bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International strategy for SMEs: criteria for foreign markets and entry modes selection
Authors: Musso Fabio , Francioni Barbara
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the internationalization of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in regard to the international market selection (IMS) and entry mode selection (EMS) processes.

Design/methodology/approach

– To achieve this, an examination of the degree of systematic/active behaviour during IMS and EMS on a sample of 221 SMEs was conducted. Moreover, the paper sought to comprehend whether SMEs select foreign market and entry mode in a separate and sequential way, and whether there is a relationship between the sequentiality of IMS and EMS, on one side, and SME behaviour during these two processes, on the other side.

Findings

– Results revealed that SMEs have a non-systematic and passive behaviour during IMS and EMS, respectively. Moreover, a high predilection in performing the two processes contemporaneously or without any logic was found. Finally, a strong relation between sequentiality of IMS and EMS and degree of systematic and active behaviour during the processes existed.

Originality/value

– In this study, using a sample of SMEs located in a region of Italy, SME behaviour in the IMS and entry mode choice processes was tested.
Are growth-oriented SMEs more likely to adopt market and brand orientations?
Authors: Reijonen Helen , Párdányi Szandra , Tuominen Sasu , Laukkanen Tommi , Komppula Raija
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how SMEs with varying growth intentions differ from each other with regard to market orientation and brand orientation. Both of these strategic orientations are seen to lead to enhanced market performance. Consequently, the authors investigate whether those small firms that regard growth as an important goal have adopted market or brand orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Responses from 492 SMEs were analysed. They were clustered into four groups according to their growth intentions. These groups included firms that have low growth intention, capital adequacy growth intention, expansion growth intention and high growth intention. ANOVA was used to explore whether these groups differed in their market or brand orientation.

Findings

– The results indicate that the higher growth intention group the SME belonged to the more market and brand oriented it is. The biggest differences between the SMEs were found with regards to brand orientation.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings suggest that SMEs have acknowledged the positive effect of market and brand orientations on firm growth, thus highlighting the importance of supporting growth-oriented SMEs in their quest to become more market or brand oriented.

Originality/value

– The study sheds more light on the little researched themes of market and brand orientations in the context of SMEs. It also offers insights into how growth intentions affect the adoption of different strategic orientations.
An exploratory study of the economic effect of open innovation
Authors: Joseph Yun JinHyo , Cho Bong-Jin
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discover the economic effects of open innovation investigated the following research questions: do economic effects of open innovation – a certain economic phenomenon or economic paradigm that surpasses the level of the management strategies of individual enterprises – exist? If so, what are the economic effects?

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors analyse the change of classical economic characteristics, such as diminishing marginal products, economy of scale, and X-inefficiency, which are selected by literature review to find out the effects of open innovation. The authors select long-tailed phenomena and App Store phenomena, which are a direct result of open innovation. From these, the authors find out the effects of open innovation.

Findings

– Through exploratory-level studies, the economic characteristics of open innovation have been identified: gradual increases of marginal products, the economy of diversity, and X-efficiency improvement.

Research limitations/implications

– These three economic characteristics of open innovation have been verified through secondary analysis methods based on the long-tailed phenomenon and App Store phenomenon. Open innovation triggers new economic effects. Thus, the authors should create new strategies and policies to treat open innovation that are based on additional deep research.

Practical implications

– This paper introduces new ideas about open innovation in economics.

Social implications

– According to the findings, open innovation will give the authors new ways to develop continuously in a knowledge-based economy.

Originality/value

– For the first time, the authors understand the economic value of open innovation and its implications.
Consumer behavior dynamics of Chinese minorities
Authors: U. Ahmed Zafar , Sam Al-Kwifi Osama , Saiti Buerhan , Bin Othman Nor
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– Meat consumption decisions within a religious context can differ significantly from purchase decisions where religion does not play a key role. The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of Halal meat consumption within a Chinese Muslim population using the “marketing theory of planned behavior”. The role of self-identity as a Muslim and dietary acculturation in the host culture is investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on a questionnaire survey. Cross-sectional data were collected through a survey of 368 Muslim participants, mainly from Xinjiang province in China. Data were analyzed by a series of regression analyses to test the model and the moderating effects of self-identity and dietary acculturation on behavioral intention.

Findings

– The results indicate that motivation to comply with religious requirements, and personal conviction, have a positive attitude toward behavioral intention to consume Halal meat. However, perceived control has a negative relationship with behavioral intention to eat Halal meat among Muslims. Results also show that in general, Halal meat consumption is determined by the pressure of others, personal conviction, and the perceived control.

Practical implications

– For marketing managers, Muslims with a low Muslim identity can be motivated to buy Halal meat by communicating through slogans that focus on the individual's opportunity to make his or her own choice(s).

