bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationships between time deposit rates, real rates, inflation and risk premium
Authors: Lee Siew-Peng , Isa Mansor , Auzairy Noor Azryani
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the real interest rates, inflation and risk premium on the time deposit rates of banks in the dual banking system in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The data consists of 1-, 6- and 12-month average time deposit rates of conventional and Islamic banks over the period of January 2000 to June 2017. The cointegration methodologies are used to explore links between the time deposit rates, real rates, inflation and risk premium. The causality tests to test causality linkages between pairs of variables are also applied. The generalised forecast error variance decomposition based on the error correction model is conducted to analyse the impact of variables variation on the deposit rates.

Findings

The results show the presence of two cointegration vectors in the deposit rates, real rates, inflation and risk premium, for both conventional and Islamic bank rates. Causality tests reveal that deposit rates are caused by inflation and risk premium in a one-way causality. The results of variance decomposition highlight the importance of inflation and risk premium in explaining the variations in the bank deposit rates. For the conventional bank, inflation shocks play the most important role in explaining the movements of the deposit rates. In Islamic banks, the major determinant’s largest influence is the risk premium. Between the two bank rates, Islamic bank rates receive more influence from the explanatory variables in the long-run compared to conventional bank rates. The real rates have no noticeable effect on the variance of time deposit rates for both banks.

Originality/value

This study presents new evidence on the relationship between time deposit rates and the three explanatory variables, which are the real interest rates, inflation and risk premium, for both conventional and Islamic banks in Malaysia. The dual banking system allows exploring the similarities and differences between conventional and Islamic banks in Malaysia in terms of the linkages between the variables.
Exploring the development of Islamic banking in Nigeria using an actor-network theory perspective
Authors: Sa’id Hadiza
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolution of Islamic banking in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a qualitative approach using 25 semi-structured interviews together with documentary analysis to analyse how Islamic banking has evolved in Nigeria.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that the evolution of Islamic banking in Nigeria arose from a relationship between various human and non-human actors. The development was shaped by the Nigerian socio-economic environment, particularly the wealthy Muslim segment and the poor performance of the economy.

Practical implications

The study’s findings have practical implications for how governments in countries with diverse religions or ethnicities should take action when introducing new practices or concepts, such as Islamic finance, that align with one religion or ethnicity. The findings of this study suggest that publicising what the new practice or concept is in advance to the entire populace will enhance understanding and subsequent acceptance.

Originality/value

The paper differs from previous studies on the development of Islamic banking in two ways. First, it provides a contextual account of the various factors that have influenced the development of Islamic banking in Nigeria, a sub-Saharan Africa country for which research on Islamic banking is sparse. Second, the paper is unique in analysing how Islamic banking emerged as a process of actor-network formation.
Stock returns in Islamic and conventional banks
Authors: Monia Ben Ltaifa
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This study aims to explore empirically the determinants of stock return in a comparative context between Islamic and conventional banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis of the determinants of stock returns is carried out through a panel data model. This study covers 14 Islamic banks and 30 conventional banks in the MENA countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) during 10 years, from 2004 to 2014.

Findings

The empirical results show that the market risk has a positive impact on market profitability of banks except for the small-medium (SM) and big-high (BH) portfolio for the capital asset pricing model and Fama and French models. The risk associated with the size (Small [market capitalization] Minus Big: SMB) has a positive impact on small banks and a negative impact on banks of big sizes. Finally, the risk related to the market value (High [book-to-market ratio] Minus Low: HML) has a positive impact on both small and large banks.

Originality/value

The answer to the question of explanatory factors for stock market returns allows managers to measure the cost of capital and thus choose the most appropriate form of financing and therefore evaluate the possibility of investing in a particular bank.
What drives the financial performance of general takaful companies?
Authors: Kantakji Mazhar Hallak , Abdul Hamid Baharom , Alhabshi Syed Othman
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This study aims to identify the internal and external factors affecting the financial performance of general takaful companies operating in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UAE, Qatar and Pakistan, using an unbalanced panel data set consisting of 53 companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were hand-collected from the official financial reports of takaful companies. Two performance measures, namely, net investment income and investment yield, are used to capture the different aspects of the takaful investment operations. Based on relevant theory and literature, these measures are related to three economic variables, namely, GDP per capita, equity returns and interest rate, and four company-specific variables, namely, company size, gross contributions, retakaful dependence and liquidity. An ordinary least squares regression model, fixed-effects model and random-effects model are estimated for both performance measures.

Findings

The study finds that company size, liquidity, retakaful dependence, GDP per capita, equity returns and interest rate are statistically significant determinants of the financial performance; company size, GDP per capita, equity returns and interest rate are positively related to performance, whereas liquidity and retakaful dependence are negatively related to performance.

