bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Audit committee tenure, financial reporting quality, and auditor independence
Authors: Kohlbeck Mark , Wang Lin 
Published: February 2025

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of audit committee (AC) tenure on corporate governance, a topic that has been long debated. Social capital theory explains how directors’ effectiveness varies through tenure. Consistent with this theory, this paper argues that AC tenure has an inverted U-shaped relationship with AC governance.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper estimates a quadratic function that regresses constructs for AC governance on the average AC, the AC chair, and nonchair tenure, and their respective square terms. The constructs for AC governance include financial reporting quality measures and perceived auditor independence measures.

Findings
This paper finds that average AC, AC chair, and nonchair tenure have inverted U-shaped relationships with financial reporting quality, consistent with social capital theory. This paper also finds similar associations when examining perceived auditor independence. The results are generally consistent with AC directors accumulating knowledge and social capital, which improves AC governance to an optimal level, following which entrenchment and familiarity occur and AC governance declines.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in AC governance literature to show a nonlinear relationship between AC tenure and AC governance. This paper extends Huang and Hilary (2018) by demonstrating that a nonlinear effect is also present in the AC, a key board committee responsible for monitoring financial reporting quality and appointing auditors and approving their services. This paper further documents that the AC subsumes the effect of the overall board in some areas of AC oversight, and reconciles the inconclusive findings of prior research by showing a nonlinear relationship between AC tenure and AC governance.
Police executives' responses to social upheaval: an examination of work-related perceptions pre- and post-2020
Authors: Alaniz Kayla , King William R. , Schafer Joseph , Wells William , Jarvis John 
Published: February 2025

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to examine how mid- and upper-level police commanders' occupational perceptions shifted after the COVID-19 pandemic, upsurge in police protests, and perceived crime increases in 2020. We assess the extent to which these events altered police leaders' perceptions of stress, satisfaction, burnout and turnover intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs repeated cross-sectional survey data of over 900 police leaders who attended the FBI’s National Academy (FBINA) program. Respondents are distinguished by whether they attended the FBINA program before or after operations were suspended due to COVID-19. Bivariate tests were conducted to compare pre- and post-respondents' perceptions of stress, satisfaction, burnout and turnover intentions.FindingsThe findings indicate that post-pandemic respondents had higher turnover intentions than pre-pandemic respondents. The groups had no significant differences regarding stress, satisfaction and burnout perceptions.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggest that despite facing a global pandemic, police protests and perceived increases in crime, police leaders demonstrated high stability and resiliency. The data comprised law enforcement leaders who participated in the FBINA program; thus, the findings may not be generalizable to all officers.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to assess changes in police leaders’ work perceptions following the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise in police protests and perceived increases in crime in 2020.
Light competition affects how tree growth and survival respond to climate
Authors: Beauchamp Nathéo , Kunstler Georges , Touzot Laura , Ruiz‐Benito Paloma , Cienciala Emil , Dahlgren Jonas , Hawryło Paweł , Klopčič Matija , Lehtonen Aleksi , Šebeň Vladimír , Socha Jarosław , Zavala Miguel A. , Courbaud Benoit 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Competition between individuals is a key process that drives tree growth and survival in forests. Ecological theories predict that the effect of competition should be weaker in stressful environments. However, quantitative studies have failed to reach a consensus on the direction of the interaction between climate and competition. In this study, we demonstrate that this interaction appears clearly when we explicitly focus on light competition.

We analysed the effect of light competition on tree growth and survival along both temperature and aridity gradients for the 33 major European tree species. We collected forest inventories from nine European countries, encompassing over 1 million trees from Spain to Scandinavia. We used species‐specific crown allometric equations to connect this extensive database to the SamsaraLight ray tracing model and to calculate a tree‐based light competition index from the light intercepted by the tree crown.

Within a given species' climatic niche, the effect of light competition on tree growth and survival decreased towards both the dry and cold margins, supporting the stress gradient hypothesis. Climate mainly affected tree growth in light, with slower growth in drier or colder conditions. In contrast, for survival, climate mainly affected trees in shade, with better survival in the dry or cold stress margins.

Among species, the mean sensitivity of tree growth and survival to light competition decreased with increasing mean aridity niche and shade tolerance of the species.

