bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Savings-investment-financial development trilogy: evidence from SSA
Authors: Raheem Ibrahim D. , Oyinlola Mutiu Abimbola
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The study seeks to examine the role of financial development (FD) in the Feldstein–Horioka (FH) puzzle. The novelty of this study is based on the fact that the measures of FD are expanded to account for the qualitative nature of the financial sector (“better finance”).

Design/methodology/approach

The study used annual dataset for 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the period 1999 through 2010 and relied on the system generalised method of moments (GMM) technique, which takes accounts of endogeneity-related issues.

Findings

The estimated FH coefficients ranged between 0.419 and 0.720. The qualitative measures of FD have higher FH coefficient relative to the traditional or quantitative measure of FD (“more finance”). Hence, improvement in both the quantity and quality of the financial sector might be helpful in the mobilization, distribution and utilization of savings for investment purposes within these economies. The high FH coefficients obtained suggest that the FH puzzle does not hold in the SSA region.

Practical implications

Policymakers should formulate and design policies that would seek to ensure the development of the financial sector both in terms of quantity and quality. While taking this into consideration, special attention should be devoted to the qualitative measure of finance.

Originality/value

The study extends the work of Adeniyi and Egwaikhide (2013) by providing different and, possibly better proxies for FD to capture the efficiency and the qualitative nature of the financial system. This crux of the study serves as the value addition to the literature, as no other study the authors are aware of, has considered the importance of “better finance” indicators in the saving – investment nexus investigation.
Pension accounting reform and future cash flow predictability
Authors: Dugan Michael T. , Turner Elizabeth H. , Wheatley Clark M.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the association of accruals and disaggregated pension components with future cash flows and also to investigate whether investors distinguish between pension information that is recognized (SFAS 158) versus disclosed (SFAS 132).

Design/methodology/approach

Regression analysis is used with a proxy for expected future cash flows as the dependent variable, and the components of pension disclosures as well as controls for the 2008-2009 financial crisis as the independent variables.

Findings

The results reveal that incorporating disaggregated pension components increases the ability to predict future cash flows, and that investors attach different pricing multiples to the various components in the models. The authors also find that during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the signs of the coefficients on these components changed. Finally, the results indicate that investors assign more significance to pension accounting information that is recognized, as opposed to disclosed, and that disclosure affects the allocation of pension assets.

Originality/value

The authors provide empirical support for the conjecture posited by Amir and Benartzi (1998) that the prediction of future cash flows will be enhanced by the incorporation of the components of pension assets and liabilities. Importantly from a standard setting perspective, the authors also find evidence that investors assign more significance to pension accounting information that is recognized in the financial statements than to pension information that is disclosed.
Discretionary provisioning practices among Western European banks
Authors: Ozili Peterson K.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to investigate whether discretionary ‘loan loss provisioning’ by Western European banks is driven by income smoothing or credit risk considerations.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the income smoothing hypothesis, the study uses ordinary least square regression to examine the relation between loan loss provisions and earnings before tax and loan loss provisions in the post-financial crisis period.

Findings

The authors find evidence that discretionary provisioning by Western European banks is driven by income smoothing incentives in the post-financial crisis period, particularly, among listed banks. Also, it is observed that discretionary provisioning is significantly influenced by credit risk factors, mainly, non-performing loans and loan growth. Also, it is found that discretionary provisioning by Western European banks is procyclical with fluctuations in the economic cycle. Overall, the implication of the findings is that discretionary provisioning among Western European banks is driven by both income smoothing and credit risk considerations.

Originality/value

This study focus on banks in Western Europe in contrast to prior European studies.
Expected shortfall in the presence of asymmetry and long memory
Authors: Walther Thomas
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the conditional volatility of the Vietnam Index (Ho Chi Minh City) and the Hanoi Exchange Index (Hanoi) with a specific focus on their application to risk management tools such as Expected Shortfall (ES).

Design/methodology/approach

First, the author tests both indices for long memory in their returns and squared returns. Second, the author applies several generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models to account for asymmetry and long memory effects in conditional volatility. Finally, the author back tests the GARCH models’ forecasts for Value-at-Risk (VaR) and ES.

Findings

The author does not find long memory in returns, but does find long memory in the squared returns. The results suggest differences in both indices for the asymmetric impact of negative and positive news on volatility and the persistence of shocks (long memory). Long memory models perform best when estimating risk measures for both series.

Practical implications

Short-time horizons to estimate the variance should be avoided. A combination of long memory GARCH models with skewed Student’s t-distribution is recommended to forecast VaR and ES.

