bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multifractal Models in Finance
Authors: Lux Thomas , Segnon Mawuli
Published: February 2018

This chapter provides an overview over the recently developed so-called multifractal (MF) approach for modeling and forecasting volatility. For analysts and policy makers, volatility is a key variable for understanding market fluctuations. Analysts need accurate forecasts of volatility for tasks such as risk management, as well as option and futures pricing. In addition, asset market volatility plays an important role in monetary policy. The chapter, then, outlines the genesis of the multifractal approach from similar models of turbulent flows in statistical physics and provides details about different specifications of multifractal time series models in finance, available methods for their estimation, and the current state of their empirical applications.
Differential Effects of Selective and Nonselective Potassium Channel Inhibitors in Ovine Endotoxemic Shock (Macrocirculation) and in a Rat Model of Septic Shock (Microcirculation)
Authors: Hessler Michael , Pinto Bernardo B. , Arnemann Philip-Helge , Kampmeier Tim-Gerald , Seidel Laura , Morelli Andrea , Van Aken Hugo , Westphal Martin , Rehberg Sebastian , Ertmer Christian
Published: February 2018

Background:

Potassium-(K+)-channel inhibitors may increase systemic vascular resistance in vasodilatory shock states.

Objective:

The purpose of the present study was to compare the macro- and microvascular effects of the adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K+-channel-(K+
ATP)-inhibitor glipizide and the nonselective K+-channel inhibitor tetraethylammonium (TEA) in ovine endotoxemic shock and septic shock in rats.

Design:

Two randomized, controlled laboratory studies.

Animals:

Thirty female sheep and 40 male Sprague Dawley rats.

Setting:

Animal research facility

Intervention:

Systemic hemodynamics were analyzed in ovine endotoxemic shock with guideline-oriented supportive therapy. Sheep were allocated to three treatment groups for 12 h: glipizide 10 mg kg−1·h−1, TEA 8 mg kg−1·h−1, or 0.9% saline. The microvascular effects of each drug were evaluated in septic rats (cecal ligation and puncture model) receiving a 2-h infusion of each study drug: glipizide 20 mg kg−1·h−1; TEA 50 mg kg−1·h−1, or 0.9% saline, respectively, followed by intravital microscopy of villi microcirculation.

Results:

Compared with the control group, glipizide infusion increased systemic vascular resistance index and decreased cardiac index and heart rate (HR) in sheep (P < 0.05), whereas TEA infusion decreased HR and resulted in a decreased survival time (P = 0.001). In rats, glipizide infusion resulted in an increase in mean arterial pressure and a decrease in HR compared with baseline measurement (P < 0.05) without relevant effects on the villi microcirculation. TEA decreased HR and decreased capillary perfusion of the villi microcirculation compared with the sham group (P = 0.002).

Conclusions:

Selective inhibition of K+
ATP-channels in ovine endotoxemic shock with glipizide partially restored vasomotor tone without exerting harmful effects on intestinal microcirculation in septic shock in rats. On the contrary, nonselective K+-channel inhibition with TEA showed deleterious effects in both models, including impaired microcirculation and decreased survival time. Future research on glipizide in vasodilatory shock may be warranted.
Explaining weather-related credit risk with evapotranspiration and precipitation indices
Authors: von Negenborn Freya , Weber Ron , Musshoff Oliver
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Although the microfinance sector in developing countries has seen an impressive development in recent years, many small-scale farmers in rural areas are still undersupplied with capital. One of the main reasons for this undercapitalization is the exposure to weather risks. Weather index insurance is assumed to bear high potential for accelerating agricultural lending. The index design hereby is of particular importance. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the influence of evapotranspiration and precipitation indices on the credit risk of farmers in Madagascar.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors base the analysis on a unique borrower data set provided by a commercial microfinance institution in Madagascar and weather data provided by CelsiusPro. In this context, evapotranspiration and precipitation indices both at aggregated bank level and at branch level are identified and their influence on credit risk of small-scale rice farmers is estimated.

Findings

The results show that the weather-related part of the credit risk of farmers can be better explained by an evapotranspiration then by a precipitation index. The precipitation index underestimates the weather influence on credit risk especially during the harvesting season. The results suggest a potential for weather index insurance which is based on an evapotranspiration index. The results are of similar importance for developed and developing countries.

