bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of the Slope Exposure on the Soil Aggregation and Structure, Water Stability of Aggregates, and Ecological Microstructure Formation of the Ravine Forest Soils in Pre-Dnipro Region (Ukraine)
Authors: Bozhko Kateryna , Bilova Natalia
Published: July 2020

The soil aggregation and structure, water stability of aggregates, and peculiarities of microstructure formation of the ravine forest soils in Dnipropetrovsk region on the example of the northern variant of the ravine forest “Kapitanivskiy” have been identified. The soil properties of southern and northern ravine exposures have been compared. The soil structure, aggregate composition, water stability of aggregates as well as soil-forming processes of the ravine ecosystem have been analyzed. Micro-morphological studies have shown a high degree of aggregation of the upper (0–60 cm) horizons of the soil profile. The structure-forming process is of a zoogenic origin. Aggregates of coprolite nature contain well-disintegrated plant remains. Dark gray, almost black color along the entire area of the micromorphological slide is due to a large amount of organic compounds, which indicates active processes of humification. Fine-dispersed humus consists of a large number of evenly spaced humus clusters. The type of humus is mull. The skeleton consists of minerals of various sizes, dominated by quartz and feldspars. Plasma is humus-clay, homogeneous throughout the entire slide, anisotropic with speckled glowing. Microstructure is mainly aggregated and, in some places, spongy, depending on a microzone of the soil slide. Elemental microstructure is of plasma-silty type. The area of the visible surface of the pores in the upper horizons of the soil profile is fairly large (40%). Pores are round and elongated, of regular shape, here and there with remains of small invertebrates. The deeper the soil slide is, the smaller the area of visible pores along with aggregation becomes. Correlating with micromorphological characteristics, water resistance of structural aggregates reaches very high (90.01% ± 3.07) values in the upper horizons of the soil slide, decreasing at depths. The coefficient of pedality is rather high (7.83 ± 0.81) in the upper horizons, decreasing at depths.
Local community participation in wildlife conservation and management in Rungwa Game Reserve, Tanzania
Authors: Tarimo Kileti V. , Olotu Moses I.
Published: July 2020

Local community participation in wildlife conservation and management is known to have existed for many years. However, the socio-economic activities regarding community participation remain questionable. Incorporating the views of the local community in the process of decision-making and providing alternative livelihood solutions are important steps towards sustainable conservation. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of community participation in sustainable wildlife management in Rungwa Game Reserve. A survey was conducted of the households in Rungwa and Mwamagembe villages with a sample size of 98 respondents. The study used a cross-sectional research design. Data were collected from different respondents at a single point in time. The main research methods used for data collection included: questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews, field observations, focus group discussions and a review of documents. Descriptive data were summarised and presented in frequency tables and charts. Content analysis was also used to determine relationships between the variables measured. The findings revealed both positive and negative effects of wildlife conservation and management. The results revealed that local communities provided confidential information pertaining to illegal activities. The findings further indicated that there was a failure of the game reserve authorities to allow meaningful local participation and equitable sharing of the benefits, which could be attributed to hatred, resentment, and illegal harvesting of natural resources from the game reserve, resulting in poor wildlife conservation. This study recommends the encouragement and a strengthening of the involvement of local communities in wildlife conservation for the sustainable utilisation of natural resources.
Nutrition Intake, Health Status, Education and Economic Growth: A Causality Investigation
Authors: Raji Rahman Olanrewaju
Published: July 2020

This paper examines the causal relationship between nutrition intake, health status, education and economic growth within a six-variate VEC framework, forecast error variance decomposition and impulse response function techniques, covering the period from 1990 to 2013, using quarterly data in Nigeria. This paper includes control variables in order to eliminate variable omission bias, unlike most existing studies. The results suggest the presence of long-run, bicausal relationships between the candidate variables of the study. In addition, the short-run unidirectional causal relationships are found between main variables, including a causal relationship running from nutrition and fiscal policy to education, as well as a causal link running from education and economic growth to health status. These findings support the existing theories. The results based on the model and empirical data suggest that the government should allocate more resources to human development in order to enhance productivity and boost economic growth. Similarly, there is a need to design adequate mechanisms to ensure proper allocation of the limited resources and avoid their embezzlement by corrupt government officials.
Numerical Solution of SDRE Control Problem – Comparison of the Selected Methods
Authors: Hałas Krzysztof , Krysiak Eugeniusz , Hałas Tomasz , Stępień Sławomir
Published: July 2020

Methods for solving non-linear control systems are still being developed. For many industrial devices and systems, quick and accurate regulators are investigated and required. The most effective and promising for nonlinear systems control is a State-Dependent Riccati Equation method (SDRE). In SDRE, the problem consists of finding the suboptimal solution for a given objective function considering nonlinear constraints. For this purpose, SDRE methods need improvement.

