bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of irregular immigrants’ participation in undeclared work in the United Kingdom from a social trust perspective
Authors: Hodosi Anett
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– There is a significant body of work dealing with the topic of undeclared work and irregular immigrants. However, relatively little is understood about the British general public’s perception of irregular immigrants’ participation in undeclared work. The purpose of this paper is to explore the topic from a social trust angle and to compare its findings with the real extent and distribution of the different sub-populations’ participation in undeclared work.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research is based on the 2007 Eurobarometer data set, drawing upon the results of logistic regression analyses.

Findings

– The research reveals the extent that socio-demographic, occupational and spatial characteristics influence the perceptions of the general public towards the involvement of irregular immigrants in undeclared work in the UK. These findings are then analysed to show their impact on social trust.

Practical implications

– A policy intervention addressing perceptions could be joined by or be part of initiatives aiming to increase social trust as their target audience overlaps with both racial and income differences playing a significant role in both matters. Equal treatment should be an essential feature of such new measures as it could have a significant effect on preventing discrimination as a result of negative perceptions. Also, new policies aiming to reduce undeclared work should consider a general scope targeting all ethnic groups at the same time. Focusing on just one minority community intensifies perceptions of the rest of the society and enhances its weakening effect on extra-community links at the same time impeding interpersonal trust and the emergence of social capital.

Originality/value

– Perceptions of the general public towards irregular immigrants’ engagement in undeclared work has not been analysed in detail previously. The findings of the current paper are based on the 2007 Eurobarometer data set. This paper examines the preconceptions and their impact on social trust from the perspective of the general public.
Breadth, depth, and speed: diffusion of advertising messages on microblogging sites
Authors: Zhang Lun , Peng Tai-Quan
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present an empirical assessment of the diffusion of advertising messages on microblogging sites. The diffusion properties of advertising messages are quantified based on the following three aspects: diffusion breadth, depth, and speed. Furthermore, this study examines the influence of message- and advertiser-level factors on the diffusion of advertising messages.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study data comprises 20,000 advertising messages that are randomly drawn from a popular microblogging web site in China. Five message-level factors and four advertiser-level factors are constructed based on the information retrieved from the microblogging web site. Generalized linear modeling is adopted to examine the effects of such factors on the diffusion properties of advertising messages.

Findings

– The positive driving forces underlying the diffusion of advertising messages on microblogging sites include message length, the advertisers’ in-degrees, and their reputation. The diffusion of advertising messages is hampered by typicality, affectivity, the completeness of the information of the advertising messages, and advertisers’ out-degrees.

Practical implications

– To achieve optimal diffusion on microblogging sites, advertisers should select the appropriate time windows for releasing advertising messages. Moreover, advertisers should actively increase the number of fans, use less typical and less emotional words in advertising messages, and eliminate unnecessary URLs in such messages.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the diffusion theory by identifying the mixed effects of different information attributes on the diffusion of advertising messages on microblogging sites, and examining the roles of advertisers’ structural characteristics in the diffusion of advertising messages. Furthermore, the results illustrate how consumers cope with the advertisers’ sales presentations on microblogging sites.
Is this mobile coupon worth my private information?
Authors: Im Hyunjoo , Ha Young
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to investigate determinants of permission-granting intention of consumers based on transaction utility theory. The study also was designed to investigate the role of two individual characteristics, coupon proneness and fear of spamming as well as gender difference. Mobile coupons have quickly become an important marketing tactic. However, our understanding of mobile coupon usage is limited because previous studies of coupon usage do not examine key characteristics of new technology-based coupons. Therefore, research in this specific context is necessary.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online survey was used and US adult consumers (N= 658) were recruited to empirically test the model. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

– Results provided support for the proposed model. The data confirmed the evaluation process of a potential transaction using mobile coupons hypothesized based on transaction utility theory. Gender differences were tested using multi-group analysis. There was a significant difference between females and males. Overall, negative factors, fear of spamming and perceived risk, played a more important role in the model for females than males.

Originality/value

– The study provided theoretical support for transaction utility theory in the context of mobile coupon usage decision. Also, the study advances understanding of unique issues of mobile coupon marketing by addressing permission-granting intention and gender difference in the process of evaluation.
Typologies and touchpoints: designing multi-channel digital strategies
Authors: Straker Karla , Wrigley Cara , Rosemann Michael
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to gain a clearer understanding of digital channel design. The emergence of new technologies has revolutionised the way companies interact and engage with customers. The driver for this research was the suggestion that practitioners feel they do not possess the skills to understand and exploit new digital channel opportunities. To gain a clearer understanding of digital channel design, this paper addresses the research question: What digital channels do companies from a wide range of industries and sectors use?