Practical implications

The results suggest that, should insurance be considered as an appropriate risk management instrument for the farmers or the bank, weather index insurance has the potential to mitigate a certain part of the credit risk. The authors also find that the focus on precipitation-based index insurance products would underestimate the weather influence on credit risk. Furthermore, the results suggest that insurance products should be tailored to branches to be most effective.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that compares the explanatory values of evapotranspiration and precipitation indices in general and for the credit risk of small-scale farmers in particular.
Towards endogenous disasters and climate adaptation policy making in Indonesia
Authors: Nugraha Erwin , Lassa Jonatan A.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of exogenous drivers that seeks to foster endogenous resilience and climate adaptation policy and practice in developing countries. It particularly examines the role of Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network as an exogenous driver that sought to sustain urban climate adaptation and resilience agenda in a secondary city in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

The research combines fieldworks and desktop research. Primary data collection includes participant observation, unstructured interviews with city stakeholders and project managers, semi-structured interviews with local communities and literature reviews. This research also used an ethnographic field research approach.

Findings

Exogenous drivers have temporarily fostered climate change adaptation at city level, but the question remains is how can international actors effectively create a meaningful transformation toward urban resilience in developing countries like Indonesia. Exogenous drivers can play significant roles as a catalyst for urban adaptation planning, including undertaking vulnerability assessment and city resilience strategy and implementing adaptation actions, and facilitates risk management. Further processes for mainstreaming climate adaptation and disaster reduction depend on how receptive and responsive local actors to co-facilitate and co-lead urban resilience buildings and development.

Originality/value

There is still lack of documented knowledge on local institutional change and policy making processes. This research shows challenges and opportunities in institutionalising urban climate adaptation and risk management agenda. It further shows that genesis of endogenous adaptation cannot be separated from the exogenous climate adaptation processes as well as internal dynamic of urban governance in developing world.
Tourism sustainability in archaeological sites
Authors: Blasco López Maria Francisca , Recuero Virto Nuria , Aldas Manzano Joaquin , Garcia-Madariaga Jesús
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine a model for developing sustainable tourism in archaeological sites. A qualitative and quantitative approach has been assumed in order to test a model of market orientation, where 11 experts were interviewed and 122 employees of archaeological sites answered the e-questionnaire.

Design/methodology/approach

Partial least squares path modelling regression was employed to examine the measurement and structural model.

Findings

The findings have revealed that market orientation and innovativeness positively and significantly influence tourism sustainability, measured in economic and social terms. Besides, tourist functionality has been determined as an antecedent of market orientation.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited by the sample sizes of both researches. The model has second order constructs (market orientation, innovativeness and tourism sustainability) that include related concepts to increase parsimony and understand relations with other variables. As a result, separate effects of these dimensions have not been measured, which could report interesting findings in future-related studies.

Practical implications

The results suggest useful insights for managers to improve social and economic sustainability in archaeological sites. Innovativeness affects tourism sustainability, which reinforces the idea that offering technological and organisational innovations improve economic and social sustainability. Besides, it has been proved that market orientation is a necessary precondition to guarantee social and economic sustainability.

Originality/value

This paper assists scholars and practitioners by shedding light on the comprehension of tourism sustainability.
A hybrid approach for quantifying supply chain risk and prioritizing the risk drivers
Authors: Tarei Pradeep Kumar , Thakkar Jitesh J. , Nag Barnali
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify various risk and sub-risk drivers that affect the supply chain (SC) performance and to propose a framework to quantify the overall SC risk index by considering the importance of each risk and sub-risk drivers and their mutual interactions.

Design/methodology/approach

A hybrid method based on decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory and analytical network process has been proposed to develop the risk quantification framework. A case study of Indian petroleum supply chain (PSC) has been illustrated to explain the proposed method.

Findings

The results of this study found that transportation/logistics (delivery system), quality of the petroleum products, crude supply, customer’s order and legal/political regulations are the most significant risk drivers of a typical PSC. It is also found that the Indian PSC possesses a risk score of 34 percent.

Research limitations/implications

The quantification of risk in operational measure provides an unblemished representation of the overall SC risk. Unlike the existing financial measure, it takes complex subjective operational effectiveness like product quality, customer satisfaction, etc., into consideration. Identifying the high-prioritized risks helps the decision and policy makers to merely focus on the most prominent risk drivers, and reduce the impact of overall SC risk. Planning a risk mitigation strategy at a given level of risk is however beyond the scope of this research.

Originality/value

The paper develops a risk quantification framework in the context of a PSC.
Managing virtual teams for open innovation in Global Business Services industry
Authors: Wei Lee Heng , Thurasamy Ramayah , Popa Simona
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of human dimensions, team climates, and technological features on Global Virtual Team (GVT) performance in the Malaysian Global Business Services (GBS) industry. Attention has also been paid to examine the moderating effect of team diversity and the extent of virtuality on GVT performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using structured questionnaire and tested using partial least square – structural equation modelling. The authors collected 263 sample and the assessment of reflective measurement models, structural model, reliability and validity were conducted subsequently.