Originality/value

– This paper will prove valuable to food-policy decision makers and food marketers, who might pursue identity and/or acculturation-related strategies in their distribution and communication efforts targeting the growing Halal food market segment in China and globally.
Time-driven activity-based costing to improve transparency and decision making in healthcare
Authors: Campanale Cristina , Cinquini Lino , Tenucci Andrea
Published: June 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potentialities of innovative accounting tools in supporting “transparency” and “resource allocation” in public hospitals, by describing the implementation of a pilot project of time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC).

Design/methodology/approach

– An interventionist research (IR) approach has been adopted: two medical doctors, three financial controllers and three researchers were involved. Collection of data used to implement the accounting model is based on hospital databases and interviews.

Findings

– The information produced may allow a higher coherence between resources and activities. TDABC may enhance transparency and support decisions toward a better organization of work and an informed allocation of resources.

Research limitations/implications

– Further studies are required to analyze decisions following the implementation of the TDABC model.

Originality/value

– The accounting literature lacks case studies describing the application of TDABC in hospital settings, despite its good informative potentialities and the limited investment required to introduce TDABC. Moreover, the use of the IR approach and the involvement of medical doctors may help to get coherence between accounting data and clinical work and may support the further diffusion and development of this costing model in hospitals.
Divergent functioning of Proteaceae species: the South AmericanEmbothrium coccineumdisplays a combination of adaptive traits to survive in high‐phosphorus soils
Authors: Delgado Mabel , Suriyagoda Lalith , Zúñiga‐Feest Alejandra , Borie Fernando , Lambers Hans
Published: June 2014

Proteaceae species in south‐western Australia thrive on phosphorus‐impoverished soils, employing a phosphorus‐mining strategy involving carboxylate‐releasing cluster roots. Some develop symptoms of phosphorus toxicity at slightly elevated soil phosphorus concentrations, due to their low capacity to down‐regulate phosphorus uptake. In contrast, Proteaceae species in Chile, e.g.Embothrium coccineumJ.R. Forst. & G. Forst., occur on volcanic soils, which contain high levels of total phosphorus, but phosphorus availability is low.

We hypothesised that the functioning of cluster roots ofE. coccineumdiffers from that of south‐western Australian Proteaceae species, in accordance with the difference in soil phosphorus status. With more phosphorus to be gained from the soil with high levels of total phosphorus, we expect less investment in biomass and more release of carboxylates. Furthermore, we hypothesised thatE. coccineumregulates its phosphorus‐uptake capacity, avoiding phosphorus toxicity when grown at elevated phosphorus levels. To test these hypotheses,E. coccineumseedlings were grown at a range of phosphorus supplies in nutrient solution.

We show thatE. coccineumallocated at least five times less biomass to cluster roots that released at least nine times more carboxylates per unit cluster root weight compared with south‐western Australian species (e.g.Banksia,Hakea). The highest phosphorus supply caused a growth inhibition and high leaf phosphorus concentration, without symptoms of phosphorus toxicity. We accept our hypotheses on the functioning of cluster roots and the high capacity to reduce the net phosphorus uptake in plants grown at a high‐phosphorus supply.

This novel combination of traits indicates divergent functioning of Proteaceae species from southern South America, exposed to frequent phosphorus input due to volcanic activity, in contrast with the functioning of south‐western Australian Proteaceae species that thrive on severely phosphorus‐impoverished soils. These traits could explain the functioning ofE. coccineumon soils that are rich in total phosphorus, but with a low concentration of available phosphorus.
Why Parliament Now Decides on War: Tracing the Growth of the Parliamentary Prerogative through Syria, Libya and Iraq
Authors: Strong James
Published: June 2014

Research Highlights and Abstract

Precedents set in debates over Iraq, Libya and Syria established a new parliamentary prerogative, that MPs must vote before military action can legitimately be launched. Tony Blair conceded the Iraq vote to shore up Labour back-bench support, because he was convinced he would win, and because he was unwilling to change course regardless. David Cameron allowed a vote on Libya because he believed parliament should have a say, because UN support meant he was certain to win, and to gain plaudits for not being Blair. Cameron then had to allow a vote on Syria despite its greater political sensitivity. He mishandled the vote, and lost, and felt constrained to pull out of mooted military action. Collectively these three precedents comprise a new constitutional convention, which will constrain the executive in future whether the law is formally changed or not.

Parliament now decides when Britain goes to war. The vote against military intervention in Syria on 29 August 2013 upheld a new parliamentary prerogative that gradually developed through debates over earlier actions in Iraq and Libya. While the academic community and much of the British political elite continue to focus on the free rein granted to prime ministers by the historic royal prerogative, this article argues it is critically constrained by its parliamentary counterpart. It traces the way political conditions, individual policymaker preferences, and the conventional nature of the unwritten British constitution allowed parliament to insert itself into the policymaking process without the consent of successive governments. It concludes that MPs will in future expect the right to vote on proposals to deploy the armed forces overseas, and that the legitimacy of military action will depend on the government winning such a vote.
Five‐year follow up of a randomised controlled trial comparing subtotal with total abdominal hysterectomy
Authors: Andersen LL , Zobbe V , Ottesen B , Gluud C , Tabor A , Gimbel H ,   the Danish Hysterectomy Trial Group
Published: June 2014

Objectives

To compare the rates of urinary incontinence (UI) and other complications of subtotal abdominal hysterectomy (SAH) with total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) at 5 years after surgery.