Design/methodology/approach

– A content analysis of 100 international companies was conducted with multiple data sources to form a typology of digital “touchpoints”. The appropriateness of a digital channel typology for this study was for developing rigorous and useful concepts for clarifying and refining the meaning of digital channels.

Findings

– This study identifies what digital channels companies globally currently employ and explores the related needs across industries. A total of 34 digital touchpoints and 4 typologies of digital channels were identified across 16 industries. This research helps to identify the relationship between digital channels and enabling the connections with industry.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings contribute to the growing research area of digital channels. The typology of digital channels is a useful starting point for developing a systematic, theory-based study for enabling the development of broader, comprehensive theories of digital channels.

Practical implications

– Typologies and touchpoints are outlined in relation to industry, company objectives and customer needs to allow businesses to seize opportunities and optimise performance through individual touchpoints. A digital channel model as a key outcome of this research guides practitioners on what touchpoint to implement through an interrelated understanding of industry, company and customer needs.

Originality/value

– This is the first paper to explore a range of industries in relation to their use of digital channels using a unique content analysis. Contributions include clarifying and refining digital channel meaning; identifying and refining the hierarchical relations among digital channels (typologies); and establishing typology and industry relationship model.
Path creation for urban mobility transitions
Authors: Mäkinen Kirsi , Kivimaa Paula , Helminen Ville
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine spatiality of transitions by combining aspects of urban form to policy analysis. It aims to increase understanding of how urban form relates to potential effects of transport policies on urban mobility transitions.

Design/methodology/approach

– Novel analytical framework combines concepts of path dependence, path creation and path destabilisation to three urban fabrics (walking, transit and car cities), to study the transition potential of recent transport policy measures influencing the Helsinki region in Finland.

Findings

– Analysis showed that the potential effects of single policy measures often reach over all three urban fabrics. A policy measure may simultaneously contain elements of both path dependence, i.e. support for fossil-fuel based private motoring in the car city and path creation, i.e. stimulation of innovations in transit or walking cities. Policy outcomes are often conditional on implementation of other policy measures. For transition governance, this indicates that policy mixes should both destabilise car cities and enforce path creation in walking and transit cities.

Research limitations/implications

– Findings are based on potential rather than evaluated impacts and a limited sample of policies.

Practical implications

– Findings support previous research on the importance of policy coherence: multiple policies and coherence across domains are important. They demonstrate the usefulness of analysing recent or planned policies from the transition perspective.

Originality/value

– The paper provides novel insights by combining policy analysis to the spatial model of overlapping urban fabrics. In addition, it applies the concepts of path dependence, path creation and path destabilisation in a new way.
SME stakeholder relationship descriptions in website CSR communications
Authors: Parker Craig M. , Bellucci Emilia , Zutshi Ambika , Torlina Luba , Fraunholz Bardo
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to report on an exploratory, qualitative study of how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) describe their firm’s relationships with or impact on stakeholders when communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) on their websites.

Design/methodology/approach

– Qualitative content analysis was conducted on 22 Australian SME websites from the information media and telecommunications sector. Stakeholder theory was used as the basis for analysis.

Findings

– An important aspect of CSR communication is reporting the firm’s relationships with stakeholders such as society/communities, ecological environment, employees, customers and suppliers. This paper provides insights into how these relationships are manifested in SME website communications. For example, three-way relationships between the firm and stakeholders were described on some websites, but few explained the impact of their CSR on stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

– This study concentrated on identifying the CSR communication on websites from one industry sector in Australia. These limitations provide the basis for future research to explore and compare CSR communication on websites by SMEs from other industry sectors and countries.

Practical implications

– The findings offer SME owner-managers ideas on different ways they can incorporate details of stakeholder relationships in CSR website communications.

Originality/value

– There has been little research on how SMEs use channels such as websites to communicate CSR. This paper addresses this gap in knowledge by providing insights into how SMEs describe stakeholder relationships in CSR website communications.
Evaluating the regional cumulative impact of wind farms on birds: how can spatially explicit dynamic modelling improve impact assessments and monitoring?
Authors: Bastos Rita , Pinhanços Ana , Santos Mário , Fernandes Rui F. , Vicente Joana R. , Morinha Francisco , Honrado João P. , Travassos Paulo , Barros Paulo , Cabral João A.
Published: May 2015

The Eurasian skylark Alauda arvensis is very susceptible to the negative effects of wind farms. In northern Portugal, this evidence is particularly severe due to the skylark's preference for mountain breeding habitats where most wind farms are located. Facing the frequent failure of environmental impact assessments (EIA) to evaluate the cumulative impacts of wind farms on wildlife, this study aimed to develop and test a methodology to quantify local and regional consequences on birds, using skylarks as a test species, taking into account future predictable environmental changes.

