bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endocrinological side-effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors
Authors: Torino Francesco , Corsello Salvatore M. , Salvatori Roberto
Published: April 2016

Purpose of review

Three mAbs targeting immune checkpoint proteins are available for the treatment of patients with melanoma, lung, and kidney cancer, and their use will likely expand in the future to additional tumor types. We here update the literature on the incidence and pathophysiology of endocrine toxicities induced by these agents, and discuss management guidance.

Recent findings

Immune checkpoint inhibition may trigger autoimmune syndromes involving different organs, including several endocrine glands (pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, and endocrine pancreas). Hypophysitis is more frequently associated with ipilimumab, whereas the incidence of thyroid dysfunction is higher with nivolumab/pembrolizumab. Primary adrenal insufficiency can rarely occur with either treatment. Autoimmune diabetes is very rare. As hypophysitis and adrenalitis may be life-threatening, endocrinological evaluation is essential particularly in patients developing fatigue and other symptoms consistent with adrenal insufficiency. Corticosteroids should be promptly used when hypophysitis-induced adrenal insufficiency or adrenalitis are diagnosed, but not in thyroiditis or diabetes. No impact of corticosteroids on the efficacy/activity of immune checkpoint-inhibiting drugs is reported. Hormonal deficiencies are often permanent.

In absence of predicting factors, accurate information to patients provided by the oncology care team is essential for early diagnosis and to limit the consequences of checkpoint inhibition-related endocrine toxicity.
A prospective cohort study on dietary acrylamide intake and the risk for cutaneous malignant melanoma
Authors: Lipunova Nadezda , Schouten Leo J. , van den Brandt Piet A. , Hogervorst Janneke G.F.
Published: April 2016

Epidemiological studies have shown inconsistent associations between dietary acrylamide exposure and the risk for various malignancies. This is the first epidemiological study on the association between acrylamide intake and the risk for cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). A case–cohort analysis was carried out within the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer. Acrylamide intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire combined with acrylamide data for Dutch foods. After 17.3 years of follow-up, 501 microscopically confirmed cases of CMM were identified. There was an increased risk for CMM when dietary acrylamide was modeled as a continuous variable [hazard ratio: 1.13 (95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.26)] per 10 μg increment among men but there was no clear linear trend over the quintiles (P
trend=0.12). No associations were observed for women. Our study provides some indications that dietary acrylamide may increase the risk for CMM in men.
Meniscal Allograft Transplantation: State of the Art
Authors: Trentacosta Natasha , Graham William C. , Gersoff Wayne K.
Published: April 2016

Meniscal allograft transplantation has evolved over the years to provide a state-of-the-art technique for the sports medicine surgeon to utilize in preserving contact mechanics and function of the knee in irreparable meniscal pathology. However, this procedure continues to spark considerable debate on proper tissue processing techniques, acceptable indications, methods of implantation, and potential long-term outcomes.
Emerging trends and risk factors for perianal surgery in Crohn’s disease: a 20-year national population-based cohort study
Authors: Chhaya Vivek , Saxena Sonia , Cecil Elizabeth , Subramanian Venkataraman , Curcin Vasa , Majeed Azeem , Pollok Richard C.
Published: April 2016

Background

Little is known about the rates of perianal surgery (PAS) in Crohn’s disease (CD). Our aim was to determine trends in PAS, the timing of surgery relative to the diagnosis of CD and to identify subgroups at risk of PAS.

Materials and methods

We identified 9391 incident cases of CD between 1989 and 2009. We defined three eras: era 1 (1989–1995), era 2 (1996–2002) and era 3 (2003–2009), and determined trends in procedure type and the time to first PAS relative to the date of diagnosis. We used Kaplan–Meier analysis to calculate the rate of first PAS and performed Cox regression to determine subgroups at risk of PAS.

Results

Among the 9391 incident cases of CD, 405 (4.3%) underwent PAS. The overall rate of PAS was 5.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.9–6.2%] 10 years after diagnosis. 34% (n=137) of all patients undergoing PAS had surgery in the 5 years before CD diagnosis. Abscess drainage increased from 34 to 58%, whereas proctectomy decreased from 16 to 6% between eras 1 and 3, respectively. Men [hazard rate (HR) 1.51, 95% CI: 1.24–1.84], those aged 17–40 years (HR 1.69, 95% CI: 1.09–2.02 vs. those aged >40 years) and those with a history of previous intestinal resection (HR 28.5, 95% CI: 22.2–36.5) were more likely to have PAS.