Originality/value

Up to now, no analysis has examined asymmetry and long memory effects jointly. Moreover, studies on Vietnamese stock market volatility do not take ES into consideration. This study attempts to overcome this gap. The author contributes by offering more insight into the Vietnamese stock market properties and shows the necessity of considering ES in risk management. The findings of this study are important to domestic and foreign practitioners, particularly for risk management, as well as banks and researchers investigating international markets.
Measuring efficiency of Vietnamese banks
Authors: Ngo Thanh , Tripe David
Published: April 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to examine alternative methods for treating nonperforming loans (NPLs) in bank cost-efficiency studies using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors consider three methods of treating NPLs in SFA: as an additional control variable, as an environmental factor or as a deduction from total loans. Using data from the Vietnamese banking system (2003-2010), the authors then compare these results with those of the base model (where total loans is used regardless of the NPLs) to see which one is more appropriate for this study.

Findings

The authors observed that the first two methods are inappropriate for the analysis: one cannot find the significant relationship between NPLs and the banks’ total cost, and the other cannot account for any inefficiency at all. The authors suggested that the third method of separating NPLs from total loans can provide better insights. Using the proposed method, the authors showed that the cost-efficiency of Vietnamese banks over the period examined was moderate with a slight decreasing trend. When NPLs are separated, the cost-efficiency decreases in state-owned banks and big banks, whereas it increases in small and private banks.

Research limitations/implications

Research is limited to Vietnamese banks during a certain period, and it would be useful to apply the same technique to other data sets.

Practical implications

The paper suggests a new approach to account for NPLs in cost SFA studies in banking.

Originality/value

The paper provides a much more searching analysis of NPLs in banking than has generally been seen in previous research.
Independent directors, ownership concentration and firm performance in listed companies
Authors: Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai , Evans Elaine , Lu Meiting
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of independent directors on firm performance in Vietnam and identify how different types of ownership structure and the presence of controlling shareholders influence the relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

For a sample of 217 non-financial Vietnam-listed companies during the period from 2010 to 2014, this study uses the ordinary least squares regressions to estimate the relationship between independent directors and firm performance. Two econometric techniques – the fixed effects estimation and the difference in difference estimation – are used to control for endogeneity. The results are also robust to the lag variable of independent directors.

Findings

The results reveal that independent directors have an overall negative effect on firm operating performance. This finding may be because of information asymmetry, expertise disadvantage and the dominance of ownership concentration that prevent independent directors from fulfilling their monitoring function in governance. The negative relationship between independent directors and firm performance is stronger in firms where the State is a controlling shareholder.

Research limitations/implications

Findings suggest that changes relating to independent directors, as a response to the new corporate governance code in 2012, do not have a positive effect on the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. Further reform is required to improve internal control mechanisms and corporate governance systems in Vietnam.

Originality/value

This is the first study to provide a robust evidence on the relationship between independent directors and firm performance in Vietnam as well as to explore the impact of the type of controlling shareholders on the relationship.
You are an embarrassment
Authors: Sarkar Juhi Gahlot , Sarkar Abhigyan
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purposes of this qualitative study are to investigate brand embarrassment which is a unique social consumption emotion and to identify possible antecedents, consequences and moderating factors associated with it.

Design/methodology/approach

The study reviewed a large volume of literature on embarrassment. The literature review was followed by a series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews of selected brand-conscious young adult informants in India. The data collected through such interviews were coded following grounded theory method.

Findings

The final outcome of the study is a comprehensive grounded theory framework. The framework depicts various antecedents and consequences of brand embarrassment and specific moderating factors shaping the influences of specific antecedents on brand embarrassment.

Originality/value

The value of this qualitative study lies in developing an elaborate grounded theory framework showing the inter-relationships between brand embarrassment and other related concepts.
Cosmopolitanism through mobility: physical‐corporeal or virtual‐imagined?
Authors: Petzold Knut
Published: April 2017

In the context of increasing cross‐border mobility and the associated interconnections and diversities, ‘cosmopolitanism’ has become a key concept in sociology. Understood as individual real‐world orientation, many authors consider a central cause for cosmopolitanism in physical‐corporeal mobility, in particular transnationally. However, the significance of virtual and imagined mobility, such as via television or the Internet, is increasingly emphasized. Nevertheless, it has so far been little examined how and with which relative strength physical‐corporeal and virtual‐imagined mobility are associated with cosmopolitan orientations. Unlike previous studies, the two forms of mobility are considered simultaneously. On the basis of existing studies and theoretical considerations, it is assumed that the dimension of global orientation is influenced rather by physical‐corporeal than by virtual‐imagined mobility, whereas the dimension of cultural openness is influenced rather by virtual‐imagined than by physical mobility. One reason could be the different potential of the mobility forms to respond to perceived conflicts in the confrontation with the Other. The hypotheses are preliminary tested using data from an online survey that allows both to distinguish locals, (national) shuttles and transnationals, and to query media use. An exploratory principal component analysis confirmed, as in other studies, that global orientation and cultural openness are distinct dimensions. The results of the multivariate analyses largely support the hypotheses and indicate that in investigations of cosmopolitanism, the processes of identity‐related self‐categorization should be distinguished from pure socialization processes.
Engaging with risk (or not): shared responsibility for biosecurity surveillance and the role of community gardens
Authors: Curnock Matt , Farbotko Carol , Collins Kerry , Robinson Cathy J. , Maclean Kirsten
Published: April 2017