Design

Randomised clinical trial with central, computer‐generated randomisation.

Setting

Danish multi‐centre trial performed in 11 departments of gynaecology.

Population

Women referred with benign uterine diseases scheduled for abdominal hysterectomy.

Methods

Women were randomised to either SAH (n = 161) or TAH (n = 158). Follow‐up data were collected from participants using postal questionnaires sent out 5 years after surgery. Complications of hysterectomy were further examined by scrutinising registered discharge summaries following hospitalisation. Intention‐to‐treat and per‐protocol analyses were conducted. Potential bias caused by missing data was handled using multiple imputation.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was UI. Secondary outcomes included constipation, prolapse of the vaginal vault or cervical stump, satisfaction with sexual life, pelvic pain, postoperative complications and vaginal bleeding.

Results

The response rate was 234/319 (73.4%). A significantly higher proportion of respondents had urinary incontinence 5 years after SAH 34/113 (30.1%) than TAH 21/119 (17.6%) (RR 1.71, 95% confidence interval 1.06–2.75, P = 0.026). This difference reduced after multiple imputation to account for missing data (RR 1.37, 95% confidence interval 0.99–1.89, P = 0.052). Eleven of the 101 women (11%) in the SAH group still experienced vaginal bleeding. No other differences were found between the two types of abdominal hysterectomy.

Authors' conclusions

A smaller proportion of women suffered from UI after TAH than after SAH 5 years postoperatively. Around one in ten women continued to experience vaginal bleeding 5 years after SAH.
Functional C1q is present in the skin mucus of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii)
Authors: FAN Chunxin , WANG Jian , ZHANG Xuguang , SONG Jiakun
Published: June 2014

The skin mucus of fish acts as the first line of self‐protection against pathogens in the aquatic environment and comprises a number of innate immune components. However, the presence of the critical classical complement component C1q, which links the innate and adaptive immune systems of mammalians, has not been explored in a primitive actinopterygian fish. In this study, we report that C1q is present in the skin mucus of the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). The skin mucus was able to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli. The bacteriostatic activity of the skin mucus was reduced by heating and by pre‐incubation with EDTA or mouse anti‐human C1q antibody. We also detected C1q protein in skin mucus using the western blot procedure and isolated a cDNA that encodes the Siberian sturgeon C1qC, which had 44.7–51.4% identity with C1qCs in teleosts and tetrapods. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that Siberian sturgeon C1qC lies at the root of the actinopterygian branch and is separate from the tetrapod branch. The C1qC transcript was expressed in many tissues as well as in skin. Our data indicate that C1q is present in the skin mucus of the Siberian sturgeon to protect against water‐borne bacteria, and the C1qC found in the sturgeon may represent the primitive form of teleost and tetrapod C1qCs.
The Effect of Stunning Methods and Season on Muscle Texture Hardness in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.)
Authors: Merkin Grigory V. , Stien Lars Helge , Pittman Karin , Nortvedt Ragnar
Published: June 2014

Commercially collected records of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) muscle texture hardness were used to evaluate the effect of slaughter procedures and seasonality on texture quality. A database collected by Marine Harvest® contained flesh hardness records of Atlantic salmon slaughtered at processing plants in Norway from summer 2010 to summer 2011. The fish were slaughtered either by (1) percussion followed by automated bleeding (“Percussive”) or (2) live chilling with exposure to carbon dioxide (CO2) followed by manual severing gill arches and bleeding (“CO2”) or (3) live chilling with exposure to CO2 followed by percussive stunning and at the end automated bleeding (“CO2·percussive”). Hardness in salmon muscle cutlets was measured in Newtons (N) by Materials Testing Machine Zwick 500N. The hardness in salmon varied significantly over the study period (P < 0.05, mixed effect model) and showed the softest value of 21.2 (± 0.7) Newton (N) in summer 2011 and hardest 24.1 (± 0.2) N in autumn 2010. Slaughter procedures had a significant effect on salmon muscle hardness (P < 0.05, mixed effect model), where percussion followed by automated bleeding resulted in the hardest value (24.0 ± 0.4 N) as compared with CO2 stunning (21.8 ± 0.2 N) and combination of CO2 and percussive stunning (23.1 ± 0.15 N). CO2 is suspected as a causal factor in accelerated postmortem softening of the salmon muscle.
Shiga‐Toxin Genes and Genetic Diversity of Escherichia coli Isolated from Pasteurized Cow Milk in Brazil
Authors: Hoffmann Simone Aparecida , Pieretti Gabriella Giani , Fiorini Adriana , Patussi Eliana Valéria , Cardoso Rosilene Fressatti , Mikcha Jane Martha Graton
Published: June 2014