Conclusion

Around one-third of patients have a PAS in the 5 years preceding their diagnosis of CD. Surgical practice has changed over 20 years, with a decrease in proctectomy and a concurrent increase in abscess drainage that is likely to reflect improvements in therapeutic practice.
Role of the CARMA1/BCL10/MALT1 complex in lymphoid malignancies
Authors: Juilland Mélanie , Thome Margot
Published: April 2016

Purpose of review

The CARMA1/BCL10/MALT1 (CBM) complex is a multimeric signaling complex controlling several important aspects of lymphocyte activation. Gain-of-function mutations in the genes encoding CBM proteins or their upstream regulators are associated with lymphoid malignancies, whereas loss-of-function mutations lead to immunodeficiency. This review reports on recent findings advancing our understanding of how CBM proteins contribute to malignant and nonmalignant hematological diseases in humans.

Recent findings

Somatic gain-of-function mutations of CARMA1 (also known as CARD11), originally described for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, have recently been identified in patients with acute T-cell leukemia/lymphoma or Sézary syndrome, and in patients with a B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder known as BENTA. Loss-of-function mutations of CARMA1 and MALT1, on the other hand, have been reported to underlie human immunodeficiency. Lately, it has become clear that CBM-dependent signaling promotes lymphomagenesis not only via NF-κB activation, but also via the AP-1 family of transcription factors. The identification of new substrates of the protease MALT1 and the characterization of mice expressing catalytically inactive MALT1 have deepened our understanding of how the CBM complex controls lymphocyte proliferation through promoting MALT1's protease activity.

The discovery of CARMA1 gain-of-function mutations in T-cell malignancies and BENTA patients, as well as the association of CARMA1 and MALT1 mutations with human immunodeficiency highlight the importance of CBM proteins in the regulation of lymphocyte functions, and suggest that the protease activity of MALT1 might be targeted to treat specific lymphoid malignancies.
Hematopoietic stem cell lineage specification
Authors: Pouzolles Marie , Oburoglu Leal , Taylor Naomi , Zimmermann Valérie S.
Published: April 2016

Purpose of review

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) possess two fundamental characteristics, the capacity for self-renewal and the sustained production of all blood cell lineages. The fine balance between HSC expansion and lineage specification is dynamically regulated by the interplay between external and internal stimuli. This review introduces recent advances in the roles played by the stem cell niche, regulatory transcriptional networks, and metabolic pathways in governing HSC self-renewal, commitment, and lineage differentiation. We will further focus on discoveries made by studying hematopoiesis at single-cell resolution.

Recent findings

HSCs require the support of an interactive milieu with their physical position within the perivascular niche dynamically regulating HSC behavior. In these microenvironments, transcription factor networks and nutrient-mediated regulation of energy resources, signaling pathways, and epigenetic status govern HSC quiescence and differentiation. Once HSCs begin their lineage specification, single-cell analyses show that they do not become oligopotent but rather, differentiate directly into committed unipotent progenitors.

The diversity of transcriptional networks and metabolic pathways in HSCs and their downstream progeny allows a high level of plasticity in blood differentiation. The intricate interactions between these pathways, within the perivascular niche, broaden the specification of HSCs in pathological and stressed conditions.
Dilemmatic group memberships of hard-of-hearing employees during the process of acquiring and adapting to the use of hearing aids
Authors: Koskela Inka , Ruusuvuori Johanna , Juvonen-Posti Pirjo , Nevala Nina , Husman Päivi , Aaltonen Tarja , Lonka Eila , Laakso Minna
Published: April 2016

We describe how hard-of-hearing (HOH) employees renegotiate both their existing and new group memberships when they acquire and begin to use hearing aids (HAs). Our research setting was longitudinal and we carried out a theory-informed qualitative analysis of multiple qualitative data. When an individual discovers that they have a hearing problem and acquire a HA, their group memberships undergo change. First, HOH employees need to start negotiating their relationship with the HOH group. Second, they need to consider whether they see themselves as members of the disabled or the nondisabled employee group. This negotiation tends to be context-bound, situational, and nonlinear as a process, involving a back-and-forth movement in the way in which HOH employees value different group memberships. The dilemmatic negotiation of new group memberships and the other social aspects involved in HA rehabilitation tend to remain invisible to rehabilitation professionals, occupational healthcare, and employers.
A Specific Distress Cutoff Score Shortly After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Ploos van Amstel Floortje K. , Tol Jolien , Sessink Kelly H. , van der Graaf Winette T. A. , Prins Judith B. , Ottevanger Petronella B.
Published: April 2016

Background:

High levels of distress are expected shortly after the diagnosis breast cancer. The Distress Thermometer (DT) is commonly used to screen for distress, using a cutoff score of 4 or 5; however, this score might not be appropriate for detecting distress in women with recently diagnosed breast cancer.

Objectives:

The aims of this study were to establish the optimal DT cutoff score for detecting high distress shortly after breast cancer diagnosis and to correlate this score with the reported problems.

Methods:

We selected for this study Dutch women who completed the DT and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale within 1 month after breast cancer diagnosis. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of DT scores was performed, with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale being used as the criterion standard for the level of distress. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of each DT score were calculated.