Governance of risks to native flora and fauna and agriculture from disease and pests increasingly emphasises the importance of a ‘shared responsibility’ for biosecurity. Few studies, however, have examined factors that influence stakeholders' engagement with such risks and responsibilities, particularly in community, rather than agricultural, settings. In this paper, we focus on a group of stakeholders in a context of heightened regional biosecurity activity, in northern Queensland, Australia. We explore the role that community garden actors may or may not play in biosecurity surveillance. Through interviews with 16 community garden group leaders and local government representatives, we unpack external social factors that contributed to stakeholders' engagement, unengagement, or disengagement with and from biosecurity risks. These factors included institutional characteristics such as land tenure and the presence or absence of management policies and guidelines. However, we found that less formal institutional characteristics such as social networks played a greater role in shaping stakeholder engagement. Unengaged stakeholders were typically unaware of risks posed by plant pests and diseases and had limited network connections to relevant government agencies but expressed an interest in learning and participating in biosecurity surveillance networks. Disengaged stakeholders were more knowledgeable of biosecurity risks and had established network connections but expressed a low interest in or willingness to report a potential biosecurity threat. This case study provides insights into important social dimensions of governing risk among stakeholders and offers recommendations to improve stakeholder engagement within biosecurity surveillance networks.
Direct Versus Video Laryngoscopy for Prehospital Intubation: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Savino P. Brian , Reichelderfer Scott , Mercer Mary P. , Wang Ralph C. , Sporer Karl A.
Published: April 2017

Objectives

The use of video laryngoscopy (VL) for intubation has gained recent popularity. In the prehospital setting, it is unclear if VL increases intubation success rates compared to direct laryngoscopy (DL). We sought to conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies comparing VL to DL in the prehospital setting to determine whether the use of VL increases overall and first‐pass endotracheal intubation success rates compared to DL.

Methods

A systematic search was performed of the PubMed, Embase, and SCOPUS databases through May 2016 to include studies comparing overall and first‐pass success for VL versus DL in patients requiring intubation in the prehospital setting. Data were abstracted by two reviewers. A meta‐analysis was performed using a random‐effects model.

Results

Of a potential 472 articles, eight eligible studies were included. Considerable heterogeneity (I2 > 90%) precluded reporting an overall pooled estimate across all studies. When stratified by provider type, the pooled estimates for overall intubation success using VL versus DL were a risk ratio (RR) of 0.05 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01–0.18) in studies of physicians and RR = 2.28 (95% CI = 1.00–5.20) in nonphysicians. For first‐pass intubation success the pooled RR estimates for using VL versus DL were 0.32 (95% CI = 0.23–0.44) and 1.83 (95% CI = 1.18–2.84) among studies using physicians and nonphysicians, respectively. There was moderate to significant heterogeneity between studies when stratified by provider.

Conclusions

Among physician intubators with significant DL experience, VL does not increase overall or first‐pass success rates and may lead to worsening performance. However, among nonphysician intubators with less experience with DL, VL may provide benefit in the prehospital setting.
A re‐examination of antidepressant treatment‐emergent mania in bipolar disorders: evidence of gender differences
Authors: Scott J. , Brichant‐Petitjean C. , Etain B. , Henry C. , Kahn J.‐P. , Azorin J.‐M. , Leboyer M. , Bellivier F.
Published: April 2017

Objective

To explore the prevalence and clinical profile of males and females who develop antidepressant treatment‐emergent mania (ATEM).

Method

From an original sample of 754 patients with BD, we identified ATEM+ cases (n = 75) and ATEM‐ controls (n = 135) that met stringent criteria. We specifically examined the combinations of clinical factors that best classified males and females as ATEM+ cases.

Results

Seventy‐five individuals were classified as ATEM+; 87% of ATEM events occurred during antidepressant monotherapy. Regression analyses demonstrated that the presence of an alcohol and/or substance use disorder [Odds Ratio (OR) 6.37], a history of one or more suicide attempts (OR 4.19) and higher number of depressive episodes per year of illness (OR 1.71) correctly classified 73% of males. In contrast, 84% of females were correctly classified on the basis of a positive history of thyroid disorder (OR 3.23), a positive family history of BD I (OR 2.68) and depressive onset polarity (OR 2.01).

