bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cross-Border M&A and the Acquirers’ Innovation Performance: An Empirical Study in China
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wu Xianming , Zhang Hao , Lyu Chan
Published: May 2018

This paper, firstly, empirically examines the relationship between Chinese companies’ cross-border mergers and acquisitions and the acquirers’ innovation performance. Secondly, it investigates the moderate effects of industrial policy and intellectual property protection on the relationship between cross-border M&A and the acquirers’ innovation performance. At the same time, based on the perspective of corporate heterogeneity, the effect of state-owned equity on the above-mentioned moderate relationship was analyzed. The conclusions are as follows: First, Chinese companies’ cross-border acquisitions have significantly improved the acquirers’ innovation performance. Second, industrial policies negatively affect the relationship between cross-border mergers and acquisitions and the acquirers’ innovation performance. Third, the moderating role of intellectual property protection is not stable. Fourth, state-owned equity negatively affects the relationship between cross-border M&A and the acquirers’ innovation performance; the third-order interaction of state-owned equity on intellectual property protection, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and the acquirers’ innovation performance shows that the special relationship between state-owned enterprises and the government not only failed to help them make better use of intellectual property protection for technological innovation, it also adversely hindered the realization of its innovative performance.
The Impact of Uremic Toxins on Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Function
Authors: Hénaut Lucie , Mary Aurélien , Chillon Jean-Marc , Kamel Saïd , Massy Ziad
Published: May 2018

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with profound vascular remodeling, which accelerates the progression of cardiovascular disease. This remodeling is characterized by intimal hyperplasia, accelerated atherosclerosis, excessive vascular calcification, and vascular stiffness. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) dysfunction has a key role in the remodeling process. Under uremic conditions, VSMCs can switch from a contractile phenotype to a synthetic phenotype, and undergo abnormal proliferation, migration, senescence, apoptosis, and calcification. A growing body of data from experiments in vitro and animal models suggests that uremic toxins (such as inorganic phosphate, indoxyl sulfate and advanced-glycation end products) may directly impact the VSMCs’ physiological functions. Chronic, low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress—hallmarks of CKD—are also strong inducers of VSMC dysfunction. Here, we review current knowledge about the impact of uremic toxins on VSMC function in CKD, and the consequences for pathological vascular remodeling.
The Convergence of High-Consequence Livestock and Human Pathogen Research and Development: A Paradox of Zoonotic Disease
Authors: Michelotti Julia , Yeh Kenneth , Beckham Tammy , Colby Michelle , Dasgupta Debanjana , Zuelke Kurt , Olinger Gene
Published: May 2018

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that zoonotic diseases transmitted from animals to humans account for 75 percent of new and emerging infectious diseases. Globally, high-consequence pathogens that impact livestock and have the potential for human transmission create research paradoxes and operational challenges for the high-containment laboratories that conduct work with them. These specialized facilities are required for conducting all phases of research on high-consequence pathogens (basic, applied, and translational) with an emphasis on both the generation of fundamental knowledge and product development. To achieve this research mission, a highly-trained workforce is required and flexible operational methods are needed. In addition, working with certain pathogens requires compliance with regulations such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Select Agent regulations, which adds to the operational burden. The vast experience from the existing studies at Plum Island Animal Disease Center, other U.S. laboratories, and those in Europe and Australia with biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) facilities designed for large animals, clearly demonstrates the valuable contribution this capability brings to the efforts to detect, prepare, prevent and respond to livestock and potential zoonotic threats. To raise awareness of these challenges, which include biosafety and biosecurity issues, we held a workshop at the 2018 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Biothreats conference to further discuss the topic with invited experts and audience participants. The workshop covered the subjects of research funding and metrics, economic sustainment of drug and vaccine development pipelines, workforce turnover, and the challenges of maintaining operational readiness of high containment laboratories.
Assessing Active Living Potential: Case Study of Jacksonville, Florida
Authors: Noh Soowoong
Published: May 2018

Many municipalities in the US are deploying urban planning approaches to resolve problems caused by urban sprawl, particularly the lack of support for physical activity. Although a variety of perspectives on the relationship between physical activity and built environment exist, many studies have suggested objective and reliable measures of urban form that encourage more opportunities for physical activity. Thus, based on the research context, this study builds a Geographic Information System (GIS) model using geospatial dimensions, yields a visualized map ranked by composite scores, and reveals the spatial distribution of quantified cells. Through the Jacksonville case study, it is shown that the GIS-based visualization method provides an expanded set of tools that can help urban planners and public health professionals understand the relationships between urban form and potential for active living. Consequently, these map-based visualized results provide valuable information to health and public policy professionals to coordinate and resolve mutual challenges.
Phage-Derived Peptidoglycan Degrading Enzymes: Challenges and Future Prospects for In Vivo Therapy
Authors: Oliveira Hugo , São-José Carlos , Azeredo Joana
Published: May 2018

