bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of the global financial crisis recovery: an empirical assessment
Authors: Dao Minh Quang
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the effect of the factors contributing to the recovery from this crisis in terms of national GDP growth among the G7, Asian7, and Latin American7 countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses a multivariate regression analysis of the determinants of the global financial crisis recovery.

Findings

Based on data from 21 developed and developing emerging market economies the author found that good macroeconomic fundamentals together with more open financial policy, financial liberalization, financial depth, domestic performance, and favored global conditions do linearly influence national GDP growth. Over 85 percent of cross-country variations in GDP growth during the recovery phase of the global financial crisis can be explained by its linear dependency on pre-crisis national GDP growth, financial liberalization, financial depth, domestic performance, as well as interaction terms between various explanatory variables. Cross-country differences in national GDP growth also linearly depend on macroprudence and on favorable global conditions.

Originality/value

Results of such empirical examination may enable governments in developing countries devise resilience strategies that may serve as powerful tools for dealing with future global financial crises.
Macroeconomics of money laundering: effects and measurements
Authors: Hendriyetty Nella , Grewal Bhajan S.
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review studies focusing on the magnitude of money laundering and their effects on a country’s economy. The relevant concepts are identified on the basis of discussions in the literature by prominent scholars and policy makers. There are three main objectives in this review: first, to discuss the effects of money laundering on a country’s macro-economy; second, to seek measurements from other scholars; and finally, to seek previous findings about the magnitude and the flows of money laundering.

Design/methodology/approach

In the first part, this paper outlines the effects of money laundering on macroeconomic conditions of a country, and then the second part reviews the literature that measures the magnitude of money laundering from an economic perspective.

Findings

Money laundering affects a country’s economy by increasing shadow economy and criminal activities, illicit flows and impeding tax collection. To minimise these negative effects, it is necessary to quantify the magnitude of money laundering relative to economic conditions to identify the most vulnerable aspects of money laundering in a country. Two approaches are used in this study: the first is the capital flight approach, as money laundering will cause flows of money between countries; the second is the economic approach for measuring money laundering through economic variables (e.g. tax revenue, underground economy and income generated by criminals) separately from tax evasion.

Originality/value

The paper offers new insights for the measurement of money laundering, especially for developing countries. Most methods in quantifying money laundering have focused on developed countries, which are less applicable to developing countries.
Community service and white-collar offenders
Authors: Supernor Hannah
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find out who in the white-collar offender field, specifically health-care professionals, is getting community service as a punishment and to lead the way for further research on community service as a legal sanction.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected its sample using Medicaid Fraud Reports from the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units for 2009-2014. In total, 200 reports were used; 100 with community service given as a legal sanction, and 100 without. All the information was then coded by a set of criteria and put into an SPSS Statistics file for analysis.

Findings

The findings showed that there was no significant relationship between gender and any of the main legal sanctions looked for in the Medicaid Fraud Reports, except for community service. Community service also had a significant relationship with those offenders who committed physical crimes rather than financial crimes. Last, women were given less severe sanctions on average for all of the major sanctions given.

Research limitations/implications

One of the implications found was that a lot more women were given community service than men. This could be because women are considered homemakers for families, and the court systems do not want to punish a woman in a way that would take her away from her family. It could also be because the court system does not see a reason to punish women as harshly as it may be felt that a woman will learn her lesson with any punishment.

Originality/value

There is very little research done on community service as a sanction. This research helps bring that to light.
Theory of values transformation in criminal banking law
Authors: Jafari Amin
Published: January 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to clarify that some values are the origin of the modern financial world. In this regard, they should be protected by legal and financial mechanisms. However, sometimes, it is not necessary to use the entire legal arsenal to protect those values. A value can be transformed into another value or mutate into a notion and become implicitly protected by the whole system. This is called the transformation of values.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, it shall be analyzed how the protection of values is applied in both Shariah and conventional systems. Two Gulf countries, Iran and The United Arab Emirates (UAE), will be compared with France, which have different financial systems. How the process of transformation becomes a global norm which lead to a harmonization will also be discussed.

Findings

This paper demonstrates that divergent values in both Islamic and conventional financial system tend to be convergent and become global standard norms. In this respect, due to the transformation of values, harmonization of norms and standards will be recognized.

Originality/value

The paper fulfils an identified process in which the penal action against irregularities becomes a “dernier resort”, and it is for the protection of major global concerns, not for “little transgressions against local values”.
Insider trading in India – regulatory enforcement
Authors: Manchikatla Anil Kumar , Acharya Rajesh H.
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the effectiveness of insider trading enforcement actions in India and international dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on the insider trading regulations and amendments made during the period 1992-2015.

