bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Digital financial inclusion, informal economy and poverty reduction in Africa
Authors: Kelikume Ikechukwu 
Published: February 2021

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the relationship between mobile phones, the internet, financial inclusion, the informal economy and poverty reduction.Design/methodology/approachThe study examines the relationship between mobile phones, the internet, financial inclusion, the informal economy and poverty reduction using the system generalized method of moments approach and a panel data set of 42 African countries for the period 1995–2017.FindingsThe study shows that mobile penetration and internet usage have significant positive relationship with the informal sector. Financial inclusion has significant effects, meaning that increased financial inclusion is associated with a developed informal economy. Also, mobile penetration and internet usage play significant roles in the relationship between financial inclusion and the informal economy. Further, mobile penetration and internet usage have a significant positive relationship with poverty reduction. Similarly, financial inclusion has significant effects, meaning higher financial inclusion is associated with increased poverty reduction. The informal economy also has significant effects, suggesting that the development of the informal economy is associated with poverty reduction.Originality/valueMost importantly, mobile penetration, internet usage and financial inclusion play significant roles in the link between the informal economy and poverty reduction.
Female directors and CSR disclosure in Bangladesh: the role of family affiliation
Authors: Biswas Pallab Kumar , Roberts Helen , Whiting Rosalind Heather 
Published: February 2021

Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the impact of female director affiliations to governing families on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures in the context of Bangladeshi firms.

Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a quantitative empirical research method grounded in Socioemotional Wealth (SEW) theory. Data was sourced from Bangladeshi publicly listed non-financial sector companies’ annual reports and stock exchange trading and publication reports and consists of 2,637 firm-year observations from 1996 to 2011. Pooled multivariate regression models are used to test the association between corporate social and environmental disclosure and female directors, and the family affiliation (or not) of those directors.

Findings
The findings provide strong evidence that female directors who are affiliated to the governing family, founders and other board members reduce CSR disclosure in family firms; unaffiliated female board directors enhance CSR disclosure, and this effect is significant in both family and non-family firms.

Research limitations/implications
Definitions of family firms and affiliated directors may lead to over-generalization in the results.

Originality/value
The study highlights variation in the nature of female board appointments in emerging market family-controlled firms. The findings bring attention to the role of affiliated female director appointments in family ownership structures and speak directly to family business owners, advisors and policy makers about the importance of unaffiliated female directors as catalysts of improved CSR disclosure in family and non-family firms.
Exploring redundancies in multichannel knowledge sourcing in high-technology industries
Authors: Vandaie Ramin 
Published: February 2021

PurposeScientific collaborations represent informal external ties that together with formal R&D alliances constitute a multichannel knowledge sourcing network in science-based industries. Although such multichannel knowledge sourcing benefits firms by providing more thorough access to external sources, it also entails potentially significant redundancies worthy of consideration. This paper aims to take a step by first verifying their existence, followed by an examination of key contingencies determining the extent of these redundancies, i.e. firm absorptive capacity, balanced utilization of ties and firm size.Design methodology approachThis is an empirical study that uses scientific collaborations and R&D alliances of US pharmaceutical companies to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThis paper verifies the existence of multichannel knowledge sourcing redundancies, followed by an examination of key contingencies determining the extent of these redundancies, i.e. firm absorptive capacity, balanced utilization of ties and firm size.Originality valueTo the knowledge, this is a first attempt at clarifying redundancies in innovative knowledge sourcing and their implications for firm innovation performance.
Material internal control weakness with intangible assets, capital structure and commercial risk
Authors: Salehi Mahdi , Ghasempour Fatemeh 
Published: February 2021

Purpose
This study aims to assess the influence of material internal control weaknesses (ICWs) on investment in intangible assets, capital structure and commercial risk of organizations. Also, it analyses the impact of investment in intangible assets on the presence of material ICWs. This paper expects that ICWs and investment in intangible assets are interactively incorporated.

Design/methodology/approach
The statistical population of this study includes listed firms on the Tehran Stock Exchange during 2012-2017, selected using the systematic elimination method. A total of 588 firms is selected as the final sample of the study. Four hypotheses are developed to meet the study’s objectives and data analysis is carried out using the panel data method in Stata Software.

Findings
Results show that material ICWs have a positive and significant impact on investment in intangible assets and financial leverage. Moreover, this study finds that investment in intangible assets deteriorates the ICWs’ degree. However, the findings show no significant relationship between ICWs and commercial risks of companies.