We propose a spatially explicit dynamic approach that combines the results from multiple modelling techniques under a common framework to assess the local and cumulative regional impacts of wind farms on skylark populations. This includes the following: (i) modelling the local impact of wind farms (in terms of collision mortality) on the skylark population dynamics by developing an index for quantitative assessments, (ii) determining the actual and future skylark breeding distribution across northern Portugal and (iii) integrating the above contributions in an emergent spatially explicit regional representation to capture the ecological cumulative consequences as a whole.

The simulations show an increasing average local impact for the skylark breeding populations directly affected by wind farms, expressed in mean number of collision fatalities per UTM study unit (1 km2), representing 1·3% of the local breeders in 2006 and 4% in 2026.

The distribution area of skylark breeding populations was predicted to decrease around 4·5% throughout a period of 15 years, as a result of the scenario of climate and land cover changes in the study area. When combined with a concomitant increase in skylark global mortality (c. 184%) induced by all wind farms in the study region, the above trend contributes to an intensification of the regional cumulative impact from 1·2% to 3·7% of the total estimated breeding individuals.

Synthesis and applications. The proposed modelling framework represents a step forward in evaluating the multi‐scale cumulative consequences of wind farms on vulnerable birds, using skylarks as a test species. This could be used in the future to guide monitoring efforts and to improve the applicability of the data bases generated by long‐term ecological research and monitoring studies.
Socioeconomic factors relating to diabetes and its management in India
Authors: Shrivastava Usha , Misra Anoop , Gupta Rajeev , Viswanathan Vijay
Published: May 2015

Diabetes is an escalating problem in India and has major socioeconomic dimensions. Rapid dietary changes coupled with decreased levels of physical activity have resulted in increases in obesity and diabetes in rural and semi‐urban areas, as well as in urban‐based people living in resettlement colonies. Increasing risk has also been recorded in those who suffered from poor childhood nutrition and in rural‐to‐urban migrants. Social inequity manifests in disparities in socioeconomic status (SES), place of residence, education, gender, and level of awareness and affects prevention, care, and management. All these population subsets have major socioeconomic challenges: low levels of awareness regarding diabetes and prevention, inadequate resources, insufficient allotment of healthcare budgets, and lack of medical reimbursement. Unawareness and delays in seeking medical help lead to complications, resulting in many‐fold increased costs in diabetes care. These costs plunge individuals and households into a vicious cycle of further economic hardship, inadequate management, and premature mortality, resulting in more economic losses. At the societal level, these are massive losses to national productivity and the exchequer. Overall, there is an immediate need to strengthen the healthcare delivery system to generate awareness and for the prevention, early detection, cost‐effective management, and rehabilitation of patients with diabetes, with a focus on people belonging to the lower SES and women (with a particular focus on nutrition before and during pregnancy). Because of an enhanced awareness campaign spearheaded through the National Program on Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, Diabetes and Stroke (NCPCDS) initiated by Government of India, it is likely that the level of awareness and early detection of diabetes may increase.
simMSG: an experimental design tool for high‐throughput genotyping of hybrids
Authors: Schumer Molly , Cui Rongfeng , Rosenthal Gil G. , Andolfatto Peter
Published: May 2015

Hybridization between closely related species, whether naturally occurring or laboratory generated, is a useful tool for mapping the genetic basis of the phenotypic traits that distinguish species. The development of next‐generation sequencing techniques has greatly improved our ability to assign ancestry to hybrid genomes. One such next‐generation sequencing technique, multiplexed shotgun genotyping (or MSG), can be a powerful tool for genotyping hybrids. However, it is difficult a priori to predict the accuracy of MSG in natural hybrids because accuracy depends on ancestry tract length and number of ancestry informative markers. Here, we present a simulator, ‘simMSG’, that will allow researchers to design MSG experiments and show that in many cases MSG can accurately assign ancestry to hundreds of thousands of sites in the genomes of natural hybrids. The simMSG tool can be used to design experiments for diverse applications including QTL mapping, genotyping introgressed lines or admixture mapping.
Development and Implementation of the Clinical Decision Support System for Patients With Cancer and Nurses' Experiences Regarding the System
Authors: Yılmaz Arzu Akman , Ozdemir Leyla
Published: May 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to develop and implement the clinical decision support system (CDSS) for oncology nurses in the care of patients with cancer and to explore the nurses' experiences about the system.

Methods

The study was conducted using a mixed‐methods research design with 14 nurses working at a gynecological oncology clinic at a university hospital in Turkey.

Findings

The nurses stated that they did not experience any problems during the implementation of the CDSS, and its usage facilitated the assessment of patients' needs and care management.

Conclusions

The results indicated that the CDSS supported the nurses' decision‐making process about patients' needs and preparation of individual care plans.

Practice Implications

The CDSS should be developed and implemented by the nurses working with patients with cancer.