Findings

The notable observation of the study is the dearth of insider trading conviction and the paucity of prosecution for insider trading offences in India. It is difficult to resist the conclusion that surveillance and enforcement matter more than the drafting of the relevant statutes and regulations in emerging markets. Whereas, developed countries have a better record of prosecution than emerging markets.

Research limitations/implications

Future research may explore the factors that hinder effective regulation and recommend new methods to increase the impact of Securities and Exchange Board of India insider trading regulation.

Originality/value

The current paper presents guidance for the foreign institutional investors, regulators and market participants on insider trading regulation and prosecution in India.
Factorial structure of the Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents (RSCA) among incarcerated male adolescent offenders
Authors: Gibson Rachel A. , Clarbour Jane
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the factor structure of the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (RSCA, Prince-Embury, 2006, 2007) and to provide supporting evidence that this is a psychometrically sound measure for practitioners and researchers to use to assess resilience in incarcerated male adolescent offenders in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine if the factor structure could be replicated among incarcerated male adolescent offenders. Concurrent validation of the measure was also conducted, utilising the Beck Youth Inventory, second edition (BYI-II-II; Beck et al., 2005).

Findings

CFA of the RSCA was unable to confirm the structure of the measure at an item level, therefore parcelling techniques were utilised similarly to Prince-Embury and Courville (2008), using the subscales for the factors as indicators for the factors. While a three-factor model was found to be an acceptable fit to the data, there was also some support for a two-factor model. Despite this, there was more statistical support for the three-factor model and arguments are made for retaining this structure. Expected associations between the three subscales of sense of mastery, sense of relatedness and emotional reactivity were found with the Beck Youth Inventory demonstrating support for the concurrent validity of the measure in incarcerated male adolescent offenders.

Practical implications

This paper provides support for the internal structure of the RSCA with incarcerated male adolescent offenders within the UK, although some caution should be used when interpreting scores from the subscales. The findings suggest that the RSCA can be utilised by practitioners to identify young people who may benefit from additional support and also in assessment and treatment/intervention planning. This may be particularly useful when practitioners wish to explore the potential protective nature of resilience.

Originality/value

The current study is the first of its kind to formally explore the factor structure of the RSCA with incarcerated male adolescent offenders.
Investigating the voice of the young offender
Authors: Trivasse Heidi
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to fulfil national guidelines for greater participation of young people within Children’s Services and specifically explored young offenders’ (YOs) views and experiences of the Youth Justice Service (YJS).

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were used to gather qualitative evidence regarding the experiences of 11 YOs. The interviews were created with four subsections: demographic information, positive and negative aspects of the YJS, feelings regarding YJS involvement, and hindsight and future plans. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

Two main themes arose: how participants perceived their journey through the YJS, and the relationships participants had with both the professionals and activities. Overall, the genuineness and parental quality of the relationships between YOs and YJS workers, and the personal relevance of the work, both appeared more important than formal interventions.

Practical implications

Implications for YJS practice suggest the need to create a context of genuine care. This includes building a relationship with, and working collaboratively with the YO, the provision of structure and boundaries, ensuring clarity in service provision and tailoring work to the individual and the offence.

Originality/value

This work satisfies Children’s Services guidance to obtain the view of the young person. It evaluates work within a specific YJS and provides implications for altering the focus of this work. The outcomes offer wider implications for all YJS provisions.
Developing and evaluating interventions for women firesetters in high secure mental healthcare
Authors: Annesley Phyllis , Davison Leonie , Colley Chris , Gilley Liz , Thomson Louise
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implementation and evaluation of interventions for women firesetters in high secure mental healthcare at the UK’s National Women’s Service.

Design/methodology/approach

Two types of Arson treatment programmes for women, one delivered to individuals, the other within a group context, were developed, delivered and evaluated. The evaluation incorporated qualitative and quantitative data, including psychometric measures. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

The evaluation evidenced very high engagement with and attendance at treatment programmes, and several post-treatment gains. Participants’ ratings of programmes and qualitative feedback were similarly very positive. The study demonstrated that engaging women firesetters in their treatment is paramount and can be facilitated by consistent boundaries around therapy provision balanced with sensitivity, empathy and flexibility; providing interactive and varied teaching methods; ongoing service user involvement and recognising participants’ achievements; employing a mixed cognitive analytic therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy therapeutic approach; having input from fire service staff; and maintaining organisational support for firesetting interventions.

Practical implications

In all, 12 key recommendations are made for clinicians considering offering treatment programmes for women firesetters.