This study evaluated the genetic similarity and prevalence of the stx1, stx2, eae, and ehxA genes in Escherichia coli isolated from pasteurized cow milk. Eighty‐seven E. coli isolates from pasteurized cow milk from 22 dairies located in northwestern Paraná state, Brazil, were analyzed. Genetic similarity was evaluated using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence polymerase chain reaction (ERIC‐PCR) and repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence PCR (REP‐PCR). E. coli isolates were also analyzed by PCR to investigate the presence of the stx1, stx2, eae, and ehxA genes. ERIC‐PCR and REP‐PCR clustered 87 bacterial isolates in 76 and 81 genomic profiles, respectively. Both techniques revealed high genetic diversity among the E. coli isolates, confirming the possibility of their use in epidemiological studies. The stx1, stx2, eae, and ehxA virulence genes were not detected in E. coli isolates, indicating a low prevalence of Shiga toxin‐producing E. coli in milk produced in the region studied.
Molecular taxonomic identification in the absence of a ‘barcoding gap’: a test with the endemic flora of the Canarian oceanic hotspot
Authors: Jaén‐Molina Ruth , Marrero‐Rodríguez Águedo , Reyes‐Betancort J. Alfredo , Santos‐Guerra Arnoldo , Naranjo‐Suárez José , Caujapé‐Castells Juli
Published: June 2014

We use a comprehensive subset of Canarian angiosperms corresponding to 23 families, 35 genera and 60 Canarian endemic taxa to test whether this flora is suitable to taxonomic identification with the two proposed plant DNA barcode sequences and whether these sequences may reveal the existence of cryptic species overlooked by morphology. The rate of discrimination success between the insular congeneric samples using the rbcL+matK combination and a ‘character‐based’ approach (where we use only the combination of nucleotide positions in an alignment that allows unambiguous species identification) is higher (82.29%) than that obtained with the ‘distance‐based’ approach (80.20%) used by the CBOL Plant Working Group in 2009 and also when compared with tests conducted in other floras. This suggests that the molecular identification of the Canarian endemic flora can be achieved as successfully as in other floras where the incidence of radiation is not as relevant. The facts that (i) a distance‐based criterion was unable to discriminate between congeneric and conspecific comparisons and (ii) only the character‐based discrimination criterion resolved cases that the distance‐based criterion did not, further support the use of a character discrimination approach for a more efficient DNA barcoding of floras from oceanic islands like the Canaries. Thus, a barcoding gap seems not to be necessary for the correct molecular characterization of the Canarian flora. DNA barcodes also suggest the possible existence of cryptic taxa to be further investigated by morphology and that the current taxonomic status of some of the taxa analysed may need revision.
The prevalence of schizophrenia in mainland China: evidence from epidemiological surveys
Authors: Long J. , Huang G. , Liang W. , Liang B. , Chen Q. , Xie J. , Jiang J. , Su L.
Published: June 2014

Objective

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder. Its prevalence appears inconsistent in different regions of China; thus, we conducted this meta‐analysis to estimate the prevalence of schizophrenia in mainland China.

Method

Studies on the prevalence of schizophrenia in mainland China were identified from electronic databases up to July 2013. Meta‐analysis was used for prevalence of schizophrenia estimate.

Results

For lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia, prevalence of 5.44 per 1000 (overall), 5.33 per 1000 (males), 5.51 per 1000 (females), 6.60 per 1000 (urban) and 4.73 per 1000 (rural) were estimated; there was no significant difference between males and females, while prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural (OR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.30–1.59). For point prevalence of schizophrenia, prevalence of 4.62 per 1000 (overall), 4.63 per 1000 (males), 4.95 per 1000 (females), 5.15 per 1000 (urban) and 4.44 per 1000 (rural) were estimated; no statistical difference was found in males and females, but prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural (OR = 1.20; 95%CI: 1.02–1.41).

Conclusion

The prevalence estimate results were consistent with the international prevalence estimate of schizophrenia in mainland China. There was no significant difference between males and females, while prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural.
LncRNA‐regulated Infection and Inflammation Pathways Associated with Pregnancy Loss: Genome Wide Differential Expression of lncRNAs in Early Spontaneous Abortion
Authors: Wang Hong , Cao Qingying , Ge Jun , Liu Chunmiao , Ma Yanhong , Meng Yuciu , Wang Yuxin , Zhao Xiaoli , Liu Ru , Li Caixia , Wang Yu , Zhong Julia , Ju Weina , Jenkins Edmund C. , Brown W. Ted , Zhong Nanbert
Published: June 2014

Problem

Spontaneous abortion (SA) occurs before 20 gestational weeks. Approximately, half of recurrent SA has no identifiable cause. No report has yet been investigated the possible involvement of lncRNA in pregnancy loss.