Synthesis. Our study emphasises the importance of considering species‐specific interactions between light competition and climate on tree growth and survival. The impact of climate change on an individual tree is likely to depend on its light competition status within the forest stand, as well as its species‐specific climatic niche and shade tolerance.
Who accepts party policy change? The individual‐level drivers of attitudes towards party repositioning
Authors: MEIJERS MAURITS J. , DASSONNEVILLE RUTH 
Published: February 2025

AbstractExperimental research has shown that political parties often, but not always, suffer reputational costs when they change their policy positions. Yet, it is not clear who accepts and who rejects party policy change. Using newly collected observational data from five European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom), we examine the individual‐level determinants of party policy change. We examine support for policy change with a new survey item that directly captures party policy change acceptance. We theorise that acceptance of party policy change varies as a function of individuals' political attitudes such as their level of interest in politics and their ideological positions, as well as their views about democratic decision‐making. Although we find that many citizens agree that change is sometimes necessary and understand the conditions and constraints that lead parties to alter their positions, we also show that populist attitudes have a strong negative effect on accepting party policy change. A textual analysis of an open‐ended survey item furthermore indicates that those who perceive party policy change negatively, associate change with opportunism and power‐seeking. Our results imply that even though parties have some leeway to change their positions when external conditions require them to do so, populist beliefs and anti‐elite sentiment make citizens rather sceptical of the motivations that parties have when they alter their positions.
Sampling techniques and genomic analysis of biological material from artworks
Authors: Roby Rhonda K. , Wiscovitch‐Russo Rosana A. , Hart Rebecca , Appel Amanda E. , Kazmi Manija A. , Huber Thomas , Åberg Karina C. , Sakmar Thomas P. , Lorente José A. , Gonzalez‐Juarbe Norberto 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe genomic analysis of biological material from artworks can be used to guide curation, preservation, and restoration. Additionally, human DNA recovered from artworks may provide other insights. However, the recovery of biological samples from artworks is dependent on the sampling technique used and the media from which the biological materials are recovered. The ideal sampling method should be noninvasive, yet robust. We studied five artworks on paper and compared three sampling methods, each with increasing degrees of invasiveness. Minimally invasive swabbing techniques collect samples from the surface, whereas more aggressive techniques such as wet vacuuming were expected to yield more biological material from within the support media and more likely to produce authentic DNA from the artwork. We report a comparison of collection techniques to generate microbial DNA sequence data, the conserved human gene RNase P, and Y‐STRs from artworks on paper. We observed that wet vacuuming resulted in higher DNA recovery than double swabbing and core punches. Diverse microbial populations existed on the corners and centers of the five artworks studied, but the distribution of the total biomass was relatively even across the surfaces of the works sampled. Studies of peripheral regions, where sampling is less likely to cause alterations to the artwork, could thus yield useful results in microbiome and human DNA studies. These results provide a framework for sampling artworks on paper to obtain biological material. The methods described may provide microbiome identification to facilitate restoration and preservation, and might also contribute to the determination of provenance.
Examination of customized questioned digital documents
Authors: Adedayo Oluwasola Mary , Olivier Martin S. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractWith the increasing trend of digitization of business processes and personal communication across the globe, digital documents of intrinsic value continue to be created. Whereas the questioned document examination (QDE) field of forensic science deals with the examination of “physical” documents potentially disputed in a court of law, there are no developed approaches for handling questioned digital documents (QDDs). Although techniques that address related problems such as identifying document types and image forensics exist, concrete strategies for analyzing questioned “digital” documents still need to be developed. This paper focuses on developing methods to examine QDDs that are customized from a database, due to the versatile use of customized documents in many areas. As a basis for our approach, we make the case for the need to develop analysis techniques for a digital counterpart of QDE which we term Questioned Digital Document Examination (QDDE). We posit that there is a benefit in considering digital aspects of forensic science disciplines where the questions answered by the discipline are clear, from a digital perspective. The paper describes some of the aspects that can be considered in the domain of question digital document examination. In designing methods for QDDE, we discuss the process of document recreation and describe the feasibility of our recreation process in different scenarios. Our experiments show that an alternative approach of considering digital aspects from a well‐defined physical domain is worthwhile. It also supports the practical application of our approach in examining documents customized from a database.