In this paper, various numerical methods for solving the SDRE problem, i.e. algebraic Riccati equation, are discussed and tested. The time of computation and computational effort is presented and compared considering selected nonlinear control plants.
Isozyme polymorphism and seed and cone variability of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris l.) in relation to local environments in Poland
Authors: Przybylski Paweł , Masternak Katarzyna , Jastrzębowski Szymon
Published: July 2020

Evolutionary processes lead to the survival of individuals best adapted to local environment. This gives rise to allele polymorphism and genetic diversity of populations. Isoenzyme proteins, which are the product of gene expression, are an effective tool for tracking these changes. On the other hand, the reproductive potential of a given population can be assessed based on its ability to produce viable and efficiently germinating seeds. The present results combine molecular analyses of isoenzyme proteins with anatomical and morphological studies of Scots pine seeds (Pinus sylvestris L.). The study was conducted in 6 populations that are characteristic of this species occurrence range in the country. The results confirm the correlation between seed weight and embryo size. They also show a population from northeastern Poland had a higher effective number of alleles and seed with lower germinative energy and capacity. There was genetic homogeneity in all except for the population from Woziwoda, which was significantly different based on the Fst test. The genetic characteristics of Scots pine from Woziwoda may be associated with the lower levels of rainfall that occur there during the growing season. The results improve our knowledge of Scots pine variability and contribute to the discussion of the impact of local environment on genetic variability.
Foodborne Pathogens on Meat Stored in Major Central Cold Rooms in Ibadan and their Susceptibility to Antimicrobial Agents
Authors: Adesokan H. K. , Funso-Adu K. , Okunlade O. A.
Published: July 2020

Foodborne pathogens are the leading cause of illness and death in developing countries and are often associated with poor hygiene and unsafe food storage conditions. Using central cold rooms with alternate power supply in preserving meats due to erratic power supply is common among meat traders in Nigeria. However, the public health safety of the operations of this practice remains un-investigated. We conducted a microbial assessment of aseptically collected meat swabs from three selected major cold rooms in Ibadan for Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli using standard procedures. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined using 14 different antibiotics at standard concentrations following Kirby-Bauer Assays. The data were analysed with Stata 12.0 using bivariate and logistic regression analyses. Of 180 meat swabs collected, 42.2 % were positive for S. aureus, 22.2 % for L. monocytogenes, 20.0 % for Salmonella spp. and 6.7 % for E. coli. All of the isolates exhibited total resistance to seven of the antibiotics. Escherichia coli showed the highest resistance to 12 antibiotics, followed by Salmonella spp. (11 antibiotics), L. monocytogenes (10 antibiotics) and S. aureus (7 antibiotics). Sampling locations were significantly associated with the prevalence of L. monocytogenes (P = 0.008) and S. aureus (P = 0.000), but not with Salmonella spp. (P = 0.435) or E. coli (P = 0.117). The study revealed a heavy microbial contamination with major foodborne pathogens characterized by a high level of antibiotic resistance. These findings portend that the current operations associated with the practice of using central cold rooms in meat preservation in Nigeria undermine public health safety and need to be urgently addressed.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of high-speed rail projects in the Czech Republic in terms integration potential
Authors: Viturka Milan , Pařil Vilém
Published: July 2020

The paper deals with the evaluation of the effectiveness of the construction of high-speed rails/HSR in the Czech Republic with an emphasis on the perception of their potential impact on labour market integration. The introductory part analyses the position of the main Central European metropolises in the HSR network as a tool for transnational integration, where the leading position of German and Swiss metropolises was confirmed. The main goal of the paper is assessing the impact of HSR construction projects on the work attractiveness of Czech metropolitan regions using the model of marginal rate of labour mobility model determined by the ratio of income and cost increases (including variant scenarios of lost time costs as negative externality). Its application combines economic and geographic analysis and thus contributes to the integration of space and time into economic theory. The performed analyses demonstrate the most significant positive impacts of the construction of HSR on the work attractiveness of Prague, followed by Brno. Regarding the adequate effects of the operating speed, it is possible to evaluate them as secondary due to the small distances of the affected residential centres. Overall, we expect that the implementation of the discussed projects will not have a significant impact on the labour mobility of the population and it is therefore necessary to pay attention to their other benefits.
Comparing healthiness across urban, peri-urban, and rural communities in Mymensingh region of Bangladesh
Authors: Debnath Ripan , Debnath Praghya Parmita
Published: July 2020