Method of Study

Sixteen pairs of pregnancies with spontaneous abortions (SA) and induced abortions (IA) were studied. Embryonic sacs and decidua were collected for each pregnancy. A Human LncRNA Array was employed to profile genomewide lncRNAs, which were then validated by RT‐PCR.

Results

Differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified. Biological pathways were categorized into six major groups: infection and inflammation, metabolism, signaling and transcriptional regulation, smooth muscle contraction, cell process, and coagulation.

Conclusions

Infection and inflammation pathways regulated by lncRNAs were determined as the predominant pathogenetic factors underlying the SA. Finding that antisense lncRNAs have been either up‐ or down‐regulated suggests that they may have both cis‐ and trans‐regulations.
Serum Amyloid A and Haptoglobin Concentrations are Increased in Plasma of Mares with Ascending Placentitis in the Absence of Changes in Peripheral Leukocyte Counts or Fibrinogen Concentration
Authors: Canisso Igor F. , Ball Barry A. , Cray Carolyn , Williams Neil M. , Scoggin Kirsten E. , Davolli Gabriel M. , Squires Edward L. , Troedsson Mats H.
Published: June 2014

Problem

Currently, placentitis, an important cause of late pregnancy loss in mares, is diagnosed by clinical signs and ultrasonography. Acute phase proteins (APP) are mainly produced and secreted by the liver in response to acute inflammatory stimuli. We hypothesized thatAPPare increased in mares with placentitis.

Method of study

Concentrations of serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), fibrinogen (Fb), and white blood cell counts (WBC) were determined in plasma of mares with experimentally induced placentitis and gestationally age‐matched control mares. Placentitis was induced via intracervical inoculation ofStreptococcus equisubspecieszooepidemicus,a common isolate from clinical cases of bacterial placentitis. Concentrations ofSAAand Hp were also determined in the 10 days pre‐partum in normal mares.

Results and conclusion

Mares with placentitis aborted within 5–25 days after inoculation. Concentrations ofSAAand Hp rapidly increased subsequent to experimental induction of placentitis and remained increased until abortion. Neither Fb norWBCappeared to be useful markers for placentitis. Parturition did not trigger increase in eitherSAAor Hp in normal foaling mares.
Inflation Targeting and the Pass‐through Rate in East Asian Economies
Authors: Taguchi Hiroyuki , Sohn Woong‐Ki
Published: June 2014

There has been serious debate regarding whether the inflation targeting (IT) framework for the emerging market economies has been an effective nominal anchor. Focusing on Korea, Thailand and the Philippines, this article aims to contribute to the debate by providing empirical evidence on a decline in the ‘pass‐through’ effect with IT adoption. Our main findings are as follows. First, under the IT framework, Korea has followed an inflation responsive rule in a forward‐looking manner, while Thailand has adopted the rule in a backward‐looking manner. Second, only Korea experiences a reduction in the pass‐through effect under IT adoption, thereby showing a linkage between the forward‐looking inflation responsive rule and the pass‐through effect. Finally, a test of the sensitivity of inflation expectations to external price shocks in Korea supports this linkage.
Vertical and Horizontal Educational Mismatches of Female Graduates in Taiwan
Authors: Tao Hung‐Lin , Hung Chia‐Yu
Published: June 2014

This study considers both vertical and horizontal educational mismatches, with the former referring to overeducation and undereducation, and the latter to the mismatch between college major and job. It is found that the wage premium of the vertical educational match is greater than that of the horizontal educational match. A better vertical match augments the wage premium of an improvement in the horizontal match, and vice versa. The horizontal educational mismatch appears to be an extended scenario of overeducation because graduates from colleges with low rankings have a higher probability of being vertically overeducated as well as horizontally mismatched. Graduates from highly‐ranked colleges are privileged to not only have high earnings but also to have low probabilities for the vertical and horizontal mismatches. These low probabilities indirectly raise their earnings. The indirect effects of academic characteristics on earnings are calculated. The approach we propose provides an insight into how academic characteristics comprehensively influence earnings.
Economic evaluations in bipolar disorder: a systematic review and critical appraisal
Authors: Abdul Pari Anees Ahmed , Simon Judit , Wolstenholme Jane , Geddes John R , Goodwin Guy M
Published: June 2014

Background

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic illness and is one of the worldwide leading causes of disability. It is often a lifelong illness and incurs a substantial economic burden on the health care system, the patients, and society as a whole. However, there are few studies evaluating the economic impact of alternative strategies in the management of BD.

Objectives

We reviewed and critically appraised the available published economic evidence on BD management. In addition, we explored advantages and disadvantages of different methods used in the economic evaluation of the management of BD.

Methods

A systematic literature search was undertaken using seven electronic databases to identify all English language articles published between January 1980 and March 2012 that provided data on complete economic evaluations for any treatment strategy for BD. The quality of included studies was appraised according to recommendations from the Cochrane Collaboration.