Originality/value
The current study fills the gap in the literature science; there is no evidence on the subject of the study.
Evidencing the contribution of social enterprise to health and social care: approaches and considerations
Authors: Caló Francesca , Roy Michael James , Donaldson Cam , Teasdale Simon , Baglioni Simone 
Published: February 2021

Purpose
As the provision of public services in many advanced welfare states has increasingly come to be marked by competition, social enterprises have actively been encouraged by governments to become involved in the delivery of public services. While the evaluation of complex public health interventions has arguably become increasingly more sophisticated, this has not been the case where social enterprise is concerned: evaluation of the actual impacts of social enterprises remains significantly underdeveloped by comparison. This study aims to support the establishment of a robust evidence base for the use of social enterprise as a policy instrument.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper assesses the potential of three methodological approaches common in the evaluation of complex public health interventions and applies them to the complex realm of community-led social enterprise.

Findings
Only through the involvement of different comparator groups, based on the research questions addressed, would it be possible to disentangle the embedded characteristics of organisations such as social enterprises. Each of the methods adopted in this research is time-consuming and resource-intensive and requires the researcher to possess advanced skills. Public officials should recognise the complexity and resource-intensive nature of such evaluation and resource it accordingly. If the aim of policymakers is to understand the added value of social enterprise organisations, an integrative research approach combining different research methods and design should be implemented to improve generalisability.

Originality/value
This study applies a range of favoured approaches to evaluate “complex” public health interventions include systematic reviews, realist evaluation and quasi-experimental investigation. However, such evaluation approaches have rarely been applied before in the context of social enterprise.
A device employing a neural network for blood pressure estimation from the oscillatory pressure pulse wave and PPG signal
Authors: Tian Jian , Xie Jiangan , He Zhonghua , Ma Qianfeng , Wang Xiuxin 
Published: February 2021

Purpose
Wrist-cuff oscillometric blood pressure monitors are very popular in the portable medical device market. However, its accuracy has always been controversial. In addition to the oscillatory pressure pulse wave, the finger photoplethysmography (PPG) can provide information on blood pressure changes. A blood pressure measurement system integrating the information of pressure pulse wave and the finger PPG may improve measurement accuracy. Additionally, a neural network can synthesize the information of different types of signals and approximate the complex nonlinear relationship between inputs and outputs. The purpose of this study is to verify the hypothesis that a wrist-cuff device using a neural network for blood pressure estimation from both the oscillatory pressure pulse wave and PPG signal may improve the accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach
A PPG sensor was integrated into a wrist blood pressure monitor, so the finger PPG and the oscillatory pressure wave could be detected at the same time during the measurement. After the peak detection, curves were fitted to the data of pressure pulse amplitude and PPG pulse amplitude versus time. A genetic algorithm-back propagation neural network was constructed. Parameters of the curves were inputted into the neural network, the outputs of which were the measurement values of blood pressure. Blood pressure measurements of 145 subjects were obtained using a mercury sphygmomanometer, the developed device with the neural network algorithm and an Omron HEM-6111 blood pressure monitor for comparison.

Findings
For the systolic blood pressure (SBP), the difference between the proposed device and the mercury sphygmomanometer is 0.0062 ± 2.55 mmHg (mean ± SD) and the difference between the Omron device and the mercury sphygmomanometer is 1.13 ± 9.48 mmHg. The difference in diastolic blood pressure between the mercury sphygmomanometer and the proposed device was 0.28 ± 2.99 mmHg. The difference in diastolic blood pressure between the mercury sphygmomanometer and Omron HEM-6111 was −3.37 ± 7.53 mmHg.

Originality/value
Although the difference in the SBP error between the proposed device and Omron HEM-6111 was not remarkable, there was a significant difference between the proposed device and Omron HEM-6111 in the diastolic blood pressure error. The developed device showed an improved performance. This study was an attempt to enhance the accuracy of wrist-cuff oscillometric blood pressure monitors by using the finger PPG and the neural network. The hardware framework constructed in this study can improve the conventional wrist oscillometric sphygmomanometer and may be used for continuous measurement of blood pressure.
The moderating effect of environmental agencies on firms’ sustainability reporting in Nigeria
Authors: Haladu Alhassan , Bin-Nashwan Saeed Awadh 
Published: February 2021