Originality/value

Amid few published papers on treating women firesetters this paper guides forensic clinicians in establishing and delivering interventions for women firesetters.
A longevity basis risk analysis in a joint FDM framework
Authors: D’Amato Valeria , Coppola Mariarosaria , Levantesi Susanna , Menzietti Massimiliano , Russolillo Maria
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The improvements of longevity are intensifying the need for capital markets to be used to manage and transfer the risk through longevity-linked securities. Nevertheless, the difference between the reference population of the hedging instrument and the population of members of a pension plan, or the beneficiaries of an annuity portfolio, determines a significant heterogeneity causing the so-called basis risk. In particular, it is shown that if insurers use financial instruments based on national indices to hedge longevity risk, this hedge can become imperfect. For this reason, it is fundamental to arrange a model allowing to quantify the basis risk for minimising it through a correct calibration of the hedging instrument.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a framework for measuring the basis risk impact on the. To this aim, we propose a model that measures the population basis risk involved in a longevity hedge, in the functional data model setting. hedging strategies.

Findings

The innovative contribution of the paper occurs in two key points: the modelling of mortality and the hedging strategy. Regarding the first point, the paper proposes a functional demographic model framework (FDMF) for capturing the basis risk. The FDMF model generally designed for single population combines functional data analysis, nonparametric smoothing and robust statistics. It allows to capture the variability of the mortality trend, by separating out the effects of several orthogonal components. The novelty is to set the FDMF for modelling the mortality of the two populations, the hedging and the exposed one. Regarding the second point, the basic idea is to calibrate the hedging strategy determining a suitable mixture of q-forwards linked to mortality rates to maximise the degree of longevity risk reduction. This calibration is based on the key q-duration intended as a measure allowing to estimate the price sensitivity of the annuity portfolio to the changes in the underlying mortality curve.

Originality/value

The novelty lies in linking the shift in the mortality curve to the standard deviation of the historical mortality rates of the exposed population. This choice has been determined by the observation that the shock in a mortality rate is age dependent. The main advantage of the presented framework is its strong versatility, being the functional demographic setting a generalisation of the Lee-Carter model commonly used in mortality forecasting, it allows to adapt to different demographic scenarios. In the next developments, we set out to compare other common factor models to assess the most effective longevity hedge. Moreover, the parsimony for considering together two trajectories of the populations under consideration and the convergence of long-term forecast are important aspects of our approach.
Risk measures computation by Fourier inversion
Authors: Nguyen Ngoc Quynh Anh , Nguyen Thi Ngoc Trang
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the method for efficient computation of risk measures using Fourier transform technique. Another objective is to demonstrate that this technique enables an efficient computation of risk measures beyond value-at-risk and expected shortfall. Finally, this paper highlights the importance of validating assumptions behind the risk model and describes its application in the affine model framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The method proposed is based on Fourier transform methods for computing risk measures. The authors obtain the loss distribution by fitting a cubic spline through the points where Fourier inversion of the characteristic function is applied. From the loss distribution, the authors calculate value-at-risk and expected shortfall. As for the calculation of the entropic value-at-risk, it involves the moment generating function which is closely related to the characteristic function. The expectile risk measure is calculated based on call and put option prices which are available in a semi-closed form by Fourier inversion of the characteristic function. We also consider mean loss, standard deviation and semivariance which are calculated in a similar manner.

Findings

The study offers practical insights into the efficient computation of risk measures as well as validation of the risk models. It also provides a detailed description of algorithms to compute each of the risk measures considered. While the main focus of the paper is on portfolio-level risk metrics, all algorithms are also applicable to single instruments.

Practical implications

The algorithms presented in this paper require little computational effort which makes them very suitable for real-world applications. In addition, the mathematical setup adopted in this paper provides a natural framework for risk model validation which makes the approach presented in this paper particularly appealing in practice.

Originality/value

This is the first study to consider the computation of entropic value-at-risk, semivariance as well as expectile risk measure using Fourier transform method.
Municipal bond insurance: identifying the best payment plan
Authors: Kalotay Andrew , Abreo Leslie
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The volume of municipal bond insurance declined dramatically following the financial crisis of 2008. Insurance now is making a gradual comeback. Two related considerations complicate identification of the best insurance plan. One is the current practice in the municipal market of issuing callable bonds with an above-market coupon; such bonds are very likely to be refunded. The other is that the cost of insurance may depend on when the bonds are refunded. This paper shows how contemporary fixed income analytics can be applied to identifying the best payment plan.

Design/methodology/approach

When the structure of the bond issue is fixed, the benefit from insurance is simply in the increase in proceeds from the better pricing. The debt service is adjusted to incorporate the cashflows associated with insurance. The optimum time of refunding depends on the adjusted cashflows. The effective insurance cost is the difference between the present value of the debt service with and without the adjustment for insurance payments.