The use of financial incentives for smoking cessation in pregnant women: A parallel‐group randomised controlled trial protocol
Authors: Hammersley Megan L. , Dekker Gustaaf A. , Gurrin Lyle C. , Hoon Elizabeth A. , Schurer Stefanie , Lynch John W. , Aldred Marnie , Dalton Julia , Fletcher Cherise J. , Smithers Lisa G. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractBackground and aimsSmoking cessation during pregnancy results in short‐ and long‐term health benefits for the mother and infant. Despite public health policies and initiatives to reduce smoking, smoking in pregnancy remains unacceptably high in Australia, particularly among populations of high disadvantage. Internationally, the use of financial incentives has shown some promise in assisting pregnant women to quit smoking, but more research is needed in different contexts. This study aims to determine the efficacy, cost‐effectiveness and acceptability of the use of financial incentives in Australia.Design2‐arm parallel‐group randomised controlled trial.SettingAustralian antenatal care setting.ParticipantsPregnant women who smoke.InterventionWomen randomised to the intervention group will receive financial incentives of increasing value at three time points throughout their pregnancy (4 and 12 weeks from the first antenatal visit and 37 weeks gestation) upon confirmation of smoking abstinence.MeasurementsThe primary comparison outcome is a composite binary measure of abstinence at three time points during pregnancy (4, 12 and 37 weeks). Smoking abstinence will be determined by a carbon monoxide breath analysis reading of ≤3 ppm. The primary statistical analysis is estimation of the absolute difference in the prevalence of abstinence at all three time points based on the intention‐to‐treat groups. A cost‐effectiveness analysis will be undertaken to quantify the social returns of the intervention. A qualitative process evaluation will also be conducted to determine fidelity, contextual factors and the acceptability of the intervention to pregnant women and healthcare workers.CommentsThis study will be the first Australian trial of financial incentives in reducing smoking in pregnancy. The findings will provide evidence on the acceptability, effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of financial incentives to reduce smoking in pregnancy in Australia.
Does Maternal Location of Residence Affect Low Birth Weight Outcomes in Hunter New England Local Health District?
Authors: Britten Polly R. , McNaughton Darcy L. , Moore Samantha L. , Edwards Shelby A. , Brown Leanne J. , Weaver Natasha , Schumacher Tracy L. 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTBackgroundLow birth weight (LBW) is associated with adverse short‐term and long‐term health outcomes for neonates. The impact of maternal geographical location on rates of LBW in Australia is conflicted in existing literature.AimsThe aim was to identify if a difference in rates of LBW exist between neonates born to rural versus metropolitan maternal residence. Secondary aim was to identify any associated factors influencing LBW.Materials and MethodsA secondary data analysis of retrospective health surveillance data from all births from 2018 to 2022 in the Hunter New England Local Health District (New South Wales, Australia) was performed. Logistic regression was used to determine odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio of LBW for rural versus metropolitan residence.ResultsA total of 39,579 neonates were included in this analysis, with 50.9% of the maternal cohort residing rurally. Median maternal was age 29.2 years. Rates of LBW were higher in rural maternal residence (5.7%) compared to metropolitan residence (5.2%). Odds of neonatal LBW did not differ between rural and maternal metropolitan residence after adjusting for confounders (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 0.90, 95% CI 0.79–1.01, p = 0.07). Socioeconomic disadvantage was significantly identified as an issue associated with LBW.ConclusionsLBW neonates were more likely to be born to rural maternal residence and LBW risk factors disproportionately affected those living in rural locations. To reduce LBW in neonates, it is imperative that access to safe and affordable healthcare is available, and resources addressing LBW risk factors are specific to geographical locations.
Efficacy of transabdominal cerclage by open laparotomy relative to existing risk factors
Authors: Hulshoff Cecile C. , Spaanderman Marc E. A. , Scholten Ralph R. , van Drongelen Joris 
Published: February 2025