Conclusion

Using stringent definitions of ATEM status to reduce the probability of inclusion of false‐positive cases and false‐negative controls, we identified for the first time that the risk profiles for the development of an ATEM differ significantly according to gender.
Effects of SMYD2‐mediated EML4‐ALK methylation on the signaling pathway and growth in non‐small‐cell lung cancer cells
Authors: Wang Rui , Deng Xiaolan , Yoshioka Yuichiro , Vougiouklakis Theodore , Park Jae‐Hyun , Suzuki Takehiro , Dohmae Naoshi , Ueda Koji , Hamamoto Ryuji , Nakamura Yusuke
Published: April 2017

A specific subtype of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) characterized with an EML4‐ALK fusion gene, which drives constitutive oncogenic activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), shows a good clinical response to ALK inhibitors. We have reported multiple examples implying the biological significance of methylation on non‐histone proteins including oncogenic kinases in human carcinogenesis. Through the process to search substrates for various methyltransferases using an in vitro methyltransferase assay, we found that a lysine methyltransferase, SET and MYND domain‐containing 2 (SMYD2), could methylate lysine residues 1451, 1455, and 1610 in ALK protein. Knockdown of SMYD2 as well as treatment with a SMYD2 inhibitor in two NSCLC cell lines with an EML4‐ALK gene significantly attenuated the phosphorylation levels of the EML4‐ALK protein. Substitutions of each of these three lysine residues to an alanine partially or almost completely diminished in vitro methylation of ALK. In addition, we found that exogenous introduction of EML4‐ALK protein with the substitution of lysine 1610 to an alanine in these two cell lines reduced the phosphorylation levels of AKT, one of the downstream oncogenic molecules in the EML4‐ALK pathway, and suppressed the growth of the two cell lines. We further showed that the combination of a SMYD2 inhibitor and an ALK inhibitor additively suppressed the growth of these two NSCLC cells, compared with single‐agent treatment. Our results shed light on a novel mechanism that modulates the kinase activity of the ALK fused gene product and imply that SMYD2‐mediated ALK methylation might be a promising target for development of a novel class of treatment for tumors with the ALK fused gene.
In vivoactivation of invariant natural killer T cells induces systemic and local alterations in T-cell subsets prior to preterm birth
Authors: Gomez-Lopez N , Romero R , Arenas-Hernandez M , Schwenkel G , St Louis D , Hassan S S , Mial T N
Published: April 2017

Preterm birth, the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, is frequently preceded by spontaneous preterm labour, a syndrome of multiple aetiologies. Pathological inflammation is causally linked to spontaneous preterm labour. Indeed, direct activation of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells via α-galactosylceramide induces preterm labour/birth largely by initiating systemic and local (i.e. decidua and myometrium) innate immune responses. Herein, we investigated whether iNKT-cell activation altered local and systemic T-cell subsets. Administration of α-galactosylceramide induced an expansion of activated CD1d-restricted iNKT cells in the decidua and a reduction in the number of: (1) total T cells (conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells) through the down-regulation of the CD3ɛ molecule in the peripheral circulation, spleen, uterine-draining lymph nodes (ULNs), decidua and/or myometrium; (2) CD4+ regulatory T cells in the spleen, ULNs and decidua; (3) T helper type 17 (Th17) cells in the ULNs but an increase in the number of decidual Th17 cells; (4) CD8+ regulatory T cells in the spleen and ULNs; and (5) CD4+ and CD8+ forkhead box protein 3 negative (Foxp3–) responder T cells in the spleen and ULNs. As treatment with rosiglitazone prevents iNKT-cell activation-induced preterm labour/birth, we also explored whether the administration of this peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonist would restore the number of T cells. Treating α-galactosylceramide-injected mice with rosiglitazone partially restored the number of T cells in the spleen but not in the decidua. In summary, iNKT-cell activation altered the systemic and local T-cell subsets prior to preterm labour/birth; however, treatment with rosiglitazone partially reversed such effects.
Exosomes carrying immunoinhibitory proteins and their role in cancer
Authors: Whiteside T L
Published: April 2017

Recent emergence of exosomes as information carriers between cells has introduced us to a new previously unknown biological communication system. Multi-directional cross-talk mediated by exosomes carrying proteins, lipids and nucleic acids between normal cells, cells harbouring a pathogen or cancer and immune cells has been instrumental in determining outcomes of physiological as well as pathological conditions. Exosomes play a key role in the broad spectrum of human diseases. In cancer, tumour-derived exosomes carry multiple immunoinhibitory signals, disable anti-tumour immune effector cells and promote tumour escape from immune control. Exosomes delivering negative signals to immune cells in cancer, viral infections, autoimmune or other diseases may interfere with therapy and influence outcome. Exosomes can activate tissue cells to produce inhibitory factors and thus can suppress the host immune responses indirectly. Exosomes also promise to be non-invasive disease biomarkers with a dual capability to provide insights into immune dysfunction as well as disease progression and outcome.
Medial gastrocnemius and soleus muscle‐tendon unit, fascicle, and tendon interaction during walking in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Barber Lee , Carty Chris , Modenese Luca , Walsh John , Boyd Roslyn , Lichtwark Glen
Published: April 2017

Aim

This study investigates the in vivo function of the medial gastrocnemius and soleus muscle‐tendon units (MTU), fascicles, and tendons during walking in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and an equinus gait pattern.

