bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does the inflow of remittances diminish unemployment? The role of political stability in MENA countries
Authors: Elorabi Khaled , Ishak Suryati , Maher Mohamed 
Published: February 2024

PurposePrevious literature has investigated the connection amongst remittances, political stability and unemployment in remittance-receiving economies separately. Besides, they did not cover the Middle East and North African (MENA) region.Design/methodology/approachTo this end, this research uses the pooled mean group (PMG) method.FindingsThe findings suggest that the influence of remittances on lowering unemployment accelerates in recipient economies with high levels of political stability.Practical implicationsPolicymakers in MENA countries should vigorously pursue political stability, which plays a crucial role in boosting the influence of inward remittances on unemployment alleviation. This is accomplished by establishing solid institutions that contribute to ensuring fair politics, increasing citizens' trust in the government, enhancing the rule of law and protecting investors and prioritizing policies and programs that promote political stability.Originality/valueThis paper, therefore, aspires to empirically examine the impacts of inward remittances on unemployment via the moderating role of political stability in thirteen MENA-receiving countries from 1996 to 2020.
Public procurement policies of Nigeria and Ghana: an analysis of the administrative challenges in achieving value for money
Authors: Kipo-Sunyehzi Daniel Dramani , Abubakari Abdul-Fatawu , Banchani John-Paul Safunu 
Published: February 2024

Purpose
This study aims to focus on public policy concerning the implementation of public procurement policies in Nigeria and Ghana toward achieving value for money in the procurement of goods, services and works. It specifically analyzes some major administrative challenges Nigeria and Ghana are faced with in the administration/implementation of public procurement policies toward achieving value for money. It looks at the relationship between the state (regulatory authorities) and substate (procurement entities) in the public sectors of Nigeria and Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach
A comparative case study approach is adopted, where the two countries are compared in terms of achieving value for money. Data was collected from multiple sources, including in-depth interviews. The use of official documents and direct observations at the procurement regulatory authorities and entities’ premises.

Findings
This study found Nigeria often used the four Es – economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity while Ghana mainly used the traditional five rights (right quantity, right quality, right price, right place and right time) as their criteria for ensuring value for money. The major administrative challenges found include corruption, low capacity of procurement personnel and poor knowledge of the procurement laws.

Social implications
It recommends effective collaboration between government and civil society groups in the fight against corruption in procurement-related activities, with the implication that there is a need for periodic training for public procurement officials.

Originality/value
It adds to the field of public procurement in terms of value for money in the procurement of goods, services and works in developing countries context.
Mediating roles of frontline employees in transformative service processes
Authors: Bast Ane , Engen Marit , Røhnebæk Maria 
Published: February 2024

Purpose
This paper aims to explore the role of frontline employees (FLEs) as mediators in transformative service processes within services targeting vulnerable users.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a case study of the development and implementation of a dementia village, and the data consist of documents, in-depth interviews and field observations.

Findings
The analysis identifies FLEs as mediators in six different roles. These roles highlight how FLEs perform as mediators, acting in between and for vulnerable users and thus supporting their well-being. Specifically, the roles explicate the mediating role of FLEs in the design and planning of transformative changes and in daily work practices.

Practical implications
The different mediating roles of FLEs presented here should inform care providers and managers of how employees can become assets for supporting vulnerable users’ well-being during the design and planning stages of transformative change and through daily service work.

Originality/value
This paper offers novel insights into the multifaceted roles of FLEs in transformative services. The findings add to the current debate on mediation in transformative services and contribute to the literature by extending and refining the established conceptual and empirical understandings of the role of transformative service mediators in consumers’ well-being.
Abuse in the time of COVID-19: the effects of Brexit, gender and partisanship
Authors: Bakir Mehmet Emin , Farrell Tracie , Bontcheva Kalina 
Published: February 2024

PurposeThe authors investigate how COVID-19 has influenced the amount, type or topics of abuse that UK politicians receive when engaging with the public.Design/methodology/approachThis work covers the first year of COVID-19 in the UK, from March 2020 to March 2021 and analyses Twitter abuse in replies to UK MPs. The authors collected and analysed 17.9 million reply tweets to the MPs. The authors present overall abuse levels during different key moments of the pandemic, analysing reactions to MPs by gender and the relationship between online abuse and topics such as Brexit, the government’s COVID-19 response and policies, and social issues.FindingsThe authors have found that abuse levels towards UK MPs were at an all-time high in December 2020. Women (particularly those from non-White backgrounds) receive unusual amounts of abuse, targeting their credibility and capacity to do their jobs. Similar to other large events like general elections and Brexit, COVID-19 has elevated abuse levels, at least temporarily.Originality/valuePrevious studies analysed abuse levels towards MPs in the run-up to the 2017 and 2019 UK General Elections and during the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. The authors compare previous findings with those of the first year of COVID-19, as the pandemic persisted, and Brexit was forthcoming. This research not only contributes to the longitudinal comparison of abuse trends against UK politicians but also presents new findings, corroborates, further clarifies and raises questions about the previous findings.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-07-2022-0392
Assessing the influence of financial management practices on organizational performance of small- and medium-scale enterprises
Authors: Otoo Frank Nana Kweku 
Published: February 2024