Findings

The timing of refunding is a critical determinant of which premium payment plan is the best deal. For a given bond structure, the likelihood of refunding favors plans that are contingent on that event.

Originality/value

The paper proposes an analytically rigorous approach to identifying the most cost-effective bond insurance plan. The findings are relevant to participants in municipal finance, including issuers and their advisors, underwriters and bond insurance companies.
A hierarchical method for human concurrent activity recognition using miniature inertial sensors
Authors: Chen Ye , Wang Zhelong
Published: January 2017

Purpose

Existing studies on human activity recognition using inertial sensors mainly discuss single activities. However, human activities are rather concurrent. A person could be walking while brushing their teeth or lying while making a call. The purpose of this paper is to explore an effective way to recognize concurrent activities.

Design/methodology/approach

Concurrent activities usually involve behaviors from different parts of the body, which are mainly dominated by the lower limbs and upper body. For this reason, a hierarchical method based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) is proposed to classify them. At the lower level, the state of the lower limbs to which a concurrent activity belongs is firstly recognized by means of one ANN using simple features. Then, the upper-level systems further distinguish between the upper limb movements and infer specific concurrent activity using features processed by the principle component analysis.

Findings

An experiment is conducted to collect realistic data from five sensor nodes placed on subjects’ wrist, arm, thigh, ankle and chest. Experimental results indicate that the proposed hierarchical method can distinguish between 14 concurrent activities with a high classification rate of 92.6 per cent, which significantly outperforms the single-level recognition method.

Practical implications

In the future, the research may play an important role in many ways such as daily behavior monitoring, smart assisted living, postoperative rehabilitation and eldercare support.

Originality/value

To provide more accurate information on people’s behaviors, human concurrent activities are discussed and effectively recognized by using a hierarchical method.
Study on an innovative self-inductance tension eddy current sensor based on the inverse magnetostrictive effect
Authors: Xiu Chengzhu , Ren Liang , Li Hongnan , Jia Ziguang
Published: January 2017

Purpose

Magnetic permeability variations of ferromagnetic materials under elastic stress offer the potential to monitor tension based on the inverse magnetostrictive effect. The purpose of this paper is to propose an innovative self-inductance tension eddy current sensor to detect tension.

Design/methodology/approach

The effectiveness of conventional elasto-magnetic (EM) sensor is limited during signal detection, due to its complex sensor structure, which includes excitation and induction coils. In this paper, a novel self-inductance tension eddy current sensor using a single coil is presented.

Findings

The output signal was analyzed through oscilloscope in the frequency domain and via self-developed data logger in the time domain. Experimental results show the existence of a linear relationship between voltage across the sensor and tension. The sensor sensitivity is dependent on operating conditions, such as current and frequency of the input signal.

Practical implications

The self-inductance sensor has great potential for replacing conventional EM sensor due to its low cost, simple structure, high precision and good repeatability in tension detection.

Originality/value

A spilt sleeve structure provides a higher permeability path to magnetic field lines than a non-sleeve structure, thus reducing the loss of magnetic field. The self-developed data logger improves sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio of sensor. The novel sensor, as a replacement of the EM sensor, can easily and accurately monitor the tension force.
Sex‐dependent effects of letrozole on anxiety in middle‐aged rats
Authors: Borbélyová Veronika , Domonkos Emese , Csongová Melinda , Kačmárová Mária , Ostatníková Daniela , Celec Peter , Hodosy Július
Published: January 2017

Aromatase catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to estradiol and is involved in the physiological effects of sex hormones on brain function. Animal experiments have shown that the aromatase inhibitor, letrozole, can induce anxiety in young ovariectomized females that are used as a model of aging. Whether or not these effects would be similar in intact middle‐aged animals is unknown. The aim of our study was to analyze the effects of letrozole on anxiety in middle‐aged rats of both sexes. Fifteen month old male and female rats were treated daily with either letrozole or vehicle for 2 weeks. The elevated plus maze was used to test anxiety‐like behaviour. Sex differences were found not only in plasma concentrations of testosterone but also in the effects of letrozole treatment on plasma testosterone (P<.05). The interaction between sex and treatment was also proven in locomotor activity (P<.05) and time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze (P<.05). Letrozole‐treated male rats spent 95% less time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze than the control rats did (P<.05) suggesting an anxiogenic effect of aromatase inhibition. This difference was not found between letrozole‐treated and vehicle‐treated females. In contrast to previous experiments on young animals, letrozole seems to induce anxiety in male but not in female middle‐aged rats. This sex‐specific effect might be related to sex differences of oestrogen and androgen signalling in aging brains. These results should be taken into account in clinical applications of letrozole, especially in men.
Soul in the world: symbolic culture as the medium for psyche
Authors: Colman Warren
Published: January 2017

