bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crank-Nicolson Scheme for Solving the Modified Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation
Authors: Alanazi A. A. , Alamri Sultan Z. , Shafie S. , Mohd Puzi Shazirawati
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to obtain the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE) numerical solutions in the presence of the first-order chromatic dispersion using a second-order, unconditionally stable, implicit finite difference method. In addition, stability and accuracy are proved for the resulting scheme.

Design/methodology/approach

The conserved quantities such as mass, momentum and energy are calculated for the system governed by the NLSE. Moreover, the robustness of the scheme is confirmed by conducting various numerical tests using the Crank-Nicolson method on different cases of solitons to discuss the effects of the factor considered on solitons properties and on conserved quantities.

Findings

The Crank-Nicolson scheme has been derived to solve the NLSE for optical fibers in the presence of the wave packet drift effects. It has been founded that the numerical scheme is second-order in time and space and unconditionally stable by using von-Neumann stability analysis. The effect of the parameters considered in the study is displayed in the case of one, two and three solitons. It was noted that the reliance of NLSE numeric solutions properties on coefficients of wave packets drift, dispersions and Kerr nonlinearity play an important control not only the stable and unstable regime but also the energy, momentum conservation laws. Accordingly, by comparing our numerical results in this study with the previous work, it was recognized that the obtained results are the generalized formularization of these work. Also, it was distinguished that our new data are regarding to the new communications modes that depend on the dispersion, wave packets drift and nonlinearity coefficients.

Originality/value

The present study uses the first-order chromatic. Also, it highlights the relationship between the parameters of dispersion, nonlinearity and optical wave properties. The study further reports the effect of wave packet drift, dispersions and Kerr nonlinearity play an important control not only the stable and unstable regime but also the energy, momentum conservation laws.
How do founder-CEOs sell their remaining ownership shares? Theory and evidence
Authors: Niu Xu
Published: July 2021

Purpose

In this paper, the author attempts to answer an important question upon founder-CEOs' exiting: How do they sell their remaining ownership shares? The literature has largely been silent on this question, and therefore is missing an important piece of the puzzle on the final stage of the founding entrepreneurs' involvement in their companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses both theoretical models and empirical methods to examine how founder-CEOs sell their remaining ownership shares.

Findings

The author finds that founder-CEOs of high-growth firms and those with high managerial ability are more likely to sell remaining ownership shares gradually rather than suddenly. Moreover, if either the growth or the managerial ability is high, founder-CEOs managing firms with high volatility tend to sell gradually.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights into the final stage of founding entrepreneurs' involvement in companies. The methodology of pattern recognition also helps investors and regulators in tracking and monitoring stock trading of founders and other company insiders.
Does crop specialization improve agricultural productivity and commercialization? Insight from the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana
Authors: Sekyi Samuel , Quaidoo Christopher , Wiafe Emmanuel Agyapong
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the effects of crop specialization on agricultural productivity and commercialization for farmers who produce high-value crops in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used the USAID/Ghana Feed the Future (FTF) survey, which collected data on high-value crops (i.e. maize, rice and soya). Data for the analysis consists of 2,903 farm households. The study utilized the three-stage generalized method of moment estimation technique to deal with the potential endogeneity of crop specialization within the context of productivity and commercialization and heteroscedasticity issues in the data.

Findings

The study found that crop specialization positively relates to agricultural productivity and commercialization, suggesting that increased crop specialization in the production of high-value stimulates productivity and opens market opportunities for farm households. These findings imply that crop specialization seems more beneficial to farmers as it significantly improves productivity and commercialization.

Research limitations/implications

The study was conducted in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana and not the entire country.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to have jointly modeled crop specialization, agricultural productivity and commercialization. The main advantage of using this system approach is that it uses more information, thereby providing more precise parameter estimates.
Predicting bid protests: what should sourcing teams (not) do?
Authors: Hawkins Timothy G. , Gravier Michael J. , Niranjan Suman
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to better understand the effectiveness of buyers’ defensive measures to thwart bid protests in government procurements.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 240 sourcing professionals concerning government source selections is used to analyze a logistic regression model exploring 6 antecedents of bid protests.