People in urban and peri-urban areas enjoy better physical access to health facilities compared to those living in rural area. However, healthier natural environment is commonly absent in urban and its adjoining peri-urban areas. Premising on the competitiveness of health determinants outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO), this study has embarked upon comparing healthiness of different communities in a region as well as to ascertain the factor(s) regulating their healthiness related outcome. Relying on presurveyed 1397 household data spreading over an urban, two peri-urban, and eight rural localities in Mymensingh region, Bangladesh, the study has evaluated the communities’ healthiness in views of both the conventional perspective and using a set of health determinants. Illness and disease manifestation as well as socio-economic status of the households were analyzed statistically to get communities’ overall healthiness scenario. Later, comparison among the communities and contribution of different indicators were sought using a combined score index. In this study’s context, it has been found that urban is healthier than rural followed by peri-urban community. Here, rural areas lack education the most that should be improved; peri-urban areas need better income opportunity; and urban area requires better water-supply and waste management facilities to improve their respective health status in a community sense. There is not a commonly accepted health metrics for community’s comprehensive health assessment toward which this study sets a pathway. Besides, using the combined health index developed here, specific interventions required to improve community’s healthiness and minimize the gap among them can easily be identified.
Physician Suicide: A Scoping Literature Review to Highlight Opportunities for Prevention
Authors: Leung Tiffany I. , Snyder Rebecca , Pendharkar Sima S. , Chen Chwen-Yuen Angie
Published: July 2020

Objective:

The aim of this scoping review is to map the current landscape of published research and perspectives on physician suicide. Findings could serve as a roadmap for further investigations and potentially inform efforts to prevent physician suicide.

Methods:

Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched for English-language publications from August 21, 2017 through April 28, 2018. Inclusion criteria were a primary outcome or thesis focused on suicide (including suicide completion, attempts, and thoughts or ideation) among medical students, postgraduate trainees, or attending physicians. Opinion articles were included. Studies that were non-English or those that only mentioned physician burnout, mental health, or substance use disorders were excluded. Data extraction was performed by two authors.

Results:

The search yielded 1,596 articles, of which 347 articles passed to the full-text review round. The oldest article was an editorial from 1903; 210 (60.3%) articles have been published from 2000 to present. Authors originated from 37 countries, and 143 (41.2%) were opinion articles. The most discussed were suicide risk factors and culture of practice issues, while the least discussed themes included public health and postvention.

Conclusions:

Consistency and reliability of data and information about physician suicides could be improved. Data limitations partly contribute to these issues. Also, various suicide risk factors for physicians have been explored, and several remain poorly understood. Based on this scoping review, a public health approach, including surveillance and early warning systems, investigations of sentinel cases, and postvention may be impactful next steps in preventing physician deaths by suicide.
A Multinational Pilot Study on the Lived Experiences and Mental Health Impacts from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Okoloba M. M. , Ogueji I. A. , Darroch S. J. , Ogueji A. M.
Published: July 2020

Objectives

To conduct a pilot study on the lived experiences of people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on affected people.

Methods

This mixed methods study used random and snowball techniques to recruit 91 respondents (age range 18–58 years) from 14 countries. Accessing patients with COVID-19 was restricted because of the nature of the disease and the treatment they were receiving which limited their access to being selected for our pilot study. Therefore, our respondents were members of the general population who were directly or indirectly affected by the pandemic. Respondents completed online surveys consisting of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and open-ended questions. Collected data were subjected to IBM SPSS statistics software (v. 22.0) and thematic analysis.

Results

Both quantitative and qualitative instruments reported very high feasibility, which is suggestive of an excellent feasibility of our mixed methods design. Second, we identified financial and time resources as major barriers to the recruitment process, and how to avert these in the main study was discussed. Third, COVID-19 pandemic had more anxious than depressive impacts on our respondents. We also found that more than half (58, 63.7%) of the total respondents showed high knowledge level of COVID-19, and the major sources from which they gained knowledge were television, radio, and online academic papers. Our qualitative insight showed five themes from the lived experiences of respondents from the COVID-19 pandemic. These themes were; changes in lifestyles, disruption of schooling activities, impact on options for health services, disruption of works and economy, and anxious and worrisome impacts, in that order.

