World Service Research Articles

Resource limitation of compensatory responses in ecosystem processes after biodiversity loss

Abstract Biodiversity loss may result in the decline in important ecosystem processes. The effect of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning is determined by the functional contribution of the species lost and the compensatory responses of the remaining species. It is unknown to what extent the strength of the compensatory response of the remaining species depends on resources availability. Here we evaluate how the primary production of an assemblage of salt marsh plants responds to a realistic sequence of species loss in an 7‐year experiment, with and without the addition of fertiliser. We found near‐full compensation of progressive species loss in gross community primary production by the extinction‐resistant species with fertiliser as long as one species (Triglochin maritima) remained. Without fertiliser, at least four species, including the particularly abundant species Plantago maritima, were needed to maintain gross community primary production. These results suggest that the magnitude of the compensation by extirpation‐resistant species for the decline in ecosystem processes associated with progressive biodiversity loss depends on the resource context, and that compensation after the loss of plant species can be accelerated by increasing resource availability. Ultimately, full compensation appears to be limited by the presence and abundance of species in the remaining community that possess traits that allow them to compensate for the species lost. Synthesis and applications: These findings suggests that the conclusions of a large body of biodiversity‐ecosystem experiments cannot be used for informing the management of natural systems because they do not simulate realistic extinction sequences and therefore cannot quantify the potential for compensation of ecosystem services in the real world.

Chains of extraction: shifting bioeconomies in India and East Africa.

Since the early 2000s, India has been a world leading hub for cross border reproductive treatments, in particular surrogacy, with the nation positioning itself as the "mother destination" for transnational commercial surrogacy, offering "First world services at Third world prices". State policies, lack of legal regulation, state of the art medical infrastructure and a steady supply of women ready to take on the role as surrogate mothers against meager remuneration have been key factors behind the Indian success story. Yet, a gradual process of regulation in recent years, culminating in the introduction of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2020, has forced the industry to reinvent itself in order to maintain its role as a market leader in a booming global bioeconomy. This article takes the 2020 bill as a starting point for an exploration of the key trajectories that the Indian reproductive industry has taken since. This includes moving into new market segments, such as the unregulated practice of oocyte donation, and expanding globally into new geo-political contexts. Through these practices, India has successfully rebranded itself as a world leading "pre-conception assemblage hub" where embryos are assembled and implanted into surrogates who carry their pregnancies to term in countries with no protective legislation. The article begins to map the emerging links between the reproductive industry in India and East Africa - where diasporic networks are mobilized in the creation of new reproductive markets, dominated by Indian IVF providers. In particular, we discuss the current expansion in Kenya, which we situate against the backdrop of the colonial entanglements between the two countries. While the ART industry in Kenya is still young, we suggest that these emerging developments illuminate the effect of the ban on commercial surrogacy in India, which appears to have resulted in a partial relocation to countries that lack regulation, shifting the precarious conditions of surrogates in India to other women, elsewhere, in ways that rearticulate colonial racial hierarchies and migration patterns.

Sustainable nature‐based solutions require establishment and maintenance of keystone plant‐pollinator interactions

Abstract Many nature‐based solutions (NBS), including urban greenspaces, urban agriculture and agroforestry, depend upon animal‐pollinated plants to sequester carbon or to provide other ecosystem services. Thus, long‐term success of these solutions also depends upon resilient pollinator communities. Despite their importance to functioning communities, a literature search revealed that 0%–3% of papers on NBS and related topics considered pollinators or pollination. Pollinators were more likely to be considered in the subgroup of papers on NBS related to agricultural production, where 12.5% considered pollination. Conservation of species interactions is essential to conservation of biodiversity and the sustained benefits of NBS. By applying our understanding of the ecology of plant‐pollinator mutualisms to the implementation of NBS, we can promote their functioning under future climatic conditions. In particular, we point to the need to identify keystone plants and pollinators, those species that contribute most to biodiversity maintenance, community stability and ecosystem function, and to leverage these species and their interactions in NBS and conservation efforts. We further advocate for the use of phylogenetic trait‐based analyses to understand the characteristics associated with keystoneness. Synthesis: Resilience of pollination services rests upon the responses of keystone species and their partners, and the likelihood that they continue to express traits that confer mutual benefit under future climates. By understanding the traits of species of outsized importance to their communities, we gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the resilience of pollination services and the NBS that rely on those services in a changing world.

