the impact of human resource management practices, including training and development, compensation and rewards, job performance, and job satisfaction, on employee retention. It also examines the moderating role of career growth in this context. Theoretical foundations are grounded in international migration theories and social exchange theory, providing a comprehensive framework for the study. A cross‐sectional survey design was used to collect data from 254 pharmacists in southern Punjab, Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed for data analysis. Findings reveal that training and development, compensation and rewards, job performance, and job satisfaction all have significant direct effects on employee retention. Additionally, career growth acts as a crucial moderator, strengthening the relationship between training and development and job performance, as well as compensation and rewards and job satisfaction in relation to employee retention. Theoretical implications emphasize the importance of tailored training programs, fair compensation practices, and career growth opportunities. Practical recommendations include creating a positive work environment, rewarding high‐performing employees, and fostering career development. Future research directions encompass longitudinal studies, the influence of organizational culture and technology, regional variations, and additional factors affecting retention.
Understanding boys' underrepresentation in private and enriched programmes during the transition to secondary school
Authors: Plante Isabelle , Chaffee Kathryn Everhart , Gauthier Evelyne , Olivier Elizabeth , Dupéré Véronique
Published: March 2024

Background

In the past decades, there has been a growing concern to understand why boys struggle in school. One of the turning points in students' educational trajectories likely to exacerbate boys' academic difficulties is students' enrolment in private or enriched school programmes, as boys are underrepresented in such programmes.

Method

To better understand this gender imbalance, our research draws on a longitudinal design to examine whether grade 6 students' externalizing behaviours, school engagement and school grades in mathematics and language arts relate to secondary school programme attendance, among a sample size of 577 students (277 boys).

Results

Path analysis showed that only language arts grades predicted enrolment in private or selective public programmes and contributed to boys' underrepresentation in these programmes.

Conclusions

Such findings have important implications for understanding boys' underachievement and low persistence in school as well as to guide interventions to promote gender and overall educational equity in school.
Food preference for native and invasive prey in the naive lancehead pitviper
Authors: Alves‐Nunes João Miguel , Fellone Adriano , Marques Otavio A. V.
Published: March 2024

The presence of invasive species in the environment can be highly detrimental. The success of these species depends on their interaction with native ones. The prey–predator relationship between invasive and native species can result in biodiversity loss or the introduction of new food items for local predators. Due to its tropical and extensive nature, Brazil is vulnerable to the colonization of invasive species. Snakes are a group of animals that can act as both predators and prey for invasive species. The pitviper Bothrops jararaca is an abundant and widely distributed native species on the Brazilian coast. Based on this, we conducted a study on the feeding preferences of naive B. jararaca juveniles regarding invasive and native prey. We found that this species exhibits a greater preference for native anurans compared to Rana catesbeiana, an invasive amphibian associated with significant environmental impacts. Additionally, the gecko Hemidactylus mabouia, a prey that triggered intense predatory responses from the pitviper, reveals that this species, even with a short period of coexistence with B. jararaca, has established an intense prey–predator relationship. The negative correlation between prey size and feeding interest, guided solely by olfactory cues, adds a layer of complexity to understanding the feeding choices of B. jararaca, providing valuable insights for conservation and environmental management strategies.

Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.
A protocol for harvesting biodiversity data from Facebook
Authors: Chowdhury Shawan , Ahmed Sultan , Alam Shofiul , Callaghan Corey T. , Das Priyanka , Di Marco Moreno , Di Minin Enrico , Jarić Ivan , Labi Mahzabin Muzahid , Rokonuzzaman Md. , Roll Uri , Sbragaglia Valerio , Siddika Asma , Bonn Aletta
Published: March 2024