Conclusion

Main study is feasible with minor addition required on our protocol. Given other findings, we recommend the need for adaptive coping skill training, and appropriate information sharing during pandemics. There is also the need for psychosocial preparation due to the uncertainty of pandemics. In addition, averting the likely adverse economic impacts from pandemics should be of concern to governments and other stakeholders during pandemics. Finally, we recommend that governments and other stakeholders should be cautious about the likelihood of limited health service options for the general public during pandemics.
Wesley's parish and the digital age?
Authors: Phillips Pete
Published: July 2020

The following article was delivered as the annual lecture of the Methodist Sacramental Fellowship at the 2016 Methodist Conference in London. Beginning with the original context of John Wesley's well-known phrase, ‘the world as my parish’, this article explores the digital aspects of our global parish today. Putting the digital age on the agenda of the Church's mission is seen as a similar response to Wesley's decision to become ‘more vile’ and enter the world of field preaching. The lecture concludes by offering a fresh approach to Methodist identity magnified by aspects of digital culture, calling for the creation of digital Arminianism, digital field preaching, digital creativity and, ultimately, a digital parish. The article proposes that Methodism embrace a digital social holiness to spread scriptural holiness throughout the geographic and digital landscape.
What has Basel to do with Epworth? Karl Barth on Pietism and the theology of the Reformation
Authors: Gilland David
Published: July 2020

This article examines Karl Barth's earliest engagements with Pietism, rationalism and liberal Protestantism against the backdrop of the theologies of Albrecht Ritschl and Wilhelm Herrmann. The analysis then follows Barth through his rejection of liberal theology and his development of a dialectical theology over against Wilhelm Herrmann and with particular reference to Martin Luther's theologia crucis. The article concludes by examining Barth's comments on religious experience to a group of Methodist pastors in Switzerland in 1961.
Income Elasticity of Child Labor: Do Cash Transfers have an Impact on the Poorest Children?
Authors: Pellerano Luca , Porreca Eleonora , Rosati Furio C.
Published: July 2020

The possible nonlinearity of the income elasticity of child labor has been at the center of the debate regarding both its causes and the policy instruments to address it. We contribute to this debate providing theoretical and empirical novel results. From a theoretical point of view, for any given transfer size, there is a critical level of household income below which an increase in income has no impact on child labor and education. We estimate the causal impact of an increase in income on child labor and education exploiting the random allocation of the Child Grant Programme, an unconditional cash transfer (CT), in Lesotho. We show that the poorest households do not increase investment in children’s human capital, while relatively less poor households reduce child labor and increase education. In policy terms, the results indicate that CTs might not be always effective to support the investment in children’s human capital of the poorest households. Beside the integration with other measures, making the amount of transfer depends of the level of deprivation of the household, might improve CT effectiveness.
Lotmaria Passim As Third Parasite Gastrointestinal Tract of Honey Bees Living in Tree Trunk
Authors: Michalczyk Maria , Bancerz-Kisiel Agata , Sokół Rajmund
Published: July 2020

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) inhabiting trees in forests are not managed by humans or treated for pathogens; therefore, many researchers and beekeepers believe that viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases may lead to their decline. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of L. passim and Nosema spp. in feral colonies by real-time PCR. This study was performed on twenty-six samples of honey bees inhabiting tree trunks in north-eastern Poland. One sample consisted of sixty worker bee abdomens collected from hollow trees. Honey bees were sampled only from naturally colonized sites. Amplicons of the three evaluated pathogens were detected in twenty of the twenty-six tested samples. A significant correlation was observed between infection with three pathogens (N. apis, N. ceranae, L. passim) (r = 0.84) compared to infection with only two pathogens (N. apis and N. ceranae) (r = 0.49). N. ceranae was the predominant pathogen, but infections with various severity caused by L. passim were also noted in fourteen of the twenty-six tested samples. In view of the general scarcity of epidemiological data concerning coinfections with Nosema spp. and L. passim in honey bees in tree trunks in other countries, further research is needed to confirm the effect of concurrent pathogenic infections on the decline of bee colonies.
Discipline Impact Factor: Some of Its History, Some of the Author's Experience of Its Application, the Continuing Reasons for Its Use and… Next Beyond
Authors: Lazarev Vladimir S.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This work aims to consider the role and some of the 42-year history of the discipline impact factor (DIF) in evaluation of serial publications. Also, the original “symmetric” indicator called the “discipline susceptibility factor” is to be presented.