Amaç

Amaç kanser hastalarının bakımına yönelik klinik karar destek sistemi oluşturmak, uygulamak (KKDS) ve sistemi kullanan hemşirelerin deneyimlerini incelemektir.

Yöntem

Çalışma kalitatif ve kantitatif araştırma yöntemleri kullanılarak Türkiyede'ki bir üniversite hastanesinin jinekolojik onkoloji servisinde çalışan 14 hemşire ile yürütülmüştür.

Bulgular

Hemşireler KKDS'ni kullanırken herhangi bir sorun yaşamadıklarını ve sistemin hasta gereksinimlerini değerlendirmeyi ve bakım yönetimini kolaylaştırdığını belirtmişlerdir.

Sonuç

Bulgular hastanın gereksinimlerine karar verme sürecinde ve bireysel bakım planları hazırlamada KKDS'nin hemşireleri desteklediğini göstermektedir.

Hemşirelik Uygulamalari Için Öneriler

Kanserli hastaların bakımına yönelik KKDS geliştirilebilir ve hemşireler tarafından klinikte kullanılabilir.
The effect of Curcuma longa extracted (curcumin) on the quality of cryopreserved boar semen
Authors: Chanapiwat Panida , Kaeoket Kampon
Published: May 2015

The aim of this study was to determine the optimal concentration of curcumin needed for cryopreservation of boar semen. Semen samples (n = 9) were collected from nine Duroc boars which having proven fertility were used for routine artificial insemination. Semen samples were collected and divided into six groups (groups A‐F) according to various concentrations of curcumin in freezing extender (i.e. 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.0 mmol/L, respectively). The semen was frozen by traditional liquid nitrogen vapor method and stored at −196°C in the liquid nitrogen tank. After storage, frozen semen samples were thawed at 50°C for 12 s and evaluated for progressive motility, viability and acrosome integrity. The present results indicated that the addition of curcumin at 0.25 (group C) or 0.50 mmol/L curcumin (group D) yielded the higher percentage of progressive motility (33.3 and 36.1%, respectively) (P < 0.001). A significantly higher percentage of acrosome integrity was found in groups B (29.7%), C (31.1%) and D (30.2%) than in the other groups (P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in percentage of viability among groups. In conclusion, addition to the freezing extender of curcumin during cryopreservation at a concentration of 0.25 or 0.50 mmol/L is the optimal concentration of curcumin for improving the quality (i.e. increased progressive motility and acrosome integrity) of cryopreserved boar semen.
Effects of a peer competition‐based mobile learning approach on students' affective domain exhibition in social studies courses
Authors: Hwang Gwo‐Jen , Chang Shao‐Chen
Published: May 2015

One of the important and challenging objectives of social studies courses is to promote students' affective domain exhibition, including learning interest, positive attitudes and local culture identity. In this paper, a location‐aware mobile learning approach was proposed based on a competition strategy for conducting local cultural activities in the field. During the field trip, the learners were asked to learn in the mobile learning environment by throwing a dice to determine their moves using a tablet computer. Each move was related to a problem‐based learning task associated with the corresponding real‐world target at the specified location. To assess the effects of the peer competition‐based mobile learning approach on students' affective domain exhibition, a quasi‐experimental design was employed to conduct a learning activity in the social studies course of an elementary school. From the experimental results, it was found that the proposed approach significantly improved the students' local culture identity, learning interest, and learning attitudes; moreover, it also decreased their cognitive load when guiding them to learn in the field trip.
Churchill, Manitoba and the Arctic Gateway: a historical contextualization
Authors: Montsion Jean Michel
Published: May 2015

In 2010, the University of Winnipeg and the Government of Manitoba hosted the Arctic Gateway Summit to discuss the regular use of a commercial shipping line running from Winnipeg to Murmansk, Russia via the Port of Churchill and the waters of Nunavut. In this article, I put this initiative in the historical and spatial context of the town of Churchill to help us understand how the Arctic Gateway represents the town's past and current positioning in Northern transportation and economic development plans. The Arctic Gateway vision echoes various proposals developed since the 1910s for a port on Hudson Bay to become a key link between Western Canada and foreign markets. However, it raises concerns among Churchill's leaders that the town is shifting from being perceived as a Northern Canadian community to becoming an outpost not quite North enough anymore. Based on archival work and interviews, I utilize community reactions to the Arctic Gateway project to examine how Churchill is positioned in the Canadian geography of transport and Northern development, and to reveal the shift that the community has perceived in recent years in terms of investment and public attention being directed to other, more Northern communities.