Originality/value

In the takaful literature, studies have been directed to almost every aspect of the Shariah law governing takaful. Yet, the empirical evidence on the financial performance of global takaful is scarce. Hence, there are several aspects where this paper extends prior research and contributes to the takaful literature.
Risk and risk management practices
Authors: Elgharbawy Adel
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This study aims to compare types and levels of risk and risk management practices (RMPs) including the recognition, identification, assessment, analysis, monitoring and control of risk in both Islamic and conventional banks.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted among the Islamic and conventional banks in Qatar, together with an analysis of archival data extracted from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database for the period 2009-2018. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA and regression analysis.

Findings

Islamic banks encounter unique types and levels of risk that are not encountered by conventional banks. In Islamic banks, risks such as those of operation and Sharia non-compliance are perceived to be higher, while in conventional banks other risks such as those of credit and insolvency are higher; other risks, for example, liquidity risk, are faced by both. RMPs are determined by understanding risk and risk management, risk identification, risk monitoring and control and credit risk analysis, but not by risk assessment and analysis. However, the RMPs of the two types of bank are not significantly different, except in the analysis of credit risk.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to the debate in the literature by developing a better understanding of the dynamism of risk management in Qatari banks, which can be extended to similar contexts in the region. However, the relatively small sample size in only one country limits the possibility of generalizing the findings. The survey methodology is based on the perception of bankers rather than their actual actions and does not provide in-depth analysis for each type of risk, especially credit risk. However, using archival data, in addition to those from the survey, minimises the bias that would result from depending on one source of data.

Practical implications

The study provides valuable insights into the different types and levels of risk, as well as the RMPs in Islamic and conventional banks, which can help in guiding the future development and regulation of risk management in the banking sector of Qatar and its region.

Originality/value

The study helps to explain the mixed results of previous studies that compare types and levels of risk and RMPs in Islamic and conventional banks. Using different types of data and analysis, it provides evidence from one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It also addresses the concerns over RMPs in banks since the global financial crisis.
Performance analysis of Turkey’s participation and conventional indices using TOPSIS method
Authors: Yildiz Selim Baha
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to rank the performances of two participation indices developed in Turkey according to Islamic principles and six conventional indices based on their risks and returns for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Design/methodology/approach

The performance of the two Islamic and six conventional indices were ranked using the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), i.e. a multiple-criteria decision-making method, and the weights of the decision criteria were determined using the objective weighting method called entropy.

Findings

The results do not show any statistically significant difference in returns between the participation indices and their conventional counterparts. However, all analyses performed using various risk metrics revealed the lowest risks for the Participation indices. Furthermore, in the TOPSIS ranking for all of the years, the Participation indices ranked above BIST 100, which was selected as the benchmark.

Social implications

Participation indices provide investors adhering to Islamic faith with opportunities through which they can comfortably invest with limited loss of financial performance for the study period. They also serve as a good alternative for risk-averse investors.

Originality/value

The paper is distinguished by the criteria and methodology it uses for index ranking. Furthermore, it is believed to be useful for the limited literature on the Participation Index in Turkey as well as for national and international investors and institutions interested in Islamic indices in particular.
Financial literacy among Malaysian Muslim undergraduates
Authors: Md.Sapir @ Md.Shafik Ana Shakirah , Wan Ahmad Wan Marhaini
Published: January 2020

Purpose

University students are known to face many challenges in achieving high financial literacy. The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of financial literacy among Malaysian Muslim undergraduates as explained through sociocultural variables. Furthermore, this paper explores a few additional Islamic measurements as part of assessing the level of financial literacy among the students.

Design/methodology/approach

The questionnaires were drafted based on a multi-dimensional financial literacy model and distributed conveniently to 330 respondents. Post-interviews were also conducted with selected students to further comprehend the sociocultural context.

Findings

The findings suggest that exposing students to financial education and practices influence their financial literacy scores. Students who attended muamalat-related courses demonstrated better financial literacy scores. Meanwhile, post-interview results indicate that the students’ social environment and interactions also play important roles in enhancing their financial literacy. Hence, it is believed that it is essential to embed Islamic-based measurements to equip students with financial literacy in tandem with their pedagogic development. The results thus extend previous studies by confirming the importance of Islamic-based finance- and business-related knowledge for all tertiary students. Furthermore, the curricula should be made compatible to their studying environment and attuned to their values and cultures.

Practical implications

The findings suggest the introduction of personal financial and muamalat-based knowledge and practices relative to their Islamic programme orientation. This should take place during the students’ academic years and across all academic programmes’ orientation. The study also highlights the importance of developing special measurements of Islamic financial literacy for Muslims congruent to their distinct Islamic identity.

Social implications

The study indicates the importance of high financial literacy among tertiary students for them to have a financially stable future.