Identification of Evaluation Results in E-Banking Services Transaction for Product Recommendation using the BIRCH and Davies Bouldin Index Method

E-banking transaction services in the banking world include many products offered to customers. However, the existence of regulatory factors may limit the extent to which banks can promote e-banking services, especially in cases where promotions involve incentives or special offers. Besides, there is a need for data analysis that is used to help the process of recommending product promos from these services. Recommendations for this product promo can be known from the evaluation process of data collected from e-banking transaction services for purchases and payments. The clustering method suitable for providing significant and influential results compared to other methods is BIRCH, which is assisted by the Davies Bouldin Index method to determine the list of product groups with the lowest value. The results of this evaluation process show that data can be grouped based on which services have low levels of use. The services in question are Deposits, Credit Cards on Mobile Services, OVB, and Inter-Bank Transfers on Mobile Services. Therefore, this service can be used as a reference to increase product promotion by the bank.

The BBC World Service: is it Waving or Drowning?

Abstract‘Global Britain’ is as much a governing instinct as it is a statement of current policy: an idea that animates the United Kingdom's international relations. And for nine decades the BBC World Service, Britain's principal agent of public diplomacy, has been its exemplar. With a reputation as a trusted source of reliable news in over forty languages, the international BBC sustains a global capacity for intercultural dialogue founded on evidence‐based journalism. At a time when digital media are rewriting the strategic communications playbook and reorganising our knowledge practices and behaviours, the BBC maintains a vital link between Britain and a transnational community of close to half a billion users. Yet, despite these evident strengths, recent confusion over the organisation and funding of the World Service means that its long‐term future is in doubt. This article asks how and why it has come to this and what might be done to preserve the journalistic integrity and ‘soft power’ of the BBC World Service.

Developing a Decision Aid for Clinical Obesity Services in the Real World: the DACOS Nationwide Pilot Study

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop a decision aid tool using “real-world” data within the Australian health system to predict weight loss after bariatric surgery and non-surgical care.Materials and MethodsWe analyzed patient record data (aged 16+years) from initial review between 2015 and 2020 with 6-month (n=219) and 9-/12-month (n=153) follow-ups at eight clinical obesity services. Primary outcome was percentage total weight loss (%TWL) at 6 months and 9/12 months. Predictors were selected by statistical evidence (p<0.20), effect size (±2%), and clinical judgment. Multiple linear regression and bariatric surgery were used to create simple predictive models. Accuracy was measured using percentage of predictions within 5% of the observed value, and sensitivity and specificity for predicting target weight loss of 5% (non-surgical care) and 15% (bariatric surgery).ResultsObserved %TWL with bariatric surgery vs. non-surgical care was 19% vs. 5% at 6 months and 22% vs. 5% at 9/12 months. Predictors at 6 months with intercept (non-surgical care) of 6% include bariatric surgery (+11%), BMI>60 (–3%), depression (–2%), anxiety (–2%), and eating disorder (–2%). Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 58%, 69%, and 56%. Predictors at 9/12 months with intercept of 5% include bariatric surgery (+15%), type 2 diabetes (+5%), eating disorder (+4%), fatty liver (+2%), atrial fibrillation (–4%), osteoarthritis (–3%), sleep/mental disorders (–2–3%), and ≥10 alcohol drinks/week (–2%). Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 55%, 86%, and 53%.ConclusionClinicians may use DACOS to discuss potential weight loss predictors with patients after surgery or non-surgical care.Graphical

Mobile telephony and changing patterns of audiences’ engagement with global media in Africa

This article explores the patterns and consequences of transnational audiences’ engagement with global media in the digital age, focusing on experiences in Africa. It examines Nigerians’ interactions with the BBC World Service, and draws on active audience theory and Joseph Nye’s soft power concept to unpick their complex relationship. Using documentary analysis, focus groups and individual interviews, the study unpacks how Nigerians deploy digital devices to engage with the BBC – and how the broadcaster leverages this to extend its influence. The impacts of digital technologies on participatory programming and audience interactivity – and the theoretical implications – are also analysed.

