bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A positive feedback mechanism? Institutional responsiveness to bribery reporting by citizens in 12 African countries
Authors: Barbabela Letícia 
Published: January 2024

AbstractPaying bribes to access public services is a common form of corruption faced by citizens worldwide. A standard policy recommendation to address this problem is to create secure channels and encourage citizens to report bribery to authorities. Bribery reporting tools aim to decrease the incidence of bribery, but they could also serve to bolster anti-corruption commitment. Can bribery reporting channels also inspire citizens to fight corruption? This paper tests the claim that institutional responsiveness to bribery reporting triggers a positive feedback mechanism. The positive feedback mechanism refers to the proposition that advertising successful cases of institutional responsiveness not only persuades citizens of institutional commitment to fighting corruption but also inspires them to uptake various anti-corruption activities. The empirical strategy relies on Afrobarometer survey data from 12 countries, specifically focusing on individuals reporting bribery incidents who also answer a survey question about the subsequent actions taken by authorities. The paper assesses the persuasion effect by examining whether institutional responsiveness correlates with more positive perceptions of public institutions. Additionally, the paper assesses the inspiration effect by investigating whether this responsiveness is associated with citizens' willingness to take part in anti-corruption activities. The findings show that, even though those who have observed responsiveness to bribery reporting tend to evaluate public institutions more positively, they do not seem more willing to engage against corruption than those who do not observe responsiveness.
Impact of organised colorectal cancer screening on age-specific population incidences: evidence from a quasi-experimental study in Sweden
Authors: Chauca Strand Gabriella , Strömberg Ulf , Forsberg Anna , Bonander Carl 
Published: January 2024

AbstractColorectal cancer (CRC) incurs a significant disease burden globally. Organised CRC screening programmes have been widely implemented for early detection and prevention. To understand the public health impact of these programmes, quantitative evidence of changes in overall and age-specific population incidences is fundamental. We aimed to provide such evidence by exploiting a time lag in the implementation of organised screening in Sweden: two out of 21 regions (these two regions comprise nearly 20% of the total Swedish population) have offered organised screening since 2008; the other regions have offered CRC screening since 2021. Using registry data on diagnosed CRC cases and socio-demographics for all regions in Sweden over the period 1970–2019, Bayesian structural time series modelling and difference-in-differences were applied to analyse the impact of screening on age-specific population incidences over time (CRC cases per 100.000 persons/year). After inviting birth-year cohorts aged 60–69 years for stool-based testing, the incidence rate in the 70–74-year age group decreased significantly over time, with an average reduction of − 44·40 (95% CI − 58·15 to − 31·31) from 2011 to 2019 in the intervention regions. In the overall population aged 60–74 years, there was a net incidence decrease of − 7·99 (95% CI − 13·85 to − 2·39) since the initiation of organised screening in the intervention regions (2008–2019). Organised CRC screening for 60–69-year-olds generated a change in age-specific incidence patterns with a long-lasting incidence decrease in the 70–74-year-old population, implying reductions in the excess mortality and burden of the disease.
Images say more than just words: visual versus text communication to dispel a rent-control misconception
Authors: Brandts Jordi , Busom Isabel , Lopez-Mayan Cristina , Panadés Judith 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe highly popular belief that rent-control leads to an increase in the amount of affordable housing is in contradiction with ample empirical evidence and congruent theoretical explanations. It can therefore be qualified as a misconception. We present the results of a preregistered on-line experiment in which we study how to dispel this misconception using a refutational approach in two different formats, a video and a text. We find that the refutational video has a significantly higher positive impact on revising the misconception than a refutational text. This effect is driven by individuals who initially agreed with it and depart from it after the treatment. The refutational text, in turn, does not have a significant impact relative to a non-refutational text. Higher cognitive reflective ability is positively associated with revising beliefs in all interventions. Our research shows that visual communication effectively reduces the gap between scientific economic knowledge and the views of citizens.
The world turned upside down: Can international student mobility contribute towards democratization and human development? Evidence from the Eurograduate pilot survey
Authors: Mihut Georgiana 
Published: January 2024