The expanding use of community science platforms has led to an exponential increase in biodiversity data in global repositories. Yet, understanding of species distributions remains patchy. Biodiversity data from social media can potentially reduce the global biodiversity knowledge gap. However, practical guidelines and standardized methods for harvesting such data are nonexistent. Following data privacy and protection safeguards, we devised a standardized method for extracting species distribution records from Facebook groups that allow access to their data. It involves 3 steps: group selection, data extraction, and georeferencing the record location. We present how to structure keywords, search for species photographs, and georeference localities for such records. We further highlight some challenges users might face when extracting species distribution data from Facebook and suggest solutions. Following our proposed framework, we present a case study on Bangladesh's biodiversity—a tropical megadiverse South Asian country. We scraped nearly 45,000 unique georeferenced records across 967 species and found a median of 27 records per species. About 12% of the distribution data were for threatened species, representing 27% of all species. We also obtained data for 56 DataDeficient species for Bangladesh. If carefully harvested, social media data can significantly reduce global biodiversity knowledge gaps. Consequently, developing an automated tool to extract and interpret social media biodiversity data is a research priority.
Destructive fishing: An expert‐driven definition and exploration of this quasi‐concept
Authors: McCarthy Arlie Hannah , Steadman Daniel , Richardson Hannah , Murphy Jack , Benbow Sophie , Brian Joshua I. , Brooks Holly , Costa‐Domingo Giulia , Hazin Carolina , McOwen Chris , Walker Jessica , Willer David F. , Abdi Mohamad , Auster Peter J. , Bealey Roy , Bensted‐Smith Robert , Broadburn Kathryn , Carvalho Gonçalo , Collinson Tom , Erinosho Bolanle , Fabinyi Michael , Febrica Senia , Forbi Wilson Ngwa , Garcia Serge M , Goad David , Goldsworthy Lynda , Govan Hugh , Heaphy Charles , Hiddink Jan Geert , Hosch Gilles , Kachelriess Daniel , Kinch Jeff , Lancaster Alana Malinde S. N. , Le Manach Frédéric , Matthews Thomas , Ortiz Alfonso Medellín , Morgan Alexia , Motta Helena , Murua Hilario , Namboothri Naveen , Ndiritu Evelyne , Passfield Kelvin , Pilcher Nicolas J. , Portus James O. , Rguez‐Baron Juan M. , Robertson Morven , Sharma Abhilasha , Suazo Cristián G. , Tamini Leandro Luis , Vilata‐Simón Juan , Mukherjee Nibedita
Published: March 2024

Numerous policy and international frameworks consider that “destructive fishing” hampers efforts to reach sustainability goals. Though ubiquitous, “destructive fishing” is undefined and therefore currently immeasurable. Here we propose a definition developed through expert consultation: “Destructive fishing is any fishing practice that causes irrecoverable habitat degradation, or which causes significant adverse environmental impacts, results in long‐term declines in target or nontarget species beyond biologically safe limits and has negative livelihood impacts.” We show strong stakeholder support for a definition, consensus on many biological and ecological dimensions, and no clustering of respondents from different sectors. Our consensus definition is a significant step toward defining sustainable fisheries goals and will help interpret and implement global political commitments which utilize the term “destructive fishing.” Our definition and results will help reinforce the Food and Agricultural Organization's Code of Conduct and meaningfully support member countries to prohibit destructive fishing practices.
Enzymatic coloration of polyamide fabrics and its comparison with conventional dyeing
Authors: Atav Rıza , Karagören Ece , Soysal Selma , Yakin İsmail
Published: March 2024