Whilst the loss of a sense of living connection with the material world is mainly associated with the scientific revolution in seventeenth century Europe, it can be traced back to Plato's introduction of a hierarchy between soul and body. Jung's attempted solution to this – esse in anima – is ingenious but maintains the Cartesian split by which the aliveness of the world is reduced to a projection of psychic forces (the archetypes). An alternative approach is proposed, rooted in the Aristotelean emphasis on practical activity that sees the soul as a function of our way of being in the world. Human cognition is extended and distributed by our social and material engagement with the world, especially via collective representations whose symbolic character is constitutive of the reality of the world in which we live. Despite the dominance of ‘scientific Cartesian’ representations in the modern Western world, there remain numerous instances of participation mystique that cannot be captured by the Cartesian notion of projection. These indicate an opening to ways of being in the world that may lead us out of the impasse of the Cartesian matrix.
Mottainai: a Japanese sense of anima mundi
Authors: Sato Yuriko
Published: January 2017

The Japanese expression ‘Mottainai!’ can be translated as ‘What a waste!’ or ‘Don't be wasteful!’ However, mottainai means much more than that. It expresses a sense of concern or regret for whatever is wasted because its intrinsic value is not properly utilized. Buddhism and Japan's indigenous religion, Shinto, are integral to the Japanese psyche, accordingly the other‐than‐human world is also experienced and lived in daily life. In the Japanese worldview everything in nature is endowed with spirit, every individual existence is dependent on others and all are connected in an ever‐changing world. Mottainai offers a glimpse of the anima mundi inherent in this worldview. This contrasts with our anthropocentric Zeitgeist, which manifests outwardly as environmental crisis and inwardly as fixation upon social interactions, especially through communication technologies, to the exclusion of all else. Jung's statement, ‘The decisive question for man is: Is he related to something infinite or not? That is the telling question of his life’, has never been more pertinent. Encounters beyond the human world could be understood as touching this ‘something infinite’, and the apparent benefits of such experiences in the analytical process are illustrated with clinical vignettes from the author's practice.
What is a Jungian analyst dreaming when myth comes to mind? Thirdness as an aspect of the anima media natura
Authors: Cwik August J.
Published: January 2017

Listening analytically is not listening just to what is said but listening to what is just below the surface waiting to be said. This paper looks at Jung's insight into a ‘third thing’ being created intra‐psychically and within the analytic encounter. Ogden's concept of an ‘analytic third’ is used to describe the clinical aspects of this thirdness. This paper explores: how the state of thirdness is created and accessed through use of reverie and associative dreaming; how the material emerging from it is used in a from or about manner; and the eventual fate of the third in a successful analysis by a reexamination of plates four and ten of the Rosarium. The focus is particularly on the awareness and possible meanings of mythological motifs appearing in the mind of the analyst while in session. Thirdness can be viewed as the interpersonal aspect of the anima media natura and functions in a way that informs us of permeability in and between individuals, while the operation of the anima mundi means that there is always an inseparability of the individual with the world.
Importance of Body Water in the Efficacy of Convective Solute Transport in Online Hemodiafiltration
Authors: Macías Nicolás , Santos García Alba , Vega Martínez Almudena , Abad Estébanez Soraya , Goicoechea Diezhandino Marian , López Gómez Juan Manuel
Published: January 2017

High‐volume online hemodiafiltration (OL‐HDF) has been associated with improved patient survival compared to conventional hemodialysis in recent trials, where the importance of convective volume (CV) in this benefit is noted. The purpose of this study was to determine the corporal composition parameters influencing the efficacy of CV in the removal of different molecular weight (MW) molecules. Demographic data, corporal composition parameters with bioimpedance spectroscopy, dialysis features and the reduction rates of different MW molecules in a four‐hour OL‐HDF session were collected in 61 patients. We observed a significant negative correlation of β2‐microglobulin, cystatin‐C, myoglobin and prolactin reduction rates with body surface area, weight, total body extracellular (ECW) and intracellular water (ICW), lean tissue mass and body cellular mass. The multivariable regression analysis identified ECW and ICW as the only corporal composition factors independently associated to the relative elimination of β2‐microglobulin (Beta: –0.801, P = 0.002 for ECW and Beta: –1.710, P = 0.001 for ICW), cystatin‐C (Beta: –0.656, P = 0.010 for ECW and Beta: –1.511, P = 0.004 for ICW) and myoglobin (Beta: –0.745, P = 0.014 for ECW and Beta: –2.103, P = 0.001 for ICW), in addition to CV. Prolactin reduction was only associated with ICW (Beta: –1.540, P = 0.028). When adjusting CV with ECW and ICW, only the ratio CV/ECW was an independent predictor for higher elimination of β2‐microglobulin, cystatin‐C and myoglobin. The corporal composition parameters independently associated to the reduction of medium‐sized molecules are the extracellular and intracellular water. The ratio “convective volume/extracellular water” predicts higher efficacy of convective transport. Adjusting the convective volume to patient features could be useful to monitor the efficacy of OL‐HDF and to prescribe individualized therapies.
Development of Diversity Arrays Technology markers as a tool for rapid genomic assessment in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus
Authors: Lind C. E. , Kilian A. , Benzie J. A. H.
Published: January 2017

