bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Corporate incentives for obtaining higher level of carbon assurance: seeking legitimacy or improving performance?
Authors: Rohani Alireza , Jabbour Mirna , Aliyu Sulaiman 
Published: December 2022

PurposeWith the growing attention around carbon emissions disclosure, the demand for external carbon assurance on emissions reports has been increasing by stakeholders as it provides additional credibility and confidence. This study investigates the association between the higher level of external carbon assurance and improvement in a firm's carbon emissions. It provides an understanding of corporate incentives for obtaining a higher level of carbon assurance, particularly in relation to carbon performance enhancements.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from 170 US companies for the period 2012–2017 and are analysed using a change analysis. Generalised method of moment (GMM) is used to address endogeneity.FindingsFollowing the rationales taken by legitimacy and “outside-in” management views, the findings reveal that a higher level of carbon assurance (i.e. reasonable assurance) marginally improves firms' carbon performance (i.e. reported carbon emissions). This is consistent with “outside-in” management view suggesting that a higher level of assurance could be utilised as a tool for accessing more information about stakeholders' needs and concerns, which can be useful in enhancing carbon performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are generalisable to US firms and may not extend to other contexts.Practical implicationsThe implication of this study for companies is that a high level of sustainability assurance is a useful tool to access detailed information about stakeholder concerns, of which internalisation can help to marginally improve carbon performance. For policymakers, the insights into and enhanced understanding of the incentives for obtaining carbon assurance can help policymakers to develop effective policies and initiatives for carbon assurance. Considering the possible improvements in carbon performance when obtaining a high level of sustainability verification, governments need to consider mandating carbon assurance.Originality/valueThis study extends the existing studies of assurance in sustainability context as well as in carbon context by explaining why companies voluntarily get expensive external verification (i.e. higher level of assurance) of their carbon emissions disclosure. This study responds to calls in the literature for empirical research investigating the association between environmental performance and external assurance with a focus on level of assurance.HighlightsA higher level of carbon assurance Marginally improves firms' carbon performance.Corporate incentives to obtain higher level of carbon assurance is beyond seeking legitimacy.Higher level of assurance is a useful tool for accessing more information about stakeholders' concerns.Consistent with “ouside-in”management view, companies internalise stakeholders' concerns to marginally improve performance.
Paradoxes on sustainable performance in Dhaka’s enterprising community: a moderated-mediation evidence from textile manufacturing SMEs
Authors: Hossain Mohammad Imtiaz , Teh Boon Heng , Tabash Mosab I. , Alam Mohammad Nurul , Ong Tze San 
Published: December 2022

Purpose
Manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are heading towards smart manufacturing despite growing challenges caused by globalisation and rapid technological advancement. These SMEs, particularly textile SMEs of Bangladesh, also face challenges in implementing sustainability and organisational ambidexterity (OA) due to resource constraints and limitations of conventional leadership styles. Adopting paradoxical leadership (PL) and entrepreneurial bricolage (EB) is important to overcome the challenges. However, these dynamics are less explored in academia, especially in the Bangladeshi textile SMEs context. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the adoption of smart technologies (ASTs), PL and OA, EB on sustainable performance (SP) of textile SMEs in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional and primary quantitative survey was conducted. Data from 361 textile SMEs were collected using a structured self-administrated questionnaire and analysed by partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

Findings
The statistical outcome confirms that ASTs and PL significantly influence SP and OA. OA plays a significant mediating role for PL and is insignificant for ASTs, and EB significantly moderates among ASTs, PL and SP.

Research limitations/implications
As this study is cross-sectional and focussed on a single city (Dhaka, Bangladesh), conducting longitudinal studies and considering other parts of the country can provide exciting findings.

Practical implications
This research provides valuable insights for policymakers, management and textile SMEs in developing and developed countries. By adopting unique and innovative OA, PL and EB approaches, manufacturing SMEs, especially textile companies, can be more sustainable.

Originality/value
This study has a novel, pioneering contribution, as it empirically validates the role of multiple constructs such as AST, PL, OA and EB towards SP in the context of textile SMEs in a developing country like Bangladesh.
Community knowledge and the role of libraries and librarians in the current digital age
Authors: Kinoti Antony Mwenda , Otike Fredrick 
Published: December 2022

Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the impact of community knowledge and the role that libraries and librarians can contribute to bridging the information gap.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopted the literature review method in comprehensively exploring the impact that community knowledge is being embraced in the current generation.

Findings
This paper established that the sprout and appreciation of community knowledge is on the rise, as such, libraries and librarians need to establish appropriate avenues through which their users can be able to verify authentic community knowledge as a way of eliminating information disorder.