Originality/value

The research is original in its use of several measurements of financial literacy that embedded Islamic teachings concomitant to the Muslim respondents.
Availability of soil mutualists may not limit non‐native Acacia invasion but could increase their impact on native soil communities
Authors: Wandrag Elizabeth M. , Birnbaum Christina , Klock Metha M. , Barrett Luke G. , Thrall Peter H.
Published: January 2020

The availability of compatible mutualistic soil microbes could influence the invasion success of non‐native plant species. Specifically, there may be spatial variation in the distribution of compatible microbes, and species‐specific variation in plant host ability to associate with available microbes. Although either or both factors could promote or limit invasion, the scale over which most studies are conducted makes it difficult to examine these two possibilities simultaneously. However, this is critical to identifying a role of soil microbes in invasion.

A series of recent research projects focused on interactions between Australian Acacia and nitrogen‐fixing bacteria (rhizobia) at multiple spatial scales, from the local to the inter‐continental, has allowed us to evaluate this question. Collectively, this research reveals that nodulation, performance and rhizobial community composition are all broadly similar across spatial scales and differentially invasive species.

Synthesis and applications. We argue that current research provides convincing evidence that interactions with rhizobia do not determine invasion success in Acacia, but instead highlights key knowledge gaps that remain unfilled. Importantly, the ease with which non‐native Acacia species form mutualistic associations with rhizobia, regardless of invasive status, highlights the critical need to understand the impacts of all non‐native Acacia on native soil communities.
Possible income misstatement on mortgage loan applications: Evidence from the Canadian housing market
Authors: Basiri Kiana , Mahmoudi Babak
Published: January 2020

We construct a measure of possible income misstatement (PIM) for first‐time homebuyers by quantifying the gap between growth in incomes reported on mortgage applications and growth in incomes reported on tax files from 2004 to 2014 in Canada. Using a two‐stage least square framework to correct for the endogenous nature of house prices and PIM, we find robust evidence that part of the observed dispersion in PIM is caused by house price variation. This suggests borrowers have greater incentive to misstate income in high‐priced markets. We report evidence that markets with a tendency for income misstatement also had higher default rates.
Shewanella khirikhana sp. nov. – a shrimp pathogen isolated from a cultivation pond exhibiting early mortality syndrome
Authors: Prachumwat Anuphap , Wechprasit Piyanuch , Srisala Jiraporn , Kriangsaksri Ruttanaporn , Flegel Timothy W. , Thitamadee Siripong , Sritunyalucksana Kallaya
Published: January 2020

Early mortality syndrome (EMS) in cultivated shrimp is of complex aetiology. One of the causes is acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) caused by unique Vibrio isolates that carry two Pirvp toxin genes, but other causes of EMS remain mostly unexplained. Here, we describe the discovery of a Shewanella isolate TH2012T from an EMS/AHPND outbreak pond and demonstrate its virulence for shrimp (the mean lethal concentration of 105 colony‐forming units per millilitre by immersion challenge) accompanied by distinctive histopathology, particularly of the ventral nerve cord and lymphoid organ but also including the digestive tract. On the basis of its complete genome sequence, multilocus phylogenetic trees, digital DNA–DNA hybridization analysis and differential phenotypic characteristics, we propose that Shewanella isolate TH2012T represents a novel species, separated sufficiently from the type strains S. litorisediminis and S. amazonensis to justify naming it Shewanella khirikhana sp. nov. Analysis of the TH2012T genome revealed no homologues of the Pirvp toxin genes but revealed a number of other potential virulence factors. It constitutes the first Shewanella isolate reported to be pathogenic to shrimp.
Effect of chemogenetic inhibition of lateral habenula neuronal activity on cocaine‐ and food‐seeking behaviors in the rat
Authors: Nair Sunila G. , Smirnov Denis S. , Estabrook Melissa M. , Chisholm Ashlee D. , Silva Phillip R. , Neumaier John F.
Published: January 2020

A major problem in the treatment of cocaine addiction is high rates of relapse. Relapse is often provoked by acute reexposure to cocaine‐associated cues or to cocaine itself. The lateral habenula (LHb), an epithalamic nucleus, regulates midbrain dopaminergic systems that are known to be involved in cocaine taking and seeking behaviors. However, the role of this nucleus in cocaine self‐administration and reinstatement of cocaine seeking has not been entirely parsed out. We used an operant self‐administration and reinstatement procedure to explore the effect of Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drug (DREADD)‐induced transient inhibition of LHb neurons on cocaine taking and seeking. Firstly, rats were injected with adeno‐associated viral vectors expressing hM4Di (a Gi/o‐coupled DREADD) into the LHb, trained to self‐administer cocaine (0.75 mg/kg/infusion), and the effect of clozapine‐N‐oxide (an inert ligand that activates DREADDs) was assessed on cocaine self‐administration. Secondly, rats were injected with hM4Di into the LHb, trained to self‐administer cocaine; the operant response was extinguished, and cue‐ and cocaine priming‐induced reinstatement was assessed. Thirdly, we tested the generality of the effect of inhibiting LHb neurons by assessing the effect of this manipulation on food‐taking and seeking. hM4Di‐induced inhibition of LHb neurons increased cocaine but not food self‐administration. In contrast, this manipulation decreased reinstatement of cocaine, but not food‐seeking. Taken together, our data suggest that hM4Di‐ induced LHb inhibition specifically mediates taking and seeking behaviors reinforced by cocaine but not by natural reinforcers. Further, our data indicate a dissociation in the role of LHb neurons on cocaine self‐administration versus reinstatement of cocaine seeking.
The Function of Symbol‐Formation: Pinning Down the Ego Function
Authors: Hinshelwood R.D.
Published: January 2020