Peptidoglycan degrading enzymes are of increasing interest as antibacterial agents, especially against multi-drug resistant pathogens. Herein we present a review about the biological features of virion-associated lysins and endolysins, phage-derived enzymes that have naturally evolved to compromise the bacterial peptidoglycan from without and from within, respectively. These natural features may determine the adaptability of the enzymes to kill bacteria in different environments. Endolysins are by far the most studied group of peptidoglycan-degrading enzymes, with several studies showing that they can exhibit potent antibacterial activity under specific conditions. However, the lytic activity of most endolysins seems to be significantly reduced when tested against actively growing bacteria, something that may be related to fact that these enzymes are naturally designed to degrade the peptidoglycan from within dead cells. This may negatively impact the efficacy of the endolysin in treating some infections in vivo. Here, we present a critical view of the methods commonly used to evaluate in vitro and in vivo the antibacterial performance of PG-degrading enzymes, focusing on the major hurdles concerning in vitro-to-in vivo translation.
Clostridium Ramosum—A Rare Cause of Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis
Authors: Gerber Jennifer Scotti , Berney-Meyer Linda , Segerer Stephan
Published: May 2018

We present the first report of a patient with peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related peritonitis due to Clostridium ramosum, an anaerobe bacterium that is commonly found in normal fecal flora. On rare occasions, it can be pathogenic in immunocompromised individuals. Clostridium species, including Clostridium ramosum, should be included in the differential diagnosis of PD-related peritonitis.
Subcutaneous Cuff Migrates after Initiation of Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Sakurada Tsutomu , Kotake Hitoshi , Koitabashi Kenichiro , Shibagaki Yugo
Published: May 2018

The aim of this study was to determine whether subcutaneous cuffs migrate toward the exit site after initiation of peritoneal dialysis (PD) and to clarify the factors affecting such migration. Subcutaneous cuff migration was defined as extension of the length of the external catheter. In this single-center, retrospective study, the external catheter lengths at initiation and 1 year later were compared in 33 PD patients (median age 62 years; 64% men; 49% with diabetes mellitus). The correlations between patient background characteristics at initiation and extension of catheter length were also examined. The external catheter length was significantly extended at 1 year later (13.5 vs 15.0 cm, p < 0.001). There was no relationship between a history of exit-site infection and extension of catheter length ( p = 0.250). Hemoglobin (r = -0.447, p = 0.009), serum albumin (r = -0.377, p = 0.031), and external catheter length at initiation (r = -0.350, p = 0.046) showed negative correlations with extension. In conclusion, subcutaneous cuff migration was observed in just 1 year and may be associated with malnutrition, anemia, and short external catheter length at initiation of PD.
Atom-economical group-transfer reactions with hypervalent iodine compounds
Authors: Boelke Andreas , Finkbeiner Peter , Nachtsheim Boris J
Published: May 2018

Hypervalent iodine compounds, in particular aryl-λ3-iodanes, have been used extensively as electrophilic group-transfer reagents. Even though these compounds are superior substrates in terms of reactivity and stability, their utilization is accompanied by stoichiometric amounts of an aryl iodide as waste. This highly nonpolar side product can be tedious to separate from the desired target molecules and significantly reduces the overall atom efficiency of these transformations. In this short review, we want to give a brief summary of recently developed methods, in which this arising former waste is used as an additional reagent in cascade transformations to generate multiple substituted products in one step and with high atom efficiency.
DECISION-MAKING MODEL SUPPORTING THE PROCESS OF PLANNING EXPENDITURES FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDING RENOVATION
Authors: BUCOŃ Robert , TOMCZAK Michał
Published: May 2018

The problem of multi-family building maintenance is complex and comprises numerous issues, one of which is the process of planning expenditures for residential building renovation. This task is important from the manager’s point of view as their responsibility is to maintain a building in a non-deteriorated condition. To fulfil this task, the authors of this paper suggest utilising a decision-making model aimed at defining renovation activities making it possible to retain the maintenance standard (as regards newly commissioned residential buildings) or improve it (as regards existing buildings). The suggested model is based on a multi-criteria building assessment including seven requirements. The calculations conducted using the suggested model enable us to define the costs and scope of renovation taken to ensure the assumed building condition or, by assuming various rates paid to the renovation reserve, to define the period in which the above-mentioned goals may be achieved.
New Insights into the Nature of Turbulence in the Earth's Magnetosheath Using Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission Data
Authors: Breuillard H. , Matteini L. , Argall M. R. , Sahraoui F. , Andriopoulou M. , Contel O. Le , Retinò A. , Mirioni L. , Huang S. Y. , Gershman D. J. , Ergun R. E. , Wilder F. D. , Goodrich K. A. , Ahmadi N. , Yordanova E. , Vaivads A. , Turner D. L. , Khotyaintsev Yu. V. , Graham D. B. , Lindqvist P.-A. , Chasapis A. , Burch J. L. , Torbert R. B. , Russell C. T. , Magnes W. , Strangeway R. J. , Plaschke F. , Moore T. E. , Giles B. L. , Paterson W. R. , Pollock C. J. , Lavraud B. , Fuselier S. A. , Cohen I. J.
Published: May 2018