Among the textile wet processes, the colouring process is the process step that causes the most environmental pollution. New approaches that support sustainable production instead of environmentally harmful processes are extensively researched in the literature. When considering substitution of chemical processes with environmentally friendly methods, one of the issues that comes to mind is enzymatic processes. It is noteworthy that in recent years, interesting and promising studies on the use of laccase enzymes in textile dyeing have been published in the literature. However, studies on enzymatic colouring are still very limited and sufficient success has not been achieved especially on polyamide. The aim of this study is to develop an environmentally friendly enzymatic dyeing method, which can be an alternative to dyeing polyamide knitted fabrics with 1:2 metal complex dyes according to the exhaustion method. For this purpose, various phenol and amine compounds, and their mixtures were used as precursor, and the colours that can be obtained by enzymatic colouring have been determined. In addition, optimisation of enzymatic colouring conditions (enzyme concentration, temperature and time) was carried out for the precursors that gave the best results in terms of colour and fastness. Furthermore, enzymatic dyeing was compared with conventional 1:2 metal complex dyeing in terms of technical and economic aspects. The reaction pathways in enzymatic coloration with laccase enzyme by using various precursors were also explained by Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) analysis.
Long‐term outcomes for pediatric heart transplant recipients transitioning to adult care teams
Authors: Donald Elena M. , Oren Daniel , DeFilippis Ersilia M. , Rubinstein Gal , Moeller Catherine M. , Lee Hannah Y. , Maldonado Alejandro , Portera Mary Virginia , Fuselier Byron , Jackson Ruslana , Clerkin Kevin. J. , Fried Justin. A. , Raikhelkar Jayant , Lee Sun Hi , Latif Farhana , Lytrivi Irene D. , Zuckerman Warren A. , Richmond Marc E. , Sayer Gabriel , Uriel Nir
Published: March 2024

Background

There are limited data evaluating the success of a structured transition plan specifically for pediatric heart transplant (HT) recipients following their transfer of care to an adult specialist. We sought to identify risk factors for poor adherence, graft failure, and mortality following the transfer of care to adult HT care teams.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent transition from the pediatric to adult HT program at our center between January 2011 and June 2021. Demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and psychosocial history were collected at the time of HT, the time of transition, and the most recent follow‐up. Adverse events including mortality, graft rejection, infection, and renal function were also captured before and after the transition.

Results

Seventy‐two patients were identified (54.1% male, 54.2% Caucasian). Mean age at the time of transition was 23 years after a median of 11.6 years in the pediatric program. The use of calcineurin inhibitors was associated with reduced mortality (HR .04, 95% CI .0–.6, p = .015), while prior psychiatric hospitalization (HR 45.3, 95% CI, 6.144–333.9, p = .0001) was associated with increased mortality following transition. Medication nonadherence and young age at the time of transition were markers for high‐risk individuals prior to the transition of care.

Conclusions

Transition of HT recipients from a pediatric program to an adult program occurs during a vulnerable time of emerging adulthood, and we have identified risk factors for mortality following transition. Development of a formalized transition plan with a large multidisciplinary team with focused attention on high‐risk patients, including those with psychiatric comorbidities, may favorably influence outcomes.
A semantic guide‐based embedding method for knowledge graph completion
Authors: Zhang Jinglin , Shen Bo , Wang Tao , Zhong Yu
Published: March 2024

Knowledge graph embedding aims to map entities and relations into a low‐dimensional vector space for easy manipulation. However, frequent entities are updated more often than infrequent ones during training, leading to inadequate representation of the latter's embeddings, which, in turn, affects the model's overall performance in downstream tasks. To address this issue, we propose a semantic information guide and enhance (SGE) method. The SGE tackles the heterogeneity in the frequency of entities through semantic reconstruction and a guidance network. The semantic reconstruction strengthens the semantic relevance among all entities and connects entities with different frequencies in semantic space. The guidance network extends these connections to knowledge space, enhancing the expression abilities of infrequent entities’ embeddings without compromising the embeddings of frequent entities. Experiments with four commonly used benchmark datasets show that the SGE method improves the performance of baseline models in most cases and that the method is model‐independent.
Linking negative herding effect to online public opinion: A new BiGADG approach for sentiment classification
Authors: Zhou Yiyin , Hu Yanrong , Liu Hongjiu , Huang Ping , Dai Dan
Published: March 2024