This paper follows my previous paper in the Journal in 2018, which examined Hanna Segal's theory of symbol‐formation and the various modifications she made to it. In this paper it is argued that the specific functions involved in symbol‐formation need to be examined for which fails. To use one thing (a symbol) to represent another requires a kind of suspension of reality; to take one thing as if it were really another underpins the capacity to represent. And yet it does not invalidate the knowledge that the symbol has a separate existence of its own. There is a double relation to the symbol – which is a mark on a piece of paper, and is also the thing it represents. I have termed this the ‘as‐if’ function that is needed in order to use symbols and representations. It is also the precise location of failure in symbolic equations, where the as‐if quality breaks down into a simple mistaken identity of the symbol with its referent. This addition to Freud's list of ego‐function involved in the reality principle is crucial to the development of representation, and ultimately of the capacity for civilization.
Cardioprotection in right heart failure
Authors: Boengler Kerstin , Schlüter Klaus‐Dieter , Schermuly Ralph Theo , Schulz Rainer
Published: January 2020

Ischaemic and pharmacological conditioning of the left ventricle is mediated by the activation of signalling cascades, which finally converge at the mitochondria and reduce ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Whereas the molecular mechanisms of conditioning in the left ventricle are well characterized, cardioprotection of the right ventricle is principally feasible but less established. Similar to what is known for the left ventricle, a dysregulation in signalling pathways seems to play a role in I/R injury of the healthy and failing right ventricle and in the ability/inability of the right ventricle to respond to a conditioning stimulus. The maintenance of mitochondrial function seems to be crucial in both ventricles to reduce I/R injury. As far as currently known, similar molecular mechanisms mediate ischaemic and pharmacological preconditioning in the left and right ventricles. However, the two ventricles seem to respond differently towards exercise‐induced preconditioning.

LINKED ARTICLES

This article is part of a themed issue on Risk factors, comorbidities, and comedications in cardioprotection. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.23/issuetoc
The prevalence of orofacial injuries in judo: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Bruggesser Susanne , Kühl Sebastian , Solakoglu Önder , Filippi Andreas
Published: January 2020

Background/Aims

Judo is a popular martial art with a high risk of injury. Notwithstanding this risk, mouthguards were not allowed until June 2018. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of traumatic injuries in judo with a particular focus on dental and lip injuries. A further aim was to assess the influences of increased overjet and wearing fixed orthodontic appliances.

Material and Methods

Judokas (n = 382) from two judo clubs in Bern, Switzerland, were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire.

Results

About two thirds had suffered at least one traumatic injury with a high number of limb injuries (n = 1054), followed by face injuries (n = 855) and spine, torso, occiput or neck injuries (n = 84). Among the face injuries, 562 lip injuries were recorded. A significantly higher number of lip injuries were found for judokas who wore fixed orthodontic appliances compared to judokas who never wore such appliances. Forty‐seven dental trauma incidents during judo were recorded. During both judo and leisure time, 161 dental trauma incidents were recorded. Individuals with lip incompetence and increased overjet showed the highest number of dental injuries ( = 0.815; SD = 0.622), which differed in statistically significant ways from the number of dental injuries in individuals with lip incompetence and normal or reduced overjet ( = 0.278; SD = 0.461). For individuals with no lip incompetence, no difference between the sub‐group with an increased overjet and the sub‐group with a normal or reduced overjet could be found. Nobody in the study population was wearing a mouthguard, and the acceptance of mouthguards was low (9.7%).