The Earth’s magnetosheath, which is characterized by highly turbulent fluctuations, is usually divided into two regions of different properties as a function of the angle between the interplanetary magnetic field and the shock normal. In this study, we make use of high-time resolution instruments on board the Magnetospheric MultiScale spacecraft to determine and compare the properties of subsolar magnetosheath turbulence in both regions, i.e., downstream of the quasi-parallel and quasi-perpendicular bow shocks. In particular, we take advantage of the unprecedented temporal resolution of the Fast Plasma Investigation instrument to show the density fluctuations down to sub-ion scales for the first time. We show that the nature of turbulence is highly compressible down to electron scales, particularly in the quasi-parallel magnetosheath. In this region, the magnetic turbulence also shows an inertial (Kolmogorov-like) range, indicating that the fluctuations are not formed locally, in contrast with the quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath. We also show that the electromagnetic turbulence is dominated by electric fluctuations at sub-ion scales (f > 1 Hz) and that magnetic and electric spectra steepen at the largest-electron scale. The latter indicates a change in the nature of turbulence at electron scales. Finally, we show that the electric fluctuations around the electron gyrofrequency are mostly parallel in the quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath, where intense whistlers are observed. This result suggests that energy dissipation, plasma heating, and acceleration might be driven by intense electrostatic parallel structures/waves, which can be linked to whistler waves.
A Fundamental Test for Galaxy Formation Models: Matching the Lyman-α Absorption Profiles of Galactic Halos Over Three Decades in Distance
Authors: Sorini Daniele , Oñorbe José , Hennawi Joseph F. , Lukić Zarija
Published: May 2018

Galaxy formation depends critically on the physical state of gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) and its interface with the intergalactic medium (IGM), determined by the complex interplay between inflow from the IGM and outflows from supernovae and/or AGN feedback. The average Lyα absorption profile around galactic halos represents a powerful tool to probe their gaseous environments. We compare predictions from Illustris and Nyx hydrodynamical simulations with the observed absorption around foreground quasars, damped Lyα systems, and Lyman-break galaxies. We show how large-scale BOSS and small-scale quasar pair measurements can be combined to precisely constrain the absorption profile over three decades in transverse distance

. Far from galaxies,

, the simulations converge to the same profile and provide a reasonable match to the observations. This asymptotic agreement arises because the ΛCDM model successfully describes the ambient IGM and represents a critical advantage of studying the mean absorption profile. However, significant differences between the simulations, and between simulations and observations, are present on scales

, illustrating the challenges of accurately modeling and resolving galaxy formation physics. It is noteworthy that these differences are observed as far out as

, indicating that the “sphere of influence” of galaxies could extend to approximately ∼7 times the halo virial radius. Current observations are very precise on these scales and can thus strongly discriminate between different galaxy formation models. We demonstrate that the Lyα absorption profile is primarily sensitive to the underlying temperature–density relationship of diffuse gas around galaxies, and argue that it thus provides a fundamental test of galaxy formation models.
GONG Catalog of Solar Filament Oscillations Near Solar Maximum
Authors: Luna M. , Karpen J. , Ballester J. L. , Muglach K. , Terradas J. , Kucera T. , Gilbert H.
Published: May 2018

We have cataloged

filament oscillations from the Global Oscillation Network Group Hα network data during several months near the maximum of solar cycle 24 (2014 January–June). Selected examples from the catalog are described in detail, along with our statistical analyses of all events. Oscillations were classified according to their velocity amplitude:

small-amplitude oscillations (SAOs), with velocities <10

, and

large-amplitude oscillations (LAOs), with velocities >10

. Both SAOs and LAOs are common, with one event of each class every two days on the visible side of the Sun. For nearly half of the events, we identified their apparent trigger. The period distribution has a mean value of 58 ± 15 minutes for both types of oscillations. The distribution of the damping time per period peaks at τ/P = 1.75 and 1.25 for SAOs and LAOs, respectively. We confirmed that LAO damping rates depend nonlinearly on the oscillation velocity. The angle between the direction of motion and the filament spine has a distribution centered at 27° for all filament types. This angle agrees with the observed direction of filament-channel magnetic fields, indicating that most of the cataloged events are longitudinal (i.e., undergo field-aligned motions). We applied seismology to determine the average radius of curvature in the magnetic dips, R ≈ 89 Mm, and the average minimum magnetic field strength, B ≈ 16 G. The catalog is available to the community online and is intended to be expanded to cover at least 1 solar cycle.
Two new species of the purse-web spider genus Atypus Latreille, 1804 from Hainan Island, China (Araneae, Atypidae)
Authors: Li Fan , Xu Xin , Zhang Zengtao , Liu Fengxiang , Zhang Hongli , Li Daiqin
Published: May 2018