Design/methodology/approach

In accordance with the purpose of the work, the methods are analytical interpretation of the scientific literature related to this problem as well as speculative explanations. The information base of the research is bibliometric publications dealing with impact, impact factor, discipline impact factor, and discipline susceptibility factor.

Findings

Examples of the DIF application and modification of the indicator are given. It is shown why research and university libraries need to use the DIF to evaluate serials in conditions of scarce funding for subscription to serial publications, even if open access is available. The role of the DIF for evaluating journals by authors of scientific papers when choosing a good and right journal for submitting a paper is also briefly discussed. An original indicator “symmetrical” to the DIF (the “discipline susceptibility factor”) and its differences from the DIF in terms of content and purpose of evaluation are also briefly presented.

Research limitations

The selection of publications for the information base of the research did not include those in which the DIF was only mentioned, used partially or not for its original purpose. Restrictions on the length of the article to be submitted in this special issue of the JDIS also caused exclusion even a number of completely relevant publications. Consideration of the DIF is not placed in the context of describing other derivatives from the Garfield impact factor.

Practical implications

An underrated bibliometric indicator, viz. the discipline impact factor is being promoted for the practical application. An original indicator “symmetrical” to DIF has been proposed in order of searching serial publications representing the external research fields that might fit for potential applications of the results of scientific activities obtained within the framework of the specific research field represented by the cited specialized journals. Both can be useful in research and university libraries in their endeavors to improve scientific information services. Also, both can be used for evaluating journals by authors of scientific papers when choosing a journal to submit a paper.

Originality/value

The article substantiates the need to evaluate scientific serial publications in library activities—even in conditions of access to huge and convenient databases (subscription packages) and open access to a large number of serial publications. It gives a mini-survey of the history of one of the methods of such evaluation, and offers an original method for evaluating scientific serial publications.
Library and Information Science Papers Discussed on Twitter: A new Network-based Approach for Measuring Public Attention
Authors: Haunschild Robin , Leydesdorff Loet , Bornmann Lutz
Published: July 2020

Purpose

In recent years, one can witness a trend in research evaluation to measure the impact on society or attention to research by society (beyond science). We address the following question: can Twitter be meaningfully used for the mapping of public and scientific discourses?

Design/methodology/approach

Recently, Haunschild et al. (2019) introduced a new network-oriented approach for using Twitter data in research evaluation. Such a procedure can be used to measure the public discussion around a specific field or topic. In this study, we used all papers published in the Web of Science (WoS, Clarivate Analytics) subject category Information Science & Library Science to explore the publicly discussed topics from the area of library and information science (LIS) in comparison to the topics used by scholars in their publications in this area.

Findings

The results show that LIS papers are represented rather well on Twitter. Similar topics appear in the networks of author keywords of all LIS papers, not tweeted LIS papers, and tweeted LIS papers. The networks of the author keywords of all LIS papers and not tweeted LIS papers are most similar to each other.

Research limitations

Only papers published since 2011 with DOI were analyzed.

Practical implications

Although Twitter data do not seem to be useful for quantitative research evaluation, it seems that Twitter data can be used in a more qualitative way for mapping of public and scientific discourses.

Originality/value

This study explores a rather new methodology for comparing public and scientific discourses.
A Novel Method for Resolving and Completing Authors’ Country Affiliation Data in Bibliographic Records
Authors: Nguyen Ba Xuan , Dinneen Jesse David , Luczak-Roesch Markus
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Our work seeks to overcome data quality issues related to incomplete author affiliation data in bibliographic records in order to support accurate and reliable measurement of international research collaboration (IRC).

Design/methodology/approch

We propose, implement, and evaluate a method that leverages the Web-based knowledge graph Wikidata to resolve publication affiliation data to particular countries. The method is tested with general and domain-specific data sets.

Findings

Our evaluation covers the magnitude of improvement, accuracy, and consistency. Results suggest the method is beneficial, reliable, and consistent, and thus a viable and improved approach to measuring IRC.

Research limitations

Though our evaluation suggests the method works with both general and domain-specific bibliographic data sets, it may perform differently with data sets not tested here. Further limitations stem from the use of the R programming language and R libraries for country identification as well as imbalanced data coverage and quality in Wikidata that may also change over time.

Practical implications

The new method helps to increase the accuracy in IRC studies and provides a basis for further development into a general tool that enriches bibliographic data using the Wikidata knowledge graph.