Churchill, Manitoba et la porte d'entrée de l'Arctique : une mise en contexte historique

En 2010, l'Université de Winnipeg et le gouvernement du Manitoba organisaient conjointement le Sommet Arctic Gateway (la porte d'entrée de l'Arctique) afin de se pencher sur l'exploitation courante d'une ligne maritime commerciale reliant Winnipeg et Mourmansk, Russie en passant par le port de Churchill et les eaux du Nunavut. L'objet de cet article est de placer cette initiative dans le contexte historique et spatial de la ville de Churchill afin de mieux comprendre comment l'idée de porte d'entrée de l'Arctique est reprise par cette ville et intégrée dans les plans de transport et de développement économique du Nord, anciens et actuels. Cette idée de porte d'entrée de l'Arctique fait écho à divers projets élaborés depuis les années 1910 misant sur l'ouverture d'un port dans la baie d'Hudson constituant un lien essentiel entre l'Ouest canadien et les marchés étrangers. Elle soulève pourtant des inquiétudes chez les dirigeants de Churchill qui constatent que la perception actuelle qu'on se fait de la ville évolue, allant d'une communauté nordique canadienne à un avant‐poste qui n'est plus situé suffisamment dans le Nord. Un travail d'archives et des entrevues ont été effectués afin de recueillir des réactions de la communauté face au projet de porte d'entrée de l'Arctique. Ils permettent d'explorer la place occupée par Churchill dans la géographie canadienne des transports et du développement du Nord, et de rendre compte du glissement dans la perception de la communauté au cours des dernières années par rapport aux investissements et à l'attention du public qui se dirigent vers des communautés plus nordiques.
Innovations in Practice: Piloting a new child and adolescent risk assessment suite in the UK
Authors: Tiffin Paul A. , Kitchen Charlotte E.W. , Weir Steven
Published: May 2015

Background

A prototype risk assessment suite (FACE‐CARAS) was developed for use within CAMHS and evaluated for acceptability and reliability.

Method

Clinicians underwent brief training in the system and invited 69 young people to an assessment using the FACE‐CARAS. A second rater produced a separate set of blind ratings for most patients. Clinicians also provided qualitative feedback.

Results

The component schedules of the FACE‐CARAS could be reliably rated with ‘near perfect’ to ‘moderate’ agreement observed. Internal reliability consistency values, as indexed by Cronbach's alpha, were moderate to high in all cases.

Conclusions

The assessment schedules that make up the FACE‐CARAS can be reliably rated by clinicians with minimal training.
PROXIMITY AND VOTING FOR PROFESSIONAL SPORTING STADIUMS: THE PATTERN OF SUPPORT FOR THE SEAHAWK STADIUM REFERENDUM
Authors: Horn Brady P. , Cantor Michael , Fort Rodney
Published: May 2015

This paper evaluates voting behavior on the Seahawk Stadium referendum in the State of Washington. For our empirical strategy, we implement both the linear probability model and a group logit model, which gives greater weight to voting areas with greater number of votes cast. We find that voting support was lowest among those living closest to the proposed stadium site, while voting support was highest among those within “easy access” of the stadium. This nonlinear distance effect differs from the typical “proximity” effect found in most professional sporting stadiums in the United States; however, it is consistent with a referendum‐voting outcome for a professional soccer stadium in Germany and public projects such as national forests. (JEL R53, H71, L83)
Efficacy of adapalene/benzoyl peroxide combination in moderate inflammatory acne and its impact on patient adherence
Authors: Gollnick Harald P. M. , Funke Gisela , Kors Christian , Titzmann Thomas , Jöstingmeyer Petra , Jäckel Andreas
Published: May 2015

Background and objectives

Adapalene 0.1 %/benzoyl peroxide (BPO) 2.5 % (Epiduo®) is the first, fixed‐dose topical combination gel developed for the once‐daily treatment of acne. The objective of this observational study was to assess efficacy and patient adherence under daily clinical practice conditions in a large population of young adults and adolescents (12 to 20 years) with moderate inflammatory acne.

Patients and methods

A total of 2 780 patients receiving adapalene‐BPO were evaluated in this multicenter, open‐label, prospective non‐interventional observational study. Observation time per patient was approximately 12 weeks. Assessment parameters included changes in acne severity, treatment success, safety, and therapeutic adherence.

Results

After 12 weeks, the majority of patients (91.5 %) showed improvement of acne under adapalene‐BPO treatment, with an initial therapeutic response noted after a median time of 14 days. Overall, 21.8 % of participants displayed complete resolution of visible acne lesions. Treatment adherence was assessed as good in 63.2 % of patients. The majority of individuals (69.5 %) experienced no or only mild local skin irritations. No serious adverse drug reactions (ADR) were reported during the course of the study.