Originality/value
This study analyses community knowledge and its benefits in the current digital age and how libraries and librarians can be relevant information providers to their users.
The wisdom of crowd, real option and game theory decisions: can they be used by clubs to improve their investment in football players?
Authors: Rubio Martín Gracia , Miguel García Conrado M. , González Sánchez Francisco José , Féliz Navarrete Álvaro 
Published: December 2022

PurposeThe aim of this work is to explain the final negotiated prices for some of the most famous transfers of football players over the last twelve years (2007–2018).Design/methodology/approachThe article analyses different values for forwards taken from the sports website Transfermarkt, developing a statistical model based on personal, performance, risk, environmental and popularity variables. From those values, the article finds an explanation for the final prices paid for 20 superstar players based on a combination of real option valuations, incorporating the players' life cycles and game theory.FindingsThe authors find that in a large percentage (70%) of the analysed cases, the price paid was higher than the intrinsic market value resulting from Transfermarkt, implying the existence of monopolistic rents, paid as “growth options” on prices from different negotiating conditions. On occasions, the final prices also exceed the value of the growth option, calculated under neutral bargaining conditions, highlighting the lack of economic viability of important transfers, leading to financial difficulties for the clubs involved.Originality/valueThe algorithm provides more flexibility and realism than previous proposals, based on the life cycle of football players, introducing the uncertainty and volatility of projections through Monte Carlo simulation, the capacity of clubs to bargain a price at any point of the contract and finally, the buyer's ability to transfer the player if his subsequent performance is not as expected.
Decoding consumers' CSR scepticism: service recovery experience perspective
Authors: Kushwah Mihir Kumar , Srivastava Himanshu Shekhar 
Published: December 2022

PurposeThis study examines the impact of the brand's corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumers' brand experience and, in turn, consumers' intention of word-of-mouth (WoM). The study also investigates customer satisfaction with service recovery (CSATR) as a boundary condition for the proposed relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a survey-based research design to test the conceptual model. A structured questionnaire was distributed to the participants through a survey link. A total of 276 valid responses were used and analysed using Smart PLS3, a structural equation modelling technique.FindingsResults of this study demonstrate that perceived CSR have a positive impact on brand experience which eventually affects the WoM intention. Also CSATR moderates the relationship between brand experience and WoM such that satisfaction (dissatisfaction) with service recovery enhances (reduces) the effect of brand experience on WoM.Practical implicationsManagers can use CSR as a communication tool to enhance consumers' brand experience and focus on service recovery as a successful service recovery can enhance WoM over and above CSR.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate brand experience as a mediator of CSR and WoM from the lens of signalling theory. The study also tries to address the scepticism of the consumers related to WoM for a brand's CSR by incorporating the service aspect into the CSR.
Metabolic risks and prognosis of COVID-19: are dietary patterns important?
Authors: Bakırhan Hande , Özyürek Arpa Fatmanur , Uğur Halime , Pehlivan Merve , Saleki Neda , Çelik Tuğba 
Published: December 2022

PurposeThis study aims to identify the dietary patterns of two groups of subjects (with and without COVID-19), and to assess the relationship of findings with the prognosis of COVID-19 and metabolic risk parameters.Design/methodology/approachThis study included 100 individuals in the age range of 19–65 years. The medical history, and data on biochemical, hematological and inflammatory indicators were retrieved from the files. A questionnaire for the 24-h food record and the food intake frequency was administered in face-to-face interviews, and dietary patterns of subjects were assessed.FindingsIn individuals with COVID-19, the hip circumference, the waist-hip ratio and the body fat percentage were significantly higher (p< 0.05), and the muscle mass percentage was significantly lower (p< 0.05). Mediterranean diet adherence screener (MEDAS), dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) and healthy eating ındex-2015 (HEI-2015) scores were low in the two groups. A linear correlation of DASH scores was found with the muscle mass percentage (p= 0.046) and a significant inverse correlation of with the body fat percentage (p= 0.006). HEI-2015 scores were significantly and negatively correlated with body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference and neck circumference (p< 0.05). Every one-unit increase in MEDAS, DASH and HEI-2015 scores caused reductions in C-reactive protein levels at different magnitudes. Troponin-I was significantly and negatively correlated with fruit intake (p= 0.044), a component of a Mediterranean diet and with HEI-2015 total scores (p= 0.032).Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this study includes the small sample size and the lack of dietary interventions. Another limitation is the use of the food recall method for the assessment of dietary patterns. This way assessments were performed based on participants’ memory and statements.Practical implicationsFollowing a healthy diet pattern can help reduce the metabolic risks of COVİD-19 disease.Originality/valueDespite these limitations, this study is valuable because, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study demonstrating the association of dietary patterns with disease prognosis and metabolic risks concerning COVID-19. This study suggests that dietary patterns during the COVID-19 process may be associated with several metabolic risks and inflammatory biomarkers.
Early spring orchard pollinators spill over from resource‐rich adjacent forest patches
Authors: Urban‐Mead Katherine R. , Van Dyke Maria , Muñiz Paige , Young Andrew D. , Danforth Bryan N. , McArt Scott H. 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Pollinator communities are more abundant and diverse in agricultural matrices with more natural habitat, although the reasons for these correlations remain unclear. It is possible that forest fragments and edges provide resources for pollinators in important early weeks of spring, after which time those insects can then ‘spill over’ into crops such as apple orchards during bloom.