Results:

In total, 181 women participated in the study. The optimal DT cutoff score for detecting distress was 7 with a sensitivity of 0.73, specificity of 0.84, positive predictive value of 69%, and negative predictive value of 87%. Emotional problems were the most frequently reported concerns.

Conclusion:

We consider a cutoff score of 7, shortly after breast cancer is diagnosed, optimal to identify those women with high distress and therefore at risk of chronic distress.

Implications for Practice:

The findings are clinically important because they can enable healthcare professionals to direct their time and resources to those most in need of their assistance.
Comparison of Single and Double Venous Anastomoses in Head and Neck Oncologic Reconstruction Using Free Flaps: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chaput Benoit , Vergez Sebastien , Somda Serge , Mojallal Ali , Riot Samuel , Vairel Benjamin , Meresse Thomas , Garrido Ignacio , Grolleau Jean Louis , de Bonnecaze Guillaume
Published: April 2016

Background:

Venous insufficiency is the main cause of failure and surgical revision in free flap surgery. Achieving a double venous anastomosis is frequently proposed to improve flap drainage. However, this procedure remains controversial. The authors evaluated, through a meta-analysis, the benefit of double venous anastomoses in the venous thrombosis, surgical revision, and failure rates of free flaps in head and neck oncologic reconstruction.

Methods:

A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria in the MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases. Statistical heterogeneity evaluation and then fixed effects and random effects models were used.

Results:

Sixteen articles were included involving 3684 flaps. The overall success rate was 96.15 percent. The authors reported a failure rate of 1.51 percent in the group with two anastomoses versus 5.03 percent in the group with single anastomoses (OR, 0.64; 95 percent CI, 0.277 to 1.522; p = 0.320). The authors found a venous thrombosis rate of 2.74 percent in the group with two anastomoses versus 4.54 percent in the group with single anastomoses (OR, 0.535; 95 percent CI, 0.334 to 0.858; p = 0.009). There were also more surgical revisions in the single venous anastomoses group, 11.87 percent versus 6.04 percent (OR, 0.474; 95 percent CI, 0.349 to 0.643; p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

This meta-analysis supports that performing a double venous anastomosis confers protective effects in venous thrombosis and surgical revision, thus reducing free flap failure. The authors recommend the achievement of double venous anastomosis whenever it is feasible in head and neck oncologic reconstruction.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, IV.
GRN and MAPT Mutations in 2 Frontotemporal Dementia Research Centers in Brazil
Authors: Takada Leonel T. , Bahia Valeria S. , Guimarães Henrique C. , Costa Thais V. M. M. , Vale Thiago C. , Rodriguez Roberta D. , Porto Fabio H. G. , Machado João C. B. , Beato Rogério G. , Cesar Karolina G. , Smid Jerusa , Nascimento Camila F. , Grinberg Lea T. , Brucki Sonia M. D. , Maximino Jessica R. , Camargos Sarah T. , Chadi Gerson , Caramelli Paulo , Nitrini Ricardo
Published: April 2016

Background:

Mutations in GRN (progranulin) and MAPT (microtubule-associated protein tau) are among the most frequent causes of monogenic frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but data on the frequency of these mutations in regions such as Latin America are still lacking.

Objective:

We aimed to investigate the frequencies of GRN and MAPT mutations in FTD cohorts from 2 Brazilian dementia research centers, the University of Sao Paulo and the Federal University of Minas Gerais medical schools.

Methods:

We included 76 probands diagnosed with behavioral-variant FTD (n=55), semantic-variant Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) (n=11), or nonfluent-variant PPA (n=10). Twenty-five percent of the cohort had at least 1 relative affected with FTD.

Results:

Mutations in GRN were identified in 7 probands, and in MAPT, in 2 probands. We identified 3 novel GRN mutations (p.Q130X, p.317Afs*12, and p.K259Afs*23) in patients diagnosed with nonfluent-variant PPA or behavioral-variant FTD. Plasma progranulin levels were measured and a cutoff value of 70 ng/mL was found, with 100% sensitivity and specificity to detect null GRN mutations.

Conclusions:

The frequency of GRN mutations was 9.6% and that of MAPT mutations was 7.1%. Among familial cases of FTD, the frequency of GRN mutations was 31.5% and that of MAPT mutations was 10.5%.
Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis mimicking a flare of systemic lupus erythematosus: a European case report
Authors: van Doorn-Schepens M. L. M. , Peters E. J. , van Vugt R. M. , van der Spoel J. I. , van Dijk K.
Published: April 2016

Introduction:

Diagnosing progressive disseminated histoplasmosis (PDH) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is diagnostically challenging. Since PDH is lethal when untreated, awareness of this infection in patients with SLE is of utmost importance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of a case of PDH in a patient with SLE in Europe.

Case presentation:

A 56-year-old woman of Surinamese descent with a history of SLE, presented with fever and polyarthritis. Although a flare of SLE was suspected initially, cultures of bone marrow and broncho-alveolar lavage fluid grew Histoplasma capsulatum.