Findings

This research implicates the importance of oral presentations of offers, the type of value procured (i.e. services), protest experience, the quantity of document revisions, transaction costs and cost reimbursement contracts in receiving a bid protest.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to explore sourcing strategy decisions that can contribute to the receipt of a bid protest. It adds clarity to an understudied market of business – the public sector.
Shifting borders of memory: Japan’s Industrial Heritage Information Centre
Authors: Boyle Edward
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This article examines the borders of memory inherent to a Japanese World Heritage site, and their significance for the 2020 opening of the Industrial Heritage Information Center in Tokyo. The Center was constructed to disseminate information regarding the widely dispersed “Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution”, which was recognized as a “serial site” by UNESCO in 2015. As with the original nomination, the opening of this Centre resulted in stringent protests from South Korea, who sought to have UNESCO consider revoking its original listing of these 23 Industrial Sites as collectively constituting the heritage of the world. This Center materializes a “border of memory” between Japan and South Korea that is the outcome of the displacement and re-siting of the heritage associated with Japan's Meiji Industrial Sites.

Design/methodology/approach

Research material is derived from nomination documents, site visits, and newspaper reports in order to contextualize and analyse the disputes associated with this particular World Heritage nomination.

Findings

The paper points to how the borders of memory present at heritage sites may shift through contestation. Efforts to fix the meaning of heritage find themselves subverted by connections across such borders of memory.

Originality/value

The paper traces the process by which the geographically-dispersed “Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution” have been collectivized through UNESCO's recognition into a single “border of memory” between Japan and Korea, one which the Information Center subsequently succeeded in materializing and reproducing within Japan's national capital.
Predicting entrepreneurial and professional career mindsets in young Nigerian adults
Authors: Adebusuyi Adeola Samuel , Kolawole Samson Olowo , Abu Hassan Salawu , Adebusuyi Olubusayo Foluso , Ajulo Adesina Adewale
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how new graduates in Nigeria can simultaneously pursue entrepreneurial and professional careers. Specifically, this study tested the contextual (socioeconomic status [SES]), person-based (an open personality) and cognitive-person (self-efficacy and outcome expectations) predictors of entrepreneurship, professionalism and leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The study design is cross-sectional. Data were collected from 363 new graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions. Hypotheses were generated from social cognitive career self-management (CSM) variables. Research instruments were also revalidated for the Nigerian context, and regression path analysis was used to analyze the data.

Findings

This study’s key findings showed that SES and an open personality are predictors of entrepreneurship, professionalism and leadership (EPL) self-efficacy and intentions, entrepreneurial and job outcome expectations. Second, EPL self-efficacy predicted both entrepreneurial and job outcome expectations and served as a mediating variable for SES and an open personality. Third, entrepreneurial outcome expectations related to EPL intentions, whereas job outcome expectations did not. These results suggest that SES and openness personality trait are crucial for developing a versatile career mindset.

Research limitations/implications

This study demonstrated that individuals’ characteristics (i.e. cognitive and personality) and economic resources are crucial determinants of CSM. As this study is cross-sectional, future research could use a longitudinal approach to determine the cause-effect relationship.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first research to examine how new graduates can simultaneously explore entrepreneurial and professional careers in a developing country like Nigeria using the CSM theory.
Quantitative easing, macroeconomic stability and economic policy effectiveness
Authors: Cebula Richard , Rossi Fabrizio
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study mathematically aims to evaluate the implications of a central bank’s adoption of a policy of quantitative easing (QE)/relative QE.

Design/methodology/approach

It is shown, within an investment-savings (IS)-liquidity preference-money supply (LM) framework, that this policy prerogative has, depending upon the aggressiveness which QE is undertaken, demonstrable implications for the conditions under which macroeconomic stability exists.

Findings

Furthermore, it is shown here that the presence of QE increases the effectiveness of traditional discretionary monetary and fiscal policies.

Originality/value

The study shows, within an IS-LM framework, that this policy prerogative has, depending upon the aggressiveness which QE is undertaken, demonstrable implications for the conditions under which macroeconomic stability exists.
A purchasing portfolio model for humanitarian supply chain resilience: perspectives from a development aid context
Authors: Bhusiri Narath , Banomyong Ruth , Julagasigorn Puthipong , Varadejsatitwong Paitoon , Dhami Nirpa
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The impact of supply disruptions from unplanned events can cause goods shortage, limited responsiveness and high opportunity cost thus compromising development aid programmes' achievement targets. These situations force humanitarian aid agencies to develop new strategies for effectively managing their supplies. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the foundation of humanitarian supply chain resilience through the development of an adapted Kraljic portfolio model.

Design/methodology/approach

Action research was used to adapt and validate the Kraljic portfolio model to the development aid context. The research team worked with a humanitarian aid agency in developing criterions and used Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) in weighting those key criterions.

Findings

The adapted portfolio model was able to evaluate purchases done by the aid agency by incorporating different perspectives related to the strategic importance of purchase and supply vulnerability. In particular, development aid programmes require large supplies annually. Better classification offers improved visualisation of purchases, leading to a more precise adoption of mitigation strategies and policies to minimise supply disruption risks.