Findings

This paper found that team climates like team cohesion, team confidence, and team knowledge, skills, and abilities demonstrated different impact on the human dimensions which include trust and creativity. It will then subsequently affect GVTs’ performance. Besides, team diversity which comprised of three major components that include age diversity, functional diversity, and attitudes/values diversity was found to moderate the relationships between the antecedents and consequent. In spite of that, the extent of virtuality was found to have no moderating effects on the relationships between the team creativity and trust and perceived team performance.

Originality/value

As nowadays an increasing number of firms are becoming global, inquiring into GVTs efficient management is of crucial importance for successful implementation of open innovation practices, while GBS companies could represent the most suitable setting to examine the GVT’s underlying principles. This paper integrates adaptive structuration theory with input-mediator-output-input model to provide a holistic study on GVTs’ performance. In addition, this study also illustrated how the extent of virtually can be measured quantitatively.
Relatedness, co-inquiring and imagination: mimetic images of recovery
Authors: Gaggiotti Hugo , Page Margaret
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the methodological challenges of developing a shared academic–student discourse of recovery with undergraduate students in their final year at a British business school.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors reflect on the meaning of recovery and how it was negotiated and constructed by the relation established between students and academics, by analysing the visual- and text-based materials they produced and the discussions provoked by these materials using symmetric ethnology and content analysis.

Findings

The main finding is that students tended to reflect on the real, particularly the social, by creating copies and replicas; the authors, as academics, engaged with this practice with ambivalence. The article concludes that this as an attempt to manage what is felt to be unmanageable, echoing what some authors consider to be a contemporary practice of social justification (Boltanski and Thévenot, 1991) and others consider to be a well-established cultural practice (Taussig, 1993).

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to a better understanding of how relatedness and reflexive inquiry become essential for when teaching and that is linked with academics being able to be openly related with students and their situation; to a better understanding of recovery and how it can be co-constructed by academics and students through a share narrative; to a methodology for the analysis of text and images, and its appropriateness for the study of ways in which imagination of the future may be co-constructed; and to an understanding of mimetic objects, replicas and copies.

Practical implications

The paper suggests that this approach could have practical implications when applying co-inquiry approaches of learning, the understanding of institutional and academic meaning of replication and relatedness in academic context of economic crisis.

Originality/value

The authors conclude that academic relatedness and students–tutors engagement is constructed differently when re-considering replication as a way of learning. Preference for copying and pasting found texts and images, rather than creating, served as a way of managing the unknown and of constructing recovery through a process of “mimeting” (Campbell, 2005).
Gendered work and leisure mobilities of Polish migrants in the North East of England
Authors: Guereno-Omil Basagaitz , Pavlova-Hannam Gergina , Hannam Kevin
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Contemporary mobilities research has demonstrated a fundamental blurring between work, leisure and tourism practices for migrants as they seek to construct new lifestyles whilst maintaining connections with their homelands. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the results of a research project that analysed the work and leisure experiences of Polish migrants living in the North East of England using a mobilities theoretical approach. In this paper, the authors focus on the reasons influencing their migration and their leisure and tourism mobility practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The results are based upon a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods gathering a sample of 90 questionnaires and 11 focus groups.

Findings

Based upon a statistical analysis of the questionnaires using SPSS and textual analysis applied to the focus group transcriptions, different gendered work, leisure and tourism mobilities were identified relating to family attachments and social ties.

Research limitations/implications

The authors argue that seemingly mundane leisure and tourism practices can often be a catalyst for greater mobility, and this mobility has significant gender dimensions.

Originality/value

This paper thus provides new insights into the interweaving of different gendered work and leisure mobility practices based upon empirical findings of Polish migrants to the North East of England.
Phase 1/2 study assessing the safety and efficacy of dabrafenib and trametinib combination therapy in Japanese patients with BRAF V600 mutation‐positive advanced cutaneous melanoma
Authors: Yamazaki Naoya , Tsutsumida Arata , Takahashi Akira , Namikawa Kenjiro , Yoshikawa Shusuke , Fujiwara Yutaka , Kondo Shunsuke , Mukaiyama Akihira , Zhang Fanghong , Kiyohara Yoshio
Published: February 2018