Soft, hard, and digital skills for managers in the digital age: Business requirements and the need to master them

Digitalisation in Ukraine and the world changes products, services, and business processes, affecting the number and quality of jobs due to the need for digital skills. Employers are requiring new skills from candidates in job profiles for existing managerial positions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of soft skills, hard skills, and digital skills on managers in the era of digitalisation based on the analysis of business requirements. The following methods were used: theoretical generalisation and comparison (disclosure of the content of each group of skills), analysis (skills most frequently and most demanded by employers), statistical method (summary and grouping of data collected from the job search portal), synthesis (combination of different types of information), and concretisation (identification of problems in the legislative and regulatory framework of Ukraine). The study established the ratio of skill groups in the analysed positions: sales manager, HR manager, and logistics manager mainly need the following skill groups: soft and hard, but to varying degrees. Soft skills are essential for the positions of sales manager and HR manager, while hard skills prevail for the position of logistics manager. Only project managers need hard skills and digital skills because of their specificity. To provide a better understanding and visualisation of complex information about competencies or skill levels, the authors first introduced a “three-zone competency stoplight” and a colour matrix of the result of soft, hard, and digital skills requirements of employers by position. Three skills groups are proposed to be represented in different colours: orange (soft), pink (hard), and green (digital), which will allow businesses to use this visualisation to see the zones that correspond to their job offers and understand what skills they will require from candidates for the relevant position and to what extent. The practical significance of the study is the possibility of using its results in the development of educational programmes for planning the development of necessary disciplines

Investigating customers' continuous use of online food delivery services in the post-pandemic world: extended technology continuance theory

Investigating customers' continuous use of online food delivery services in the post-pandemic world: extended technology continuance theory

Віртуальний туризм - доступний вид туризму

Digitization effectively permeates every industry in this era of globalization and world change. The tourism industry is no exception, where elements of digitization and digitization are used and involved. As a result of the integration of technologies in the tourism industry, such a concept as "virtual or digital tourism" will appear. This is a modern full-fledged type of tourism, which is popular among all audiences of visitors. The phenomenon of virtualization is becoming relevant because the consumer of the service and the tourist service itself are changing, and it is becoming flexible to such visitors as inclusive tourists. But the formation of the service is influenced by other factors of world globalization - the development of technologies, psychological factors of the visitor's perception of the service. Virtual tourism, as a separate type of tourism, does not limit visitors either in movements, not in time, or in space. Therefore, virtual tourism is gaining momentum and popularity among all audiences of consumers of tourist services in the virtual world. One of its functions is as a prelude to a real trip. However, for the audience of inclusive tourists, it is a full-price and affordable replacement for traveling in physical space. But such tourists can apply for the definition category - "virtual tourist".

МАРКЕТИНГ ПОСЛУГ У КОНТЕКСТІ ГЛОБАЛЬНОГО РИНКУ ПОСЛУГ

The article explores that in the context of economic globalization, the world services market is developing more dynamically than other segments, and today is at the stage of active formation. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, global services exports were valued at $7.1 trillion in 2022, representing 7.1% of global GDP and 23% of total global trade in goods and services. At the same time, the domestic service system collapsed as a result of hostilities, and international trade in services was virtually destroyed. It is substantiated that one of the effective tools that provides companies with the prerequisites for obtaining competitive advantages in the global market is effective marketing of services. It has been established that the specificity of marketing activities in the service sector is determined by the characteristics of services (intangibility, inseparability of production and consumption, lack of stability, impossibility of storage and accumulation). It has been proven that successful operation of a company in the services market is impossible without a marketing strategy. Based on F. Kotler's service marketing triangle, the structure of relations between stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of the marketing strategy of a service sector company has been studied. It has been established that external marketing reflects the interaction between the company and consumers, internal – between the company and its employees, interactive – between employees and consumers of services. Attention is focused on the fact that in the context of the globalization of service markets, along with a strategy aimed at external consumers, the company is developing a strategy aimed at internal consumers (internal marketing) and effective interaction between company personnel and the client in the service process (interactive marketing). Strategies for each element of the overall service marketing strategy are characterized: product, its price, place of sale, promotion, people, process and physical environment (the "7P" mix-marketing). It is noted that digital technologies open up wide business opportunities for companies on the global market.