Research limitations/implications

Adapting the Kraljic portfolio model is a stepping-stone to building humanitarian supply chain resilience. The proposed humanitarian supply chain resilience framework is based on the foundation that current humanitarian supply chain needs to be re-engineered. In order to re-engineer, the supply base strategy must first be revisited.

Practical implications

Many aid agencies do not have a holistic view on their purchases and commonly apply a transactional classification of purchases that only considers the consumption values. Purchasing strategies mostly focus on cost minimisation, whereas risk mitigations have been disregarded. The proposed portfolio model overcomes these drawbacks. Societal impact may be limited but development aid agencies will be able to offer more reliable aid delivery as part of their mandate.

Originality/value

The proposed portfolio model is among the first tool to guide humanitarian aid agencies to develop procurement strategies to alleviate supply disruptions and increase development aid programmes resilience.
Commodifying ancient cultural heritage: the market evolution of the Parthenon temple
Authors: Brokalaki Zafeirenia , Patsiaouras Georgios
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show and critically discuss the motivations, conflicting narratives, practices and effects around the marketisation of cultural heritage. The work focusses on the exemplar case study of the ancient temple of the Athenian Parthenon, as a proto-brand, to explore ancient, medieval and modern marketing forces and practices through which various stakeholders have promoted, gifted, commercially traded, exchanged, acquired and illegally removed national cultural artefacts and historical monuments.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a structured historical periodisation that covers three main eras – classical age, late antiquity and modern period – that triggered the marketisation of the ancient temple in diverse ways. First, historical research was conducted through the use of a range of secondary sources and archives. Second, observation techniques were used to study heritage marketisation practices at the New Acropolis Museum and the Parthenon in Athens and the British Museum in London. Third, visual material further facilitated the analysis.

Findings

This paper identifies multifarious institutional forces, political interests, technologies and sociocultural events that shape the commodification of history and marketisation of heritage offering a broader discussion on the evolution of early marketing practices and brands used to promote particular values, cultures and places, as well as the emergence and growth of illicit arts and antiquities markets.

Originality/value

Considering the lack of marketing research on the commercialisation of heritage, the work discloses novel insights around the use of cultural proto-brands and the formation of illegal markets and questionable arts trade practices. It, therefore, questions the ethical, socio-political, economic and aesthetic implications of the extensive marketisation of history and raises issues around the legitimate ownership, promotion and consumption of heritage.
Pracademic productive friction: boundary crossing and pressure points
Authors: Mynott John Paul , Zimmatore Michaela
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Productive friction (Ward et al., 2011) can exist as pracademics cross between boundaries of their different identities. Through an exploration of the self-perception of two collaborating pracademics, this paper will consider that organisational and occupational (Evetts, 2009) elements exist that generate professional friction for pracademics.

Design/methodology/approach

Using two consecutive Lesson Study cycles as a boundary object, the authors will consider their pracademic identity through a spatial approach. Their perceptions are expressed through semi-structured qualitative interviews and subsequent thematic analysis. This analysis is then explored through Engeström's (2001) learning stages to consider how pracademics interact within the contradictions of their identities and within their context and their work.

Findings

Time, purpose, integration and collaboration are all elements that impact on pracademic identities. For each one of these themes, pracademics both experience friction and find resolutions. As these themes vary, there are also moments of unresolved friction, where the pracademics maintain their work based on their enthusiasm alone. Constraints on time and the visibility of pracademic emerge. Exploring these pressure points and their resolutions is key to understanding how pracademics can be further supported by other professionals.

Originality/value

While it is not possible to draw large conclusions from the experiences and perceptions of two primary-school-based pracademics, their experiences and understanding of contextual pressure points may facilitate the support of other pracademics and resonant with their experiences, particularly if they are using Lesson Study.
Is turnover contagious? The impact of transformational leadership and collective turnover on employee turnover decisions
Authors: Oh Jinuk , Chhinzer Nita
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study addresses three research questions related to employee turnover: (1) does transformational leadership act as a pull-to-stay factor for employees? (2) How well does turnover intention predict actual turnover behavior? (3) Does collective turnover moderate the link between turnover intentions and turnover behaviors?

Design/methodology/approach

Latent moderated structural equation modeling was employed with longitudinal and multi-source data from car dealerships located in the Seoul Capital Area, South Korea.

Findings

The results indicate a negative relationship between transformational leadership and turnover intentions and a positive relationship between turnover intentions and turnover behavior. Furthermore, the results provide empirical support for turnover contagion as a mechanism triggering turnover intentions into turnover behavior in the workplace.