Originality

This is the first attempt to enrich bibliographic data using a peer-produced, Web-based knowledge graph like Wikidata.
Motivation to Innovate as a Key Factor in Innovation Development Process
Authors: Svirina Anna , Polosukhina Ekaterina
Published: July 2020

Research purpose. The purpose of this study is to analyse the influence of industrial enterprises’ employees’ motivation to innovate on the results of innovation process and the quality of innovative products market performance. The need for such an assessment was inspired by the lack of understanding the role of motivation to innovate in the quality and success of innovation development process.

Design/Methodology/Approach. To achieve this goal, the authors conducted a survey distributed to the industrial enterprise employees. The study was based on the paper-and-pencil survey that was distributed to 250 people involved in innovation development process at Russian industrial enterprises; 150 questionnaires were received back and considered valid for the study. The results were evaluated by means of statistical analysis performed by means of SPSS Statistics software.

Findings. The results support the intuitive proposition that motivation to innovate influences the quality of new product development process: idea generation, market study, product development, pre-commercial financial analysis and commercialisation quality are influenced by motivation to innovate – which is in line with the literature (Cooper, 2013). At the same time, probability on new product development in the company, the quality of initial screening, preliminary technical analysis, preliminary production analysis and in-house product testing do not correlate with employee motivation to innovate. Same is true for the new product performance: we observed no correlation between the motivation to innovate and the market success, whereas correlation was revealed between the innovative motivation and the level of market competition for the new product; however, the graphical analysis allowed to estimate that in case employees with high motivation to innovate are absent in the company, it is very unlikely that the new product would be successful.

Originality/Value/Practical implications. The study was based on a questionnaire that was used for relevant purposes in different countries in order to make cross-country comparison on the innovation development process and the role of motivation to innovate. It allowed to indicate the specific features of organisational culture that are outlined in the Russian management literature: in majority of cases, bottom-level innovative initiatives were not supported by the management (Prigozhin, 2007), and hence, motivation to innovate cannot be revealed by employees at every stage of the new product development process. Another reason for somewhat controversial findings of this study was the difference between organisational cultures of the analysed manufacturing enterprises, which was not evaluated in this article.
Developing Innovative Competence in Economics Students
Authors: Tomasova Daria
Published: July 2020

Research purpose. The main task of this article consists in outlining several conceptions of teaching that we consider crucial to develop knowledge, skills and personal qualities in future managers, which they need in a constantly changing innovative business environment.

Design/Methodology/Approach. Methods of contrastive analysis, method of decomposition and questionnaire survey form the methodological basis of research.

Findings. As a result of empirical research, the article describes the level of students’ demand for mastering innovative skills and the extent to which this demand is met in the framework of educational programme.

Originality/Value/Practical implications. The method elaborated in the article is easily applicable in different educational programmes, economic subjects and environments as well as different curriculum plans. It is expected that improved learning skills and satisfaction will increase learning outcomes in long-term outlook. The article suggests new integrated teaching approach to organising collaborative work so that the full potential of students in solving economic problems is developed through and alongside the use of interactive learning tasks. It relies on thorough analysis of reasons for students’ critical attitude towards creative and innovative thinking in their profession.
Reliability and Reputation of the Board Member in Latvia
Authors: Brante Inara , Lejniece Ilona , Lejnieks Helmuts
Published: July 2020

Research purpose. The purpose of this article is to investigate the most important risk factors in the assessment of the reliability and reputation of the Board Member for the implementation of responsible business activities in Latvia.

Design/Methodology/Approach. The research methods used in the current article are a comparative analysis of the legal bases and other regulative documents and case studies. The case study is based on the economic and legal analysis of legal acts using descriptive, analytical, deductive and inductive methods, based on which the authors draw conclusions about the reliability and reputation of the Board Member in assessing the key risk factors of their responsibility. The following data collection methods were used to achieve the set goal: analysis of special literature and internet resources and document analysis.

Findings. The risks of the responsibility of a Board Member are still not a completely researched topic in Latvia. There is no common understanding of the reliability and reputation of a Board Member. The legal framework is incomplete, which has a negative impact on the responsible business in Latvia.

Originality/Value/Practical implications. The study contributes to the implementation of a responsible business environment by creating a common understanding of the risks of a Board Member’s responsibility.
Immunosuppressive Medication and Non-Rejection-Related Complications Following Heart Transplantation
Authors: Costel Dumitru , Ghiga Dana , Voidazan Septimiu , Grosan Alexandra , Simpalean Dan , Sin Anca
Published: July 2020

Background: Although the clinical evolution of a patient with heart failure is initially improved by transplantation, a number of potential complications may occur in the post-transplant period, which may be directly related to the effects of chronic immunosuppression. The purpose of this study was to analyze the occurrence and frequency of post-transplant complications related to immunosuppressive treatment in the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation of Târgu Mureș, Romania.