Conclusion

It is important to increase the awareness of the recent authorization of mouthguards and to promote their acceptance among judokas. The combination of increased overjet and lip incompetence was more relevant for the dental trauma risk than an increased overjet alone.
Open‐Mindedness in a “Post‐Truth” Era
Authors: Richardson Troy
Published: January 2020

In discussing open‐mindedness, virtue epistemologists emphasize revising one's cognitive standpoint by taking seriously the views of others, where this process is seen to be a reliable way of identifying one's biases and forming true beliefs. Yet in defending open‐mindedness, virtue epistemologists tend to give little attention to two areas of scholarship. First, they tend to overlook the psychoanalytic challenges of evasion and disavowal that so often operate in the enactment of and attempts at open‐mindedness. Second, they undervalue scholarship that notes the longer arc of a relation between post‐truth conditions and settler colonial structures. In other words, there appears to be an evasion of those views that associate the United States with dispossession, settler colonialism, and projects of decolonization according to postcontinental philosophies. This essay by Troy Richardson clarifies some of the critical vocabulary needed to bridge virtue epistemology committed to open‐mindedness and scholarship that has shifted the terms of analysis toward active projects for decolonization based on postcontinental philosophies.
Colony‐level chemical profiles do not provide reliable information about colony size in the honey bee
Authors: Smith Michael L. , Kingwell Callum J. , Böröczky Katalin , Kessler André
Published: January 2020

1. Chemical communication facilitates colony function across social insects, providing workers with information about individual and colony state. Although workers use chemical cues to detect developmental transitions in individuals, it is unknown whether workers can also use colony‐level chemical profiles to detect the developmental state of their colony. Indeed, it is largely unknown how colony‐level chemical profiles change as colonies grow and develop.

2. Reproductive onset is a major developmental transition and, in the honey bee,Apis mellifera, colonies must surpass a threshold colony size before workers will invest in reproduction. Given the ubiquity of chemical communication, the present study investigated whether colony‐level chemical profiles change with colony size.

3. Chemical compounds deposited by workers of three colony sizes (5000, 10 000, 15 000 workers) collected over a 4‐day time‐series (0, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h), as well as worker cuticular lipids, were sampled.

4. In total, 26 compounds deposited on nest surfaces and 20 compounds in worker cuticular lipids were identified; it took up to 24 h for sampled nest surfaces to reach saturation in the number and amount of deposited compounds.

5. Among these compounds, no qualitative or quantitative indicators of colony size were found, suggesting that deposited chemical compounds are not semiochemicals in this context. Volatile pheromones have also been shown previously to not play a role in signaling colony size. Therefore, honey bee workers are unlikely to use deposited chemical cues to detect colony size, and must rely instead on other modalities, such as physical cues of worker density.
Functional diversification of two bilin reductases for light perception and harvesting in unique cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina MBIC 11017
Authors: Miyake Keita , Fushimi Keiji , Kashimoto Tomonori , Maeda Kaisei , Ni‐Ni‐Win  , Kimura Hiroyuki , Sugishima Masakazu , Ikeuchi Masahiko , Narikawa Rei
Published: January 2020

Bilin pigments play important roles for both light perception and harvesting in cyanobacteria by binding to cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) and phycobilisomes (PBS), respectively. Among various cyanobacteria, Acaryochloris marina MBIC 11017 (A. marina 11017) exceptionally uses chlorophyll d as the main photosynthetic pigment absorbing longer wavelength light than the canonical pigment, chlorophyll a, indicating existence of a system to sense longer wavelength light than others. On the other hand, A. marina 11017 has the PBS apparatus to harvest short‐wavelength orange light, similar to most cyanobacteria. Thus, A. marina 11017 might sense longer wavelength light and harvest shorter wavelength light by using bilin pigments. Phycocyanobilin (PCB) is the main bilin pigment of both systems. Phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PcyA) catalyzes PCB synthesis from biliverdin via the intermediate 181,182‐dihydrobiliverdin (181,182‐DHBV), resulting in the stepwise shortening of the absorbing wavelengths. In this study, we found that A. marina 11017 exceptionally encodes two PcyA homologs, AmPcyAc and AmPcyAp. AmPcyAc is encoded on the main chromosome with most photoreceptor genes, whereas AmPcyAp is encoded on a plasmid with PBS‐related genes. High accumulation of 181,182‐DHBV for extended periods was observed during the reaction catalyzed by AmPcyAc, whereas 181,182‐DHBV was transiently accumulated for a short period during the reaction catalyzed by AmPcyAp. CBCRs could sense longer wavelength far‐red light through 181,182‐DHBV incorporation, whereas PBS could only harvest orange light through PCB incorporation, suggesting functional diversification of PcyA as AmPcyAc and AmPcyAp to provide 181,182‐DHBV and PCB to the light perception and harvesting systems, respectively.
Digital pathology for primary diagnosis of screen‐detected breast lesions – experimental data, validation and experience from four centres
Authors: Williams Bethany , Hanby Andrew , Millican‐Slater Rebecca , Verghese Eldo , Nijhawan Anju , Wilson Imogen , Besusparis Justinas , Clark David , Snead David , Rakha Emad , Treanor Darren
Published: January 2020

Aim

The rate of deployment of digital pathology (DP) systems for primary diagnosis in the UK is accelerating. The flexibility and resilience of digital versus standard glass slides could be of great benefit in the NHS breast screening programme (NHSBSP). This study aims to document the safety and benefits of DP for preoperative tissue diagnosis of screen‐detected breast lesions.