Originality/value

This study provides a timely and novel contribution to the areas of leadership and employee turnover due to the underexplored research area of transformational leadership, the growing body of literature that questions the fixed assumption in employee turnover studies and the increasing interest in collective turnover. Importantly, existing research has examined the concept of collective turnover from a quantity perspective, aggregating individual turnover to group levels. This study provides a more nuanced, comprehensive evaluation of the quality of turnover, by considering the impact of performance contribution aspects of turnover at the business unit level.
Expatriates' dual commitment: a serial multiple mediation model of workplace friendships and adjustment
Authors: Liu Yuwen
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to advance the understanding of expatriates' psychological attachment toward both their parent company and its foreign subsidiary by highlighting how workplace friendships enhance the process of adjustment for expatriates and how these effects on adjustment subsequently translate into expatriates' dual commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 187 expatriates, working in managerial positions, in subsidiaries of multinational corporations, all of whom were assigned expatriates. Serial multiple indirect effects were tested.

Findings

The results indicated that the relationship between workplace friendships and interaction adjustment was supported, but the relationship between workplace friendships and work adjustment was not supported. The serial indirect effects of international adjustment and work adjustment on the relationship between interaction adjustment and expatriates' dual commitment were supported.

Originality/value

This study seeks to fill a gap in the research literature on expatriates by focusing on the issue of workplace friendships and expatriates' dual commitment. The findings help bolster the literature on relational schemas in that expatriates' workplace friendships establish scripts for expatriates' expected outlines of adjustment in work domains. This study also provides insights relevant to the literature on social interaction and adjustment, as the findings support our theory that expatriate commitment is not directly contingent on workplace friendships but rather on the mediating roles of both interaction adjustment and work adjustment.
Discussion on the Hill Formula
Authors: Wu Junling , Feng Libo , Lin Long
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study reported in this paper was to find the correct Mt/M8 and Dt/a2 data lists of Hill Formula. This paper enumerates several kinds of Hill formula data lists presented in different literatures, and the authors hope to draw the correct conclusion.

Design/methodology/approach

The eight different forms collected in the research project were compared. The mathematician was asked to give a suggestion from a professional point of view and to arrive at a conclusion.

Findings

In all eight cases, the third, the eighth and seventh cases are consistent and are considered reasonable and correct.

Research limitations/implications

First-hand information was not used because of unavailability of the earliest published version of the Hill formula.

Practical implications

It is helpful to the correct application of Hill formula and the calculation of diffusion coefficient. It is also valuable to the study of dyeing kinetics.

Originality/value

The research helps to reduce and avoid the confusion in the application of Hill formula in dyeing kinetics research.
Facilitating manual wheelchair skills following lower limb amputation using a group process: A nested mixed methods pilot study
Authors: Charlton Kimberly , Murray Carolyn , Boucaut Rose , Berndt Angela
Published: July 2021

Introduction

The manual wheelchair skills training programme is used to structure teaching manual wheelchair use for people following injury or disability. This pilot study aimed to explore the outcomes of introducing a group wheelchair skills training programme on skill performance, confidence and frequency of wheelchair use for people with lower limb amputation in a rehabilitation setting from the perspective of participants and group facilitators.

Method

This pilot study used a two‐phase mixed methods nested design. Eleven people with lower limb amputations received a minimum of two 45‐min wheelchair skills sessions, using the Wheelchair Skills Training Program, delivered in a mix of group and one‐to‐one sessions. In phase one, wheelchair skill performance, confidence and frequency were measured using the Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire‐Version 5.0, goal achievement was measured through the Functional Independence Measure and Goal Attainment Scale. These measures were repeated in phase two. Nested within phase two was qualitative data collection. Interviews were conducted with eight participants and a focus group held with three programme facilitators, to gather their perceptions of the training process. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse and report quantitative data and thematic analysis was used to combine qualitative data from the two participant groups.

Results

Post intervention, the mean Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire score increased in performance (42.3 ± 13.4), confidence (33.9 ± 20.7) and frequency (33.9 ± 27.3). Goal Attainment was achieved or exceeded by 91% of all participants. Four themes were developed from qualitative data including, “motivators driving learning,” “delivery methods, structure and profile of the Wheelchair Skills Training Program,” “managing risk and safety” and “confidence in wheelchair use.”