Conclusions

Adapalene‐BPO is effective and safe in the treatment of moderate inflammatory acne. The fixed‐dose combination and easy application simplifies the therapeutic regimen, leading to good treatment adherence in the majority of patients.
The Village that Turned to Gold: A Parable of Philanthrocapitalism
Authors: Wilson Japhy
Published: May 2015

International development is increasingly financed and implemented by a nexus of billionaires and corporate foundations known as ‘philanthrocapitalism’. This article develops a critique of this paradigm, focusing on the case of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP), and its implementation in Bonsaaso, Ghana. The author interprets the MVP as a staging of the neoliberal fantasy of origins — an imagined history of the spontaneous emergence of capitalism in the frugal activities of smallholder farmers. In Bonsaaso, this fantasy has been shattered by the violence of primitive accumulation — the separation of the peasantry from the land through which capitalist social relations are actually established. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in Bonsaaso, the author describes how an influx of foreign gold miners has plunged the region into a profound socio‐ecological crisis. Despite producing several internal reports on this crisis, the MVP has failed to respond to it, and has instead sought to restage its fantasy in a new Village in the north of the country. Yet an analysis of its background documents and financial networks demonstrates the complicity of the MVP in the political economy of primitive accumulation underway in Bonsaaso. The case provides a cautionary tale against the promise of a good and pure capitalism.
WHERE ARE THE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS? BUSINESS OWNERSHIP GROWTH BY GENDER ACROSS THE AMERICAN URBAN LANDSCAPE
Authors: Conroy Tessa , Weiler Stephan
Published: May 2015

This study identifies the determinants of growth for male and female business ownership in a subset of U.S. counties. The results indicate that there are important characteristic and behavioral differences between the male and female populations in each county that affect regional changes in business ownership for each gender. In particular, the education level of males and females as well as the local family structure impact the propensity for firms owned by each gender differently. A Blinder‐Oaxaca type decomposition, a novel approach in the context of regional outcomes, demonstrates that although the effect of characteristic differences is larger, the behavioral differences are key to narrowing the gender disparity in business ownership. (JELL26, R2, R3)
Respiration rate determinations suggest Heterobasidion parviporum subpopulations have potential to adapt to global warming
Authors: Müller M. M. , Hamberg L. , Kuuskeri J. , LaPorta N. , Pavlov I. , Korhonen K.
Published: May 2015

Trees are known to have adapted to local climatic conditions, but the adaptation of their pathogenic associates is poorly understood. Heterobasidion parviporum causes root and butt rot in spruce. In this work, the respiration of H. parviporum subpopulations from climatically diverse environments was examined at various temperatures. Isolates were obtained from three areas in Europe (southern Finland, Denmark and northern Italy) and from two locations in Central Siberia (Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk). Respiration rates were measured in gas tight vials at eight temperatures from 0 to 33°C, using spruce saw dust as the sole substrate. Strains from Siberian locations with cold winters had higher activity at low temperatures (2–15°C) than strains from European locations with mild winters. Respiration rates of Siberian subpopulations increased more than those of European strains when the temperature rose from 0 to 6°C, but the increase was greater with the European subpopulations when the temperature increased further from 6 to 20°C. Only small differences were found among European as well as Siberian subpopulations. Variation in respiration rates between subpopulations was low compared to variation within subpopulations. Using strains isolated 2–18 years ago and thereafter stored at 5°C, we found lower respiration rates at 20°C in older isolates, independent of geographical origin, suggesting phenotypic plasticity of H. parviporum in regard to responses to temperature. Based on these findings, we propose that subpopulations of H. parviporum have the potential to adapt to global warming.
Role of vitamin C as an adjuvant therapy to different iron chelators in young β‐thalassemia major patients: efficacy and safety in relation to tissue iron overload
Authors: Elalfy Mohsen S. , Saber Maha M. , Adly Amira Abdel Moneam , Ismail Eman A. , Tarif Mohamed , Ibrahim Fatma , Elalfy Omar M.
Published: May 2015

Background

Vitamin C, as antioxidant, increases the efficacy of deferoxamine (DFO).

Aim

To investigate the effects of vitamin C as an adjuvant therapy to the three used iron chelators in moderately iron‐overloaded young vitamin C‐deficient patients with β‐thalassemia major (β‐TM) in relation to tissue iron overload.

Methods

This randomized prospective trial that included 180 β‐TM vitamin C‐deficient patients were equally divided into three groups (n = 60) and received DFO, deferiprone (DFP), and deferasirox (DFX). Patients in each group were further randomized either to receive vitamin C supplementation (100 mg daily) or not (n = 30). All patients received vitamin C (group A) or no vitamin C (group B) were followed up for 1 yr with assessment of transfusion index, hemoglobin, iron profile, liver iron concentration (LIC) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2*.

Results

Baseline vitamin C was negatively correlated with transfusion index, serum ferritin (SF), and LIC. After vitamin C therapy, transfusion index, serum iron, SF, transferrin saturation (Tsat), and LIC were significantly decreased in group A patients, while hemoglobin and cardiac MRI T2* were elevated compared with baseline levels or those in group B without vitamin C. The same improvement was found among DFO‐treated patients post‐vitamin C compared with baseline data. DFO‐treated patients had the highest hemoglobin with the lowest iron, SF, and Tsat compared with DFP or DFX subgroups.