Post-Appraisal of the Perceived Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Wellbeing of Secondary School Students in Nigeria

The outbreak and global spread of the coronavirus in December 2019 has thrown the global community into a desperate search for an enduring solution to the scourge. To this end, several precautionary measures have been advanced. They included frequent washing of hands, use of face-mask and alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water, and covering of the nose and mouth with a flexed elbow or disposable tissue when coughing and sneezing, among others. For more robust outcomes of these measures, especially among the school-going children in the world, effective guidance and counselling services in the area of adequate orientation, information, and feedback/follow-up services need to be properly entrenched. This paper examined the perceived effects of COVID-19 and the potential impacts of counselling intervention services on the psychological wellbeing of school-going children in Osun State, Nigeria. A total of 400 secondary school students were selected from four schools. Findings revealed that the perceived effect of COVID-19 was higher among females than males and among urban residents than their counterparts in rural areas. The pro-counselling intervention services meant to cushion the effect were almost unavailable. Also, a negative significant relationship was found between perceived psychological effect and pro-counselling intervention services, which seemed to indicate that the lower the pro-counselling intervention services available to students, the more psychological effects and poor mental health they will experience. These findings have important implications for government and stakeholders in secondary education. There is an urgent need to put appropriate measures in place against different waves of COVID-19 across the globe in order to ensure that the safety and psychological wellbeing of secondary school students are not compromised.

Ethical and Legal Aspects of Telerehabilitation in Saudi Arabia.

Organizations have their own policies and procedures to govern operational aspects of health care facilities. With the advent of telemedicine, there has been a growing trend in providing telehealth practices without formally exploring the ethical and legislative aspects. The potential use of electronic and digital services in telerehabilitation can influence various ethical and legal factors, such as confidentiality, consent. and negligence. Thus, establishing clear strategies in this regard is necessary. Ethical and legal aspects of healthcare are influenced by cultural, religious, and legislative rulings of a state. At the same time, the multidimensional scope of rehabilitation in a health system has its own challenges. This narrative review intends to highlight the importance of incorporating the ethical and legislative framework in the telerehabilitation process in Saudi Arabia. A summary of various aspects in-line with unique local attributes is included, which can also help to facilitate regional telerehabilitation services in the Arab World.

Task shifting healthcare services in the post-COVID world: A scoping review.

Task shifting (TS) is the redistribution of healthcare services from specialised to less-qualified providers. Need for TS was intensified during COVID-19. We explore what impact TS had on service delivery during the pandemic and examine how the pandemic affected TS strategies globally. We searched five databases in October 2022, namely Medline, CINAHL Plus, Elsevier, Global Health and Google Scholar. 35 citations were selected following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. We analysed data thematically and utilised the WHO health systems framework and emergent themes to frame findings. We uncovered instances of TS in countries across all income levels. 63% (n = 22) of the articles discussed the impact of TS on healthcare services. These encompassed services related to mental healthcare, HIV, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition and rheumatoid diseases. The remaining 37% (n = 13) focused on how the pandemic altered strategies for TS, particularly in services related to mental healthcare, HIV, hypertension, diabetes and emergency care. We also found that studies differed in how they reported TS, with majority using terms "task shifting", followed by "task sharing", "task shifting and sharing" and "task delegation". Our analysis demonstrates that TS had a substantial impact across healthcare systems. Modifying roles through training and collaboration strengthened workforce and enhanced diagnostic services. Strategic leadership played a crucial role in the process. More research on the financial aspects of TS during pandemics is required. Stakeholders generally accepted TS, but transferring staff between healthcare programs caused unintended disruptions. The pandemic reshaped TS, moving training, patient care and consultations to digital platforms. Virtual interventions showed promise, but digital access remained a challenge. Healthcare organisations adapted by modifying procedures, pathways and staff precautions. We recommend refining strategies for TS, and expanding on it to address workforce shortages, improve access, and enhance services, not only during crises but also beyond.