The combination of dabrafenib and trametinib demonstrated encouraging antitumor activity and tolerability, at initial analysis, in Japanese patients with BRAF V600 mutant advanced melanoma warranting further investigation. This study evaluated the safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and preliminary efficacy of dabrafenib 150 mg b.i.d. plus trametinib 2 mg q.d. in Japanese patients with BRAF V600E/K mutant solid tumors (phase 1) and melanoma (phase 2). Phase 1 was primarily intended to assess safety and tolerability as assessed by adverse events (AE), and the primary end‐point in phase 2 was to assess confirmed overall response rate (ORR). The secondary end‐points in phase 1 included PK, confirmed/unconfirmed ORR and duration of response (DOR). The secondary end‐points in phase 2 were PK, unconfirmed ORR, DOR, safety and tolerability. A total of 12 cutaneous melanoma patients were enrolled in the study (six in phase 1 and six in phase 2) and received the combination therapy of dabrafenib and trametinib. Common AE (≥50.0%) included pyrexia (75%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (67%), peripheral edema (50%) and nasopharyngitis (50%). The investigator‐assessed ORR was reported in five patients (83%) in phase 1 and was also reported in five patients (83%; 95% confidence interval, 35.9–99.6; P < 0.0001) in phase 2. Plasma concentrations of both dabrafenib and trametinib seemed to a reach steady state by week 3. Overall, efficacy and PK properties for the dabrafenib plus trametinib combination in Japanese patients were comparable with those seen in global studies.
Efficacy of oral cholecalciferol on rhododendrol‐induced vitiligo: A blinded randomized clinical trial
Authors: Watabe Akiko , Yamasaki Kenshi , Asano Masayuki , Kanbayashi Yumi , Nasu‐Tamabuchi Mei , Terui Hitoshi , Furudate Sadanori , Kakizaki Aya , Tsuchiyama Kenichiro , Kimura Yutaka , Ito Yumiko , Kikuchi Katsuko , Aiba Setsuya
Published: February 2018

Rhododendrol (RD), 4‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐butanol, inhibits melanin synthesis and has been used for skin‐whitening cosmetic products. RD has been very effective in lightening skin pigmentation, but some persons have developed so‐called RD vitiligo, in which vitiligo starts on the face, neck and hands where topical RD has been applied and even extended over skin areas where RD has not been applied. RD vitiligo lesions in some patients have lasted for years and have been resistant to conventional vitiligo treatments. We examined the effects of cholecalciferol on RD vitiligo in a blinded randomized clinical trial. Forty‐eight female RD vitiligo patients were recruited for the trial and were randomized into two groups: the vitamin D (VD)‐intervention group that received daily 5000 IU cholecalciferol for 5 months and the control group. Three blinded investigators scored vitiligo improvement by comparing photographic images of baseline and at 5‐month observation. Serum 25(OH)D3 of RD vitiligo patients was not significantly different from age‐matched healthy volunteers. Twenty‐two in the VD‐intervention group and 23 in the control group completed the 5‐month observation. Serum 25(OH)D3 levels were significantly increased after the 5‐month VD intervention, while the control group did not change. The improvement scores were significantly higher in the VD‐intervention group than the control group. The improvement scores were positively correlated with the serum 25(OH)D3 levels after the 5‐month intervention period but not before the treatment. This blinded randomized clinical trial showed favor in administrating 5000 IU cholecalciferol daily to RD vitiligo patients.
Spatial prioritisation of EU's LIFE‐Nature programme to strengthen the conservation impact of Natura 2000
Authors: Hermoso Virgilio , Villero Dani , Clavero Miguel , Brotons Lluís
Published: February 2018

Despite advances in conservation efforts within Europe during recent decades, assessments highlight a need for adequate financing mechanisms to support the Natura 2000 network, the centrepiece of the EU's Biodiversity Strategy. Besides the need for greater investment (currently only covering a fifth of the estimated cost of the network), better planning for this investment could help better achieve conservation goals.

We demonstrate a method that could be used to identify priority Natura 2000 sites, and species therein, that could guide investment in the future. We first used the lists of key species associated with each Natura 2000 site to map the distribution of all priority species covered by the Birds and Habitats Directives. We then used Marxan software to prioritise allocation of conservation funds among all Natura 2000 sites, while trying to mimic the observed conservation effort implemented under the LIFE programme, the main financial tool of the EU's Biodiversity Strategy, in the period 1992–2013.

Some Natura 2000 sites show exceptional value, holding species that either do not, or only very rarely, occur elsewhere in the network. These priority sites were concentrated mainly on islands and in the south western, eastern and northern extremes of Europe's mainland, thus reflecting patterns in species richness and endemism.

We found a poor relationship between the priorities identified here and the way funds had been distributed in previous LIFE‐Nature programmes.

Policy implications. We propose that prioritisation exercises like the one shown here could be used to inform a top‐down EU regulation mechanism by providing lists of site and species priorities that better reflect European conservation needs. These recommendations, performed at continental scale, could then help guide LIFE project proposals from the Member States and fill the current gap in the coverage of priority species. This top‐down control mechanism could be integrated in the current system of budget distribution, rather than replacing it completely, to enhance the efficiency of conservation investment in the EU and achievement of continental goals.
Early repeat computed tomographic imaging in transferred trauma and neurosurgical patients: Incidence, indications and impact
Authors: Blazak Penni , Hacking Craig , Presneill Jeffrey , Reade Michael
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Computed tomographic (CT) imaging is widely available in Australian rural and remote hospitals and is often performed prior to patient transfer to definitive tertiary hospital care. We hypothesised that critically ill trauma and neurosurgical patients might have CT scans repeated after interhospital transfer and that the utility of this practice might be low in relation to the additional financial cost and radiation exposure.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of clinical records to determine the proportion of trauma and neurosurgical patients transferred to our tertiary ICU from other hospitals between 1 June 2013 and 30 June 2014 who underwent a repeat CT scan. The additional effective radiation dose was estimated using the dose length product method and the Australian Medicare Benefits Schedule was used to estimate the associated cost.