Conclusions

Vitamin C as an adjuvant therapy possibly potentiates the efficacy of DFO more than DFP and DFX in reducing iron burden in the moderately iron‐overloaded vitamin C‐deficient patients with β‐TM, with no adverse events.
Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) growth and temperature indices as indicators of the year–class strength of age‐1 walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) in the eastern Bering Sea
Authors: Yasumiishi Ellen M. , Criddle Keith R. , Hillgruber Nicola , Mueter Franz J. , Helle John H.
Published: May 2015

Ecosystem‐based fisheries management requires the development of physical and biological time series that index ocean productivity for stock assessment and recruitment forecasts for commercially important species. As recruitment in marine fish is related to ocean condition, we developed proxies for ocean conditions based on sea surface temperature (SST) and biometric measurements of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) captured in the walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) fishery in the eastern Bering Sea in three periods (July 16–30, September 1–15 and September 16–30). The main purpose of this paper was to evaluate Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) growth as a possible indicator of ocean conditions that, in turn, may affect age‐1 walleye pollock recruitment. Marine growth rates of Pacific salmon are the result of a complex interplay of physical, biological and population‐based factors that fish experience as they range through oceanic habitats. These growth rates can, therefore, be viewed as indicators of recent ocean productivity. Thus, our hypothesis was that estimated intra‐annual growth in body weight of immature and maturing age‐4 male and female chum salmon may be used as a biological indicator of variations in rearing conditions also experienced by age‐0 walleye pollock; consequently, they may be used to predict the recruitment to age‐1 in walleye pollock. Summer SSTs and chum salmon growth at the end of July and September explained the largest amount of variability in walleye pollock recruitment indicating that physical and biological indices of ocean productivity can index fish recruitment.
Depression in left‐behind elderly in rural China: Prevalence and associated factors
Authors: He Guoping , Xie Jian‐fei , Zhou Jian‐da , Zhong Zhu‐qing , Qin Chun‐xiang , Ding Si‐qing
Published: May 2015

Aim

Several studies have reported the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the urban population of China, but no study reports the prevalence of depression in rural left‐behind elderly. The present study investigated the prevalence of depression and the associated factors that influence depression in the left‐behind elderly population in a rural area of China.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was carried out. A total of 509 participants were surveyed, and all participants completed the Geriatric Depression Scale (long form). Information on sex, age, education level, living situation, number of chronic diseases, amount of economic support received, frequency of children's visits and physical activity was collected.

Results

The prevalence of depressive symptoms in rural left‐behind elderly was 36.94%. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was higher in women (45.10%) than in men (33.43%). The prevalence of severe depression was 1.96%. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in the 71–80 years age group (45.19%) was higher than the 65–70 years (37.44%) and >80 years age groups (5.97%). However, the prevalence of moderate and severe depression was higher in the 65–70 years age group (3.95%) than in other age groups. The frequency of children's visits, living situation, physical activity, number of chronic diseases and education level were the main risk factors of depression.

Conclusions

The prevalence of depressive symptoms is higher in left‐behind elderly in rural areas than in the general elderly population. Psychological intervention is necessary for improving the mental health of elderly people living in rural areas of China. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 638–643.
Discrepant diagnostic results using two genotyping methods in a chronic hepatitis C patient in serogroup 1
Authors: Ishikawa Toru , Abe Satoshi , Kojima Yuichi , Kojima Shigeyuki , Yoshida Toshiaki
Published: May 2015

We present the case of a chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patient who was originally diagnosed with genotype 2a on serogroup 1 CHC genotype testing, but who was subsequently confirmed to have genotype 1b when using the hepatitis C virus (HCV) monitor genotype assay. The genotype 2a diagnosis was attributed to the fact that the type 2a‐specific primer used in Okamoto et al.’s method (HCV genotype primer kit) has relatively high homology, which caused the amplification reaction to proceed, rendering a HCV RNA genotype test result of 2a. Genotype testing is important in determining whether a patient is indicated for concomitant dual oral therapy; however, the potential for different diagnoses such as described in this report highlights the importance of serogroup confirmation.
Transmission dynamics of pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in humans and swine in backyard farms in Tumbes, Peru
Authors: Tinoco Yeny O. , Montgomery Joel M. , Kasper Mathew R. , Nelson Martha I. , Razuri Hugo , Guezala Maria C. , Azziz‐Baumgartner Eduardo , Widdowson Marc‐Alain , Barnes John , Gilman Robert H. , Bausch Daniel G. , Gonzalez Armando E.
Published: May 2015

Objectives

We aimed to determine the frequency of pH1N1 transmission between humans and swine on backyard farms in Tumbes, Peru.