Material and methods: This is a descriptive study including 53 patients out of a total of 71 patients who underwent cardiac transplantation between 2000 and 2017 in the Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and Cardiac Transplantation in Târgu Mureș, Romania. Data were collected from the patient files and included demographic, clinical and laboratory data, as well as information about post-transplant complications related to immunosuppressive treatment.

Results: The mean age of patients undergoing heart transplantation was 40.72 ± 14.07 years, the majority of patients being male (84.91%) and living in an urban environment (56.60%). The average length of hospital stay was 33.6 days. From the total number of patients, 7 (13.2%) presented post-transplantation bacterial infections, while antibodies indicating the presence or history of B hepatitis, toxoplasma, and cytomegalovirus infection were identified with a relatively high incidence in the study population.

Conclusions: Infections following surgery are probably the most common post-transplant pathology, the primary reason being the administration of immunosuppressive medication.
Exploring the University-based Entrepreneurial Activities in International Collaboration: Development Cases of HEIs
Authors: Badzińska Ewa , Timonen Liisa
Published: July 2020

Objective: This paper attempts to shed some light on the entrepreneurial university elements through the examination of two HEIs – Karelia University of Applied Sciences and Poznan University of Technology. The case study explores the prerequisites for effective result-driven entrepreneurship education and business collaboration. Furthermore, the study examines what is the potential to build joint entrepreneurial pathways for HEI students and staff in an international context within the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership Project “Entrepreneurship and Communication in Multicultural Teams (ECMT+)”.

Methodology: The nature of this exploratory case study is descriptive and data was collected using literature and reports review, participatory observation, reflection, and inference tools. The HEIs cases of practical implementation of the entrepreneurial university framework were selected with a purposeful sampling technique. The applied case study was practical orientated. Due to the small number of informants within the case and its qualitative nature, no generable conclusions can be drawn.

Findings: Even as a subjective and descriptive case study, it offers an arena to explore one authentic example of a community of practice and entrepreneurial education platform promoting the systematic competence and skills development in international collaboration context. Entrepreneurial university with a true multicultural nature supports building inclusive education bridging universities with their regions and businesses.

Value Added: The study reveals that the higher education has to be more inclusive and develop practices to meet the more diverse learners who may have disabilities and learning difficulties, diverse racial, cultural and linguistic backgrounds or meet with social and economic challenges. The value resulting from the research allow to state that the effective cooperation and building of entrepreneurial university practices at ECMT+ partner universities are beneficial both for students, teachers and the HEIs and they could be applied at other HEIs.

Recommendations: The strategic development of higher education should be oriented to promote the entrepreneurial mindset reforming the curricula to provide academic graduates more practical skilled, multi-disciplinary and social competent to discover the entrepreneurial opportunities and boosting employability. Despite the qualitative nature of the study it may enrich the discussion on the entrepreneurial university practice.
The Study of Nostalgia-Oriented Strategy Aimed at Millennials on The Example of The Lego Group
Authors: Lubiński Kamil
Published: July 2020

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to examine the effect that nostalgia-oriented strategy has on the Millennials’ perception of the LEGO brand.

Methodology: The methodology was based on past research in the field and used a modified version of a questionnaire developed by Pascal et al. (2002).

Findings: The research was conducted among 203 young respondents in the second quarter of 2019. During the realization of research, the indirect method of gathering information, using a survey technique was applied. The survey was conducted with the application of the techniques of electronic survey. The research methodology was based on past research in the field and a modified version of a questionnaire developed by Pascal et al. (2002) was used.

Value Added: This paper is the first to have found that companies operating in the toy industry are using nostalgia with aim of sustaining the brand loyalty.