Results

Of the 247 patients transferred for trauma and neurosurgical indications, many (144; 58%) had undergone CT imaging at the referring hospital. Repeat scans were performed in 60 (42%) already imaged patients (24% of all transferred patients), most frequently for changed clinical indications. While in 11 (18%) of those 60 already imaged patients the repeat scan led to an identifiable change in management, for another 13 (22%) patients the repeat scans appeared to be potentially avoidable. The median cost of a repeat scan was AU$250 and the median additional effective radiation dose was 2.74 mSv per patient.

Conclusion

Repeat CT scans for patients already imaged prior to transfer were relatively common, occurring mostly for apparently valid clinical reasons. However, the additional radiation risk and financial cost of these repeat scans appeared on retrospective audit to be potentially avoidable in approximately one in five cases.
Correlation analysis of mesenchymal–epithelial transition factor protein and human epidermal growth receptor 2 protein expression in 1479 cases of lung adenocarcinoma in China
Authors: Yang Lin , Che Yiqun , Guo Lei , Zheng Bo , Wang Bingning , Yang Zhenxi , Zhu Yixiang , Li Junling
Published: February 2018

Background

To investigate the correlation between mesenchymal–epithelial transition factor (C‐Met) and human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2) protein expression in primary lung adenocarcinoma tissues.

Method

A total of 1479 resected primary lung adenocarcinoma patients were enrolled in the present study for detecting of C‐Met and HER2 protein by immunohistochemistry, and correlation analysis was made between the above two biomarkers and related clinicopathological features.

Result

Both C‐Met and HER2 proteins were found to stain highly positive in lung adenocarcinomas, and a positive correlation was found between them (χ2 = 118.5, P = 2.707 × 10−21). In addition, HER2 protein expression was correlated with sex, pathological stage, lymph node metastasis, and major subtypes; and C‐Met was correlated with sex (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The expression of C‐Met and HER2 protein in lung adenocarcinoma is highly correlated, and whether it is synergistic in the targeted therapy of lung adenocarcinoma deserves further study.
Neutron Activation Analysis of Late Sixth Century bce Pottery from the Pointe Lequin 1A Shipwreck and Massalia, and Comparison with the Cala Sant Vicenç Shipwreck and Emporion
Authors: Krotscheck U. , Glascock M. D. , Ferguson J. R.
Published: February 2018

This paper presents the results of neutron activation analyses of pottery samples from four late sixth century bce sites in the Western Mediterranean: the Pointe Lequin 1A shipwreck, the Bourse site in Marseilles, the Greek colony of Emporion and the Cala Sant Vicenç shipwreck, with the goal of locating the production of a commonly found cup type, the so‐called ‘Ionian’ cup, type B2. The NAA results show three distinct compositional groups, although the location of production could not be determined with certainty. The results also show that submarine diagenesis of pottery samples does not necessarily render them incomparable with samples from terrestrial sites.
Multi‐level mixed models for evaluating factors affecting the mortality and weaning weight of piglets in large‐scale commercial farms in central China
Authors: Liu Ze‐Xue , Wei Hong‐Kui , Zhou Yuan‐Fei , Peng Jian
Published: February 2018

This study investigated the factors affecting piglet mortality (square root of mortality, SQRM) and average weaning weight (AWW) in commercial farms in central China. Information on sow diets, management and climate from 2478 weaning batches completed in 16 pig farms was collected from 2009 to 2013. Multi‐level mixed models, which included batch level (level 1) and farm level (level 2), were used to analyze the factors associated with SQRM and AWW. The mean values of SQRM and AWW were 2.52% (SD = 0.96) and 7.31 (SD = 0.77), respectively. Lactation sow diets supplemented with oregano essential oils (OEOs) decreased the SQRM (P < 0.05) and increased the AWW of piglets (P < 0.01). The SQRM was lower in period 2 (June to September, hot) than in period 1 (February to May, warm) and period 3 (October to January, cold; P < 0.05 and 0.001, respectively). The AWW was lower in periods 2 and 3 than in period 1 (P < 0.01). In conclusion, supplying OEOs to lactation diets can increase the weaning weight and reduce the mortality of piglets. The sources of variations in SQRM and AWW are of greater concern in the warm season than in the hot season.
Identity work of welfare service users in participatory spaces
Authors: Leung Terry Tse Fong
Published: February 2018