Design

Two‐year serial cross‐sectional study comprising four sampling periods: March 2009 (pre‐pandemic), October 2009 (peak of the pandemic in Peru), April 2010 (1st post‐pandemic period), and October 2011 (2nd post‐pandemic period).

Sample

Backyard swine serum, tracheal swabs, and lung sample were collected during each sampling period.

Main outcome measures

We assessed current and past pH1N1 infection in swine through serological testing, virus culture, and RT‐PCR and compared the results with human incidence data from a population‐based active surveillance cohort study in Peru.

Results

Among 1303 swine sampled, the antibody prevalence to pH1N1 was 0% pre‐pandemic, 8% at the peak of the human pandemic (October 2009), and 24% in April 2010 and 1% in October 2011 (post‐pandemic sampling periods). Trends in swine seropositivity paralleled those seen in humans in Tumbes. The pH1N1 virus was isolated from three pigs during the peak of the pandemic. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these viruses likely represent two separate human‐to‐swine transmission events in backyard farm settings.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that human‐to‐swine pH1N1 transmission occurred during the pandemic among backyard farms in Peru, emphasizing the importance of interspecies transmission in backyard pig populations. Continued surveillance for influenza viruses in backyard farms is warranted.
Diabetic foot disease is associated with reduced erythrocyte deformability
Authors: Cahn Avivit , Livshits Leonid , Srulevich Ariel , Raz Itamar , Yedgar Shaul , Barshtein Gregory
Published: May 2015

The pathogenesis of diabetic foot disease is multifactorial and encompasses microvascular and macrovascular pathologies. Abnormal blood rheology may also play a part in its development. Using a cell flow analyser (CFA), we examined the association between erythrocyte deformability and diabetic foot disease. Erythrocytes from diabetic patients with no known microvascular complications (n = 11) and patients suffering from a diabetic foot ulcer (n = 11) were isolated and their average elongation ratio (ER) as well as the ER distribution curve were measured.

Average ER was decreased in the diabetic foot patients compared with the patients with diabetes and no complications (1·64 ± 0·07 versus 1·71 ± 0·1; P = 0·036). A significant rise in the percentage of minimally deformable red blood cells RBCs in diabetic foot patients compared with the patients with no complications was observed (37·89% ± 8·12% versus 30·61% ± 10·17%; P = 0·039) accompanied by a significant decrease in the percentage of highly deformable RBCs (12·47% ± 4·43% versus 17·49% ± 8·17% P = 0·046).

Reduced erythrocyte deformability may slow capillary flow in the microvasculature and prolong wound healing in diabetic foot patients. Conversely, it may be the low‐grade inflammatory state imposed by diabetic foot disease that reduces erythrocyte deformability. Further study of the rheological changes associated with diabetic foot disease may enhance our understanding of its pathogenesis and aid in the study of novel therapeutic approaches.
The Over‐the‐Counter Theory of the Fed Funds Market: A Primer
Authors: AFONSO GARA , LAGOS RICARDO
Published: May 2015

We present a dynamic over‐the‐counter model of the fed funds market and use it to study the determination of the fed funds rate, the volume of loans traded, and the intraday evolution of the distribution of reserve balances across banks. We also investigate the implications of changes in the market structure, as well as the effects of central bank policy instruments such as open market operations, the discount window lending rate, and the interest rate on bank reserves.
Financial Innovations, Money Demand, and the Welfare Cost of Inflation
Authors: BERENTSEN ALEKSANDER , HUBER SAMUEL , MARCHESIANI ALESSANDRO
Published: May 2015

In the 1990s, the empirical relationship between money demand and interest rates began to fall apart. We analyze to what extent financial innovations can explain this breakdown. For this purpose, we construct a microfounded monetary model with a money market that provides insurance against liquidity shocks by offering short‐term loans and by paying interest on money market deposits. We calibrate the model to U.S. data and find that the introduction of the sweep technology at the beginning of the 1990s, which improved access to money markets, can explain the behavior of money demand very well. Furthermore, by allowing a more efficient allocation of money, the welfare cost of inflation decreased substantially.
The Time‐Varying Volatility of Earnings and Aggregate Consumption Growth
Authors: POZZI LORENZO
Published: May 2015

Time‐varying specifications for the conditional variance of earnings of U.S. households are estimated with micro data over the period 1968–92. The cross‐sectional mean of the estimated time‐varying uncertainty of individual households has a significant impact on aggregate consumption growth. As such, aggregate precautionary savings may be more important than what is suggested by the results of estimating standard regression equations for aggregate consumption growth that incorporate only lagged income growth and the real interest rate. The estimation of a buffer stock consumption model with time‐varying earnings uncertainty suggests that the precautionary savings motive is cyclical and has become less important in the 1980s.