Purpose
Optimal application and commitment toward financial management practices enhance organization performance. This study aims to assess the influence of financial management practices on the organizational performance of small- and medium-scale enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 45 small-sized and 72 medium-sized firms. Data supported the hypothesized relationships. Construct reliability and validity were established through confirmatory factor analysis. The conceptual model and hypotheses were evaluated by using structural equation modeling.

Findings
The results indicate that working capital significantly influenced organizational performance. Capital budget management significantly influenced organizational performance. A non-significant influence of asset management on organizational performance was observed.

Research limitations/implications
The generalizability of the findings will be constrained due to the research’s SMEs focus and cross-sectional data.

Practical implications
The study’s findings will serve as valuable pointers for stakeholders and decision-makers of SMEs in developing well-articulated and proactive financial management systems to ensure competitiveness, sustainability, viability, and financial competencies.

Originality/value
The study adds to the corpus of literature by evidencing empirically that financial management practices significantly influenced SMEs’ performance.
Forest disturbance increases functional diversity but decreases phylogenetic diversity of an arboreal tropical ant community
Authors: Hoenle Philipp O. , Plowman Nichola S. , Matos‐Maraví Pável , de Bello Francesco , Bishop Tom R. , Libra Martin , Idigel Cliffson , Rimandai Maling , Klimes Petr 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Tropical rainforest trees host a diverse arthropod fauna that can be characterised by their functional diversity (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD). Human disturbance degrades tropical forests, often coinciding with species invasion and altered assembly that leads to a decrease in FD and PD. Tree canopies are thought to be particularly vulnerable, but rarely investigated.

Here, we studied the effects of forest disturbance on an ecologically important invertebrate group, the ants, in a lowland rainforest in New Guinea. We compared an early successional disturbed plot (secondary forest) to an old‐growth plot (primary forest) by exhaustively sampling their ant communities in a total of 852 trees.

We expected that for each tree community (1) disturbance would decrease FD and PD in tree‐dwelling ants, mediated through species invasion. (2) Disturbance would decrease ant trait variation due to a more homogeneous environment. (3) The main drivers behind these changes would be different contributions of true tree‐nesting species and visiting species. We calculated FD and PD based on a species‐level phylogeny and 10 ecomorphological traits. Furthermore, we assessed by data exclusion the influence of species, which were not nesting in individual trees (visitors) or only nesting species (nesters), and of non‐native species on FD and PD.

Primary forests had higher ant species richness and PD than secondary forest. However, we consistently found increased FD in secondary forest. This pattern was robust even if we decoupled functional and phylogenetic signals, or if non‐native ant species were excluded from the data. Visitors did not contribute strongly to FD, but they increased PD and their community weighted trait means often varied from nesters. Moreover, all community‐weighted trait means changed after forest disturbance.

Our finding of contradictory FD and PD patterns highlights the importance of integrative measures of diversity. Our results indicate that the tree community trait diversity is not negatively affected, but possibly even enhanced by disturbance. Therefore, the functional diversity of arboreal ants is relatively robust when compared between old‐growth and young trees. However, further study with higher plot‐replication is necessary to solidify and generalise our findings.
Phosphatidylserine accelerates wound healing and reduces necrosis in the rats: Growth factor activation
Authors: Saffari Partow Mirzaee , Asili Pooria , Eshraghi Sadaf , Muhammadnejad Ahad , Dehpour Ahmad Reza , Goudarzi Ramin , Partoazar Alireza 
Published: February 2024