Two species of the purse-web spider genusAtypusLatreille, 1804 collected from Hainan Island, China, are diagnosed and described as new to science based on genital morphology,A.baotingensissp. n.(♂♀) andA.jianfengensissp. n.(♀). The DNA barcodes of the two species are also provided for future use.
Description of a new species Gyraulus (Pulmonata: Planorbidae) from the land thermal spring Khakusy of Lake Baikal
Authors: Sitnikova Tatiana , Peretolchina Tatiana
Published: May 2018

A new species of the family Planorbidae is described from the land thermal spring Khakusy, on the north-eastern shore of Lake Baikal. The description of Gyraulustakhteevi sp. n. includes morphological characters and gene sequences (COI of mtDNA) for the species separation from sister taxon Gyraulusacronicus (A. Férussac, 1807) collected from the small Krestovka River in-flowing into the south-western part of the Lake. The new species differs from G.acronicus in small shell size of adults, having smaller number of prostate folds (maximal up to 26 in G.takhteevi n. sp. vs. 40 in G.acronicus), a short preputium (approximately twice shorter than the phallotheca), and an elongated bursa copulatrix. The population of Gyraulustakhteevi sp. n. consists of two co-existent morphs: one of them has a narrow shell spire and the second is characterized by wide spire similar to the shell of G.acronicus. One of the two revealed haplotypes of the new species includes both morphs, while the second consists of snails with wide spired shells.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Educational Activities: Part One
Authors: Schumacher Chris , Shinners Jean , Graebe Jennifer
Published: May 2018

This article, the sixth part of the educational design series, addresses how nursing professional development practitioners can meet the American Nurses Credentialing Center accreditation educational design criteria. Educational design process criterion 6 addresses the evaluation process and corresponds with The Association for Nursing Professional Development's
Scope and Standards of Practice
.

J Contin Educ Nurs.
2018;49(6):245–247.
Deliberate Practice and Skill Acquisition in Nursing Practice
Authors: Welch Teresa D. , Carter Melondie
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this article is to describe an educational process designed to accelerate skill acquisition for new nurse graduates through deliberate practice and situated learning experiences. The concept of deliberate practice provides the framework for authentic learning experiences based on real-life situations that incorporate targeted outcomes for success while pushing their limits beyond what was previously achieved. Through deliberate practice, new graduate nurses are given the opportunity to gain valuable practical experiences that otherwise would have taken years to accomplish in a clinical practice. The structure and intensity of the experience grounded in realistic or authentic circumstances as supported by deliberate practice enhances learning to promote professional development.

J Contin Educ Nurs.
2018;49(6):269–273.
"Mixed" trauma to the carotid artery in a mixed martial arts injury - A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Crilly Shane Matthew , McElroy Eileen , Ryan Jonathan , O'Donohoe Martin , Lawler Leo P.
Published: May 2018

We present the case of a mixed martial arts (MMA) cage fighter who presented to the emergency department with a right sided common carotid artery pseudoaneurysm as a result of a neck trauma at an MMA event. We discuss the management of blunt force neck trauma, differential diagnosis, imaging findings and review the literature on blunt cerebrovascular injury following blunt force injury to the neck.
Drivers and Barriers Related to Project Management Software Implementation in Romanian Organizations
Authors: Capatina Alexandru , Vasilache Raluca , Schin George Cristian , Antohi Valentin Marian
Published: May 2018

It is unclear how the Romanian organizations from both private and public sector are addressing the strategic changes that occur after implementation of PM software. In order to achieve the best results in the context of integrating PM software, their management teams must design tailored strategic maps, outlining the organizational drivers and barriers towards the PM software strategy implementation. This research aims at highlighting the drivers and barriers towards the PM software implementation in the case of privately owned companies and public administration institutions from Romania. For this study, primary quantitative data was collected by means of an online questionnaire, submitted to the managers from both private and public organizations from Romania. Based on the outcomes of this study, the managers from both Romanian private and public organizations should have a better understanding on the pillars able to improve the performances of project management by means of appropriate software solutions.
Does an Open Source Development Environment Facilitate Conventional Project Management Approaches and Collaborative Work?
Authors: Garling Richard
Published: May 2018