Results

A total of 7,284 citations were obtained. After initial screening, 20 eligible studies were identified, five of which were trial‐based, and 15 of which were model‐based economic evaluations. Given the variability in methods and the quality of the identified studies, no conclusive recommendation for the most cost‐effective therapy for BD could be provided.

Conclusions

The cost‐effectiveness of different treatment strategies varied between settings, and transferability of these results across settings remains questionable. Although additional research using a longer time horizon is required to validate the findings for trial‐based economic evaluations, discrete event simulation appears to be the most natural and plausible technique for modeling the cost‐effectiveness of alternative BD treatment strategies.
Eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls: from mechanisms to consequences
Authors: Magrath Robert D. , Haff Tonya M. , Fallow Pamela M. , Radford Andrew N.
Published: June 2014

Animals often gather information from other species by eavesdropping on signals intended for others. We review the extent, benefits, mechanisms, and ecological and evolutionary consequences of eavesdropping on other species' alarm calls. Eavesdropping has been shown experimentally in about 70 vertebrate species, and can entail closely or distantly related species. The benefits of eavesdropping include prompting immediate anti‐predator responses, indirect enhancement of foraging or changed habitat use, and learning about predators. Eavesdropping on heterospecifics can provide more eyes looking for danger, complementary information to that from conspecifics, and potentially information at reduced cost. The response to heterospecific calls can be unlearned or learned. Unlearned responses occur when heterospecific calls have acoustic features similar to that used to recognize conspecific calls, or acoustic properties such as harsh sounds that prompt attention and may allow recognition or facilitate learning. Learning to recognize heterospecific alarm calls is probably essential to allow recognition of the diversity of alarm calls, but the evidence is largely indirect. The value of eavesdropping on different species is affected by problems of signal interception and the relevance of heterospecific alarm calls to the listener. These constraints on eavesdropping will affect how information flows among species and thus affect community function. Some species are ‘keystone’ information producers, while others largely seek information, and these differences probably affect the formation and function of mixed‐species groups. Eavesdroppers might also integrate alarm calls from multiple species to extract relevant and reliable information. Eavesdropping appears to set the stage for the evolution of interspecific deception and communication, and potentially affects communication within species. Overall, we now know that eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls is an important source of information for many species across the globe, and there are ample opportunities for research on mechanisms, fitness consequences and implications for community function and signalling evolution.
Review: Assessment, development, and treatment of childhood perfectionism: a systematic review
Authors: Morris Lottie , Lomax Claire
Published: June 2014

Background

In the adult literature, perfectionism has been linked with psychopathology and poor treatment outcomes, leading to perfectionism‐focussed therapies. The child and adolescent perfectionism literature is comparatively sparse.

Method

A systematic search of five electronic databases (Web of Knowledge, APA PsycNET, PubMed, ERIC/ProQuest, and Scopus) was conducted to identify studies of perfectionism in children and adolescents, in the context of psychopathology.

Results

The search identified 133 studies, 84 of which discussed perfectionism as a correlate of mental health problems. These studies were briefly synthesised, with the systematic review focussing on evaluating papers on the development (n = 23), assessment (n = 19), and treatment (n = 7) of perfectionism.

Conclusion

Treatment studies did not reflect the phenomenology of perfectionism found in this review.
What Ever Happened to the “Cool” Kids? Long‐Term Sequelae of Early Adolescent Pseudomature Behavior
Authors: Allen Joseph P. , Schad Megan M. , Oudekerk Barbara , Chango Joanna
Published: June 2014

Pseudomature behavior—ranging from minor delinquency to precocious romantic involvement—is widely viewed as a nearly normative feature of adolescence. When such behavior occurs early in adolescence, however, it was hypothesized to reflect a misguided overemphasis upon impressing peers and was considered likely to predict long‐term adjustment problems. In a multimethod, multireporter study following a community sample of 184 adolescents from ages 13 to 23, early adolescent pseudomature behavior was linked cross‐sectionally to a heightened desire for peer popularity and to short‐term success with peers. Longitudinal results, however, supported the study's central hypothesis: Early adolescent pseudomature behavior predicted long‐term difficulties in close relationships, as well as significant problems with alcohol and substance use, and elevated levels of criminal behavior.
Dental trauma: prevalence and risk factors in schoolchildren
Authors: Goettems Marília Leão , Torriani Dione Dias , Hallal Pedro Curi , Correa Marcos Britto , Demarco Flávio Fernando
Published: June 2014

Objectives

This cross‐sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of traumatic injury to the permanent incisors in 8‐ to 12‐year‐old children and to test associations between dental trauma and nutritional status and physical activity level, with adjustment for demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial variables. Differences in risk factors between sexes were also assessed.

Methods

Two‐stage cluster sampling was used to select 1210 children in 20 public and private schools in Pelotas, Brazil, for study participation. Dental trauma was assessed using the O'Brien criteria. Parents provided information about socioeconomic characteristics and their children's history of trauma in early childhood via questionnaire. Children were interviewed to obtain demographic and psychosocial information and to assess physical activity level. Anthropometric measures were collected for body mass index calculation. Hierarchical Poisson regression was used for data analyses.