Conclusions

The pilot study found that The Wheelchair Skills Training Program can improve wheelchair performance, confidence and frequency to support enhanced safety, independence and quality of life for people with lower limb amputations.
The End of the Liberal World Order and the Future of UN Peace Operations: Lessons Learned
Authors: Cassin Katelyn , Zyla Benjamin
Published: July 2021

Global conflicts are becoming increasingly transnational and often involve non‐state actors. These trends mirror the diffusion of power that has resulted from globalization and the erosion of liberal hegemony since the late 1990s and early 2000s. Though projections vary among scholars, the future international system is likely to involve a diversification of actors exerting influence in all policy spheres, including conflict‐response and peace operations. The United Nations (UN) and other liberal actors, historically dominant in peace operations, must adapt to remain relevant in a future where their governance of operations, and the underlying liberal democratic goals on which they are based, can no longer be assumed. In light of this waning liberal international order, this paper examines the core lessons learned from the past 70 years of UN peace operations to infer what future UN peacekeeping might look like and what adaptations will be necessary for this new environment. In so doing, we prepare recommendations for a truly localized and contextualized approach to peace operations that is expansive, representative and non‐directive, ultimately necessitating the UN and other liberal actors to adopt higher risk tolerance and relinquish exclusive control over conflict‐response and peace.
Effects on the embryonic and larval development of cane toads (Rhinella marina) reared in alkaline artesian spring water
Authors: Lundsgaard Niclas U. , Cramp Rebecca L. , Franklin Craig E. , Kern Pippa L.
Published: July 2021

Invasive species are generally characterised by broad environmental tolerances that allow them to successfully inhabit multiple ecosystems. Cane toads (Rhinella marina) are physiologically tolerant to a broad range of environmental conditions; however, it has been observed that they do not frequently reproduce in the Great Artesian Basin springs of central Queensland, Australia, despite inhabiting the surrounding environment. In the present study, we reared cane toad embryos and larvae in a range of water treatments including water sourced from artesian springs at Edgbaston Reserve, to determine if the challenging water chemistry of these environments limits cane toad development. We found that embryos and mid‐ to late‐stage toad larvae were highly tolerant to spring water – there were no significant effects of water treatment on embryonic hatching success and development, and late‐stage larvae exposed to spring water successfully metamorphosed. However, early‐stage larvae were more sensitive and experienced a small increase in mortality when raised in alkaline water treatments compared with carbon‐filtered tap water. Our findings suggest that cane toads can successfully develop in artesian spring water. However, field studies are needed to determine if the sensitivity of early‐stage larvae to alkaline water limits their ability to successfully colonise these springs.
Deafness in Australian Cattle Dogs associated to QTL on chromosome 20 in genome‐wide association study analyses
Authors: Seddon J. M. , Fortes M. , Kelly‐Smith M. , Sommerlad S. F. , Hayward J. J. , Burmeister L. , De Risio L. , Mellersh C. , Freeman J. , Strain G. M.
Published: July 2021

Pigment‐associated deafness is a common hereditary condition in a range of dog breeds. The aim of this study was to perform a genome‐wide association analysis to investigate the genetic architecture of deafness in Australian Cattle Dogs. Genotypes for 104 757 polymorphisms in 216 dogs were available for analyses after quality control. A genomic relationship matrix was used in the mixed model analyses to account for polygenic effects, as we tested each polymorphism for its association with deafness, in a case/control experimental design. Three approaches were used to code the genotypes and test for additive, recessive and dominant SNP effects. The genome‐wide association study analyses identified a clear association peak on CFA20, with the most significant SNPs on this chromosome (1.29 × 10−4) in the vicinity of MITF. Variants in MITF have been associated with white pigmentation in dogs and with deafness in humans and other species, supporting the premise that canine deafness is associated with variants in or near this gene. A recessive inheritance for the peak in CFA20 is possible given the significant results in the recessive model; however, the estimated heritability was low (4.54 × 10−5). Further validation, identification of variants and testing in other dog breeds are needed.
Housing insecurity experiences and coping strategies of single‐mother families in Australia: An Internet‐mediated research
Authors: Ma Mengxing , Sebastian Andi
Published: July 2021

Housing has broader implications for families. Single mother families face many difficulties that make them more susceptible when encountering housing problems. By analyzing the content of a single mother Facebook group, this article describes a variety of housing insecurity issues experienced by single mother families in Australia, including unaffordable housing, struggles in the private rental market, high mobility, and homelessness. We observed some risk factors and protective factors at both individual level and structural level that intersect and mediate single mother families’ experiences of these housing insecurity issues. A multidimensional framework is applied to analyze the complexity and fluidity of these factors. Psychosocial and group‐based interventions can help single mother families manage stress and improve their adaptation to some housing insecurity issues. However, mountain‐moving efforts to tackle structural problems are central and urgent to address these issues and to support single mothers and their children.
A case of successful laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay mesh plus technique repair for perineal hernia after laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection
Authors: Ogi Yusuke , Watanabe Yuji , Egi Hiroyuki , Suehiro Kazunaga , Watanabe Katsuya , Tsuda Naoki , Kosaka Taijiro
Published: July 2021