Method

Fourteen children with CP (9 males, 5 females; mean age 10y 6mo, standard deviation [SD] 2y 11mo; GMFCS level I=8, II=6), and 10 typically developing (6 males, 4 females; mean age 10y, SD 2y 1mo) undertook full body 3D gait analysis and simultaneous B‐mode ultrasound images of the medial gastrocnemius and soleus fascicles during level walking. Fascicle lengths were analysed using a semi‐automated tracking algorithm and MTUs using OpenSim. Statistical parametric mapping (two‐sample t‐test) was used to compare differences between groups (p<0.05).

Results

In the CP group medial gastrocnemius fascicles lengthened during mid‐stance gait and remained longer into late‐stance compared to the typically developing group (p<0.001). CP medial gastrocnemius fascicles shortened less during stance (1.16mm [SD 1.47mm]) compared to the typically developing group (4.48mm [SD 1.94mm], p<0.001). In the CP group the medial gastrocnemius and soleus MTU and tendon were longer during early‐ and mid‐stance (p<0.001). Ankle power during push‐off (p=0.015) and positive work (p<0.002) and net work (p<0.001) were significantly lower in the CP group.

Interpretation

Eccentric action of the CP medial gastrocnemius muscle fascicles during mid‐stance walking is consistent with reduced volume and neuromuscular control of impaired muscle. Reduced ankle push‐off power and positive work in the children with CP may be attributed to reduced active medial gastrocnemius fascicle shortening. These findings suggest a reliance on passive force generation for forward propulsion during equinus gait.
Methane emission from global livestock sector during 1890–2014: Magnitude, trends and spatiotemporal patterns
Authors: Dangal Shree R. S. , Tian Hanqin , Zhang Bowen , Pan Shufen , Lu Chaoqun , Yang Jia
Published: April 2017

Human demand for livestock products has increased rapidly during the past few decades largely due to dietary transition and population growth, with significant impact on climate and the environment. The contribution of ruminant livestock to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been investigated extensively at various scales from regional to global, but the long‐term trend, regional variation and drivers of methane (CH4) emission remain unclear. In this study, we use Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier II guidelines to quantify the evolution of CH4 emissions from ruminant livestock during 1890–2014. We estimate that total CH4 emissions in 2014 was 97.1 million tonnes (MT) CH4 or 2.72 Gigatonnes (Gt) CO2‐eq (1 MT = 1012 g, 1 Gt = 1015 g) from ruminant livestock, which accounted for 47%–54% of all non‐CO2 GHG emissions from the agricultural sector. Our estimate shows that CH4 emissions from the ruminant livestock had increased by 332% (73.6 MT CH4 or 2.06 Gt CO2‐eq) since the 1890s. Our results further indicate that livestock sector in drylands had 36% higher emission intensity (CH4 emissions/km2) compared to that in nondrylands in 2014, due to the combined effect of higher rate of increase in livestock population and low feed quality. We also find that the contribution of developing regions (Africa, Asia and Latin America) to the total CH4 emissions had increased from 51.7% in the 1890s to 72.5% in the 2010s. These changes were driven by increases in livestock numbers (LU units) by up to 121% in developing regions, but decreases in livestock numbers and emission intensity (emission/km2) by up to 47% and 32%, respectively, in developed regions. Our results indicate that future increases in livestock production would likely contribute to higher CH4 emissions, unless effective strategies to mitigate GHG emissions in livestock system are implemented.
Topical treatment of psoriasis: questionnaire results on topical therapy accessibility and influence of body surface area on usage
Authors: Iversen L. , Lange M.M. , Bissonette R. , Carvalho A.V.E. , van de Kerkhof P.C. , Kirby B. , Kleyn C.E. , Lynde C.W. , van der Walt J.M. , Wu J.J.
Published: April 2017

Background

Topical treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis is first‐line treatment and exhibits varying degrees of success across patient groups. Key factors influencing treatment success are physician topical treatment choice (high efficacy, low adverse events) and strict patient adherence. Currently, no formalized, international consensus guidelines exist to direct optimal topical treatment, although many countries have national guidelines.

Objective

To describe and analyse cross‐regional variations in the use and access of psoriasis topical therapies.

Methods

The study was conducted as an observational cross‐sectional study. A survey was distributed to dermatologists from the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) to assess topical therapy accessibility in 26 countries and to understand how body surface area (BSA) categories guide clinical decisions on topical use.

Results

Variation in the availability of tars, topical retinoids, dithranol and balneotherapy was reported. The vast majority of respondents (100% and 88.4%) used topical therapy as first‐line monotherapy in situations with BSA < 3% and BSA between 3% and 10%, respectively. However, with disease severity increasing to BSA > 10%, the number of respondents who prescribe topical therapy decreased considerably. In addition, combination therapy of a topical drug and a systemic drug was frequently reported when BSA measured >10%.