Results

The prevalence of dental trauma was 12.6% [95% confidence interval (CI), 10.8–14.7%] in the entire sample; it increased with age from 7.2% at 8 years to 21.5% at 12 years. In the adjusted analysis, dental trauma was more prevalent in boys [prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.50–0.99], older children (PR = 3.57; 95% CI, 1.73–7.34), those with inadequate lip coverage (PR = 2.03; 95% CI, 1.22–3.38), and those with histories of trauma in the primary dentition (PR = 2.60; 95% CI, 1.80–3.75). In a sex‐stratified analysis, dental trauma was more prevalent in overweight/obese boys (PR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.10–2.92). No significant association was found with socioeconomic variables, psychosocial characteristics, physical activity level, or school retention among boys or girls.

Conclusions

The pronounced increase in the prevalence of dental trauma with age highlights the need to establish preventive strategies among schoolchildren. The risk of dental injury was increased in overweight/obese boys and children with histories of dental trauma in early childhood, confirming the existence of accident‐prone children.
Quad Layout Embedding via Aligned Parameterization
Authors: Campen M. , Kobbelt L.
Published: June 2014

Quad layouting, i.e. the partitioning of a surface into a coarse network of quadrilateral patches, is a fundamental step in application scenarios ranging from animation and simulation to reverse engineering and meshing. This process involves determining the layout's combinatorial structure as well as its geometric embedding in the surface. We present a novel quad layout algorithm that focuses on the embedding optimization, thereby complementing recent methods focusing on the structure optimization aspect. It takes as input a description of the target layout structure and computes a complete embedding in form of a parameterization globally optimized for isometry and, in particular, principal direction alignment. Besides being suited for fully automatic workflows, our method can also incorporate user constraints and support the tedious but common procedure of manual layouting.
Juggling with Proximity and Distance: Collaborative Innovation Projects in the Danish Cleantech Industry
Authors: Hansen Teis
Published: June 2014

Studies increasingly apply a multidimensional proximity framework in the analysis of collaborations between actors. This article explores the influence of collaboration motives on the desired proximity characteristics of partnerships in innovation projects based on 50 interviews with representatives from Danish cleantech firms. How search criteria along proximity dimensions differ depends on the purposes of the collaborations. In this way, the analysis distinguishes between the types of collaboration, where geographical proximity is considered highly important and those where geographically distant partners are preferred. Geographical proximity plays an important role in partnerships motivated by interaction around actual product development and knowledge creation, while long‐distance relationships appear to be important for partnerships motivated by market access and cost considerations. The insight that the desired proximity characteristics of partnerships are indeed contingent on the motive for collaborating highlights how the proximity framework can be applied in the analysis of firm decision making.
Pocket Echocardiography System for Detection of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Neonates
Authors: Torrazza Roberto Murgas , Chandran Arun , Co‐Vu Jennifer , DeGroff Curt
Published: June 2014

Background

Neonates are commonly referred for a cardiology consult and an echocardiogram to rule out patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Objectives

Evaluate the usefulness of current pocket echocardiography system (PES) in PDA detection compared to traditional full‐featured echo system (FFES).

Hypothesis

The determination of the presence of a PDA in neonates can be done using PES.

Methods

Fifty newborns with orders for echo evaluation were included in this study. A 5‐minute PES scan was performed first. Then a full echo study was performed on a traditional FFES. Images were evaluated by three pediatric cardiologists blinded to the patients and the FFES results.

Results

The overall accuracy of reviewers rating PES versus FFES to rule in PDA had low false‐positive rates 9.5% (95% CI: 1.2–30%), 11.8% (95% CI: 1.5–36%), 11.1% (95% CI: 1.4–35%) and the false‐negative rate to rule out PDA was 0% (95% CI: 0–18%), 5.5% (95% CI: 0.14–27%), 0% (95% CI: 0–26%) for each reviewer 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Upon further analysis, PES scan was shown not to be accurate on infants with body weight below 1000 g with encouraging results for infants above 1000 g and those >37 weeks gestational age.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the current PES could potentially be used in larger and near‐term infants but has less than acceptable performance in low birth weight and premature infants in determining who should undergo a FFES study for persistent PDA diagnosis. Improvements in the technology along with developing limited training protocols for noncardiology personnel should make it possible for PES scan to be used as a screening tool and as an extension of physical examination especially in limited resource settings.
Altered Right Ventricular Contractile Pattern after Cardiac Surgery: Monitoring of Septal Function Is Essential
Authors: Nguyen Tin , Cao Long , Movahed Assad
Published: June 2014