Recommendations: The toy industry has become pretty much an unfair place to do business these days, as the biggest toymakers are involved in a fierce fight for the next generations of kids enamoured with the latest high-tech wonders. This paper demonstrates how LEGO®’s efforts reaped dividends as they have begun to address Millennials. It can be said, then, that the future of marketing in the following months would involve nostalgia as a major tool accelerating all the strategic endeavours in this clash of brands as the trend described hereinafter does not seem to slow down.
Uterine Leiomyosarcoma Associated with Cystic Endometrial Polyps, Chondriod Metaplasia and Uterine Horn Intussusception in a Greater Cane Rat (Thryonomys swinderianus)
Authors: Ajayi Olusola Lawrence , Olaniyi Moshood Olajire , Alaka Olugbenga Olayinka , Antia Richard Edem , Oladipo Temitope Morenikeji
Published: July 2020

A rare case of uterine leiomyosarcoma associated with chondriod metaplasia, cystic endometrial polyps and uterine horn intussusception in a greater cane rat was macroscopically, histopathologically, immuno-histochemically and ultrastructurally evaluated. The histopathological findings for this tumour were similar to those for leiomyosarcomas described in other species. Immunohistochemical examination demonstrated positive immunoreactivity of neoplastic cells with α-smooth muscle actin, desmin and vimentin. Ultrastructurally, nuclear and cytoplasmic features were consistent with leiomyosarcoma. These results revealed the tumour to be of smooth muscle origin. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of uterine leiomyosarcoma associated with cystic endometrial polyps, chondriod metaplasia and uterine horn intussusception in a greater cane rat.
Universalism values and organisational citizenship behaviour referring to employee perception of corporate social responsibility
Authors: Stankevičiūtė Živilė , Wereda Wioletta
Published: July 2020

Over the past decade, the number of studies investigating corporate social responsibility (CSR), its drivers and benefits has been growing. However, several gaps still remain. Previous research mostly investigated customer perceptions of CSR, leaving the employee perceptions in the sidelines and accordingly neglecting the employee importance. Furthermore, although acknowledging that employee perception of CSR is beneficial for the organisation, most of the previous studies have focused on employee attitudes as a desirable outcome forgetting about the employee behaviour, including organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), which can be a source of competitive advantage. Moreover, although values have been recognised as key determinants of human attitudes and behaviour, it seems that the potential of values, including the universalism values, for driving the employee perception of CSR and OCB has not been revealed. Trying to close the gap, the paper aims at revealing the relationship between the employee perceptions of CSR, employee OCB and universalism values. In doing this, quantitative data were collected (301 responses in total). Consistent with the expectations, the survey indicated that employee perceptions of CSR directed at four main stakeholder groups, namely employees, customers, government, and social and non-social stakeholders had a positive effect on OCB. As it was expected, universalism values drive both the employee perception of CSR and employee OCB. Moreover, the findings support the idea that the employee perception of CSR partly mediates the relationship between the universalism values and OCB. Generally, the obtained results highlight the necessity for organisations to invest not only in CSR, but also in employee perceptions of CSR, as this could drive extra-role employee behaviour, namely OCB.
Fiscal Capacities of Large Cities in Croatia – Financial Support for Smart Cities
Authors: Hodžić Sabina , Paleka Hana
Published: July 2020

In a dynamic market, the city has become a main source of competitiveness, along with financial and economic benefits. Due to the processes of digitalization, a new concept has been developed, namely smart cities. This concept delivers economic and financial potential, not only to cities, but also to urban and local economic development. Therefore, to ensure the establishment of this concept, local government units, i.e., cities, need to have enough financial resources. In addition, the fiscal capacity of their local budgets should be sufficient. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the fiscal capacity of large cities in Croatia over the 2016-2018 period, as well as to present the financial support through funding schemes for the establishment of smart cities. After calculating the level of fiscal capacity of large cities, the analysis revealed interesting results. Only four large cities (Split, Rijeka, Zadar and Pula) achieved positive fiscal capacity in the observed period. This provides evidence of fiscal performance and fiscal capacity for the establishment of smart cities. This concept will enhance the quality of life, stimulate economic growth, sustain local government budgets and create new value for both investors and the local population.
Value for Money in Organizations Providing Public Education Services and How to Measure It
Authors: Štrangfeldová Jana , Štefanišinová Nikola
Published: July 2020

The public has put increased pressure on organizations providing public services to demonstrate the most productive use of resources, with due regard for value received. Education is no exception. This study focus on the presentation and evaluation of public organizations (public grammar schools in our case) in education on the basis of their economy, efficiency and effectiveness as one of the indicators of performance assessment. The methodology of Value For Money presented in this study can provide useful information about the situation of education for public forces and for public grammar schools themselves. Also, this methodology may help to gain a deeper insight into strengths of individual schools, as well as in which they can improve. A limitation of the concept of VFM is that performance evaluation is possible only between homogeneous services. The originality and value of the study are reflected in its focus on such topics as monitoring and measuring of performance for public service organizations (i.e., education services). It also provides a tool for districts and individual schools to gain information using indicators employed here for identifying and solving the performance problems that occur in education system of Slovakia.