Conclusion

This physician survey provides new evidence on topical access and the influence of disease severity on topical usage in an effort to improve treatment strategies on a global level.
Broader concepts of quality of life measurement, encompassing validation
Authors: Finlay A.Y.
Published: April 2017

Developing and managing measures of quality of life (QoL) require attention to a range of broader concepts, in addition to meeting validation requirements. The aim of this review is to describe development and experience in Cardiff of these concepts and to inform users of Cardiff quality of life tools of aspects of their origin, for the benefit of developers of novel QoL measures or other patient reported outcome measures. Publications from the Cardiff team over the last three decades are used to illustrate descriptions of concepts involved in developing and managing QoL measures. The concepts are grouped into three main themes: (A) Design of tools: measurement ability turns ideas into science, QoL measurement based on patient experience, the need for tools to be clinically practical and useful with meaningful scores, different ages need tailored tools. (B) Practical management of tools: enabling ease of access, maintenance of single version, translation validity, enabling access to postpublication experience and further validation. (C) Promoting wider understanding of QoL: examples include educate thinking with disease severity definition; heighten awareness of broader burden, family impact, the time dimension and the new word quimp. The development and management of QoL and other outcome measures involves attention to a wide range of other issues, in addition to meeting validation requirements.
A microRNA regulates the response of corals to thermal stress
Authors: Gajigan Andrian P. , Conaco Cecilia
Published: April 2017

Coral reefs are diverse ecosystems of great ecological and economic importance. However, corals are vulnerable to a variety of stressors, including rising seawater temperatures, and yet little is known about the genetic mechanisms underlying their survival and adaptation to stress. Like other animals, corals possess genes for key members of the microRNA (miRNA) machinery. miRNAs are short RNAs that regulate diverse cellular processes, including organismal stress response, through post‐transcriptional repression of gene transcripts. Through small RNA sequencing, we identified 26 miRNAs in the coral, Acropora digitifera. Many of the identified miRNAs are novel, while eight are conserved with miRNAs previously identified in other cnidarians. One of the identified miRNAs is differentially expressed in coral tissues exposed to acute thermal stress. This thermally responsive miRNA putatively regulates multiple pathways of the organismal stress response, DNA/RNA expression regulation, repair mechanisms, tissue morphogenesis, and signalling. We propose a model by which miRNA regulation allows the coral to mount a robust stress response through sequestration of a pool of nontranslated transcripts encoding stress response proteins. Release of miRNA‐mediated repression under stress conditions may result in rapid and abundant translation of proteins that help the coral maintain cellular homoeostasis. These findings highlight the potential importance of miRNAs in the thermal resilience of corals.
The Past of the Past: Egypt as Reality and SymbolReligio Duplex: How the Enlightenment Reinvented Egyptian Religion, JanAssmann, Polity, 2014 (ISBN 978‐0‐7456‐6843‐7), x + 246 pp., pb £17.99Niebuhr in Egypt: European Science in a Biblical World, Robert H.GuichardJr., Lutterworth, 2014 (ISBN 978‐0‐7188‐9335‐4), xviii + 344 pp., pb £27.50
Authors: Hamilton Mark W.
Published: April 2017

Ancient Egypt and its environs drew European scholarly interest before the decipherment of hieroglyphics. Some of that interest revolved around alleged Egyptian insights into esoteric religions, while other concerns have survived better in scientific approaches to the past. However, as these books indicate, the boundaries between the esoteric and the scientific are much more fluid than often thought. The study of that early modern research on Egypt reveals both the continuities and discontinuities between different stages of scholarship and thus the historicity of historiography itself.
In vitro methods for evaluating skin hydration under diapers and incontinence products
Authors: Tate M. L. , Wright A. S.
Published: April 2017

Background/purpose

Excessive skin hydration from wearing wet undergarments, such as infant diapers and adult incontinence products, has been historically problematic. Skin damage occurs from wetness (urine) and limited product breathability. Evaporative water loss has been measured on adult arms (armband method) or infant torsos (on‐baby method), after wearing a saline‐insulted diaper product. The current study developed a reliable in vitro method of evaluating diaper and incontinence products for improvements in skin dryness.

Methods

A simulated skin substrate was applied to a heated mechanical arm or baby torso. A disposable diaper or incontinence product was wrapped around the arm or baby torso, and loaded with saline. Hydration of the simulated skin was measured by evaporimetry and compared with clinical data from adult armband evaluations.

Results

The heated mechanical arm and baby torso accurately distinguished products for skin dryness. Eight diaper products were evaluated and compared to human test results. The torso in vitro and mechanical arm evaluations demonstrated strong correlations to human epidermal water loss evaluations, with repeatable results. Additionally, the bench test has been used for adult incontinence products, and it proved to differentiate those products as well as infant products.