Open source software (OSS) is very well known for allowing free access to the source code of the application. The idea is to allow for the creation of a better product. The more people working to make each aspect of an application better, more minds create more ideas, create a better project. OSS runs the internet since all of the protocols—network time protocol (NTP), HTTP, amongst many others—are OSS projects with many years of use. These projects are run by volunteers worldwide. But, none of these projects are run using the traditional methodologies of project management: Waterfall and Agile. This chapter asks: How does an open source development environment facilitate conventional Waterfall project management approaches? and How does an open source development environment facilitate Agile project collaborative work? The method used to determine the answers used surveys and questionnaires involving actual participants in a variety of OSS projects from across the United States (US). The questions asked concerned the organization OSS projects, did they use a particular traditional methodology or some other non-defined method of organization? The answers received by this study centered on non-defined methods of organization; traditional methodologies were considered too restrictive and not agile enough to allow for the freedom cherished by their volunteers.
The Mythical Lines of Code Metric
Authors: Tichenor Charley
Published: May 2018

Using the lines of code (LOC) metric in software project management can be a financial moral hazard to an organization. This is especially true for upper management who handles an organizational budget and strategic plan. Software project managers have their own budgets. However, if they fail to meet the budget, the organization's cash flow, rather than the project manager's personal cash flow, will suffer. This chapter will discuss the practice of software project management, the field of software metrics, game theory, and the game theory issue of moral hazard. It will demonstrate why using LOC as a metric can present a moral hazard to senior management and an organization.
A Research of Ecological Farmhouse Design Based on the Sustainable Development Needs
Authors: Lu Jiangyan , Lang Yushuai
Published: May 2018

To summarize the problems and needs of the current rural life, identify the pathway that suits the sustainable development of rural areas, and propose the design concept and method that meet the current rural ecological design requirements. Use the organized research approaches. This chapter makes a case study of Nanma Village, provides the theoretical and design practice reference for the rural sustainable development in China, and establishes the knowledge and methodology system that meets the requirements of rural sustainable development. This chapter proposes the design concept and method in line with the current requirements of rural ecological design, suggests that the current village design should be adapted to “local conditions,” and indicates that the harmonious development between human and environment will be a new possible direction for the rural sustainable development and design in future.
Demographic Transition in India
Authors: Sahu Rashmimala
Published: May 2018

India's older population will increase dramatically over the next four decades since aging is an inevitable law of nature. It is estimated that the population aged 60 years and above will grow from 77 million (7.4% of the total population) in 2001 up to 300 million (17%) by 2050, according to the latest release by WHO. This profound shift in the share of older Indians—taking place in the context of changing family relationships and severely limited old-age income support—brings with it a variety of social, economic, and healthcare policy. The administration has duly recognized the elderly as a national resource and instituted policies in this regard. But the policies are yet to be implemented earnestly. Hence, there is an exigent need to discuss the issues of old age. The key messages for highlighting the issue of old age include, “Older people are a valuable resource for their societies, and societies, which care for their older populations, will be better prepared to cope with the changing world.” Let's redefine old age as a time of growth instead of inevitable decline.
Gendered Understanding of Disability and Aging
Authors: Bezbaruah Vaijayanti , Mehrotra Nilika
Published: May 2018

In its early conventional sense, disability was largely understood in bio-medical model which subsequently was supplemented with the psycho-social underpinnings of disability. In recent times, the social identities in terms of race, religion, class, caste, and gender add other dimensions to the social science discourse on disability studies. The chapter attempts to inform through the dimensions of age and aging in relation to the disability discourse, drawing from ethnographic cases over a period of research in North India. In the process, this chapter offers an analysis of disability and aging with focusing on the lack of access to social and familial resources for people with disability who are old and people who acquire any kind of disability in their old age. This chapter examines uncertainties experienced by the older disabled and the disabled older persons in relation to the extent of family ties and other social resources in both the rural and urban context.
Rice Plus and Family Solidarity
Authors: Lee Susan Hagood
Published: May 2018

Widows find their lives suddenly upended when they lose their husband. Widowhood is particularly hard in rural areas, where widows are often the poorest of the poor. This study looks at the economic practices of a sample of rural widows in Cambodia who supported their households with a “rice plus” strategy. They relied on rice grown on their own land supplemented by microenterprises that raised cash to fill the hunger gap. Children's labor and cooperation were essential to maintaining the widowed household. A widow with many children managed better than a widow with few or no children. Most widows with daughters were better off than widows with sons who moved away after marriage. Cambodian practices such as gender role flexibility and women's economic participation helped widows cope after their husband's death, while the devaluation of women's labor made life harder.
Artificial-Intelligence-Based Service-Oriented Architectures (SOAs) for Crisis Management
Authors: Domdouzis Konstantinos
Published: May 2018