AbstractPolitical, social, environmental, and health challenges have questioned the relevance and sustainability of international student mobility (ISM). Strong critiques towards ISM stem from current global challenges but are also rightfully prevalent among scholars of internationalization. In response to the sustained critique of ISM, this article makes the case that—despite its limitations—ISM can contribute towards important public good outcomes and serve broader institutional and higher education sector aims. Public good is operationalized as referring to markers of democratization—trust in others and political participation—and markers of human development—self-reported competency levels and happiness. Data from eight European countries collected through the Eurograduate 2018 pilot survey is used to test the association between study abroad and democratization and human development markers. By doing so, the paper aims to understand if ISM can help address some of the democratization and human development challenges faced at national, regional, and global levels. The paper also observes how these outcomes vary between international, migrant, and domestic graduates. In this article, the juxtaposition of migrant graduates—an under-researched group in internationalization studies—with international graduates highlights how migrant students and graduates can be better supported. Results offer a complex picture of inequality between international, migrant, and domestic graduates. Findings also show that studying abroad is positively associated with trust in others, political participation, higher self-reported competency levels, and happiness, underlining the public good value of ISM.
Is Immersion in 3D Virtual Games Associated with Mathematical Ability Improvement in Game-Based Learning?
Authors: Christopoulos Athanasios , Mystakidis Stylianos , Kurczaba Justyna , Laakso Mikko-Jussi , Stylios Chrysostomos 
Published: January 2024

AbstractPrevious studies have found positive effects of Game-Based Learning for mathematics. While most studies assume that this effect is explained by the presence of flow/immersion during games, this has not yet been established. The aim of the current study is to verify if immersion indeed is associated with mathematical skills improvement when using a Game-Based Learning intervention. This was tested among 59 Greek high school students, using authentic design. After having received a traditional education module, the students were tested and then engaged for four weeks in a desktop-based 3D Virtual Learning Environment where they could play mathematic minigames. They were subsequently re-tested to verify if they showed a significant increase in mathematical skills. The students showed an improvement in their mathematical skills (Cohen’s d = 1.26), with significant results for functions, geometry, and thinking skills and methods. On the individual level, about half of the students showed a 10% increase in one of the domains (numbers & calculations, functions, geometry, thinking skills and methods, and algorithms and number theory). Immersion was found to be reflected by engagement and presence, but neither one of these aspects was associated with mathematical achievement after the intervention. It is concluded that Game-Based Learning is an effective approach to increasing mathematical skills, yet the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. The authors discuss several alternative mechanisms based on the literature that can be verified in future studies.
The Infinity Laplacian Eigenvalue Problem: Reformulation and a Numerical Scheme
Authors: Bozorgnia Farid , Bungert Leon , Tenbrinck Daniel 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIn this work, we present an alternative formulation of the higher eigenvalue problem associated to the infinity Laplacian, which opens the door for numerical approximation of eigenfunctions. A rigorous analysis is performed to show the equivalence of the new formulation to the traditional one. Subsequently, we present consistent monotone schemes to approximate infinity ground states and higher eigenfunctions on grids. We prove that our method converges (up to a subsequence) to a viscosity solution of the eigenvalue problem, and perform numerical experiments which investigate theoretical conjectures and compute eigenfunctions on a variety of different domains.
Incremental and transformational adaptation to climate change among Indigenous Peoples and local communities: a global review
Authors: Zant Marijn , Schlingmann Anna , Reyes-García Victoria , García-del-Amo David 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAround the world, Indigenous Peoples and local communities are exposed to different climate change impacts to which they respond in a myriad of ways. Despite this diversity, there are few comparative studies assessing the magnitude of livelihood system change resulting from Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ responses to climate change impacts. Drawing on the analysis of 210 peer-reviewed publications, we analyze 3292 Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ responses to climate change impacts, focusing on the magnitude of change they entail. Globally, Indigenous Peoples and local communities are actively adjusting their livelihood activities, most frequently applying incremental responses. However, in half of the case studies, communities fully or partially transform their livelihoods to respond to climate change impacts. Both incremental and transformational responses can have adverse impacts on Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ lives. Trends in the magnitude of livelihood changes are similar across climates and livelihoods except for responses in (semi-)arid climates, where most intermediate and transformational responses take place, and for responses in cultivation, where most incremental changes take place. When transformational adaptation occurs, Indigenous Peoples and local communities often not only give up their livelihood strategy, but also their culture and way of living.
Attention computing for enhanced visuomotor skill performance: Testing the effectiveness of gaze-adaptive cues in virtual reality golf putting
Authors: Harris David , Donaldson Ross , Bray Max , Arthur Tom , Wilson Mark , Vine Sam 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThis work explored how immersive technologies like virtual reality can be exploited for improved motor learning. While virtual reality is becoming a practical replacement for training that is otherwise expensive, dangerous, or inconvenient to deliver, virtual simulations can also enhance the learning process. Based on the concept of ‘attention computing’, we developed and tested a novel ‘gaze-adaptive’ training method within a virtual putting environment augmented with eye and motion tracking. To our knowledge, this work is the first application of attention computing and adaptive virtual reality to sports skill training. Novice golfers were randomly assigned to either standard putting practice in virtual reality (control) or gaze-adaptive training conditions. For gaze-adaptive training, the golf ball was sensitive to the participant’s gaze and illuminated when fixated upon, to prompt longer and more stable pre-shot fixations. We recorded the effect of these training conditions on task performance, gaze control, and putting kinematics. Gaze-adaptive training was successful in generating more expert-like gaze control and putting kinematics, although this did not transfer to improved performance outcomes within the abbreviated training paradigm. These findings suggest that gaze-adaptive environments can enhance visuomotor learning and may be a promising method for augmenting virtual training environments.
Application of behavioural theories, models, and frameworks in pharmacy practice research based on published evidence: a scoping review
Authors: Nazar Zachariah , Naseralallah Lina Mohammad , Stewart Derek , Paudyal Vibhu , Shafei Laila , Weidmann Anita 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Pharmacy practice research often focuses on the design, implementation and evaluation of pharmacy services and interventions. The use of behavioural theory in intervention research allows understanding of interventions’ mechanisms of action and are more likely to result in effective and sustained interventions.