Conclusion:

This case report highlights that physicians should be aware of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis in patients with SLE treated with immunosuppressive agents. The signs and symptoms can easily mimic a SLE flare, which would then be treated with more aggressive immunosuppression. Failure to recognize the infection will therefore invariably lead to death of the patient. Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis is usually not recognized by doctors in non-endemic areas such as Europe. However, globalisation and more frequent intercontinental traffic of immunocompromised patients currently increases the incidence of histoplasmosis in these areas. It is therefore of life-saving importance that doctors are aware of the features of the infection in areas where H. capsulatum is not endemic.
First insight into the faecal microbiota of the high Arctic muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)
Authors: Salgado-Flores Alejandro , Bockwoldt Mathias , Hagen Live H. , Pope Phillip B. , Sundset Monica A.
Published: April 2016

The faecal microbiota of muskoxen (n=3) pasturing on Ryøya (69° 33′ N 18° 43′ E), Norway, in late September was characterized using high-throughput sequencing of partial 16S rRNA gene regions. A total of 16 209 high-quality sequence reads from bacterial domains and 19 462 from archaea were generated. Preliminary taxonomic classifications of 806 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) resulted in 53.7–59.3 % of the total sequences being without designations beyond the family level. Firmicutes (70.7–81.1 % of the total sequences) and Bacteroidetes (16.8–25.3 %) constituted the two major bacterial phyla, with uncharacterized members within the family Ruminococcaceae (28.9–40.9 %) as the major phylotype. Multiple-library comparisons between muskoxen and other ruminants indicated a higher similarity for muskoxen faeces and reindeer caecum (P>0.05) and some samples from cattle faeces. The archaeal sequences clustered into 37 OTUs, with dominating phylotypes affiliated to the methane-producing genus Methanobrevibacter (80–92 % of the total sequences). UniFrac analysis demonstrated heterogeneity between muskoxen archaeal libraries and those from reindeer and roe deer (P=1.0e-02, Bonferroni corrected), but not with foregut fermenters. The high proportion of cellulose-degrading Ruminococcus-affiliated bacteria agrees with the ingestion of a highly fibrous diet. Further experiments are required to elucidate the role played by these novel bacteria in the digestion of this fibrous Artic diet eaten by muskoxen.
Understanding properties of the master effector of phage shock operon inMycobacterium tuberculosisvia bioinformatics approach
Authors: Basharat Zarrin , Yasmin Azra
Published: April 2016

The phage shock protein (Psp) is a part of the Psp operon, which assists in safeguarding the survival of bacterium in stress and shields the cell against proton motif force challenge. It is strongly induced by bacterium allied phages, improperly localized mutant porins and various other stresses. Master effector of the operon, PspA has been modeled and simulated, illustrating how it undergoes significant conformational transition at the far end inMycobacterium tuberculosis. Association of this key protein of the operon influences action of Psp system on the whole. We are further working on the impact of phosphorylation perturbation and changes in the structure of PspA during complex formation with other moieties of interest.
Genome-wide analyses of self-reported empathy: correlations with autism, schizophrenia, and anorexia nervosa
Authors: Warrier Varun , Toro Roberto , Chakrabarti Bhismadev ,   the iPSYCH-Broad autism group, Børglum Anders D , Grove Jakob ,   the 23andMe Research Team, Hinds David A. , Bourgeron Thomas , Baron-Cohen Simon
Published: April 2016

Empathy is the ability to recognize and respond to the emotional states of other individuals. It is an important psychological process that facilitates navigating social interactions and maintaining relationships, which are important for wellbeing. Several psychological studies have identified difficulties in both self-report and performance-based measures of empathy in a range of psychiatric conditions. To date, no study has systematically investigated the genetic architecture of empathy using genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Here we report the results of the largest GWAS of empathy to date using a well-validated self-report measure of empathy, the Empathy Quotient (EQ), in 46,861 research participants from 23andMe, Inc. We identify 11 suggestive loci (P < 1×10-6), though none were significant at P < 2.5×10-8after correcting for multiple testing. The most significant SNP was identified in the non-stratified analysis (rs4882760; P = 4.29×10-8), and is an intronic SNP inTMEM132C.The EQ had a modest but significant narrow-sense heritability (0.11±0.014; P = 1.7×10-14). As predicted, based on earlier work, we confirmed a significant female-advantage on the EQ (P < 2×10-16Cohen’s d = 0.65). We identified similar SNP heritability and high genetic correlation between the sexes. Also, as predicted, we identified a significant negative genetic correlation between autism and the EQ (rg= -0.27±0.07, P = 1.63×10-4). We also identified a significant positive genetic correlation between the EQ and risk for schizophrenia (rg= 0.19±0.04; P= 1.36×10-5), risk for anorexia nervosa (rg= 0.32±0.09; P = 6×10-4), and extraversion (rg= 0.45±0.08; 5.7×10-8). This is the first GWAS of self-reported empathy. The results suggest that the genetic variations associated with empathy also play a role in psychiatric conditions and psychological traits.
How life history can sway the fixation probability of mutants
Authors: Li Xiang-Yi , Kurokawa Shun , Giaimo Stefano , Traulsen Arne
Published: April 2016