Conclusions

A rapid and reliable means of evaluation has been developed, and it is predictive of human subject testing.
Regeneration of injured skin and peripheral nerves requires control of wound contraction, not scar formation
Authors: Yannas Ioannis V. , Tzeranis Dimitrios S. , So Peter T. C.
Published: April 2017

We review the mounting evidence that regeneration is induced in wounds in skin and peripheral nerves by a simple modification of the wound healing process. Here, the process of induced regeneration is compared to the other two well‐known processes by which wounds close, i.e., contraction and scar formation. Direct evidence supports the hypothesis that the mechanical force of contraction (planar in skin wounds, circumferential in nerve wounds) is the driver guiding the orientation of assemblies of myofibroblasts (MFB) and collagen fibers during scar formation in untreated wounds. We conclude that scar formation depends critically on wound contraction and is, therefore, a healing process secondary to contraction. Wound contraction and regeneration did not coincide during healing in a number of experimental models of spontaneous (untreated) regeneration described in the literature. Furthermore, in other studies in which an efficient contraction‐blocker, a collagen scaffold named dermis regeneration template (DRT), and variants of it, were grafted on skin wounds or peripheral nerve wounds, regeneration was systematically observed in the absence of contraction. We conclude that contraction and regeneration are mutually antagonistic processes. A dramatic change in the phenotype of MFB was observed when the contraction‐blocking scaffold DRT was used to treat wounds in skin and peripheral nerves. The phenotype change was directly observed as drastic reduction in MFB density, dispersion of MFB assemblies and loss of alignment of the long MFB axes. These observations were explained by the evidence of a surface‐biological interaction of MFB with the scaffold, specifically involving binding of MFB integrins α1β1 and α2β1 to ligands GFOGER and GLOGER naturally present on the surface of the collagen scaffold. In summary, we show that regeneration of wounded skin and peripheral nerves in the adult mammal can be induced simply by appropriate control of wound contraction, rather than of scar formation.
Thermal injury model in the rabbit ear with quantifiable burn progression and hypertrophic scar
Authors: Friedrich Emily E. , Niknam‐Bienia Solmaz , Xie Ping , Jia Sheng‐Xian , Hong Seok J. , Mustoe Thomas A. , Galiano Robert D.
Published: April 2017

Hypertrophic scar is a major clinical outcome of deep‐partial thickness to full thickness thermal burn injury. Appropriate animal models are a limitation to burn research due to the lack of, or access to, animal models which address the endpoint of hypertrophic scar. Lower species, such as rodents, heal mainly by contracture, which limits the duration of study. Higher species, such as pigs, heal more similarly to humans, but are associated with high cost, long duration for scar development, challenges in quantifying scar hypertrophy, and poor manageability. Here, we present a quantifiable deep‐partial thickness burn model in the rabbit ear. Burns were created using a dry‐heated brass rod for 10 and 20 seconds at 90 °C. At the time of eschar excision on day 3, excisional wounds were made on the contralateral ear for comparison. Burn wound progression, in which the wound size expands over time is a major distinction between excisional and thermal injuries, was quantified at 1 hour and 3 days after the injuries using calibrated photographs and histology and the size of the wounds was found to be unchanged from the initial wound size at 1 hour, but 10% in the 20 seconds burn wounds at 3 days. A quantifiable hypertrophic scar, measured by histology as the scar elevation index, was present in both 20 seconds burn wounds and excisional wounds at day 35. ImageJ measurements revealed that the 20 seconds burn wound scars were 22% larger than the excisional wound scars and the 20 seconds burn scar area measurements from histology were 26% greater than in the excisional wound scar. The ability to measure both burn progression and scar hypertrophy over a 35‐day time frame suits this model to screening early intervention burn wound therapeutics or scar treatments in a burn‐specific scar model.
Harnessing electronic healthcare data for wound care research: Standards for reporting observational registry data obtained directly from electronic health records
Authors: Fife Caroline E. , Eckert Kristen A.
Published: April 2017