To explore how forest edges may feed and therefore promote flower visitor communities in adjacent agricultural habitats, we sampled springtime pollinators in nine orchards and their adjacent forest edge canopies and understories. We identified pollen consumed by pan‐trapped bees and flower flies to assess if pollinators ate pollen where they were caught, and if their diets similarly ‘spill over’ from forest to orchard. We further explored sex differences in habitat usage.

Our spatially replicated sampling found that bee and flower fly abundance peaks first in the forest understorey, then in the forest canopy and finally in the orchard.

Analysis of digestive tracts showed significant usage of forest canopy pollen throughout the spring, especially before apple bloom. Pollinators had often eaten pollen from a different habitat than the one in which they were caught, suggesting frequent movement between habitats. Digestive tract pollen is an underused but powerful avenue for ecological insight.

In Andrena, which are important orchard pollinators and one of the most abundant wild bee taxa in this study, male bees were primarily found in the woods but not the orchards where conspecific females were later active.

Synthesis and applications: Forested areas, especially forest canopy trees, provide large amounts of early spring resources that facilitate build‐up and spillover of wild pollinator populations into apple orchards during bloom. Forests also provide critical habitat for male bees, which were rarely found in orchards. Despite their importance for bee reproduction, the needs of male bees are usually not considered in conservation planning. Overall, our data indicate that ensuring there is adequate forest habitat adjacent to orchards can improve the long‐term sustainability of pollinator populations that provide essential crop pollination services.
CMS Initiative to Reduce Potentially Avoidable Hospitalizations Among Long‐Stay Nursing Facility Residents: Lessons Learned
Authors: TYLER DENISE A. , FENG ZHANLIAN , GRABOWSKI DAVID C. , BERCAW LAWREN , SEGELMAN MICAH , KHATUTSKY GALINA , WANG JOYCE , GASDASKA ANGELA , INGBER MELVIN J. 
Published: December 2022