Methods and results

Concordance data for glass and digital slides of the same cases from four sites were subjected to detailed concordance–discordance analysis. A literature review of DP in the primary diagnosis of breast lesions is presented, making this the most comprehensive synthesis of digital breast cancer histopathological diagnostic data to date. Detailed concordance analysis of experimental data from two histopathology departments reveals clinical concordance rates for breast biopsies of 96% (216 of 225) and 99.6% (249 of 250). Data from direct comparison validation studies in two histopathology departments, utilising the protocol recommended by the Royal College of Pathologists, found concordance rates for breast histology cases of 99.4% (180 of 181) and 99.0% (887 of 896). An intraobserver variation study for glass versus digital slides for difficult cases from the NHSBSP yielded a kappa statistic of 0.80, indicating excellent agreement. Discordances encountered in the studies most frequently concerned discrepancies in grading attributable to mitotic count‐scoring and identification of weddelite.

Conclusions

The experience of four histopathology laboratories and our review of pre‐existing literature suggests that DP is safe for the primary diagnosis of NHSBSP breast histology specimens, and does not increase the risk of misclassification.
Recurrent RET gene fusions in paediatric spindle mesenchymal neoplasms*
Authors: Davis Jessica L , Vargas Sara O , Rudzinski Erin R , López Marti Jessica M , Janeway Katherine , Forrest Suzanne , Winsnes Katrina , Pinto Navin , Yang Sung E , VanSandt Mandy , Boyd Theonia K , Corless Christopher L , Liu Yajuan J , Surrey Lea F , Harris Marian H , Church Alanna , Al‐Ibraheemi Alyaa
Published: January 2020

Aims

The classification of paediatric spindle mesenchymal tumours is evolving, and the spectrum of so‐called ‘infantile fibrosarcoma’ has expanded to include tumours with NTRK, BRAF and MET gene fusions. RET‐rearranged paediatric spindle cell neoplasms are an emerging group; there is sparse literature on their clinical, pathological and genetic features, and their nosological place in the canon of soft tissue tumours is uncertain. In this study, we report five RET‐rearranged paediatric spindle cell tumours with fusion partners MYH10, KIAA1217 and CLIP2.

Methods and results

The tumours occurred in the pelvic region, paraspinal region, kidney and subcutaneous tissue of hand and abdomen. The patients’ ages ranged from 6 months to 13 years (median 1 year). The tumours were composed of monomorphic spindle cells arranged in a fascicular pattern. Lesional cells had minimally atypical ovoid or tapered nuclei and pale cytoplasm with indistinct borders. Necrosis was not identified. Mitoses numbered three to 12 per 10 high‐power field. Cases showed inconsistent and variable expression of S100, CD34 and SMA. Clinical behaviour ranged from small lesions potentially cured by simple resection to large lesions exhibiting metastasis, but responsive to kinase inhibitor therapy.

Conclusions

Our findings help to define RET‐rearranged spindle cell tumours. Although it is likely that these tumours comprise part of the morphological and clinical spectrum of infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS), identification of RET gene alteration is important for its unique therapeutic implications.
Extended preservation of raw beef and pork meat by hyperbaric storage at room temperature
Authors: Santos Mauro D. , Delgadillo Ivonne , Saraiva Jorge A.
Published: January 2020

Hyperbaric storage (HS) was evaluated as a new food preservation methodology at room temperature (RT) for beef and pork meat, both minced and in pieces, and compared to refrigeration (RF) storage. The meat samples were stored at 50, 75 and 100 MPa and variable RT up to 60 days. HS at 75 and 100 MPa could not only inhibit microbial growth but also inactivate microorganisms. Regarding physicochemical analyses, an overall equal to better pH maintenance in HS samples was achieved, and similar colour differences between HS and RF were observed. Generally, similarities in moisture content and drip loss between HS (mostly 75 and 100 MPa) and RF were detected (tendency for lower values in the former and higher values in the latter for the higher pressure level). Protein solubility revealed a decrease of sarcoplasmic protein values during storage with a pressure level dependency in some samples.
Commentary: A Citizenship without Social Rights? EU Freedom of Movement and Changing Access to Welfare Rights
Authors: Barbulescu Roxana , Favell Adrian
Published: January 2020