The development of genomic markers is described for Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, using the Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) genotype‐by‐sequencing platform. A total of 13 215 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and 12 490 silicoDArT (dominant) markers were identified from broodstock of two selective breeding programs [Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) strain from Malaysia and the Abbassa strain from Egypt]. Over 10 000 SNPs were polymorphic in either strain, and 2985 and 3087 showed strain‐specific polymorphisms for the GIFT and Abbassa strains respectively. We demonstrate the potential utility of these markers for rapid genomic screening and use in breeding programs.
Deep sequencing of a candidate region harboring the SOX9 gene for the canine XX disorder of sex development
Authors: Nowacka‐Woszuk J. , Szczerbal I. , Pausch H. , Hundi S. , Hytönen M. K. , Grzemski A. , Flisikowski K. , Lohi H. , Switonski M. , Szydlowski M.
Published: January 2017

A disorder of sex development (DSD) in dogs with female sex chromosomes (78, XX), a lack of the SRY gene and the presence of testes or ovotestes is commonly diagnosed in numerous breeds. The molecular background of DSD is not fully recognized but has been linked to the copy number variation in the region harboring the SOX9 gene. We applied a genome‐wide association study and targeted next‐generation sequencing techniques to compare DSD and normal female dogs. The genome‐wide association study did not indicate a significant chromosome region. Targeted next‐generation sequencing of a 1.5‐Mb region on canine chromosome 9 harboring the SOX9 gene revealed two putatively DSD‐associated copy number variations 355 kb upstream and 691 kb downstream of SOX9, four blocks of low polymorphism and two blocks of an elevated heterozygosity. An initial next‐generation sequencing analysis showed an association with two SNPs, but validation in larger cohorts did not confirm this result. We identified a large homologous fragment (over 243.8 kb), named hfMAGI2, located upstream of SOX9, that overlaps a known copy number variation region. It shows a high sequence similarity with the 5′ flanking region of the MAGI2 gene located on canine chromosome 18 that encodes a protein involved in ovary formation during early embryonic development. Our study showed that the identified copy number variation region located upstream of the SOX9 gene contains potential regulatory sequences (long non‐coding RNA and hfMAGI2) and led to the assumption that a multiplication of this element may alter expression of the SOX9 gene, triggering the DSD phenotype.
Maltreatment increases spontaneous false memories but decreases suggestion‐induced false memories in children
Authors: Otgaar Henry , Howe Mark L. , Muris Peter
Published: January 2017

We examined the creation of spontaneous and suggestion‐induced false memories in maltreated and non‐maltreated children. Maltreated and non‐maltreated children were involved in a Deese–Roediger–McDermott false memory paradigm where they studied and remembered negative and neutral word lists. Suggestion‐induced false memories were created using a misinformation procedure during which both maltreated and non‐maltreated children viewed a negative video (i.e., bank robbery) and later received suggestive misinformation concerning the event. Our results showed that maltreated children had higher levels of spontaneous negative false memories but lower levels of suggestion‐induced false memories as compared to non‐maltreated children. Collectively, our study demonstrates that maltreatment both increases and decreases susceptibility to memory illusions depending on the type of false memory being induced.

Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject?

Trauma affects memory.

It is unclear how trauma affects false memory.

What does this study add?

This study focuses on two types of false memories.
Long‐term follow‐up of treatment of erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy using nerve grafts and end‐to‐side somatic‐autonomic neurorraphy: a new technique
Authors: Souza Trindade José Carlos , Viterbo Fausto , Petean Trindade André , Fávaro Wagner José , Trindade‐Filho José Carlos Souza
Published: January 2017

Objective

To study a novel penile reinnervation technique using four sural nerve grafts and end‐to‐side neurorraphies connecting bilaterally the femoral nerve and the cavernous corpus and the femoral nerve and the dorsal penile nerves.