In this work, we study the effects of demographic structure on evolutionary dynamics, when selection acts on reproduction, survival, or both. In contrast with the previously discovered pattern that the fixation probability of a neutral mutant decreases while population becomes younger, we show that a mutant with constant selective advantage may have a maximum or a minimum of the fixation probability in populations with an intermediate fraction of young individuals. This highlights the importance of life history and demographic structure in studying evolutionary dynamics. We also illustrate the fundamental differences between selection on reproduction and on survival when age structure is present. In addition, we evaluate the relative importance of size and structure of the population in determining the fixation probability of the mutant. Our work lays the foundation for studying also density and frequency dependent effects in populations when demographic structures cannot be neglected.
Awakening giants? The politically contested modification of institutional investors
Authors: Kallifatides Markus , Nachemson-Ekwall Sophie
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer a political perspective on modifications in corporate governance regulation. In the wake of the financial crisis, the investment rationale of institutional investors is being pushed away from a focus on financial market liquidity and short-term trading. From a political perspective, this modification entails consideration both of investment horizon and of the definition of corporate value.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper narrates the historical policy debate on institutional investors as corporate governors. Building on this point, a conceptual framework is developed to further the understanding of the current shifts in policy debate of institutional investors as governors.

Findings

The authors find a strong policy impetus to move away from certain liberal market assumptions of efficient financial markets and the positive effects of privatization, toward viewing markets as institutionally embedded. Based on their knowledge of corporate governance regimes’ political economy, the authors argue that this shift brings intensified engagement of institutional investors in corporate affairs. The reasons for why and how this might be politically contested are specified. In conclusion, propositions regarding the outcome of such contestation in different national corporate governance regimes are offered.

Originality/value

Pointing to the predominantly European stakeholder value versus shareholder value discussion, the authors claim that the corporate governance policy debate related to intensified engagement of institutional investors in corporate affairs is still in its infancy. Their political perspective, including propositions for further elaboration, offers a contribution to further academic debate.
Predictors of customer loyalty in the Pakistani banking industry: a moderated-mediation study
Authors: Saleem Muhammad Abid , Zahra Sadaf , Ahmad Rashid , Ismail Hina
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop an original framework to explore the effects of social influence (SI), market orientation (MO) and service quality (SQ) with moderating effect of emotional intelligence (EI) on customer loyalty (CL) and to discuss the mediational role of customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study applies six original concepts – SI, MO, SQ, EI, customer satisfaction to develop an integral model to enhance CL. In addition, this research employs an empirical study by means of the questionnaire survey method to verify the hypotheses and to explore its managerial implications. Structural equation modeling has been applied to verify the research framework.

Findings

– The empirical results show that MO, SI and SQ significantly affect CL with presence of customer satisfaction as a mediator. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the direct relationships between MO and SI on CL are not supported. However indirect paths present full mediation except in case of SQ where mediation was partial. Moreover, EI was found to enhance the partially mediated relationship between SQ and CL with mediational role customer satisfaction. Hence, banks should invest resources to increase MO, SI and SQ to increase customer satisfaction and CL.

Originality/value

– This study summarizes the literature on customer satisfaction and relationship marketing into a new managerial framework of CL. It utilizes new arrangement of four construct – SI, MO, and SQ with EI – to develop an original framework to enhance CL. Although past research has highlighted the relevant issues about CL, none explores it with MO and moderating role of EI on SQ. Therefore, this paper develops the research framework of CL to fill the research gap specifically in Pakistani context.
Evaluating competing public policy approaches towards the informal economy
Authors: Williams Colin C , Horodnic Ioana Alexandra , Burkinshaw Lynda
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– Conventionally, participation in the informal economy has been explained by viewing citizens as rational economic actors participating when the pay-off is greater than the expected cost of being caught and punished, and thus tackled by raising the sanctions and risks of detection. Given that many citizens do not engage even when the benefits outweigh the costs, a new social actor approach has begun to emerge which explains the informal economy as arising when tax morality is low and seeks to foster commitment to compliance. The purpose of this paper is to provide an evidence-based evaluation of these competing policy approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

– To do so, the results are reported of 1,306 face-to-face interviews undertaken during 2013 in the UK.

Findings

– The finding is that raising the sanctions and risks of detection has no significant impact on the likelihood of participation in the informal sector. However, participation in the informal economy is significantly associated with tax morality. Indeed, the only time that increasing the sanctions and risks of detection reduces the level of participation in the informal economy is amongst citizens with very low tax morality.