PurposeAn attempt is made in this study aims to examine the extent to which the role of environmental agencies in Nigeria, i.e. DEPARTMENT for Petroleum Resources (DPR), National Environmental Standard and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), influences firms’ attributes on sustainability reporting.Design/methodology/approachBoth primary and secondary data covers 2015-2019 were used to collate information for the analyzes. The analysis was done using Stata 13 to determine the moderating impact of policy administrators on the relationship between corporate attributes and sustainability reporting.FindingsThe findings showed a very low level of sustainability reporting (27.53%), with a high significant level. Moreover, a positive and significant relationship exists between the major corporate attributes and sustainability reporting. A highly significant moderating impact of environmental policy administrators exists on these attributes, except for board size.Research limitations/implicationsThe theoretical and practical implications of this study show that there is an indication of the inefficiency of the environmental policy administrators in Nigeria as the significance of the political economy theory as it affects the interactive impact on sustainability reporting. Further research is recommended on political-economic theory so as to know the economic implications of the effects of corporate attributes on environmental disclosure as it impacts governments and societies.Practical implicationsResults show that there is an indication of inefficiency by Nigeria’s main environmental policy administrators such as DPR, NESREA and NSE as it affects environmental, economic and social issues by listed firms.Originality/valueThis work emphasizes the moderating impact of environmental agencies on the relationship between firms’ characteristics and sustainability disclosure through the GRI4 framework standard. More so, it applied company attributes essential for a firm’s sustainable growth and development in the developing economies of sub-Saharan Africa.
Does CSR mediate the nexus of ethical leadership and employee’s job performance? Evidence from North Italy SMEs
Authors: Aftab Junaid , Sarwar Huma , Amin Anam , Kiran Alina 
Published: February 2021

Purpose
Leadership has a decisive role in the success of all types of businesses and firms, including small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the ethical behavior of leaders is a key component which brings a sense of respect, fulfillment, trustworthiness and acceptance among the employees, which later become visible in their job performance (JP). This study aims to check the immediate effect of ethical leadership (EL) on employee’s JP (EJP) and also explore the indirect mediating effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on this EL and EJP nexus.

Design/methodology/approach
Primary data was obtained from the employees of manufacturing SMEs of Northern Italy using a cross-sectional design from the end of 2019 to the start of 2020. This paper circulated 450 self-administered questionnaires using simple random sampling, and 202 (44.88%) valid questionnaires were returned. The PROCESS macro was performed using statistical package for social sciences to ensure whether or not EL affects EJP and is there any mediation effect of CSR present in this nexus.

Findings
The results indicate that EL has a strong positive connection with EJP and CSR. Interestingly, CSR positively influences EJP. Furthermore, the results also report the strong mediating effect of CSR in the nexus of EL and EJP.

Originality/value
This scholarly work seeks to contribute not only to the literature of EL and EJP but also enriches the understanding of this EL-EJP association by highlighting the indirect effect of mediating variable CSR in the SME sector.
Can critical success factors of small businesses in emerging markets advance UN Sustainable Development Goals?
Authors: Adeola Ogechi , Gyimah Prince , Appiah Kingsley Opoku , Lussier Robert N. 
Published: February 2021

PurposeThis study contributes to answering the question, can critical success factors of small businesses in emerging markets advance United Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Specifically, this study aims to explore the critical factors contributing to the success of small businesses and ultimately the UN SDGs in the emerging market of Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe design is survey research testing the Lussier success vs failure prediction model for small businesses in Nigeria. The methodology includes a logistic regression model to better understand and predict the factors that contribute to success or failure using a data set of 201 small businesses in Nigeria.FindingsThe findings support the validity of the Lussier model (p = 0.000) in Nigeria as the model accurately predicted 84.4% of the small businesses as successful or failed with a highR-square value (R = 0.540). The most significant factors (t-values < 0.05) that predict the success or failure of businesses support the findings that business owners that start with adequate capital, keep records and financial controls, use professional advice, have better product/service timing, and have parents who own businesses can increase the probability of success.Practical implicationsThe study provides a list of critical success factors contributing to the growth of small business in Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa. The findings can help entrepreneurs avoid failure and advance UN SDGs 1, 2, 8 and 10. Implications for current and future entrepreneurs, public agencies, consultants, educators, policymakers, suppliers and investors are discussed.Originality/valueThis is the first study to determine the factors that contribute to the success or failure of small businesses in Nigeria using the Lussier model. It also discusses how to advance four of the UN sustainability goals. Results support the Lussier model's global validity that can be used in both emerging and developed markets, and it contributes to the development of theory.
Baclofen decreases compulsive alcohol drinking in rats characterized by reduced levels of GAT‐3 in the central amygdala
Authors: Marti‐Prats Lucia , Belin‐Rauscent Aude , Fouyssac Maxime , Puaud Mickaël , Cocker Paul J , Everitt Barry J , Belin David 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWhile most individuals with access to alcohol drink it recreationally, some vulnerable individuals eventually lose control over their intake and progressively develop compulsive alcohol drinking and decreased interest in alternative sources of reinforcement, two key features of addiction. The neural and molecular mechanisms underlying this vulnerability to switch from controlled to compulsive alcohol intake have not been fully elucidated. It has been shown that rats having reduced levels of expression of the gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter, GAT‐3, in the amygdala tend to persist in seeking and drinking alcohol even when adulterated with quinine, suggesting that pharmacological interventions aimed at restoring GABA homeostasis in these individuals may provide a targeted treatment to limit compulsive alcohol drinking. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen, which decreases GABA release, specifically reduces compulsive alcohol drinking in vulnerable individuals. In a large cohort of Sprague–Dawley rats allowed to drink alcohol under an intermittent two‐bottle choice procedure, a cluster of individuals was identified that persisted in drinking alcohol despite adulteration with quinine or when an alternative ingestive reinforcer, saccharin, was available. In these rats, which were characterized by decreased GAT‐3 mRNA levels in the central amygdala, acute baclofen administration (1.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) resulted in a decrease in compulsive drinking. These results indicate that low GAT‐3 mRNA levels in the central amygdala may represent an endophenotype of vulnerability to develop a compulsive drinking of alcohol that is shown here to be mitigated by baclofen.
Sensitization to isobornyl acrylate in a tertiary Belgian hospital
Authors: Herman Anne , Baeck Marie 
Published: February 2021