The frequency of secondary perineal hernia after abdominoperineal resection has been reported as 0.83%‐26%. The optimal surgery for secondary perineal hernia and surgical indication remains controversial. An 87‐year‐old woman diagnosed with lower rectal cancer underwent laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection. Follow‐up computed tomography at 6 months postoperatively revealed secondary perineal hernia. She reported no discomfort and no incarceration was apparent, but she complained of perineal discomfort 3 months later. Laparoscopic repair surgery was performed using an intraperitoneal onlay mesh plus technique with VENTRALIGHT® ST mesh (Medicon, Osaka, Japan), a non‐absorbable mesh with a biodegradable coating. No recurrence of peritoneal hernia was seen as of 3 months postoperatively. A time lag can exist between imaging findings and symptom appearance. This laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay mesh plus technique might become the optimal treatment for perineal hernia.
Extreme weather and ratings on corporate climate mitigation policies
Authors: Chen Dong
Published: July 2021

This study examines whether the extreme weather events (EWEs) incurred at the headquarters of firms have an impact on their climate mitigation policies. I show that, controlling for county fixed effects, the annual number of EWEs at the headquarter counties of the largest public firms in the US significantly improves the subsequent ratings of their climate mitigation policies, with recent EWEs having a more pronounced impact. I also find that the EWEs at the neighboring counties do not have a similar effect, and provide some evidence that the impact of EWEs on climate ratings is stronger for weakly governed firms, and that some EWEs positively affect the likelihood of utility firms’ expressing a concern for climate risk through their SEC filings. These results support the idea that personal weather experiences can influence managerial belief in anthropogenic climate change which in turn affects corporate climate mitigation policies.
Protecting restoration investments from the cheatgrass‐fire cycle in sagebrush steppe
Authors: Pilliod David S. , Jeffries Michelle I. , Welty Justin L. , Arkle Robert S.
Published: July 2021

The U.S. federal government has recently committed to the difficult task of slowing and managing the invasive grass‐fire cycle in sagebrush steppe, where property, livelihoods, and entire ecosystems are at risk. To safely manage this crisis, the government recently proposed to construct about 17,700 km of fuel breaks and millions of hectares of fuel reduction treatments in six western states. A challenge for resource managers will be the strategic placement of these land treatments. We investigated the need for this massive effort from the perspective of protecting previous rehabilitation and restoration seeding investments, including over 3,400 seedings implemented from 1990 to 2019 covering about 24,540 km2. We found that portions of over 26% of these seedings have since burned representing nearly 17% of this seeded area. Locations that had recurrent wildfire had repeat treatments and thus multiple investments in the same location. Our analysis supports the management actions aimed at protecting remaining sagebrush and restoration investments, especially in areas where the invasive grass‐fire cycle is most pervasive. Given the decades required for most sagebrush to recover after wildfire, the urgency of this management intervention is evident. The specific details, placement, and effectiveness of these interventions could influence outcomes and potential unintended consequences.
Low mortality in SARS‐CoV‐2 infected heart transplant recipients at a single center
Authors: Duran Jason M. , Barat Masihullah , Lin Andrew Y. , King Kevin R. , Greenberg Barry , Adler Eric D. , Aslam Saima
Published: July 2021

Immunosuppressed heart transplant (HT) recipients are thought to be at higher risk of infection and mortality from SARS‐CoV‐2 infection coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19); however, evidence guiding management of HT patients are limited. Retrospective search of electronic health records from February 2020 to February 2021, identified 28 HT recipients out of 400 followed by UC San Diego who tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2. Patient demographics, COVID‐19 directed therapies, hospital course and outcomes were compared to control HT recipients who tested negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 during the same period (n = 80). Among 28 HT recipients who tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, 15 were admitted to the hospital and 13 were monitored closely as outpatients. Among inpatients, five developed severe illness and two died (7% mortality). Nine patients were treated with remdesivir, and four received dexamethasone and remdesivir. Two outpatients received neutralizing monoclonal antibody therapy and one outpatient received dexamethasone for persistent dyspnea. Immunosuppressed HT recipients, especially Hispanic patients and patients with higher body mass index, were at greater risk of infection and mortality from COVID‐19 than the general population. Use of remdesivir and dexamethasone may have improved outcomes in our HT recipients compared to HT recipients at other centers.
Return to work after deceased donor kidney transplant under the kidney allocation system
Authors: Wherry Kael S. , Dowd Bryan E. , Kuntz Karen M. , Berg Bjorn P. , McGovern Patricia M. , Pruett Timothy L.
Published: July 2021

Background

The Kidney Allocation System (KAS) includes a scoring system to match transplant candidate life expectancy with expected longevity of the donor kidney, and a backdating policy that gives waitlist time credit to patients waitlisted after starting dialysis treatment (post‐dialysis). We estimated the effect of the KAS on employment among patient subgroups targeted by the policy.