Practical implications

– Rather than continue with the current rational economic actor approach of increasing the penalties and risks of detection, this case study of the UK reveals that a new policy approach is required that seeks to improve tax morality by introducing measures to reduce the acceptability of participating in the informal economy. Whether this is more widely applicable now needs to be tested, given the dominance throughout the world of this punitive rational economic actor approach.

Originality/value

– This paper provides evidence supporting a new social actor approach towards explaining and tackling participation in the informal economy.
Bank market power and firm creation: a multi-country analysis
Authors: Agostino Mariarosaria , Trivieri Francesco
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between bank market power and firm creation, which represents a debated issue in the economic literature, still lacking empirical evidence.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis is carried out by taking an international perspective, using different measures of banking competition, and controlling for a large set of determinants suggested by the variegate literature on firms’ birth drivers.

Findings

– The main finding suggests that credit market competition may benefit firms’ creation, as the relationship between the latter and bank market power – when statistically significant – appears to be negative. In addition, the detrimental impact of market power appears greater (in absolute terms) when departing from higher levels of banking competition.

Research limitations/implications

– The empirical evidence seems supporting the competitive position in the debate on the role of banking competition. Furthermore, the authors reckon that the findings reinforce the belief of a crucial role played by the availability of funds for nascent firms, with evident implications for the policy strategies more appropriate to foster entrepreneurship. The “fashion” followed by several countries of lowering administrative entry barriers (van Stelet al., 2007) needs to be reappraised, pondering also means to enrich resources availability.

Originality/value

– To the best of the knowledge, the paper is the first one addressing the issue of the role of bank market structure on firms’ creation in a multi-country setting.
International organizational performance
Authors: Cegarra Navarro Juan Gabriel , Eldridge Stephen , Wandosell Gonzalo
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationships between congenital learning (CL) and realized absorptive capacity (RACAP) and tries to identify whether absorptive capacity impacts on international organizational performance (IOP) in today’s global business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research model and hypothesized relationships are empirically tested using the structural equation modelling approach, validated by factor analysis of 128 small medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK telecommunications sector.

Findings

– The findings suggest that, in order to achieve higher levels of RACAP, managers need to create and support a CL process. Furthermore, if an SME does not achieve the required RACAP then IOP is likely to deteriorate.

Originality/value

– SMEs need to provide and support a learning process, which is customized and based on three sub-processes: first, the framework for transferring knowledge; second, the framework for transforming knowledge; and third, an open organizational context. Based on these results, transferring and transforming are important sub-processes but are not sufficient for updating congenital knowledge.
Factors influencing the fund raising process for innovative new ventures: an empirical study
Authors: Talaia Marco , Pisoni Alessia , Onetti Alberto
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that influence the fund raising ability of innovative new ventures/startups.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors investigate a data set composed of 108 Italian innovative new ventures. Specifically, the authors run a Tobit regression model linking the amount of equity raised by the company to the human capital of the company. The authors focussed the analysis on the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the new company, who usually is a founder and, in the early stages, the most charismatic figure.

Findings

– The analysis shows a significant relationship between the ability of a startup to raise funds and the level of education of the CEO. The findings suggest that this causal relation is even stronger as the CEO holds an MBA.

Research limitations/implications

– The results of our empirical study provide further insights about the characteristics of the CEO that mostly impact on fund raising ability of the new ventures. The results are limited to startups founded by Italian entrepreneurs. A cross-country comparison will represent the natural prosecution of our research.

Practical implications

– The study provides important implications for researchers and practitioners who are interested in understanding the fundamentals of the fund raising process for innovative startups. Moreover, these findings may also be helpful for policy makers in better understanding the factors potentially influencing the Italian startup ecosystem.

Originality/value

– The paper sheds light on the factors affecting the fund raising process of innovative new ventures in the early stage of the company’s life cycle. Specifically, it is one of the few study focussing on the profile/background of the CEO in early-stage companies.
Factors contributing to the early failure of small new charity start-ups
Authors: Bennett Roger
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to establish the main causes of early failure of small recently established fundraising charities.

Design/methodology/approach

– Heads and ex-heads of small recently established British charities that had either shut down within two years of registration with the Charity Commission or had survived for two years following registration were surveyed to determine the sorts of issue they believed were particularly problematic at the time their charities were formed or shortly thereafter. The research combined ideas from human capital theory, organisational ecology, and the survivor principle to investigate the mortality of new charity start-ups. Information was obtained from the ex-heads of 182 charities that had been removed from the Charity Commission’s register and from 356 heads of charities that were still in operation.

Findings

– Participants in both groups reported that they had experienced major difficulties relating to funding, the development of plans, lack of marketing and management skills, and personal workload. Differences between the groups emerged with respect to their perceptions of problems involving competition from other charities (both for donations and for clients), internal conflict within their organisations, networking, and the need for background research. Start-ups run by people with prior experience of working in charities had a significantly better chance of survival than start-ups managed by individuals lacking such experience.