The United States Food and Drug Administration will consider the expansion of coverage indications for some drugs and devices based on real‐world data. Real‐world data accrual in patient registries has historically been via manual data entry from the medical chart at a time distant from patient care, which is fraught with systematic error. The efficient automated transmission of data directly from electronic health records is replacing this labor‐intensive paradigm. However, real‐world data collection is unfamiliar. The potential sources of bias arising from the source of data and data accrual, documentation, and aggregation have not been well defined. Furthermore, the technological aspects of data acquisition and transmission are less transparent. We explore opportunities for harnessing direct‐from‐electronic health record registry reporting and propose the ABCs of Registries (Analysis of Bias Criteria of Registries), which are an evaluation framework for publications to minimize potential bias of real‐world data obtained directly from an electronic health record method. These standards are based on a point‐of‐care data documentation process using a common definitional framework and data dictionaries. By way of example, we describe a wound registry obtained directly from electronic health records. This qualified clinical data registry minimizes bias by ensuring complete and accurate point‐of‐care data capture, standardizes usual care linked to quality reporting, and prevents post‐hoc vetting of outcomes. The resulting data are of high quality and integrity and can be used for comparative effectiveness research in wound care. In this way, the effort needed to succeed with the Quality Payment Program is leveraged to obtain the real‐world data needed for comparative effectiveness research.
Foxn1 and Mmp‐9 expression in intact skin and during excisional wound repair in young, adult, and old C57Bl/6 mice
Authors: Kopcewicz Marta M. , Kur‐Piotrowska Anna , Bukowska Joanna , Gimble Jeffrey M. , Gawronska‐Kozak Barbara
Published: April 2017

The transcription factor Foxn1 is essential for skin development. Our previous studies performed on young C57BL/6J mice model showed that Foxn1 acts as regulator of the skin wound healing process. The present study extended our initial research regarding the expression and potential role of Foxn1 in the intact and wounded skin as a function of animal age and stage of the wound healing process. We analyzed Foxn1 and Mmp‐9 expression in the intact and postinjured skin of young, adult, and old C57BL/6J and transgenic Foxn1::Egfp mice. The similar levels of epidermal Foxn1 mRNA expression were detected in young and adult C57BL/6J mice and higher levels in old animals. Postinjured skin tissues displayed a gradual decrease of Foxn1 mRNA expression at Days 1, 5, and 7 after injury. Foxn1‐eGFP positive cells were abundant at wound margin and in re‐epithelialized epidermis at postwounded Days 1, 5, and 7 and colocalized with E‐cadherin and Mmp‐9. Postwounded skin at Days 14–36 displayed Foxn1‐eGFP cells in the epidermis and in the dermal part of the skin (papillary dermis). A subset of Foxn1‐eGFP positive cells in the papillary dermis expressed the myofibroblast marker αSMA. Flow cytometric analysis of cells isolated from postwounded (Day 7) skin tissues showed a significant increase in the percentage of Foxn1‐eGFP positive cells with phenotype of double positivity for E‐cadherin/N‐cadherin (epithelial/mesenchymal markers). Collectively, these data identify the transcription factor Foxn1 as a potential key epidermal regulator modifying both epidermal and dermal healing processes after cutaneous wounding.
On higher regulators of Siegel threefolds II: the connection to the special value
Authors: Lemma Francesco
Published: April 2017

We establish a connection between motivic cohomology classes over the Siegel threefold and non-critical special values of the degree-four$L$-function of some cuspidal automorphic representations of$\text{GSp}(4)$. Our computation relies on our previous work [On higher regulators of Siegel threefolds I: the vanishing on the boundary, Asian J. Math.19(2015), 83–120] and on an integral representation of the$L$-function due to Piatetski-Shapiro.
Twists and Turns of a Senior Design Project
Authors: Azzouz M. Salim , Brink Jan
Published: April 2017

Teaching senior design courses and labs has not been an easy task for the two authors. It has been rather a daunting working task associated with great learning experiences. It was decided early on from the initiation of the mechanical engineering program at the McCoy School of Engineering at Midwestern State University that the senior design project within the senior design class is a testing and enriching experience for senior mechanical engineering students as well as the teaching faculty. The senior design course and labs are conducted as a research experience for undergraduate students and their assigned faculty. The proposed senior project spans over two semesters, fall and spring, where the students experience a full mechanical engineering related project from the inception phase, through the design and construction phases, and finishing with the testing and analysis phases. The inception phase stands essentially for the brainstorming phase where the students are required to come-up with a set of diverse solutions to their assigned project problem. The design and construction phases stand for choosing an optimal particular solution for their problem according to a set of defined criteria. Then, the students start the preliminary design phase with related cost estimation, and then finalize the design with a set of final drawings.

After the design phase, the students start building a machine, an apparatus, a prototype or putting together the elements of a process. In this period they work intensely, with their faculty, the purchasing department, and mostly the department machinist, or the surrounding town machine shops. The testing and analysis phase stands for designing an experimental set-up, writing a testing procedure, and obtaining real time recorded data and proceeding with its analysis. In this technical paper, the authors talk about the requirements for a senior project known as the deliverables, the teaching tools used throughout the class work and labs, the students’ partial and final PowerPoints presentations and weekly and final reports. The authors describe the students overall achievements, and the archiving of the projects. Additionally, the authors talk about the twists and turns encountered during a senior project, with students, other faculty, the machinist, the lab technician, the secretary, and suppliers, and other difficulties experienced in running a full project with real final products. Finally, the authors talk about the aftermath of a senior project, eventual publications related to the project, and what is the view point of the American Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) on these senior projects.