AbstractIntroductionTo prevent extreme preterm birth, women with cervical insufficiency are eligible for transabdominal cerclage in case of prior failure or technical impossibility for transvaginal cerclage. This study aimed to identify patient characteristics that affect the success rate of transabdominal cerclage to prevent extreme preterm birth in women with cervical insufficiency.Material and MethodsSingle‐center retrospective cohort study in 87 women who underwent transabdominal cerclage by open laparotomy during first and early second trimester of pregnancy over a 20‐year period. Participants were divided into subgroups according to indication for the intervention. Linear regression and meta‐regression‐analyses were performed to assess the effect of mean cervical length (before and after transabdominal cerclage placement) and gestational age of previous preterm birth, on gestational age at delivery. Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to evaluate treatment effects on gestational age at delivery.ResultsOf 87 women, 62 women underwent a history‐indicated and 25 an ultrasound‐indicated transabdominal cerclage. Fetal survival was 92%: 91% in the history‐indicated and 96% in the ultrasound‐indicated group. Median gestational age at delivery was 37.3 weeks, with a median pregnancy prolongation of 163.0 days and with 92% of deliveries ≥34 weeks. Between groups, irrespective of singleton and twin pregnancies, outcomes were comparable. Gestational age at delivery was neither affected by cervical length before transabdominal cerclage, distance between transabdominal cerclage and external os, gestational age of previous preterm birth nor additional progesterone treatment.ConclusionsThe efficacy of transvaginal cerclage placement via open laparotomy during high‐risk pregnancy is favorable and relates to fetal survival of 92%. Regardless of indication, pregnancy outcomes after transabdominal cerclage are similar, and independent of gestational age at previous preterm birth, cervical length before transabdominal cerclage placement, distance between transabdominal cerclage and external os, and additional progesterone administration.
What Happens When the Gig Is Up? The Relationship Between Gig Work Histories and Future Career Prospects
Authors: Song Fei , Lamb Danielle , Soltanzadeh Kamran 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTDespite the increasing popularity of gig work, often performed via online marketplaces and platforms, relatively little is known about how such work experiences may influence jobseekers’ future career trajectories. We explore the potential employment signals associated with gig work histories to gain some preliminary understanding of the mechanisms accounting for these signals. We carry out two survey experiments that simulate the hiring decisions of fictitious jobseekers with gig work histories to examine the labour market signals associated with gig work and the extent to which gig work experiences are (more) less preferred to standard employment histories. The findings of Study 1 reveal that for lower skilled jobs (i.e., the delivery driver), gig work experience is not perceived as inferior, nor does it impede employment prospects in the traditional labour market. However, for jobs requiring higher levels of education and/or skill (i.e., the retail manager and the graphic designer), a candidate with standard employment plus a gig work side‐hustle is perceived qualitatively the same, but those with only gig work experience, even that which makes use of similar skillsets, are perceived as less desirable. Furthermore, we find that perceptions of lower human capital and a negative signal mediate the relationship between gig work history and the decision to hire the fictitious candidate. In Study 2, added as a replication and extension of Study 1, we found that the lower skilled job was perceived more negatively when the candidate had only gig work experience, whereas higher skilled jobs performed in the gig economy were associated with perceptions of lower human capital. We discuss the implications of the differences in perceptions of gig work for research, practice and society in general.
Occupational Dermatoses in Parachute Riggers: A Cross‐Sectional Observational Study
Authors: Sashindran V. K. , Kothari Rohit , Kumar Rahul 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTBackgroundParachute riggers are specialised tradesmen involved in packing parachutes. Occupational dermatoses have never been studied in them despite their job entailing hard manual work.ObjectivesTo observe, diagnose, record and characterise various hand and nail changes and diseases in parachute riggers.MethodsParachute riggers working at Paratrooper Training School (PTS), Agra, India, consenting to participate in the study were enrolled. A brief history and hand and nail changes seen using a hand‐lens were recorded. Data were analysed using R‐Project for Statistical Computing version R 3.6.2 for Windows.ResultsA total of 76 participants were examined. The mean age was 29.6 years and the mean duration of employment was 29.7 months. All were males. Callosities and loss of cuticle were the commonest abnormalities present in 61 (80.2%) and 57 (75%) participants, respectively. Other common changes were pitted scars 24 (31.5%), xeroderma 23 (30.2%), pigmentary changes 21 (27.6%), onychoschizia 10 (13.1%) and splinter haemorrhages 5 (6.5%). The most common diseases observed were dermatitis (21%) and onychomycosis. The odds ratio for occurrence of callosities decreased with age (OR 0.889, 95% CI 0.825–0.957, p = 0.002). Spearman's rank coefficient of correlation showed a statistically significant negative association between the number of hand and nail changes observed and duration of employment (Spearman's ρ = − 0.25, p = 0.03).ConclusionMost of the changes observed were secondary to repeated friction, pressure and dryness of hands. Emphasising adequate corrective measures involving barrier creams, good quality gloves and health education may significantly reduce the incidence of these changes.
A landscape scale assessment of domestic cat occurrence in boreal forests
Authors: Nyheim Øyvind Skarsgard , Semper‐Pascual Asunción , Odden John , Thorsen Neri Horntvedt , Bischof Richard 
Published: February 2025

AbstractDomestic cats (Felis catus), both feral animals and pets, are a major threat to biodiversity. While domestic cats are closely associated with human residences and activity, they also range into and impact natural areas. We still know little about how free‐ranging cats use natural and semi‐natural areas. We quantified cat occurrence at 405 forest sites in Norway over 3 years using occupancy modeling, and tested how occurrence patterns were influenced by relevant landscape variables. Cat occupancy decreased with increasing distance from residential houses, being >60% within 50 m of the nearest house, but even at 1000 m distance, occupancy still exceeded 10%. When cats were present in forests, they were more likely to be detected close to forest edges. Detection probability was lowest and declined more steeply with increased distance from the forest edge during winter, when temperature, vegetation cover, and prey availability are at their lowest. We conclude that cats may pose a threat in natural areas like forests even at considerable distances from residences. We encourage further studies that investigate the role of landscape characteristics and environmental conditions on habitat penetration by both feral and pet domestic cats.