Research limitations/implications

– The data used in the investigation were self-reported and less than a majority of the sampling frame participated in the study.

Practical implications

– Prospective founders of small new charities need to recognise competitive realities and the competencies required for success before commencing operations. Government and nonprofit support organisations should arrange short work experience placements and shadowing activities for individuals contemplating starting a new charity.

Originality/value

– This was the first research ever to examine reasons for small enterprise collapse within the nonprofit domain.
Leveraged ETF option strategies
Authors: Trainor William , Gregory Richard
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– Leveraged exchange traded funds (ETFs) have become increasingly popular since their introduction in 2006. In recent years, options on leveraged ETFs have been promoted as a means of enhancing returns and reducing risk. The purpose of this paper is to examine the interchangeability of S
&
P 500 ETF options with leveraged S
&
P 500 ETF options and to what extent these options allow investors to manage their risk exposure.

Design/methodology/approach

– With increasing liquidity for these fund’s options, simple option strategies such as covered calls and protective puts can be implemented. This study derives call-call and put-put parity between options on the underlying index and the associated leveraged ETFs. The paper examines comparative measures of return and risk on the underlying indices, along with covered call and protective put positions.

Findings

– Using the formulations derived, this study shows options on non-leveraged ETFs or on the underlying index can be substituted for leveraged ETF options. Empirical results suggest substituting options on leveraged ETFs with options on the underlying index or index ETF give comparable results, but can differ as the realized leverage ratio over time differs from projected values.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to the authors’ knowledge that investigates option strategies on leveraged and inverse ETFs of equity indices. It is also the first to derive call-call and put-put parity relations between options on ETFs and related leveraged and inverse ETFs. The results contribute to securities issuance, investment strategies, and option parity relations.
Critical Infrastructures, High Reliability and Their Enemy, Economism
Authors: Roe Emery
Published: April 2016

This Forum contribution explains why economism – a form of bad economics – has become the enemy of reliable critical infrastructures and what must be done to remedy this. The perspective here is critical, but moves beyond critique to recommendation and proposals. The suggestions centre around taking advantage of the unique expertise of reliability professionals in infrastructures to catch big mistakes before they happen in real time. While economists call for greater efficiencies in critical service provision (see especially the long‐standing New Public Management literature), the most underutilized resource we have as a society are these reliability professionals. Without their expertise we would not have the infrastructure stability necessary for markets to function in the first place.
Regression Analysis of Case K Interval-Censored Failure Time Data in the Presence of Informative Censoring
Authors: Wang Peijie , Zhao Hui , Sun Jianguo
Published: April 2016

Interval-censored failure time data occur in many fields such as demography, economics, medical research, and reliability and many inference procedures on them have been developed (Sun, 2006; Chen, Sun, and Peace, 2012). However, most of the existing approaches assume that the mechanism that yields interval censoring is independent of the failure time of interest and it is clear that this may not be true in practice (Zhang et al., 2007; Ma, Hu, and Sun, 2015). In this article, we consider regression analysis of case K interval-censored failure time data when the censoring mechanism may be related to the failure time of interest. For the problem, an estimated sieve maximum-likelihood approach is proposed for the data arising from the proportional hazards frailty model and for estimation, a two-step procedure is presented. In the addition, the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators of regression parameters are established and an extensive simulation study suggests that the method works well. Finally, we apply the method to a set of real interval-censored data that motivated this study.
Can Shareholder Activism Improve Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards?
Authors: Marquardt Carol , Wiedman Christine
Published: April 2016

Manuscript type

Empirical

Research question/issue

We empirically examine the antecedents of shareholder activism related to increasing the gender diversity of corporate boards of directors and whether such activism is an effective mechanism for achieving this goal. Because campaigns for increased gender diversity may be driven by either economic efficiency or social legitimacy concerns, we condition our analysis on activists' motivations for achieving their objectives.

Research findings/insights

Based on a sample of US S&P 1500 firms over 1997–2011, we find that female board representation and board independence are negatively associated with the likelihood of being targeted by a shareholder proposal related to gender diversity. We further document that financially motivated activists are more likely to target firms with extremely low female board representation than are socially motivated activists. Targeted firms significantly increase their female board representation in the two‐year period following proposal initiation, relative to that of a matched sample of non‐targeted firms, with no significant differences observed across activist motivations.

Theoretical/academic implications

Our findings provide empirical support for the effectiveness of shareholder activism in shaping corporate governance. Our work also suggests that shareholder activists' underlying motivations are an important conditioning variable in governance research, with both agency theory and institutional theory providing insight into differing motivations.