Patients and Methods

Ten patients (mean [± sd; range] age 60.3 [± 4.8; 54–68] years), who had undergone radical prostatectomy (RP) at least 2 years previously, underwent penile reinnervation in the present study. Four patients had undergone radiotherapy after RP. All patients reported satisfactory sexual activity prior to RP. The surgery involved bridging of the femoral nerve to the dorsal nerve of the penis and the inner part of the corpus cavernosum with sural nerve grafts and end‐to‐side neurorraphies. Patients were evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire and pharmaco‐penile Doppler ultrasonography (PPDU) preoperatively and at 6, 12 and 18 months postoperatively, and using a Clinical Evolution of Erectile Function (CEEF) questionnaire, administered after 36 months.

Results

The IIEF scores showed improvements with regard to erectile dysfunction (ED), satisfaction with intercourse and general satisfaction. Evaluation of PPDU velocities did not reveal any difference between the right and left sides or among the different time points. The introduction of nerve grafts neither caused fibrosis of the corpus cavernosum, nor reduced penile vascular flow. CEEF results showed that sexual intercourse began after a mean of 13.7 months with frequency of sexual intercourse varying from once daily to once monthly. Acute complications were minimal. The study was limited by the small number of cases.

Conclusions

A total of 60% of patients were able to achieve full penetration, on average, 13 months after reinnervation surgery. Patients previously submitted to radiotherapy had slower return of erectile function. We conclude that penile reinnervation surgery is a viable technique, with effective results, and could offer a new treatment method for ED after RP.
IL‐15‐deficient mice develop enhanced allergic responses to airway allergen exposure
Authors: Mathias C. B. , Schramm C. M. , Guernsey L. A. , Wu C. A. , Polukort S. H. , Rovatti J. , Ser‐Dolansky J. , Secor E. , Schneider S. S. , Thrall R. S. , Aguila H. L.
Published: January 2017

Background

Interleukin‐15 is a pleiotropic cytokine that is critical for the development and survival of multiple haematopoietic lineages. Mice lacking IL‐15 have selective defects in populations of several pro‐allergic immune cells including natural killer (NK) cells, NKT cells, and memory CD8+ T cells. We therefore hypothesized that IL‐15−/− mice will have reduced inflammatory responses during the development of allergic airway disease (AAD).

Objective

To determine whether IL‐15−/− mice have attenuated allergic responses in a mouse model of AAD.

Methods

C57BL/6 wild‐type (WT) and IL‐15−/− mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA), and the development of AAD was ascertained by examining changes in airway inflammatory responses, Th2 responses, and lung histopathology.

Results

Here, we report that IL‐15−/− mice developed enhanced allergic responses in an OVA‐induced model of AAD. In the absence of IL‐15, OVA‐challenged mice exhibited enhanced bronchial eosinophilic inflammation, elevated IL‐13 production, and severe lung histopathology in comparison with WT mice. In addition, increased numbers of CD4+ T and B cells in the spleens and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were also observed. Examination of OVA‐challenged IL‐15Rα−/− animals revealed a similar phenotype resulting in enhanced airway eosinophilia compared to WT mice. Adoptive transfer of splenic CD8+ T cells from OVA‐sensitized WT mice suppressed the enhancement of eosinophilia in IL‐15−/− animals to levels observed in WT mice, but had no further effects.

Conclusion and Clinical Relevance

These data demonstrate that mice with an endogenous IL‐15 deficiency are susceptible to the development of severe, enhanced Th2‐mediated AAD, which can be regulated by CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, the development of disease as well as allergen‐specific Th2 responses occurs despite deficiencies in several IL‐15‐dependent cell types including NK, NKT, and γδ T cells, suggesting that these cells or their subsets are dispensable for the induction of AAD in IL‐15‐deficient mice.
Relational Priming Based on a Multiplicative Schema for Whole Numbers and Fractions
Authors: DeWolf Melissa , Son Ji Y. , Bassok Miriam , Holyoak Keith J.
Published: January 2017

Why might it be (at least sometimes) beneficial for adults to process fractions componentially? Recent research has shown that college‐educated adults can capitalize on the bipartite structure of the fraction notation, performing more successfully with fractions than with decimals in relational tasks, notably analogical reasoning. This study examined patterns of relational priming for problems with fractions in a task that required arithmetic computations. College students were asked to judge whether or not multiplication equations involving fractions were correct. Some equations served as structurally inverse primes for the equation that immediately followed it (e.g., 4 × 3/4 = 3 followed by 3 × 8/6 = 4). Students with relatively high math ability showed relational priming (speeded solution times to the second of two successive relationally related fraction equations) both with and without high perceptual similarity (Experiment 2). Students with relatively low math ability also showed priming, but only when the structurally inverse equation pairs were supported by high perceptual similarity between numbers (e.g., 4 × 3/4 = 3 followed by 3 × 4/3 = 4). Several additional experiments established boundary conditions on relational priming with fractions. These findings are interpreted in terms of componential processing of fractions in a relational multiplication context that takes advantage of their inherent connections to a multiplicative schema for whole numbers.
YAP is essential for 3D organogenesis withstanding gravity
Authors: Asaoka Yoichi , Nishina Hiroshi , Furutani‐Seiki Makoto
Published: January 2017