Highlights
The sensitization rate to isobornyl acrylate in a patch‐tested population was evaluated at 0.6%.
In this study, among patients sensitized to isobornyl acrylate, apart from glucose sensors and insulin pumps, no other sources of sensitization were identified.
Allograft failure in kidney transplant recipients who developed kidney failure secondary to ANCA‐associated vasculitis
Authors: Kuhnel Lukas , Hawley Carmel M. , Johnson David W. , Gobe Glenda C. , Ellis Robert J. , Francis Ross S. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAnti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitides are uncommon causes of kidney failure. In kidney transplant recipients who developed kidney failure secondary to ANCA‐associated vasculitis, disease recurrence is unlikely due to ongoing immunosuppression, and patients generally have good immunological outcomes. This study compared transplant outcomes between ANCA‐associated vasculitis and other etiologies of kidney disease. All 18 901 adult kidney transplant recipients (1990‐2018) were ascertained from the ANZDATA Registry. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare allograft failure between etiologies of kidney disease. Of 254 participants whose primary disease was ANCA‐associated vasculitis, 95 (37%) developed allograft failure; of those who developed graft failure, 62 (65%) died with a functioning allograft. Compared with patients with IgA nephropathy, those with ANCA‐associated vasculitis had higher rates of all‐cause allograft failure (HR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.2‐1.7); however, rates of death‐censored allograft failure were similar (HR: 1.0, 95% CI: 0.7‐1.4). The most frequent causes of death in the ANCA‐vasculitis group who died with a functioning graft were infection (23%) and malignancy (36%). Kidney transplant recipients who developed kidney failure secondary to ANCA‐associated vasculitis may have had a higher risk of dying due to complications of immunosuppression compared with most other causes of kidney failure; however, they also had lower risks of disease recurrence and rejection.
Utilizing multimodal analgesia to evaluate postoperative analgesic requirements in kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Muir Michele A. , Szempruch Kristen R. , Dupuis Robert , Toledo Alexander H. , Isaak Robert S. , Arora Harendra , Prasad Ravindra , Serrano Rodriguez Pablo 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe use of non‐opioid analgesics following surgery has proven beneficial in managing pain and decreasing adverse outcomes following surgery. Data assessing outcomes related to opioid use is limited in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). We evaluated the effectiveness of implementing a reduced to no opioid use protocol in KTRs. This retrospective cohort study included adult KTRs between January 2017 and July 2019 with a multimodal analgesic protocol (MAP), focused on limiting opioids, implemented in August 2018. We compared analgesic requirements in morphine milligram equivalents (MME) during transplant admissions between the MAP cohort and traditional cohort. There were 217 KTRs who met the criteria. Inpatient opioid use was significantly reduced in the MAP cohort (16.5 ± 19.2 MME/day vs 24.7 ± 19.7 MME/day; P <.05) with no significant difference in pain scores. No use of opioids within six months of discharge was significantly increased in the MAP cohort (50% vs 7%; P <.001), and there were no reported deaths at six months in either cohort. The use of multimodal analgesia is beneficial in KTRs to provide adequate pain control with limited to no exposure of opioids during admission or at discharge.