Practitioner/policy implications

Our findings suggest that shareholder proposals are an effective mechanism for increasing board diversity, irrespective of activist motivations. However, we note that mean female board representation for both targeted and non‐targeted firms remains far below the level of representation sought by various activist groups. For policy‐makers, this suggests that legislative action may be necessary to achieve these corporate board diversity goals in the US.
DWI‐MRI and Fabry disease: what can we learn?
Authors: Siniscalchi A.
Published: April 2016

Click here to view the accompanying paper in this issue.
A method to generate conformal finite‐element meshes from 3D measurements of microstructurally small fatigue‐crack propagation
Authors: Spear A. D. , Hochhalter J. D. , Cerrone A. R. , Li S. F. , Lind J. F. , Suter R. M. , Ingraffea A. R.
Published: April 2016

In an effort to reproduce computationally the observed evolution of microstructurally small fatigue cracks (MSFCs), a method is presented for generating conformal, finite‐element (FE), volume meshes from 3D measurements of MSFC propagation. The resulting volume meshes contain traction‐free surfaces that conform to incrementally measured 3D crack shapes. Grain morphologies measured using near‐field high‐energy X‐ray diffraction microscopy are also represented within the FE volume meshes. Proof‐of‐concept simulations are performed to demonstrate the utility of the mesh‐generation method. The proof‐of‐concept simulations employ a crystal‐plasticity constitutive model and are performed using the conformal FE meshes corresponding to successive crack‐growth increments. Although the simulations for each crack increment are currently independent of one another, they need not be, and transfer of material‐state information among successive crack‐increment meshes is discussed. The mesh‐generation method was developed using post‐mortem measurements, yet it is general enough that it can be applied to in‐situ measurements of 3D MSFC propagation.
A multi‐geochronological study of the Hakusan volcano, central Japan
Authors: Hasebe Noriko , Nakano Yasuyuki , Miyamoto Hikaru , Higashino Toshio , Tamura Akihiro , Arai Shoji , Kim Ju‐Yong
Published: April 2016

The Hakusan volcano, central Japan, is located in a region where two subducting plates (the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate) overlap near the junction of four plates adjacent to the Japanese Islands (the Pacific Plate, the Philippine Sea Plate, the Eurasia Plate, and the North American Plate). The Hakusan volcano consists of products from four major volcanic episodes: Kagamuro, Ko‐hakusan, and Shin‐Hakusan I and II. To date the eruption events of the Hakusan volcano we applied thermoluminescence and fission track methods. 238U(234U)–230Th disequilibrium and 206Pb/238U methods were applied to date the zircon crystallization ages for estimating the magma residence time before the eruptions. The eruption ages we obtained are ca 250 ka for Kagamuro, ca 100 ka and ca 60 ka for Ko‐Hakusan, ca 50 ka for Shin‐Hakusan I, and <10 ka for Shin‐Hakusan II. They are concordant with previous reports based on K–Ar dating. Some of the pyroclastic rocks, possibly originating from Shin‐Hakusan II activities, are dated to be ca 36 ka or 50 ka, and belong to the Shin‐Hakusan I activity. The zircon crystallization ages show several clusters prior to eruption. The magma residence time was estimated for each volcanic activity by comparing the major crystallization events and eruption ages, and we found a gradual decrease from ca. 500 ky for the Kagamuro activity to ca. 5 ky for the Shin‐Hakusan II activity. This decrease in residence time may be responsible for the decrease in volume of erupted material estimated from the current topography of the region. The scale of volcanic activity, which was deduced from the number of crystallized zircons, is more or less constant throughout the Hakusan volcanic activity. Therefore, the decrease in magma residence time is most likely the result of stress field change.
OLIGOPOLY AND COST SHARING IN ECONOMIES WITH PUBLIC GOODS
Authors: Basile Achille , Graziano Maria Gabriella , Pesce Marialaura
Published: April 2016

We study economies that involve both small and large traders as well as the choice of a public project. Within this framework, we establish two sufficient conditions under which the set of competitive allocations coincides with the core. Our first core equivalence result holds under the assumption that there is a countably infinite set of large traders similar to each other. The second result, independent of the number of large traders, requires the existence of a coalition of small traders with the same characteristics of the large traders. Finally, we show how the generalized Aubin approach to cooperation may dispense with both conditions.
STRATEGIC SHIRKING: A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF MULTITASKING AND SPECIALIZATION
Authors: DeVaro Jed , Gürtler Oliver
Published: April 2016

We provide a new theory to explain why firms multitask workers instead of specializing them. Workers overperform in tasks they like and underperform in tasks they dislike to favorably influence future job assignments. Anticipating this, firms may find it optimal to commit to future multitasking to induce workers to appropriately allocate effort early in the employment relationship. We show that when the product market is volatile, so that future product prices are uncertain, the firm's ability to credibly commit to a multitasking strategy diminishes. This generates a negative relationship between multitasking and product market volatility, consistent with recent empirical evidence.