Cells of our body are constantly exposed to physical forces such as tissue tension. In recent years, it has been shown that such mechanical signals greatly influence a number of cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Conversely, cells maintain the mechanical properties of tissues by remodeling their own extracellular environment. To date, however, it is unclear about the molecular mechanisms to maintain the mechanical environment (“mechano‐homeostasis”) in which extracellular mechanical cues are integrated with cell proliferation and differentiation to ensure tissue, organ and body form. In this review, we outline the molecular basis of mechanotransduction, and overview some useful techniques for measuring cellular tension. In the latter part, we describe our recent finding that a transcriptional cofactor YAP plays a crucial role in three‐dimensional organ formation and its maintenance by controlling tissue tension, and functions as a key molecule governing mechano‐homeostasis.
The Student Volunteer Army: a ‘repeat emergent’ emergency response organisation
Authors: Carlton Sally , Mills Colleen E.
Published: January 2017

This paper seeks to contribute to understanding of the factors associated with an effective emergent emergency response organisation and to provide new insights into this understudied area. It examines, through an analysis of a range of textual resources, the emergence and re‐emergence of the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) during the devastating earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2010–11. This evaluation is conducted in relation to the four key features of an effective emergency response organisation: adaptability; direction; leadership; and communication. In addition, the paper aims to further understanding of ‘emergency entrepreneurship’ and thus of the values and strategies that underpin social entrepreneur organisations in times of normalcy. The paper concludes that the unique position of the SVA as a ‘repeat emergent’ emergency response organisation enabled it to innovate continually and to improve repeatedly its systems, relationships, and image, such that it exhibited features common to emergent and established emergency response organisations.
Randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy and safety of treatment with the once‐weekly dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitor omarigliptin or the once‐daily DPP‐4 inhibitor sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin monotherapy
Authors: Goldenberg Ronald , Gantz Ira , Andryuk Paula J. , O'Neill Edward A. , Kaufman Keith D. , Lai Eseng , Wang Yin Na , Suryawanshi Shailaja , Engel Samuel S.
Published: January 2017

Aim

To compare the efficacy and safety of the once‐weekly oral dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitor omarigliptin or once‐daily DPP‐4 inhibitor sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and inadequate glycaemic control on metformin.

Materials and methods

Patients with T2DM with a glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) concentration ≥6.5% to ≤9.0% while on a stable dose of metformin (≥1500 mg/d) were randomized in a double‐blind manner to receive omarigliptin 25 mg once weekly (n = 322) or sitagliptin 100 mg once daily (n = 320). The primary analysis assessed whether omarigliptin was non‐inferior to sitagliptin in reducing HbA1c at week 24, based on the criterion of having an upper bound of the 95% confidence interval (CI) about the difference less than the non‐inferiority bound of 0.3%.

Results

The mean baseline HbA1c was 7.5% in both groups. After 24 weeks, the least squares (LS) mean change in HbA1c from baseline was −0.47% in the omarigliptin group and −0.43% in the sitagliptin group, with a between‐group difference of −0.03% (95% CI −0.15, 0.08). This result met the prespecified criterion for declaring non‐inferiority. The LS mean change from baseline in fasting plasma glucose and the percentage of patients with HbA1c <7.0% or <6.5% at week 24 were similar in the two treatment groups. There were no notable differences in adverse events and the incidence of symptomatic hypoglycaemia was low and similar in the groups.

Conclusions

In patients with T2DM and inadequate glycaemic control on metformin, the addition of omarigliptin 25 mg once weekly or sitagliptin 100 mg once daily led to similar improvements in glycaemic control. Both agents were generally well tolerated with a low incidence of hypoglycaemia.
A Project‐Based Approach to Executive Education
Authors: Jacobson Dax , Chapman Richard , Ye Christine , Van Os Jerry
Published: January 2017

Executive education (EE) has been an important part of business school offerings for nearly as long as there have been business schools. Similarly, business schools were among the first in higher education to adopt online approaches as a means for course delivery. Despite this experience, few business schools have been able to successfully integrate EE with online delivery approaches. This study suggests that a project‐based approach can achieve EE/online delivery integration. The case is first made for a project‐based approach by telling the story of our institution's journey toward a project‐based EE model. Challenges, successes, and plans for the future are then discussed.