Methods

We used a sample selection model to compare employment after transplant before and after KAS implementation among patients on the kidney‐only transplant waitlist between December 4, 2011 and December 31, 2017.

Results

Post‐dialysis transplant recipients aged 18–49 were significantly more likely to be employed 1‐year post transplant in the post‐KAS era compared to the pre‐KAS era. Transplant recipients aged 35–64 with no dialysis treatment were significantly less likely to be employed 1 year after transplant in the post‐KAS era compared to the pre‐KAS era.

Conclusions

This study provides the first assessment of employment after DDKT under the KAS and provides important information about both the methods used to measure employment after transplant and the outcome under the KAS. Changes in employment after DDKT among various patient subgroups have important implications for assessing long‐term patient and societal effects of the KAS and organ allocation policy.
Kurdish–Iraqi state conflict (de‐)escalation following the independence referendum
Authors: Hama Hawre Hasan
Published: July 2021

Moral hazard theory assumes that the responsibility to protect (R2P) raises expectations of third‐party intervention, thus creating a perverse motivation for vulnerable groups to act aggressively and incite a situation where foreign intervention becomes necessary to preserve their own safety. The promise of external intervention encourages vulnerable groups to rebel against their parent states under the assumption that intervention increases the likelihood of success and lowers the expected cost. Alan Kuperman describes moral hazard theory as the taking of risks that may inadvertently derive from trying to protect from risk, with unwanted results. This paper asks, if there are divisions, conflicts, or a security dilemma arising between factional leaders within a vulnerable group, how does that affect the decisions of the group with regard to taking risks? Taking the case of the PUK’s decision not to fight Iraqi armed forces and thereby prevent conflict escalation following the 2017 independence referendum, this paper argues that divisions between factional leaders affect a group's choice to take risks, reducing its likelihood. Consequently, conditions are less likely to reach the point of existential danger where outside intervention becomes necessary.
Trade liberalization and decentralization of state‐owned enterprises: Evidence from China
Authors: Fan Haichao , Hu Cui , Lin Faqin , Wang Huanhuan
Published: July 2021

This paper examines the relationship between trade liberalization and the probability of state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) being decentralized. We find that tariff cuts for inputs significantly lower the probability of a SOE being decentralized, whereas tariff cuts for outputs raise this probability. We also find that as the distance from a SOE to its overseeing government increases, the effects of input and output tariff cuts on the probability of SOEs decentralization become stronger. Our empirical results are consistent with a simple model in which local governments try to balance the costs of supervising SOEs against the profits extracted from SOEs.
Housing prices, volatility, and fundamental value
Authors: Tomat Gian Maria
Published: July 2021

Asset pricing theories imply the existence of a long run relation between real housing prices and rents. The long run relation predicts, that in each time period real housing prices should be equal to the expected present discounted value of subsequent real rents. We use the annual time series for the 1991–2016 period in Italy as evidence regarding the present discounted value relation. Considering the stochastic properties of the aggregate time series, cointegration tests do not deliver conclusive results. In a dynamic vector autoregression model, real housing prices are shown to properly anticipate forthcoming real rents, though they exhibit excess volatility. In the sample period, movements of housing prices relatively to the long run relation predict successive real returns. While rational speculative bubbles might produce excess volatility of housing prices, other explanations are required for the predictability of real housing returns.
Grazing‐induced biodiversity loss impairs grassland ecosystem stability at multiple scales
Authors: Liang Maowei , Liang Cunzhu , Hautier Yann , Wilcox Kevin R. , Wang Shaopeng
Published: July 2021