AbstractTo examine the effect of topical phosphatidylserine (PS) on wound healing factors and tissue necrosis in in vivo models. Topical PS was applied to evaluate aspects of the wound healing process and growth factors production of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) as well a necrosis reduction in the skin flap of rat models. Moreover, phenytoin (PHT) and cyclosporine A (CsA) were used topically as positive control treatments in wound and necrosis models, respectively. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) VEGF, transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β), fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and histopathology were analysed on the wounds of rats. In the necrosis assessment, necrotic areas were determined on photography taken from the back skin of rats. Results indicated that PS topically enhanced significantly (P < 0.05) numbers of fibroblasts and endothelium while inhibiting the neutrophils and macrophages during the 14 days of wound treatment. Moreover, higher values of collagen deposition and epithelialization scores as well as wound recovery percentage (near 80%) were determined significantly (P < 0.05) in the PS group compared with the control. IHC analysis determined that FGF and VEGF cytokine factors were elevated in the wound site by topical PS. Moreover, the necrotic area was significantly (P < 0.05) improved in the PS group. Our experiment indicated that wound improvement and flap survival values in PS treatments were superior to PHT and CsA control groups, respectively. In conclusion, these findings suggest the potential of PS application in the healing of wounds and control of necrosis development after surgery or skin injuries.
Sex and stature estimation on the tibia: a virtual pilot study on a contemporary Hispanic population
Authors: Mittino Giorgia , Langstaff Helen , García‐Donas Julieta G. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractSex and stature estimation represent two pillars in the creation of the biological profile, providing crucial demographic information that forensic anthropologists use for the identification of unknown skeletonized remains. This pilot study evaluates population data proposing a virtual sex and stature estimation method for a Hispanic population using the tibia. Ninety‐two CT scans from the New Mexico Decedent Image Database were used to generate 3D models of the left tibia (forty‐seven males, forty‐five females). Tibial length, proximal and distal breadth were the parameters taken. Intra‐observer error was assessed using an intra‐class correlation coefficient. Sex differences were explored, and discriminant function and regression analysis used to develop sex and stature estimation formulae, respectively. High repeatability was demonstrated. Sex estimation accuracies ranged between 83.7 per cent and 93.5 per cent, with proximal and distal breadth showing the highest correct classification rates. Stature estimation produced errors between 5.51 cm and 7 cm, with the validation test providing errors falling within the predicted standard error of the estimate reported by the original equations. This study suggests the potential for accurate sex and stature estimation in the Hispanic sample. Although a larger sample is needed to corroborate the preliminary results, the proposed methods might assist in the identification of future forensic cases.
Dietetics student contribution to addressing malnutrition in residential aged care facilities
Authors: O'Shea Marie‐Claire , Barrett Clare , Corones‐Watkins Katina , Foo Jonathan , Maloney Stephen , Bauer Judy , Palermo Claire , Kellett Ursula , Williams Lauren T. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAimsTo test a model of malnutrition screening and assessment conducted by dietetics students on placement in residential aged care facilities. The secondary aim was to identify possible facilitators and barriers to the implementation of the model.MethodThe type 1 hybrid effectiveness‐implementation trial study design and reporting outcomes were developed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. An innovative placement model was developed, where students on voluntary placement visited three residential aged care facilities to identify residents at risk of malnutrition using currently available screening tools for older people. Students completed malnutrition assessments for all residents using the subjective global assessment tool.ResultsThirty‐two students participated; 31 completed all three sessions, with malnutrition screening completed for 207 residents and malnutrition assessment for 187 residents (July and September 2022). Based on the subjective global assessment, 31% (n = 57) of residents were mildly/moderately malnourished, and 3% (n = 5) were severely malnourished. The Innovation Domain of the Framework was the most important consideration before implementation.ConclusionWhilst previous research documented student learning opportunities in residential aged care facilities, this study provides the first available evidence of the direct contribution students can make to the health of aged care residents through malnutrition screening and assessment. The model enables students to conduct malnutrition screening and assessment feasibly and efficiently in facilities that do not routinely collate and act on these data. With a limited nursing aged care workforce to undertake this vital task, the potential role of student dietitians to fulfil this role must be considered.
Differences in the perceptions of patients with primary biliary cholangitis and physicians from various hospital departments: An online survey
Authors: Liu Yan Sheng , Jia Gui , Ding Da Wei , Zheng Lin Hua , Sun Rui Qing , Wang Xiu Fang , Deng Juan , Yang Chun Mei , Cui Li Na , Guo Chang Cun , Shang Yu Long , Han Ying 
Published: February 2024

ObjectivesPrimary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease that affects the quality of life (QoL) of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in perceptions of PBC among physicians from different hospital departments and patients with PBC.MethodsAn online survey regarding the general knowledge, diagnosis, and management of PBC was completed by physicians and patients.ResultsA total of 239 patients with PBC and 239 physicians from eight hospital departments (gastroenterology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, hepatobiliary surgery, pathology, clinical laboratory, ultrasound, and radiology) completed the survey. The results showed that physicians from departments other than gastroenterologists and rheumatologists lacked knowledge of PBC, and that junior gastroenterologists were uncertain about the diagnostic and treatment pathways of PBC. Importantly, the lack of knowledge significantly impacted the QoL of patients, especially the emotional scores of PBC‐40 (odds ratio −2.556, 95% confidence interval −3.852 to −1.260, P < 0.001). In addition, there was a perceived knowledge gap between patients and gastroenterologists.ConclusionsPhysicians must improve their awareness of PBC. Patient education and patient–physician communication are important for improving the patient's QoL.
A case study on the application of spore sampling for the monitoring of macrofungi
Authors: Schlegel Markus , Treindl Artemis D. , Panziera Jenny , Zengerer Veronika , Zani Deborah , Brännhage Jonas , Gross Andrin 
Published: February 2024