The complexity of crisis-related situations requires the use of advanced technological infrastructures. In order to develop such infrastructures, specific architectures need to be applied such as the service-oriented architectures (SOAs). The purpose of this chapter is to indicate how SOAs can be used in modern crisis management systems, such as the ATHENA system. The chapter underlines the need for a detailed study of specific biological systems, such as the human brain's hippocampus which follows the current, intense attempts of improvement of the current artificial-intelligence-based systems and the development of a new area in artificial intelligence. A number of conclusions are drawn on how biologically inspired systems can benefit the development of service-oriented architectures.
Application of Computational Intelligence in Network Intrusion Detection
Authors: Eid Heba F.
Published: May 2018

Intrusion detection system plays an important role in network security. However, network intrusion detection (NID) suffers from several problems, such as false positives, operational issues in high dimensional data, and the difficulty of detecting unknown threats. Most of the problems with intrusion detection are caused by improper implementation of the network intrusion detection system (NIDS). Over the past few years, computational intelligence (CI) has become an effective area in extending research capabilities. Thus, NIDS based upon CI is currently attracting considerable interest from the research community. The scope of this review will encompass the concept of NID and presents the core methods of CI, including support vector machine, hidden naïve Bayes, particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithm, and fuzzy logic. The findings of this review should provide useful insights into the application of different CI methods for NIDS over the literature, allowing to clearly define existing research challenges and progress, and to highlight promising new research directions.
Performance Comparison of PSO and Hybrid PSO-GA in Hiding Fuzzy Sensitive Association Rules
Authors: Krishnamoorthy Sathiyapriya , G. Sudha Sadasivam , M. Rajalakshmi
Published: May 2018

Explosion of data analysis techniques facilitate organizations to publish microdata about individuals. While the released data sets provide valuable information to researchers, it is possible to infer sensitive information from the published non-sensitive data using association rule mining. An association rule is characterized as sensitive if its confidence is above disclosure threshold. These sensitive rules should be made uninteresting before releasing the dataset publicly. This is done by modifying the data that support the sensitive rules, so that the confidence of these sensitive rules is reduced below disclosure threshold. The main goal of the proposed system is to hide a set of sensitive association rules by perturbing the quantitative data that contains sensitive knowledge using PSO and hybrid PSO-GA with minimum side effects like lost rules, ghost rules. The performance of PSO and Hybrid PSO-GA approach in effectively hiding fuzzy association rule is also compared. Experimental results demonstrate that hybrid approach is efficient in terms of lost rules, number of modifications, hiding failure.
Modeling Fish Population Dynamics for Sustainability and Resilience
Authors: Rahman Nayem , Ullah Mahmud
Published: May 2018

Conservation of any living creature is very vital to maintain the balance of ecosystem. Fish is one of the most regularly consumed living creatures, and hence its conservation is essential for sustainable fish population to help maintain a balanced ecosystem. It is possible to keep a sustainable fish population only if a balance between consumption and growth of fish population can be ensured. Developing a model on fish population dynamics is needed to achieve this objective. In this chapter, the authors present a system dynamics model. This model will provide the scientific tools for determining fish population, its growth, and harvesting. The model's sensitivity to changes in key parameters and initial values resulting from the changes in basic scenarios and boundary conditions was tested several times. Model results show that fish birth, growth, stocks, and catch can be controlled timely and effectively in different real-world changing conditions to maintain a sustainable fish population.
How the Greek Crisis Determined Firm Profitability and Optimal Debt Ratio
Authors: Katsampoxakis Ioannis , Basdekis Haralampos , Anathreptakis Konstantinos
Published: May 2018

The goal of this chapter is to assess the influence of specific corporate and market features on Greek firms' profitability and the determination of the optimal debt ratio before and during the Greek crisis. The empirical results exhibit an average profitability of 6.97%, which varies significantly both between firms and during the time period examined. Another finding of this study is the verification of the theoretical relationship between the independent variables and Greek firms' profitability between 2005 and 2016. Related to the determination of the optimal debt ratio of Greek firms, the authors found that during the first sub-period examined (before the Greek economic crisis – 2005-2009), the results extracted are not consistent with the MM theory in contrary to the second sub-period (the period of the deep recession 2010-2016). During this period, the optimal debt ratio is estimated to be 40.9% and the turning point decreased considerably compared to the whole period sample (52.6%) 2005-2016.
A Comparative Analysis on International Portfolio Flows to Asian Stock Markets With a Nonlinear Perspective
Authors: Koy Ayben
Published: May 2018