Policy Points
Misaligned incentives between Medicare and Medicaid may result in avoidable hospitalizations among long‐stay nursing home residents.
Providing nursing homes with clinical staff, such as nurse practitioners, was more effective in reducing resident hospitalizations than providing Medicare incentive payments alone.
ContextIn 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations Among Nursing Facility Residents. In Phase 1 (2012 to 2016), clinical or education‐based interventions (Clinical‐Only) aimed to reduce hospitalizations among long‐stay nursing home residents. In Phase 2 (2016 to 2020), the Initiative also included a Medicare payment incentive for treating residents with certain conditions within the nursing home. Nursing homes participating in Phase 1 continued their previous interventions and received the incentive (Clinical + Payment) and others received the incentive only (Payment‐Only).MethodsMixed methods were used to determine the effectiveness of the Initiative and explore facilitators of and barriers to implementation that participating nursing homes experienced. We used telephone and in‐person interviews to investigate aspects of implementation and a difference‐in‐differences regression model framework comparing residents in participating and nonparticipating nursing homes to determine the effect of the Initiative on measures of utilization, expenditures, and quality.FindingsThree key components were necessary for successful implementation of the Initiative—staff retention and leadership stability, leadership and staff support, and provider engagement and support. Nursing homes that lacked one or more of these three components experienced greater challenges. The Clinical‐Only intervention in Phase 1 was successful in reducing hospitalizations. We did not find evidence that the Clinical + Payment or Payment‐Only interventions were successful in reducing hospitalizations.ConclusionsReducing hospitalizations among nursing home residents hinges upon the availability and support of clinical staff who can provide ongoing education to direct‐care staff in the nursing home, as well as hands‐on care. Use of Medicare payment incentives alone to encourage on‐site treatment of residents was insufficient to reduce hospitalizations. Unless nursing homes are adequately staffed to treat residents with acute care needs, further reductions in hospitalizations will be difficult to achieve.
Inequalities in cesarean births between American Indian & Alaska Native people and White people
Authors: Gartner Danielle R. , Debbink Michelle P. , Brooks Jada L. , Margerison Claire E. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractObjectiveTo explore population‐level American Indian & Alaska Native‐White inequalities in cesarean birth incidence after accounting for differences in cesarean indication, age, and other individual‐level risk factors.Data Sources and Study SettingWe used birth certificate data inclusive of all live births within the United States between January 1 and December 31, 2017.Study DesignWe calculated propensity score weights that simultaneously incorporate age, cesarean indication, and clinical and obstetric risk factors to estimate the American Indian and Alaska Native‐White inequality.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsBirths to individuals identified as American Indian, Alaska Native, or White, and residing in one of the 50 US states or the District of Columbia were included. Births were excluded if missing maternal race/ethnicity or any other covariate.Principal FindingsAfter weighing the American Indian and Alaska Native obstetric population to be comparable to the distribution of cesarean indication, age, and clinical and obstetric risk factors of the White population, the cesarean incidence among American Indian and Alaska Natives increased to 33.4% (95% CI: 32.0–34.8), 3.2 percentage points (95% CI: 1.8–4.7) higher than the observed White incidence. After adjustment, cesarean birth incidence remained higher and increased in magnitude among American Indian and Alaska Natives in Robson groups 1 (low risk, primary), 6 (nulliparous, breech presentation), and 9 (transverse/oblique lie).ConclusionsThe unadjusted lower cesarean birth incidence observed among American Indian and Alaska Native individuals compared to White individuals may be related to their younger mean age at birth. After adjusting for this demographic difference, we demonstrate that American Indian and Alaska Native individuals undergo cesarean birth more frequently than White individuals with similar risk profiles, particularly within the low‐risk Robson group 1 and those with non‐cephalic presentations (Robson groups 6 and 9). Racism and bias in clinical decision making, structural racism, colonialism, or other unidentified factors may contribute to this inequality.
Factors associated with subjective knee joint stiffness in people with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review
Authors: Uritani Daisuke , Koda Hitoshi , Yasuura Yuuka , Kusumoto Aya 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIntroductionSubjective knee stiffness is a common symptom in patients with knee osteoarthritis treated conservatively. However, the influencing factors or effects of knee joint stiffness are unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with subjective knee stiffness in patients with knee osteoarthritis.MethodsThe MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, and PEDro databases were searched in November 2021. Prospective or retrospective cohort studies were included. The methodological quality of the selected articles was assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklist.ResultsTwenty out of 1943 screened articles were included in this systematic review. Eighteen and two studies were rated as having acceptable and low quality, respectively. All the included studies measured subjective knee stiffness using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. The main findings were that worse preoperative subjective knee stiffness was associated with worse pain, subjective knee stiffness, and patient satisfaction at 1 year after total knee arthroplasty. In addition, worse subjective knee stiffness was associated with future degenerative changes in the knee joint, such as joint space narrowing and osteophyte growth progression.ConclusionSubjective knee stiffness may be associated with the prognosis after total knee arthroplasty and degenerative changes in the knee joint. Early detection and treatment of knee stiffness could lead to a good prognosis after total knee arthroplasty and prevent the progression of degenerative changes in the knee joint.
Circular RNA hsa_circ_0008003 promotes the progression of non–small‐cell lung cancer by sponging miR‐548I and regulating KPNA4 expression
Authors: Yang Wenshu , Yao Yingying , Yang Shuai , Ke Yaoqi 
Published: December 2022

AbstractObjectiveThe study aimed to explore the effect of circ_0008003 on the progression of non–small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its underlying regulation mechanism.MethodsExpression of hsa_circ_0008003, miRNA (miR)‐548I and karyopherin subunit α 4 (KPNA4) was examined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Cell viability and proliferation ability were detected by cell counting kit‐8 assay and 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine assay, respectively. Flow cytometry was performed to monitor cell apoptosis. Western blot assay was used to evaluate the protein levels of KPNA4, Bax, and Bcl‐2. Cell migration and invasion were assessed by transwell assays. The targeted relationship between miR‐548I and hsa_circ_0008003 or KPNA4 was confirmed by dual‐luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Furthermore, the role of hsa_circ_0008003 in vivo was investigated by xenograft assay.ResultsCirc_0008003 expression was increased in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Circ_0008003 knockdown reduced cell viability, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and caused apoptosis in NSCLC cells. Moreover, miR‐548I was targeted by circ_0008003, and miR‐548I knockdown reversed the influence of circ_0008003 silence on NSCLC progression. KPNA4 was targeted by miR‐548I, and miR‐548I overexpression suppressed cell viability, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and promoted cell apoptosis via decreasing KPNA4. In addition, circ_0008003 regulated KPNA4 expression via miR‐548I. Circ_0008003 knockdown decreased NSCLC cell growth in the xenograft model.ConclusionCircular RNA hsa_circ_0008003 promoted progression in NSCLC by sponging miR‐548I and regulating KPNA4 expression, hinting that circ_0008003 participates in NSCLC pathogenesis.