Despite not being grounded in the classic nation‐building dynamic of citizenship identified by T.H.Marshall, EU citizenship offers social rights and welfare protection to non‐nationals on a principle of non‐discrimination. We narrate a creeping process of retrenchment by which European member states have used policy strategies to undermine this principle, by transforming the unique idea of free movement of persons in the EU to just another form of “immigration” which can be subject to selectivity and exclusion. As Europe’s multiple recent crises have unfolded, political resources were found to effect this transformation tangibly via reshaping access to welfare for EU citizens. Focusing on the cases of the UK and Germany, we discuss how, despite their distinctive welfare regimes and labour market systems, these two countries have led the way toward a dismantling of non‐discrimination for EU citizens and effectively the end of the anomalous ‘post‐national’ dimension of European citizenship.
Special Issue Introduction: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Intra‐EU Mobility in an Era of Complex Economic and Political Change
Authors: King Russell , Pratsinakis Manolis
Published: January 2020

This paper introduces the special issue on ‘Intra‐EU mobilities in times of crisis'. Intra‐EU mobility has emerged as an ambivalent phenomenon. On the one hand, EU‐wide opinion polls still depict freedom of movement as the most positive aspect of European integration. On the other hand, with nationalism and xenophobia on the rise, migration and mobility are increasingly problematized and challenged. Shifting attention from the master narratives about intra‐EU mobility, the aim of the special issue is to bring to the fore the lived experiences of the key actors as recounted in a period of multiple European crises which, in turn, represent the visible and mediatized manifestations of more complex and deep‐seated processes of political and economic change. Here we provide a chronological periodization of intra‐EU mobility trends over recent decades and how they intersect with major geopolitical events, aiming to contextualise the special issue articles which are then presented.
Structural Variations of Agriculture in the Pacific
Authors: Yamauchi Hiroshi
Published: January 2020

Agricultural shares of output and employment in thirteen Pacific basin countries are analyzed with reference to a global baseline for 1980. Per‐capita output parity ratios are lower in the ASEAN, ANICs, and Japan as compared to their trading partners in North America and Oceania. Wide differences in land‐labor ratios influence the directions of technological change, economies of scale, and dynamic comparative advantage. Differential changes in the partial productivities of land and labor between the high and middle income economies suggest that there has been a narrowing of the gap in land productivities and a widening of the gap in labor productivities across the Pacific. The implication is that there has been a regressive international impact on wages for farm labor. Further, since agriculture's share of land resources does not tend to fall as fast as its share of output and labor, increasing structural imbalance in terms of differential land rents to agriculture vis‐à‐vis non‐agriculture results in greater adjustment pressures on the property and derived institutional systems that control natural resource allocation decisions. The results are consistent with the heavy adjustment burdens that agriculture and developing economies have been bearing as a result of expanding trade and capital flows, and the need to focus more attention on the structure, functioning, and performance of the different institutional systems that control resource allocation decisions in these countries.
On Why Agriculture Declines with Economic Growth
Authors: Anderson Kym
Published: January 2020

When economic growth is characterised by a slow rise in the demand for food and rapid growth in farm relative to non‐farm productivity, it is understandable that agriculture in a closed economy declines in relative terms as that economy develops. But why should agriculture decline in virtually all open growing economies as well, including those able to retain a comparative advantage in agricultural products? A key part of the answer is that the demand for non‐tradable goods tends to be income elastic, so resources are diverted to their production even in open economies.
A Risk Responsive Acreage Response Function for Millet in Niger
Authors: Adesina Akinwumi A. , Brorsen B. Wade
Published: January 2020

In this paper the impact of price risk on millet production in Niger is investigated. The hypothesis that farmers respond to output price risk is tested. The results indicate that millet acreage planted decreased when millet price risk increased or when price risk of the competing crop decreased and therefore farmers do respond to changes in risk.
Effects of the Energy Crisis on French Agriculture between 1974 and 1984
Authors: Bonny Sylvie
Published: January 2020

The effects that the energy crisis has had on the relatively energy‐intensive French agriculture are discussed in this paper for the period 1974–1984. The economic significance of energy in agriculture and the economic effects of higher energy prices are examined. An analysis is made of developments in the use of different sources of energy in the agricultural sector: savings in petroleum products used for heat production, diversification of fuel sources for heating, growing consumption of wood for space heating, and increased use of electricity. The effects of the energy crisis on France's agricultural economy, particularly with regard to farm income, the choice of sites for agricultural production, and trade in agro‐food products are discussed. Finally, a detailed breakdown is given of the changes in the use of production factors, caused by the increase in energy prices. Agriculture appears to have become more economical or more efficient.
Income and Employment Generation from Agricultural Processing and Marketing: The Case of Soybean in Indonesia
Authors: Hayami Yujiro , Kawagoe Toshihiko , Morooka Yoshinori , Siregar Musdjidin
Published: January 2020

This study aims to illustrate the potential of agricultural processing and marketing activities in generating local income and employment in developing economies, using soybean in Indonesia as a case. The results show that those activities add to rural income and employment at a scale equal or even larger than those generated from farm production itself, indicating their role in alleviating poverty and inequality in the rural sector.
Some Lessons from the Modelling of the Spanish Rice Market
Authors: Wesley E. , Peterson F.
Published: January 2020