Analysing Distribution Approaches for Efficient Urban Logistics

Abstract Urban logistics plays a crucial role in modern society by covering all the flows of goods and services in the transportation world. This study aims to compare different delivery distribution scenarios using the aggregation of stops by grouping entities, for instance, the postal code approach (PCA) and the volume-based approach (VBA), to indicate the most effective one in simplifying urban logistic operations. These two scenarios illustrate two aggregation criteria: geographical, which groups stops with those closest ones, and non-geographical, which tends to cluster stops with similar stops. Used stops came from a real-world dataset acquired from urban logistics operator in the East of Rome. This study uses an optimizing algorithm called Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) and Google Matrix API to calculate the shortest path and travel time. A comparison of those two approaches has been made to illustrate the similarities and differences in CO2 emissions, travel length, travel time, and unloading time. Although PCA is influenced by demand level, results show that PCA leads to a shorter travel time, shorter travel length, and less emissions produced. Furthermore, VBA is a more heterogenous distribution while PCA contains more homogeneity. The outcome could have the potential for companies and researchers interested in urban logistics due to the proposal of a new way of making distributions, real-world data usage, and comparing different scenarios.

An algorithmic approach to identification of gray areas: Analysis of sleep scoring expert ensemble non agreement areas using a multinomial mixture model

Machine learning (ML) models have become a key component in modern world services. In decision-making domains where human expertise is crucial, for example, for manually scoring biological signal data, human uncertainties undermine experts’ trust in the outcomes of these models. The field of sleep staging in particular, which requires experts to score complex biological signal is notably impacted by scoring uncertainties. Data consisting of an ensemble of independent scorers are collected to estimate inter scorer agreement and the uncertainty associated with manual scoring. However, scorers’ uncertainty lacks statistical modeling, which poses difficulties in validating ML algorithms and leads to issues of reliability and explainability. From the ensemble of scorers, uncertainty zones, called gray areas, are highlighted by samples where scorers disagree. The objective of our work is to provide a framework introducing and inferring gray areas. We present a flexible and easy-to-use multi-objective method based on multinomial mixture models clustering the different levels of scorer agreement and summarize the results into two sets of high-agreement and gray area clusters, which are called supra-clusters. The threshold is selected according to the maximization of the distance between two distributions of scorers agreement measure. Effective results were obtained by the method after it was fitted on simulated data. Additionally, the method was applied to a real case of uncertainty analysis in the sleep staging domain. A series of actual sleep stages scored by an ensemble of 10 independent scorers for a dataset of 50 participants was used.

Mobile Apps–Based Applications in Libraries and Information Centers: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Future Research Agendas

Due to the worldwide rapid adoption of mobile-based applications in libraries to foster the delivery of information services on mobile devices of library users, there are vast and growing collections of peer-reviewed research and conference papers available in various online databases. Analyzing the literature related to mobile-based library services is one method to conduct future research to enhance library collections and services in the digital age. The primary goal of this paper is to review the most relevant literature in the field to better understand these previous research works, identify trends and to determine the research gaps for future studies. A comprehensive and systematic review of the literature on mobile-based applications in libraries and information centres of peer-reviewed research papers, and conference proceedings published in online databases (ProQuest-LISA and Web of Science) during the last seven years (2015–2022) was conducted for critical analysis and to address the present trends of mobile-based applications in these studies. We identified that many studies have described the use of mobile apps–based applications like Mobile Online Public Access Catalogue (MOPAC), Mobile websites, Mobile databases, WhatsApp, SMS, RSS, and Quick Response (QR) Codes in the enhancement of library collections and services around the globe. We observed that 75.93% of documents were published as research articles, and 42.59% of publications were identified under the two authorship patterns. Also, the authors investigated the current and future state of the research in this field by synthesizing the results of published high-quality experimental studies and systematic mapping studies on related disciplines. We hope that this study will be helpful for librarians and information professionals to better understand and implement the applications of mobile technologies for enhancement of library collections and services in the virtual world.