AbstractFungi play a vital role in ecosystem functioning, yet significant knowledge gaps persist in understanding their diversity and distribution leading to uncertainties about their threat status and extinction risk. This is partly owed to the difficulty of monitoring fungi using traditional fruiting body surveys. The present study evaluates airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling as a monitoring tool with a focus on grassland macrofungi. We applied active and passive air sampling methods, complemented by extensive field surveys of waxcap and clavarioid fungi–species groups of high relevance for conservation. Twenty‐nine species were recorded during the field surveys, 19 of which were also detectable by ITS2 metabarcoding of the collected samples. An additional 12 species from the studied genera were identified exclusively in air eDNA. We found that the patterns of species detection and read abundance in air samples reflected the abundance and occurrence of fruiting bodies on the field. Dispersal kernels fitted for the three dominant species predicted rapidly decreasing spore concentrations with increasing distance from fruitbodies. Airborne assemblages were dominated by a high diversity of common species, while rare and threatened red‐listed species were under‐represented, which underscores the difficulty in detecting rare species, not only in conventional surveys. Considering the benefits and drawbacks of air sampling and fruitbody surveys, we conclude that air sampling serves as a cost‐ and time‐efficient tool to characterize local macrofungal communities, providing the potential to facilitate and improve future fungal monitoring efforts.
HSC3D: A Python package to quantify three‐dimensional habitat structural complexity
Authors: Gu Yi‐Fei , Hu Jiamian , Han Kai , Lau Jackson W. T. , Williams Gray A. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Habitat structural complexity (HSC) is a key variable to help interpret ecological patterns and processes among different ecosystems. Existing metrics used to quantify HSC often, however, result in insufficient or biased representation of structural complexity. As such, our understanding of how HSC affects biodiversity and related ecological patterns is often limited by these measures.

Recent advances in photogrammetry and computer vision have enabled the ability to reconstruct 3D habitats with high efficiency and accuracy. Point clouds, for example, better represent the structural properties of target objects with reduced sampling bias as compared to traditional formats like 2.5D raster (i.e. DEM, DSM, DTM). The analysis of point clouds is, however, limited by the lack of readily available packages with mathematically well‐defined metrics for ecologists to help interpret relevant HSC properties.

To address this gap, novel metrics are provided in the present Python package HSC3D version 0.2.0, which allows quantification of structural complexity of targeted habitats based on photogrammetry point clouds. This package is designed to help ecologists better describe the structural characteristics of a specific habitat and is bundled with visualisation functions to help interpret the computational processes used.

To demonstrate functions implemented in HSC3D we use a case study that compares the structural complexity differences formed by two intertidal ecosystem engineers, mussels and oysters. Results indicate that HSC3D is a versatile and easily adapted package, which can provide both ecological and analytical insights on photogrammetry point clouds which should prove a useful tool for ecologists wanting to quantify HSC.
Aspects of the biocontrol activity of Aureobasidium spp. strain against Penicillium expansum of apple
Authors: Cignola Rudy , Zucchinali Stefano , Firrao Guiseppe , Di Francesco Alessandra 
Published: February 2024

AbstractPenicillium expansum is a fungal pathogen of pome fruit, causing the economically important disease of apple blue mould. The fungus is also important due to its ability to produce the mycotoxin patulin. A strain of Aureobasidium spp. (UC14) was assessed for controlling P. expansum and patulin production in a series of in vitro antibiosis experiments. Volatile and non‐volatile metabolites reduced growth of P. expansum on average by 50%. To assess UC14 efficacy on apples in vivo, different concentrations of cellular suspension were assayed. The concentration 1 × 108 cells/mL was the most effective, completely suppressing apple fruits blue mould symptoms. The antagonism of UC14 was further demonstrated by the very low amount of pathogen DNA in treated fruits detected by qPCR. During cold storage, Aureobasidium strain UC14 persisted on fruits and reduced disease severity by 82.5% and 89.8%, for ‘Golden delicious’ and ‘Fuji’ apples, respectively. Aureobasidium strain UC14 reduced patulin on ‘Golden delicious’ and ‘Fuji’ apples by 98.1% and 96.2% with respect to the control, demonstrating good efficacy as a potential biological control agent (BCA), so becoming an interesting candidate for use as BCA in the postharvest phase.