Spanish accession to the European Comminity (EC) will lead to many changes in Spain's agricultural sector. Predicting the nature of these changes is difficult because the new policy regime differs significantly from historic Spanish policies. In this paper, conventional econometric models of the Spanish rice sector are constrated with a model designed specifically to reflect the pervasive impact of Spanish rice policies. This policy model predicts the historical evolution of production, consumption and trade more accurately than the conventional models. However, the policy model cannot be used to predict the impact of the radical policy changes in Spain resulting from the introduction of the EC rice regime because the historical relationships no longer hold. It is argued that alternative approaches relying more on institutional analysis and expert opinion need to be developed to understand the future of the Spanish rice sector.
Simplified Risk Analysis in Agricultural Extension
Authors: Cruz Elmar Rodrigues da , Porto Vitor Hugo da Fonseca
Published: January 2020

Attention is given to the major methods of assessing risk in order to make choices. The literature frequently reports studies on mean‐variance (E‐V) analysis and stochastic dominance rules. Both of these methods are compared, in an agricultural application, with the approach outlined by Hanoch and Levy. The empirical results suggests that Hanoch and Levy's criterion appear to reduce the size of the risk‐efficient set, and that the sets of recommendations from the methods under comparison were consistent. The two recommendations generated by Hanoch and Levy's rule were found to be reasonable for this particular decision process.
Grain Production and Food Security in Arab Countries
Authors: Adamowicz Mieczystaw
Published: January 2020

Grains are the most important group of products in the food security programs of the Arab countries. These countries suffer from a shortage of food in general and in particular a shortage of grains. This results from a rapidly growing population and growing disposable incomes.

This paper describes the grain sector in the economy of the Arab countries with special attention to its role in the national and regional food security programs. First, output and consumption of grains between 1973 and 1984 are analysed in all Arab countries, with special attention to wheat. Second, the concept of food security is discussed. Food security is defined as continuity of food supply to the whole population and unhampered access to food by all groups of the population. Food security is considered principally as a problem of short‐term variability of food production and instability of imports. Food insecurity is thus measured by the size of production and consumption variability in relation to the long‐term levels of consumption and production. The standard deviation and the coefficient of variation are used as indicators of the variability.

Last, strategies and policies for achievement of food security are discussed. The growing food supply gap in the Arab countries implies the need to increase grain production as an element of major importance in the development of food‐security programs. Proper grain policies must foresee increases of yields, reduction of post‐harvest losses, and increased capacity to handle and store grain reserves. The establishment of national and regional Arab strategic grain stocks equal to the average magnitude of harvest shortfalls is recommended as one measure of short‐term strategy. The long‐term strategy, in turn, focuses on development of domestic agricultural production and greater cooperation among the Arab countries.
Cereal Technology Interventions for the West African Semi‐Arid Tropics
Authors: Nagy J.G. , Sanders J.H. , Ohm H.W.
Published: January 2020

One of the regions of most concern in Sub‐Saharan Africa is the geographical area of the West African semi‐arid tropics (WASAT) where there has been little impact from the green revolution and most of the region suffers from inadequate and irregular rainfall and low fertility soils. Decreasing per‐capita food production trends and 2‐3% per‐year population growth trends have convinced some to adopt a Malthusian perspective about the future of the WASAT. This paper evaluates the prospects of agricultural technologies and farm management practices that are currently proposed for the WASAT cereal farming system. The technologies are assessed with respect to their agronomic and economic feasibility, risk and their fit within the farming systems. They are ranked as to their feasibility of adoption by farmers in the short, intermediate and long run. The findings suggest that several agricultural technologies are feasible for use in the short run provided that they are used as a package. The complexity and initial high financial and human capital requirements, however, often prohibit farmers from adopting the total package simultaneously. A stepwise approach to adoption is difficult since separate adoption results in lower profitability and higher risk levels. Government policy intervention may be necessary to enable farmers to adopt single technologies en route to total package adoption.
Soil and Moisture Management in Mali: A Case Study Analysis for West Africa
Authors: Day John C. , Aillery Marcel P.
Published: January 2020

In order for farmers to accept improved soil and water management practices, new technologies must be appropriate to the specific site conditions found in the farm setting and be consistent with farmers' objectives and available resources. A whole‐farm modeling analysis of this problem is described. Preliminary estimates of the benefits of increased soil moisture conservation for representative low‐resource farmers in Mali are presented. If farmers could improve rainfall infiltration from currently low rates of about 40% up to 60%, and use small amounts of chemical fertilizers, disposable income could increase two to four times depending on rainfall. Income could be increased another 50% if the infiltration rate was raised to 80%. Food grain production could increase 60 to 90% with improved moisture conservation and fertilizer use.