Unlearning - Buddhism and the Public Understanding of Buddhism

This paper focusses on two popular book projects that sought to communicate Buddhism’s variety and complexity to non-specialists. The first emerged from a radio series that the author was asked to write and present for the BBC World Service in the mid-1990s, entitled The Way of the Buddha. A book from the series followed, published by Oneworld. The second was an edited book that also slotted into a series, published by Equinox - Buddhism in 5 Minutes. The paper is an exercise in self-reflexivity, in the context of two demands that are placed on academics within religious studies. The first of these is the government’s insistence that academic research should have an impact on ‘the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life’. The second is the lack of religious literacy within society and the demands placed on academics working within religious studies to address it. This short paper will, therefore, concentrate on the aims, method, structure and content of each book in the light of these demands. It will also explore the potential of such projects and the issues they raise for the discipline of religious studies and our role as academics.

The distributed ownership of on-demand mobility service

Mobility as a service (MaaS) is an innovative and value-laden method to operate on-demand mobility services within the existing transport infrastructures. A big challenge for the transport system is that the transport infrastructure cannot be restructured as quickly as a digital platform like cloud computing infrastructure services, which is a constraint that limits the balance between mobility demand and supply in real-time. The ownership of mobility services needs to be redefined to establish legal binds between service vendors and commuters, further demonstrating the capacity to balance the demand and supply of mobility services in real-time. The ownership of a mobility service is defined as the commuter's right to use the mobility service provided by the service vendor under agreed terms and conditions. This is facilitated by MobiToken in this study. An eMarket-place is proposed for commuters, mobility service vendors and other stakeholders to exchange MobiToken, where the marketplace demonstrates the potential use of blockchain tools, methods and algorithms, where a specialised capability for reliably link stakeholders is proposed through a nonrevertible blockchain dataset. The bidden price of MobiToken reflects the demand for mobility services in the real world, where congestion charges are incorporated within the bidden price. The performance of the preliminary platform is evaluated with three testing scenarios, and the results of performance testing indicate the stability and reliability of the Raft consensus algorithm for the blockchain database.

Casualty Evacuation in Korea, 1950-53: The British Experience.

The Korean War was the first conflict in which helicopters were used extensively for casualty evacuation but their contribution to medical evacuation at that time is disputed. On the one hand, many cases undoubtedly survived because of helicopter transportation; on the other, the proportion of casualties evacuated appears to have been small and difficult to determine precisely. Taking the British army as a case study, this article looks more closely at arrangements for casualty evacuation in Korea, assessing the role of helicopters in relation to other elements of the evacuation system and its operation as a whole. The article is divided into several sections. The first examines the command structure of the medical system in Korea, which extended as far back as hospitals in Japan. It shows how medical support for British forces was closely integrated with that of other Commonwealth forces. It notes that rapid and effective integration was a major factor in the success of medical evacuation because it allowed ideas and equipment to be shared easily and because it fostered a spirit of cooperation. This section also highlights the Second World service of all senior Commonwealth medical officers as a factor conducive to integration. The second section provides an overview of the chain of evacuation from the frontline to hospitals in Japan. It describes the functions of the different medical institutions along the chain and how they were connected. Among other things, it shows how the chain for British and Commonwealth troops intersected with medical units of the United States such as Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals and hospital trains. In the third section of the article, there is a detail examination of evacuation by helicopter, describing how it was arranged, what its limitations were, and what types of casualty were evacuated. It estimates the proportion of casualties that were evacuated by this means. The fourth and fifth sections highlight the importance of command decisions in the effective working of the evacuation system. The fourth concentrates on the evolution of a system of forward treatment of minor cases, looking at the challenge posed by disease and other non-battle casualties. The fifth and final section of the article describes how the system of evacuation functioned as a whole, including the different means used to carry the sick and wounded in addition to helicopters. It stresses the importance of coordination between these different elements and places particular emphasis on the value of wireless communications. The article concludes that the success of casualty evacuation in Korea depended less on any single method of transportation than on effective command and control. In this respect, communication between constituent units of the evacuation chain and cooperation between British and other UN forces was crucial. Of equal and perhaps even greater importance was the decision to implement a policy of forward treatment of sickness and minor injuries. Without such a policy, the lines of evacuation would inevitably have become congested, having a detrimental effect on casualty survival rates. This policy drew on the lessons of the two world wars which were still relatively fresh in the minds of medical commanders. Although far less striking than the advent of the helicopter, prior knowledge of coalition warfare and the handling of mass casualties was crucial to medical success. If there is a lesson to be learned from the Korean War for own times, it is probably this.