After the Asian financial crisis was solved by International Monetary Fund in late 1997, the recovery in Asian economies begun by 1999. Most of the countries affected by the crisis needed to change their exchange rate policies. This chapter brings insight on how the international portfolio flows to Asian stock markets are affected from the shocks on EUR/USD parity. The weekly observations between 01/01/2010 to 21/04/2017 belong to India, Indonesia, Philippine, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Use of Markov regime switching vector autoregressive models presents the relationship according to the different regimes of the markets in the study. The results indicate that (1) the international portfolio flows through Asian stock markets are governed by a long run, nonlinear relation; (2) the shocks on EUR/USD parity have positive effects on the countries' portfolio flows except Malaysia; and (3) the responses to the shocks vary according to the market regimes or according to the countries.
Determinant Factors of the Quality Management Commentary Reports
Authors: Garefalakis Alexandros E. , Dimitras Augustinos I. , Ballas Panagiotis
Published: May 2018

The adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is now accepted by all researchers in the last decade at least. At the same time, researchers show particular interest in the impact of adoption of IFRS in several areas of economic life and particularly in the banking sector. What IFRS offer is standardization in accounting principles based on which companies prepare their financial statements, which allow for comparisons of performance of companies around the globe. Investors and creditors belong to the long list of stakeholders of a business entity, who require information regarding specific companies and business sectors in order to make their decisions. Annual reports are a formal communication channel for the company to contact with its stakeholders and to report details about its performance and future progress. That is why annual reports include both quantitative and qualitative data; the former could take the form of figures, tables, and ratios, whereas the latter are expressed as management views on present situation, future prospects, risks, and proposed strategy. Our study investigates the disclosure policy that companies follow in their published statements focusing on the determinant factors of quality Management Commentary Reports.
Defining Corporate Social Responsibility for Developing and Developed Countries
Authors: Windsor Duane
Published: May 2018

This chapter proposes a conceptual framework for comparing enterprise and governmental approaches to corporate social responsibility (CSR) for developed and developing countries. An enterprise approach is voluntary. A governmental approach provides either requirements or guidance, strong or weak, for enterprise CSR. Focus is on multinational enterprises (MNEs), for two reasons. First, MNEs may operate across quite different conditions. Second, a major MNE concern has to do with fair trade and sustainable development supply chains. The chapter considers three approaches found in the extant literature. One approach asserts autonomy of developing countries from developed countries, and thus divergence of enterprise and governmental CSR by type of context. A second approach examines global convergence as highly context path-dependent and perhaps cosmetic. A third approach emphasizes “glocality” combining global thinking with local action. The author proposes an alternative understanding of how to compare CSR for developed and developing countries using theory versus context.
Corporate Social Responsibility-Based Supplier Selection Process in Sustainable Supply Chains
Authors: Xu Lei , Shi Xiaoran , Xie Yu , Tsai Sang-Bing
Published: May 2018

Due to the rising importance of the global interdependence, decisions related to supplier selection rely on not only corporate operation conditions, but also corporate social responsibility (CSR). Under this circumstance, this chapter focuses on a supplier selection problem concerning CSR. Particularly, seven criteria and their corresponding importance for supplier selection are analyzed. Meanwhile, some relevant sub-criteria are included as well. Based on existing literature review and managerial interviews obtained from leaders in the southern region of India, these issues are compared and ranked. In this chapter, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is conducted to identify the importance of these considered criteria and sub-criteria. Finally, the chapter concludes with a presentation of rankings and priorities of the proposed seven criteria. Given the obtained results and recommendations, it would be helpful to establish a useful method for selecting the best supplier based on CSR.
Responsible Management in the CSR 2.0 Era
Authors: García de Leaniz Patricia Martínez , Gómez-López Raquel
Published: May 2018

Many authors and professionals claim that the vast majority of firms have failed to be good corporate citizens. Even some academics indicate that modern Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has malfunctioned to address the issues this philosophy claims to be concerned about. Nevertheless, another group of scholars claim that CSR should not be considered as an impractical philosophy to improve society's welfare and companies' performance. This new stream of research argues that the field of CSR is ushering in a new era in the relationship between business and society: the CSR 2.0 era. The aim of this chapter is to present the Total Responsibility Management (TRM) approach in order to show how companies can implement CSR issues into their strategies contributing to companies' success and community welfare by managing relationships and companies impacts in this new era.
Foreign Direct Investments, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Economic Development
Authors: Odia James O.
Published: May 2018

The increase in FDIs to developing countries has also been accompanied with rising societal expectations from the MNCs and TNCs to demonstrate more commitments to CSR. Owing to the natural resources curse, there is increasing expectations by governments, investors, consumers and local communities that businesses, particularly the MNCs and TNCs, should go beyond local regulatory compliance to earn their ‘license to operate' by demonstrating that their operations provide a beneficial impact by helping to remedy the societal problems. Although it is doubtful whether businesses will take up such responsibilities, some companies have started to engage in sustainable CSR in area of operations. Therefore, the paper recommends that conscious and sustainable CSR practices of these MNCs/TNCs must be accomplished with corporate accountability in order to have the greatest positive impact on people, environment and foster economic development.
Dimensions of CSR in Tourism Industry in India
Authors: Kaur Prabhjot
Published: May 2018