Livestock grazing is a major driver shaping grassland biodiversity, functioning and stability. Whether grazing impacts on grassland ecosystems are scale‐dependent remains unclear. Here, we conducted a sheep‐grazing experiment in a temperate grassland to test grazing effects on the temporal stability of productivity across scales. We found that grazing increased species stability but substantially decreased local community stability due to reduced asynchronous dynamics among species within communities. The negative effect of grazing on local community stability propagated to reduce stability at larger spatial scales. By decreasing biodiversity both within and across communities, grazing reduced biological insurance effects and hence the upscaling of stability from species to communities and further to larger spatial scales. Our study provides the first evidence for the scale dependence of grazing effects on grassland stability through biodiversity. We suggest that ecosystem management should strive to maintain biodiversity across scales to achieve sustainability of grassland ecosystem functions and services.
First report of walnut (Juglans regia) pest Garella musculana in Romania
Authors: Bostancı Cengiz , Yıldırım İbrahim , Aydoğan Onur , Yıldız Yafes , Kiss Iosif Karoly , Albas Ertan
Published: July 2021

Garella musculana (Erschov, 1874) is an important walnut pest originating in Central Asia. It was found in 2008 in Ukraine, and more recently in Turkey and Bulgaria. The Asian walnut moth was observed in Romania during studies conducted in Albesti and Arsa province between 2018 and 2020. G. musculana was observed on both saplings and 50‐year‐old walnut (Juglans regia) trees in Romania. This paper presents the first record for Romania.
Association between childhood parental involvement and late‐life cognitive function: A population‐based cross‐sectional study among cognitively intact community‐dwelling older adults in Japan
Authors: Morita Ayako , Fujiwara Takeo
Published: July 2021

Aim

Although poor childhood rearing environment is known to negatively impact late‐life cognitive function, there is a scarcity of evidence on the contribution of positive parenting behaviors. The present study investigates the association between parental involvement in childhood and late‐life cognitive function.

Methods

A total of 266 older adults aged between 65 and 88 years living in Wakuya City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, without indication of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, participated in a survey. Parental involvement in childhood was assessed by a questionnaire, and late‐life cognitive function was measured by the Japanese version of the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (QMCI) screening test (range: 0–100). Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the association, adjusting for potential confounders and mediators.

Results

After adjusting for age, sex, other child‐rearing environment, and academic performance in grade 6, older adults with a high level of positive parental involvement in childhood scored 6.00 (95% CI: 2.39, 9.61) points higher for the QMCI total score than those without. Parental involvement in childhood showed significant dose–response positive associations with the QMCI total score (P < 0.001), clock‐drawing test score (P < 0.05), and verbal fluency score (P < 0.001). Among the six types of positive parental involvement, book reading showed a significant independent positive association with QMCI total score (P < 0.01) and logical memory score (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Greater parental involvement in childhood, particularly book reading, was associated with better late‐life cognitive function. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 794–801.
Dexamethasone reduces autoantibody levels in MRL/lpr mice by inhibiting Tfh cell responses
Authors: Shen Chunxiu , Xue Xiaonan , Zhang Xiaoyu , Wu Lihua , Duan Xiangguo , Su Chunxia
Published: July 2021

Previous studies have shown that dexamethasone (Dex) reduces the levels of anti‐nuclear (ANA) and anti‐dsDNA antibodies in MRL/lpr mice (a mouse model of SLE). However, the effect of Dex on T follicular helper (Tfh) cells is less documented. Here, using the MRL/lpr mouse model, we investigated the influence of Dex on Tfh cells and potential underlying mechanisms. The data showed that the proportion of Tfh cells, identified as CD4+CXCR5+ICOS+, CD4+CXCR5+PD‐1+ or CD4+BCL‐6+ cells, markedly decreased after treatment with the Dex, in both Balb/c mice and MRL/lpr mice. Dex significantly inhibited IL‐21 expression at both the mRNA and the protein levels. Dex also significantly reduced the proportion of germinal centre B cells and decreased serum IgG, IgG2a/b and IgA levels. Moreover, a positive correlation between the proportion of Tfh cells (CD4+CXCR5+ICOS+, CD4+CXCR5+PD‐1+ or CD4+BCL‐6+) and autoantibodies was observed. Dex significantly increased the Prdm1 and Stat5b mRNA expression and decreased the Bcl‐6 and c‐Maf mRNA expression of CD4+T cells. In brief, Dex inhibited the Tfh development, which relies on many other transcription factors in addition to Bcl‐6. Our data indicate that Dex can be used as a Tfh cell inhibitor in SLE.
An Application of Shapley Value Cost Allocation to Liquidity Savings Mechanisms
Authors: GARRATT RODNEY J.
Published: July 2021

This paper describes a proposal for operating a centralized netting queue for nonurgent interbank payments that involves take‐it‐or‐leave‐it offers and allocates liquidity costs using the Shapley value. This method achieves fairness and ensures welfare‐maximizing netting proposals are agreeable to all providers of liquidity.