Aim
To collate, summarise and categorise the reported behavioural frameworks, models and theories used in pharmacy practice research.

Method
PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science and EBSCO (CINAHL PLUS, British Education index, ERIC) were systematically searched to capture all pharmacy practice articles that had reported the use of behavioural frameworks, theories, or models since inception of the database. Results were filtered to include articles published in English in pharmacy practice journals. Full-text screening and data extraction were independently performed by two reviewers. A narrative synthesis of the data was adopted. Studies were reviewed for alignment to the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) framework to identify in which phase(s) of the research that the theory/model/framework had been employed.

Results
Fifty articles met the inclusion criteria; a trend indicating an increasing frequency of behavioural theory/frameworks/models within pharmacy practice research was identified; the most frequently reported were Theory of Planned Behaviour and Theoretical Domains Framework. Few studies provided explicit and comprehensive justification for adopting a specific theory/model/framework and description of how it underpinned the research was lacking. The majority were investigations exploring determinants of behaviours, or facilitators and barriers to implementing or delivering a wide range of pharmacy services and initiatives within a variety of clinical settings (aligned to Phase 1 UK MRC framework).

Conclusion
This review serves as a useful resource for future researchers to inform their investigations. Greater emphasis to adopt a systematic approach in the reporting of the use of behavioural theories/models/frameworks will benefit pharmacy practice research and will support researchers in utilizing behavioural theories/models/framework in aspects of pharmacy practice research beyond intervention development.
The Assemblage and Dismantling of Access Barriers in Administrative Bureaucracies: Constructing the Problem of Diversity in the German Welfare State
Authors: Petzke Martin 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe article extends the literature on the construction of “diversity management” by personnel managers in corporate America. Such research has highlighted that Human Resource (HR) specialists draw heavily on social-scientific thinking in implementing various remedies against discrimination. However, it has paid less attention to how such esoteric views of reality, comprising such “things” as “structural barriers” impeding occupational advancement and “diversity sensitivity,” have been successfully established as a self-evident reality in the workplace. In order to more thoroughly investigate how the world of diversity management is established outside the circle of academic specialists, the article employs perspectives from science and technology studies on the ways in which sociotechnical assemblages, i.e., networks of human actors and material devices, enact scientific ontologies. It applies such perspectives to a German case of diversity management, a program of “intercultural opening” that seeks to make bureaucracies of the welfare state more accessible to immigrants. The article delineates the specific ontology behind this version of diversity management, rooted in sociological perspectives on social mobility, and explores the various techniques and instruments through which officers of intercultural opening establish this ontology as a visible reality in municipal administrations.
Straightening the ‘value-laden turn’: minimising the influence of extra-scientific values in science
Authors: Stamenkovic Philippe 
Published: January 2024