Tourism in India should be developed in such a way that it accommodates and entertains visitors in a way that is minimally intrusive or destructive to the environment and sustains and supports the native cultures in the locations it is operation in. Moreover, since tourism is a multi-dimensional activity, and basically a service industry, it would be necessary that all wings of the Central and State governments, private sector and voluntary organizations become active partners in the Endeavour to attain sustainable growth in tourism if India is to become a world player in the tourism industry. The study is based on the secondary data and the main objective of this study is to study the Indian government policies and programmes of CSR and to analyze the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities undertaken by the tourism industry. India is the first country in the world which made CSR compulsory for business houses as per Companies Act -2013. In the Indian economy for promoting the community development, the corporate sector in India has to share responsibility with government.
A Conceptual Model of Green HRM Adoption Towards Sustainability in Hospitality Industry
Authors: Yusoff Yusmani Mohd , Nejati Mehran
Published: May 2018

This chapter seeks to provide a better understanding on the predictors of green human resource management which can result in improved environmental and financial performance across hospitality industry. The proposed model has been constructed from the perspective of external pressure (i.e., normative) and internal pressure (manager's environmental concerns) by using the Institutional Theory and Resource Based View Theory. The chapter examines the antecedents of sustainability in hospitality industry in terms of improved financial and environmental performance. It therefore expands the level of understanding on mechanisms which leads to corporation sustainability. While the chapter is written with a focus on hospitality industry, the proposed model is applicable to corporations across other sectors.
Corporate Social Responsibility in Enhancing Disaster Education
Authors: Arlikatti Sudha , Kendra James , Jennings Eliot
Published: May 2018

Today, university educators are confronting unparalleled challenges regarding declining state education budgets. Meanwhile, an ethos of corporate social responsibility has taken hold in some sectors, where companies define themselves as members and participants in a community, able to offer something besides financial transactions. Engagement and support of educational programs and institutions is an example of one such kind of involvement. This chapter details such collaborations between Grainger corporation, NC4, ESi Acquisition Inc. and the University of North Texas's Emergency Administration and Planning program. The generosity of these private companies helped the program open an Emergency Operations Center training lab on campus to facilitate hands-on decision support systems training, and enhance creativity and problem solving skills in a simulated environment for emergency management students. Such public-private partnerships and outreach efforts to enhance disaster management training and educational experiences of students have the potential to make a real and lasting difference to all players involved.
Corporate Social Responsibility of Public Banking Sector for Sustainable Development
Authors: El Dessouky Naglaa Fathy
Published: May 2018

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a significant field of studies to stress the importance of the new role of organizations towards the society for sustainable development. Nowadays, an enormous number of authors have been participating in this field to highlight the responsibility of organizations towards the community, society and the natural environment where they are operating. Despite the growing number of researches related to CSR in the developed countries little empirical studies have been devoted to examine CSR concept and practice in the African countries, the MENA region (Middle-East and North Africa), as well as in the Golf countries. This chapter seeks to study CSR concept and practice in the emerging market economies (EMEs). It will mainly focus on the implementations of CSR by the public banking sector. We will investigate the role of the public banking sector existing in an Arab country in comparison to an Asian country to explain and analyze the similarities and differences of CSR activities in both experiences. In this comparative study we will primarily examine Banque Misr, as one of the oldest and largest public bank in Egypt and the Malayan Banking Berhad (trading as Maybank) as the largest public bank in Malaysia. After a meticulous review of literature, we propose a systemic framework to study CSR practices and policy implementations. We illustrated the CSR as a constant process where all variables are interrelated and are affecting each other in a mutual approach. In this systemic framework we advocated to study all significant variables related to CSR practice as: the history/philosophy development, core-values, CSR adopted definition, motives, key players, approaches, stakeholders focus, sectors of intervention and mechanisms of policy implementations. The chapter concludes that common CSR policies exist between the Malaysian and the Egyptian experience. Nevertheless the Malaysian model has formulated an elaborated and further sophisticated CSR public banking program. Meanwhile, the Egyptian model needs to adopt more global oriented CSR public banking policies, in particular to assure the sustainable development requirements.
Digital and Traditional Tools for Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Tomaselli Gianpaolo , Melia Monia , Garg Lalit , Gupta Vipul , Xuereb Peter A. , Buttigieg Sandra C.
Published: May 2018

This paper reviews the literature to understand the current state of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication. The authors analyze not only the importance of CSR communication for businesses but also review the literature that deals with both digital and traditional tools adopted for CSR communication. This is followed by a discussion on how today's businesses are more aware of the importance of communicating CSR to their stakeholders. Furthermore, the literature review attempts to investigate how businesses are implementing both digital and traditional tools in a complementary way for their CSR communication strategy.