The popularizing user participation agenda has encouraged the creation of discursive spaces for collaborative decision‐making with the welfare service users. Despite the claim of partnership with the service users, these participative spaces do not always promise parity of participation. Based on a qualitative study conducted in Hong Kong, this paper discusses the manifestation and constitution of identity among the welfare service users who took part in organizational spaces for participatory management. The analysis uncovers the tensions and promises in participatory management with the welfare service users.
Big Data Opportunities for Accounting and Finance Practice and Research
Authors: Cockcroft Sophie , Russell Mark
Published: February 2018

We examine the research opportunities for the use of ‘big data’ in accounting and finance. The purpose of the study is to present a snapshot of big data academic research in information systems, accounting and finance, and to highlight areas for further research in accounting and finance. The research question addressed in this work is: What are the major themes in existing research in big data and where are the resulting gaps in the accounting and finance literature? An analysis is presented of 47 accounting, finance and information systems journals from 2007–2016. We identify and sample the relevant literature to derive a taxonomy of themes. These themes are presented as a conceptual matrix in which the themes from the taxonomy are used as concepts, and the matrix identifies where they appear, and where there are potential areas for further research. Prior research in big data in accounting, finance and information systems falls into six themes. The six under‐researched areas of big data in accounting and finance are risk and security, data visualisation and predictive analytics, data management and data quality. Increased research in these areas will lead to improvements in industry practices, and opportunities for cross‐disciplinary research.
Threats to global antimicrobial resistance control: Centrally approved and unapproved antibiotic formulations sold in India
Authors: McGettigan Patricia , Roderick Peter , Kadam Abhay , Pollock Allyson
Published: February 2018

Aims

Rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health crisis. India has among the highest resistance rates and antibiotic consumption internationally. Extensive use of fixed‐dose combination (FDC) antibiotics and of unapproved formulations are claimed contributory factors but there has been no systematic examination of formulations or volumes sold. The aim of the present study was to investigate the regulatory approval status and sales volumes of systemic antibiotics marketed in India.

Methods

This was an ecological study using regulatory records in India, the UK and the US to determine the approval status in each country of systemic antibiotic FDCs and single‐drug formulations (SDFs) sold in India. Pharmatrac® sales data were used to determine the formulations and volumes sold (2007–2012), branded‐product numbers and manufacturers.

Results

Of 118 systemic antibiotic FDC formulations sold in India, 43 (36%) were approved but 75 (64%) had no record of regulatory approval; four (3%) formulations were approved in the UK and/or US. Almost half of formulations (58/118; 49%) comprised dual antimicrobials, most unapproved in India (43/58; 74%), and many were pharmacologically problematic. In contrast, 80/86 (93%) SDFs were approved in India and over two‐thirds in the UK and/or US. Total antibiotic sales increased by 26%, from 2056 million units (2007–08) to 2583 million units (2011–12). FDC sales rose by 38% vs. 20% for SDFs. By 2011–12, FDCs comprised one‐third of sales (872 million units). Over one‐third of FDCs sold (300.26 million units; 34.5%) were of unapproved formulations. Multinational companies manufactured unapproved formulations and accounted for 19% of all FDC and SDF sales annually.

Conclusions

Sales in India of antibiotic FDCs, including unapproved formulations, are rising. In the context of increasing AMR rates nationally and globally, unapproved antibiotic FDCs undermine India's national AMR strategy and should be banned from sale.
Factors affecting the structure of Coleoptera assemblages on bracket fungi (Basidiomycota) in a Brazilian forest
Authors: Graf Letícia V. , Barbieri Fabrícia , Sperb Edilena , Soares Rivaldo Daniela , de A. Moura Luciano , B. da Silveira Rosa Mara , A. Reck Mateus , Nogueira‐de‐Sá Flávia
Published: February 2018

Insect–fungal interactions are an important but understudied aspect of tropical forest ecology. Here we present the first large‐scale study of insect communities feeding on the reproductive structures of macrofungi (basidiomes) in the Neotropics. This trophic interaction is not well characterized in most ecosystems; however, beetle consumption of basidiomes is thought to be affected by fungal factors, via mechanisms analogous to those observed in plant–herbivore interactions and in some interactions with fungi as hosts in the Holarctic region. We investigated how the composition of beetle assemblages varies as a function of fungal taxonomic distance, basidiome consistency, and hyphal systems. We collected 367 basidiomes belonging to the orders Polyporales and Hymenochaetales in the subtropicalAraucaria angustifoliaforest region of southern Brazil, along with any fauna present or without it. Basidiomes were maintained individually in the laboratory in plastic containers for up to three months to allow beetles to develop to adulthood, at which point the beetles were collected. We found that 207 basidiome specimens representing 40 species were associated with beetles. We recorded 447 occurrences of Coleoptera, representing 90 morphospecies from 20 families. We found that assemblages of fungivorous Coleoptera were more similar among more closely related fungi. Furthermore, the beetle assemblages varied as a function of basidiome toughness, which is influenced by sporocarp consistency and hyphal system type. The associations between beetles and basidiomes resemble those reported previously in temperate zones, suggesting continuity in the structure of such associations across a wide latitudinal range.
European Youth Gang Policy in Comparative Context
Authors: Fraser Alistair , Ralphs Robert , Smithson Hannah
Published: February 2018