Assessment of right ventricular (RV) function is important in the management of various forms of cardiovascular disease. Accurately assessing RV volume and systolic function is a challenge in day‐to‐day clinical practice due to its complex geometry. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and systolic excursion velocity (S′) have been reviewed to further assess their suitability and objectivity in evaluating RV function. Multiple studies have validated their diagnostic and prognostic values in numerous pathologic conditions. Diminished longitudinal contraction after cardiothoracic surgery is a well‐known phenomenon, but it is not well validated. Despite significant reduction in RV performance along the long‐axis assessed by TAPSE and S′ after cardiac surgery, RV ejection fractions did not change as well as the left ventricular parameters and exercise capacity. RV contractile patterns were markedly altered with decreased longitudinal shortening and increased transverse shortening, which are likely resulted from the septal damage during cardiac surgery. The septum is essential for RV performance due to its oblique fiber orientation. This allows ventricular twisting, which is a vital mechanism against increased pulmonary vascular resistance. The septum function along with TAPSE and S′ should be adequately assessed during cardiac surgery, and evidence of septal dysfunction should lead to reevaluation of myocardial protection methods.
The Credit–Growth Nexus: New Evidence from Developing and Developed Countries
Authors: Seifallah Sassi , Sami Ben Ali Mohamed
Published: June 2014

The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between credit market development and economic growth for a heterogeneous panel of 20 developing and developed countries with varied growth experiences. The empirical study is based on estimations of generalized method of moments (GMM) and pooled mean group (PMG) on heterogeneous panel data model. Difference GMM estimation indicates that credit market development has a negative effect on economic growth. This result is robust for our full sample and for the subsample of non‐OECD countries, but not for the subsample of OECD countries. However, using a PMG model, we provide evidence of a positive impact in the long run between credit market development and economic growth. When considering heterogeneity in the short‐run relationship across countries, our findings suggest that the credit–growth relationship is specific across countries, depending on each country‐specific legal and macroeconomic environment.
Improving Loan Portfolio Optimization by Importance Sampling Techniques: Evidence on Italian Banking Books
Authors: Clemente Annalisa Di
Published: June 2014

The aim of this work is to explore how importance sampling (IS) techniques may improve internal banking portfolio optimization models. The current economic downturn contributes to an increase in the credit risk amount of the loan portfolios reducing the quality of the banking credit. In such a difficult economic context, characterized by the credit crunch phenomenon, robust and stable methodologies of credit portfolio risk minimization, based on ‘enhanced’ Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) portfolio models, may encourage Italian banks to finance the real economy by lending also during risky and uncertain economic conditions. For these reasons, our investigation focuses on Italian banking books composed of credit loans to the 23 Italian non‐financial economic sectors. In order to reduce the high volatilities both of the estimates of the credit portfolio's tail risk and of the optimal solutions in terms of credit asset allocations, we combine a two‐step IS technique with a MCS model in a context of credit portfolio's Conditional Value at Risk minimization. The performance of this improved credit portfolio optimization model, in terms of accuracy of the estimates, has been investigated for the sample Italian loan portfolio in two different phases of the economic cycle, precisely before and during the current financial and economic crisis.
Is Diversity Necessary for Educational Justice?
Authors: New William S. , Merry Michael S.
Published: June 2014

In this article William New and Michael Merry challenge the notion that diversity serves as a good proxy for educational justice. First, they maintain that the story about how diversity might be accomplished and what it might do for students and society is internally inconsistent. Second, they argue that a disproportionate share of the benefits that might result from greater diversity often accrues to those already advantaged. Finally, they propose that many of the most promising and pragmatic remedies for educational injustice are often rejected by liberal proponents of “diversity first” in favor of remedies that in most cases are practically impossible, and often problematic on their own terms. New and Merry argue that schools that are by geography and demography not ethnically or socioeconomically diverse still can successfully confront the obstacles that their students face in creating a life they have reason to value.
Guiding deployment of resistance in cereals using evolutionary principles
Authors: Burdon Jeremy J. , Barrett Luke G. , Rebetzke Greg , Thrall Peter H.
Published: June 2014

Genetically controlled resistance provides plant breeders with an efficient means of controlling plant disease, but this approach has been constrained by practical difficulties associated with combining many resistance genes together and strong evolutionary responses from pathogen populations leading to subsequent resistance breakdown. However, continuing advances in molecular marker technologies are revolutionizing the ability to rapidly and reliably manipulate resistances of all types – major gene, adult plant and quantitative resistance loci singly or multiply into individual host lines. Here, we argue that these advances provide major opportunities to deliberately design deployment strategies in cereals that can take advantage of the evolutionary pressures faced by target pathogens. Different combinations of genes deployed either within single host individuals or between different individuals within or among crops, can be used to reduce the size of pathogen populations and generate patterns of disruptive selection. This will simultaneously limit immediate epidemic development and reduce the probability of subsequent evolutionary change in the pathogen for broader infectivity or increased aggressiveness. The same general principles are relevant to the control of noncereal diseases, but the most efficacious controls will vary reflecting the range of genetic options available and their fit with specific ecology and life‐history combinations.