AbstractStraightening the current ‘value-laden turn’ (VLT) in the philosophical literature on values in science, and reviving the legacy of the value-free ideal of science (VFI), this paper argues that the influence of extra-scientific values should be minimised—not excluded—in the core phase of scientific inquiry where claims are accepted or rejected. Noting that the original arguments for the VFI (ensuring the truth of scientific knowledge, respecting the autonomy of science results users, preserving public trust in science) have not been satisfactorily addressed by proponents of the VLT, it proposes four prerequisites which any model for values in the acceptance/rejection phase of scientific inquiry should respect, coming from the fundamental requirement to distinguish between facts and values: (1) the truth of scientific knowledge must be ensured; (2) the uncertainties associated with scientific claims must be stated clearly; (3) claims accepted into the scientific corpus must be distinguished from claims taken as a basis for action. An additional prerequisite of (4) simplicity and systematicity is desirable, if the model is to be applicable. Methodological documents from international institutions and regulation agencies are used to illustrate the prerequisites. A model combining Betz’s conception (stating uncertainties associated with scientific claims) and Hansson’s corpus model (ensuring the truth of the scientific corpus and distinguishing it from other claims taken as a basis for action) is proposed. Additional prerequisites are finally suggested for future research, stemming from the requirement for philosophy of science to self-reflect on its own values: (5) any model for values in science must be descriptively and normatively relevant; and (6) its consequences must be thoroughly assessed.
Assessment of heavy metals at mangrove ecosystem, applying multiple approaches using in-situ and remote sensing techniques, Red Sea, Egypt
Authors: Mohammed Asmaa H. , Khalifa Ahmed M. , Mohamed Hagar M. , Abd El-Wahid Kareem H. , Hanafy Mahmoud H. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractMangrove areas are considered the most retention zone for heavy metal pollution as it work as an edge that aggregates land and sea sediments. This study aims to examine if the heavy metals’ existence in the mangrove sediment is related to contamination or natural resources. In addition, it gives an interpretation of the origin of these metals along the Egyptian Red Sea coast. Twenty-two samples of mangrove sediments were collected and then, analyzed for metals (Mn, Ni, Cu, Fe, Cd, Ag, and Pb) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Integration between the in-situ data, contamination indices, and remote sensing and geographical information science (GIS), and multivariate statistical analysis techniques (PCA) were analyzed to assess and clarify the spatial origin of heavy metals in sediment at a regional scale. The average concentration of heavy metals from mangrove sediments were shown to be substantially lower than the referenced value, ranging from moderate to significant except the levels of Ag were very high. The heavy metals concentrations were expected to be naturally origin rather than anthropogenic and that be confirmed by mapping of Red Sea alteration zones spots. These alteration zones are parallel to mangrove sites and rich by several mineralization types including heavy metals that are carried by flooding to the coastline. Remote sensing and GIS techniques successfully contributed to interpreting the pattern of the origin of heavy metals and discharging systems that control the heavy metals concentration along the Red Sea coast.
Efficient, fast, simple, and eco-friendly methods for separation of toxic chromium(VI) ions based on ion exchangers and polymer materials impregnated with Cyphos IL 101, Cyphos IL 104, or D2EHPA
Authors: Witt Katarzyna , Kaczorowska Małgorzata A. , Bożejewicz Daria 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIn this study, we present the results of the first comparison of the elimination of toxic Cr(VI) ions, which are hazardous contamination of the environment, from aqueous solutions using ion exchangers (IEs) and polymer materials (PMs) impregnated with D2EHPA or ionic liquids (Cyphos IL 101 and Cyphos IL 104). Sorption of Cr(VI) ions and desorption from the formulated sorption materials were carried out. In comparison, classical solvent extraction was accomplished. Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used for characterization of the structure of developed IEs and PMs. The highest efficiency of adsorption of Cr(VI) ions was obtained using PMs with ionic liquids (>82%). Desorption from these materials were also very efficient (>75%). On the contrary, the application of IEs allowed for obtaining the best results of both, sorption and desorption processes when using D2EHPA (75% and 72%, respectively). The application of PMs and IEs is part of the green chemistry, and the conducted elimination of chromium(VI) ions using developed materials allows for the conclusion that they can potentially be used on a larger scale, e.g., for the treatment of industrial wastewater rich in Cr(VI) ions.
A bibliometric evaluation and visualization of global solar power generation research: productivity, contributors and hot topics
Authors: Lyu Xiaozan , Ruan Tianqi , Wang Wujun , Cai Xiaojing 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe demand for sustainable energy is increasingly urgent to mitigate global warming which has been exacerbated by the extensive use of fossil fuels. Solar energy has attracted global attention as a crucial renewable resource. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis based on publication metrics from the Web of Science database to gain insights into global solar power research. The results indicate a stable global increase in publications on solar power generation and a rise in citations, reflecting growing academic interest. Leading contributors include China, the USA, South Korea, Japan, and India, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences emerging as the most prolific institution. Multidisciplinary Materials Science, Applied Physics, Energy and Fuels, Physical Chemistry, and Nanoscience and Nanotechnology were the most used and promising subject categories. Current hot topics include the systematic analysis of photovoltaic systems, perovskite as a solar cell material, and focusing on stability and flexibility issues arising during photovoltaic-grid integration. This study facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the status and trends in solar power research for researchers, stakeholders, and policy-makers.