The past decade has seen increased reports of street gangs across a range of contexts. In Europe, anxieties over street‐based youth has led to the development of gang‐specific policies across a range of jurisdictions, most notably the UK. Following a similar pattern of policy mobility in criminal justice, many of these policies have origins in the US system. In this review of international gang policy developments, we critically examine a number of these policies in a comparative context ‐ including gang policing units and intelligence databases ‐ and interrogate their efficacy. Drawing on cogent examples from the UK, we argue for caution in adopting US gang intervention tactics due to the lack of empirical evidence relating to their applicability or efficacy, and the corresponding potential for discrimination toward the most marginalised and socially excluded children and young people in society.
Effect of length and location of edentulous area on the accuracy of prosthetic treatment plan incorporation into cone‐beam computed tomography scans
Authors: Jamjoom Faris Z. , Kim Do‐Gyoon , Lee Damian J. , McGlumphy Edwin A. , Yilmaz Burak
Published: February 2018

Background

Effects of length and location of the edentulous area on the accuracy of prosthetic treatment plan incorporation into cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans has not been investigated.

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of length and location of the edentulous area on the accuracy of prosthetic treatment plan incorporation into CBCT scans using different methods.

Material and Methods

Direct digital scans of a completely dentate master model with removable radiopaque teeth were made using an intraoral scanner, and digital scans of stone duplicates of the master model were made using a laboratory scanner. Specific teeth were removed to simulate different clinical situations and their CBCT scans were made. Surface scans were registered onto the CBCT scans. Radiographic templates for each clinical situation were also fabricated and used during CBCT scans of the master models. Using metrology software, three‐dimensional (3D) deviation was measured on standard tesselation language (STL) files created from the CBCT scans against an STL file of the master model created from a CBCT scan. Statistical analysis was done using the MIXED procedure in a statistical software and Tukey HSD test (α =.05).

Results

The interaction between location and method was significant (P = .009). Location had no significant effect on registration methods (P > .05), but on the radiographic templates (P = .011). Length of the edentulous area did not have any significant effect (P > .05).

Conclusions

Accuracy of digital image registration methods was similar and higher than that of radiographic templates in all clinical situations. Tooth‐bound radiographic templates were significantly more accurate than the free‐end templates. The results of this study suggest using image registration instead of radiographic templates when planning dental implants, particularly in free‐end situations.
Remote limb ischemic postconditioning promotes motor function recovery in a rat model of ischemic stroke via the up‐regulation of endogenous tissue kallikrein
Authors: Liang Dan , He Xi‐Biao , Wang Zheng , Li Ce , Gao Bei‐Yao , Wu Jun‐Fa , Bai Yu‐Long
Published: February 2018

Aims

Remote ischemic conditionings, such as pre‐ and per‐conditioning, are known to provide cardioprotection in animal models of ischemia. However, little is known about the neuroprotection effect of postconditioning after cerebral ischemia. In this study, we aim to evaluate the motor function rescuing effect of remote limb ischemic postconditioning (RIPostC) in a rat model of acute cerebral stroke.

Methods

Left middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was performed to generate the rat model of ischemic stroke, followed by daily RIPostC treatment for maximum 21 days. The motor function after RIPostC was assessed with foot fault test and balance beam test. Local infarct volume was measured through MRI scanning. Neuronal status was evaluated with Nissl's, HE, and MAP2 immunostaining. Lectin immunostaining was performed to evaluate the microvessel density and area.