The negative herding effect tends to cause the spread of negative emotions among netizens, resulting in significant public opinion crises. Therefore, linking the negative herding effect and online public opinion, we aim to exploring the connection between netizens' emotions, opinions, and the negative herding effect. To better distinguish the emotions in texts, a new BiGADG (Bidirectional Gated recurrent unit based on Attention with Distance‐based dependency syntax Graph convolutional network) model is proposed in this article. This model includes primarily the proposed dependency syntax based on dependency distance, Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit (BiGRU), multi‐head self‐attention and Graph Convolutional Network (GCN). Particularly, the dependency syntax based on dependency distances incorporates word‐to‐word dependency distances into the traditional dependency syntax, which enriches the syntactic structural features of the text. After the experiments, the accuracy of BiGADG model is 86.53%, which is 3.11% higher compared to BERT model. It is evident that our model for sentiment classification has been improved. Based on the results of sentiment classification, we investigate the existence of negative herding behaviour and its underlying motivation in online public opinion. We have found that the negative herding effect, if not effectively managed, may trigger large‐scale and uncontrollable public opinion crises.
Transfer and fates of damaged mitochondria: role in health and disease
Authors: Li Hanbing , Sun Weiyun , Gong Wenwen , Han Yubing
Published: March 2024

Intercellular communication is pivotal in mediating the transfer of mitochondria from donor to recipient cells. This process orchestrates various biological functions, including tissue repair, cell proliferation, differentiation and cancer invasion. Typically, dysfunctional and depolarized mitochondria are eliminated through intracellular or extracellular pathways. Nevertheless, increasing evidence suggests that intercellular transfer of damaged mitochondria is associated with the pathogenesis of diverse diseases. This review investigates the prevalent triggers of mitochondrial damage and the underlying mechanisms of mitochondrial transfer, and elucidates the role of directional mitochondrial transfer in both physiological and pathological contexts. Additionally, we propose potential previously unknown mechanisms mediating mitochondrial transfer and explore their prospective roles in disease prevention and therapy.
Setting the context for a complex dental intervention of role substitution in care homes: Initial process evaluation findings
Authors: Hendry Annie , Baker Sarah R. , McKenna Gerry , Tsakos Georgios , Chestnutt Ivor , Smith Craig , Jones Vicki , O'Neill Ciaran , Jenkins Alison , Evans Rachel , Syed Saif Sayeed , Mirza Afshan , Harvey Michelle , Karki Anup , Moons Kirstie , Sandom Fiona , Donaldson Michael , Lappin Caroline , Shepherd Karen , Brocklehurst Paul R.
Published: March 2024

Objectives

SENIOR (uSing rolE‐substitutioN In care homes to improve oRal health) is a randomised controlled trial designed to determine whether role substitution could improve oral health for this population. A parallel process evaluation was undertaken to understand context. This paper reports on the first phase of the process evaluation.

Background

The oral health and quality‐of‐life of older adults residing in care homes is poorer than those in the community. Oral health care provision is often unavailable and a concern and challenge for managers. The use of Dental Therapists and Dental Nurses rather than dentists could potentially meet these needs.

Materials and Methods

Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 21 key stakeholders who either worked or had experience of dependent care settings. Questions were theoretically informed by the: Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PAHRIS) framework. The focus was on contextual factors that could influence adoption in practice and the pathway‐to‐impact. Interviews were fully transcribed and analysed thematically.

Results

Three themes (receptive context, culture, and leadership) and 11 codes were generated. Data show the complexity of the setting and contextual factors that may work as barriers and facilitators to intervention delivery. Managers are aware of the issues regarding oral health and seek to provide best care, but face many challenges including staff turnover, time pressures, competing needs, access to services, and financial constraints. Dental professionals recognise the need for improvement and view role substitution as a viable alternative to current practice.

Conclusion

Although role substitution could potentially meet the needs of this population, an in‐depth understanding of contextual factors appeared important in understanding intervention delivery and implementation.