Results

Daily RIPostC for more than 21 days promoted motor function recovery and provided long‐lasting neuroprotection after MCAO. Reduced infarct volume, rescued neuronal loss, and enhanced microvessel density and size in the injured areas were observed. In addition, the RIPostC effect was associated with the up‐regulation of endogenous tissue kallikrein (TK) level in circulating blood and local ischemic brain regions. A TK receptor antagonist HOE‐140 partially reversed RIPostC‐induced improvements, indicating the specificity of endogenous TK mediating the neuroprotection effect of RIPostC.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates RIPostC treatment as an effective rehabilitation therapy to provide motor function recovery and alleviate brain impairment in a rat model of acute cerebral ischemia. We also for the first time provide evidence showing that the up‐regulation of endogenous TK from remote conditioning regions underlies the observed effects of RIPostC.
OPENNESS AND STRUCTURAL LABOR MARKET REFORMS: EX ANTE COUNTERFACTUALS
Authors: Lastauskas Povilas , Stakenas Julius
Published: February 2018

In this paper we examine plausible macroeconomic responses to the ex ante (planned but not implemented yet) reforms in the labor market, taking a currently proposed Social Model in Lithuania as an example. We contribute not only to the current debate on the efficacy of announced structural reforms, but also to the literature on policy evaluation, by assessing reforms from a global perspective. Taking trade linkages and openness into account, we demonstrate macroeconomic reactions to shocks in unemployment benefits, active labor market policies, and tax wedge on the reforming economy. In particular, we show that the omission of an international dimension could lead to seriously biased results on policy effects for any open and small economy. Using a satellite model for the intermediate trade, we link the global framework with the sectoral extensive margin, which changes some of the results derived from the aggregate data. (JELC33, C54, E62, J38)
Assessment of myocardial strain in children with risk factors for atherosclerosis with use of 3D speckle tracking echocardiography
Authors: Zhang Peixu , Li Dongqing , Su Yanzhuo , Wang Xiaona , Sun Jianping , Xu Yang , Sun Jinghui
Published: February 2018

Background

The known risk factors for atherosclerosis such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and fasting hyperglycemia are associated with subclinical myocardial dysfunction. We assessed myocardial strain in children who had risk factors for atherosclerosis with use of 3D speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE).

Methods

A total of 340 eligible children (mean age [±SD]: 9.5 [±1.9] years; range, 7.1–12.2; 189 males, 151 females). Levels of serum cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and body mass index (BMI) were investigated. The parameters of left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain including global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and global radial strain (GRS) were measured with use of real time 3DSTE.

Results

Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain and global circumferential strain in the groups with isolated dyslipidemia, isolated hypertension, isolated obese/overweight, and combination groups were lower than those in healthy controls (P < .01 for all). Global longitudinal strain (GLS) and GCS showed a negative correlation with the respective risk factors (TG, TC, and LDL‐C; SBP and DBP; weight and BMI) (P < .05 for all). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed a significant negative correlation of GLS and GCS with BMI, TC, TG, and SBP. The degree of myocardial strain aggravated significantly with increase in the number of risk factors in an individual subject.
SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS AND LOCATION CHOICES OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Authors: Zhan Crystal
Published: February 2018

This paper studies how the school choice policies that subsidize private school attendance using public funds affect the spatial distribution of private schools in the United States. Private school choice programs enacted between 1997 and 2010 are examined and linked to private school provision 2 years later. The paper finds that school choice policies lead to more private schools where the input to public schools is lower and the pool of students with special needs is larger. Yet the introduction of means‐tested school choice programs does not necessarily lead private schools to locate in low‐income neighborhoods. (JEL I2, H4, R3)
Primary education and fertility rates
Authors: Bittencourt Manoel
Published: February 2018

Unified growth theory advances that the transition from a Malthusian regime to sustained economic growth is characterized by technological progress and, amongst other things, by an increase in demand for human capital which in turn creates incentives for lower fertility rates. Bearing that in mind, I ask the question: has southern Africa escaped the Malthusian stagnation? Specifically, I study whether primary school completion rates have played any role in total fertility rates in all countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) during the 1980–2009 period. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the results, based on dynamic panel time‐series methods, suggest that primary education is associated with lower fertility in the SADC, or that the community is already trading‐off quantity for quality of children. Although I do not claim causality, overall the results are significant because, in accordance with unified growth theory, they suggest that the SADC is experiencing its own transition from the Malthusian stagnation epoch into sustained growth, or that the SADC is going through its own post‐Malthusian regime.
Sports and Headaches
Authors: Evans Randolph W.
Published: February 2018

In the United States, up to 3.8 million people per year have sports‐related mild traumatic brain injury frequently followed by a variety of headaches. Headaches associated with sports (exertional, weightlifter's, and external compression headache) are also reviewed.
PERSISTENCE AND VOLATILITY OF BEVERIDGE CYCLES
Authors: Sniekers Florian
Published: February 2018

This article explains the cyclical behavior of the fluctuations in unemployment and vacancies by demand externalities. Adding such externalities to an otherwise standard search and matching model reduces the need for exogenous shocks in explaining these fluctuations. Under plausible parameter values, the equilibrium dynamics include a stable limit cycle that resembles the empirically observed counterclockwise cycles around the Beveridge curve. Calibrated to the duration of the business cycle, these endogenous “Beveridge cycles” are as persistent as the data, without losing any of the amplification of the standard model.