bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risk-adjusted efficiency and bank size in a developing economy: an analysis of Vietnamese banks
Authors: Le Minh , Hoang Viet-Ngu , Wilson Clevo , Ngo Thanh 
Published: March 2020

PurposeThere is ample empirical evidence to show that larger banks are more efficient than smaller banks in developed countries. However, there is very little empirical evidence to show that in small developing economies, such as Vietnam, bank size is associated with increased risk, especially credit risk. This paper aim to provide empirical evidence to fill in this gap. This paper employs a slack-based directional distance function using the intermediation approach in measuring the inefficiency of banks in Vietnam during the period 2006–2015. Non-performing loans are used as an undesirable output to capture credit risk. The results show that small banks are more efficient than large banks at the mean level and across the entire distributions of inefficiency of the two groups. Input waste, output shortage and risk surplus of big banks are nearly three times higher than those of small banks. The results are robust under constant and variable returns to scale for production technologies. The study’s empirical results contribute to the ongoing debate on the merits of enlarging bank size in a small transitional economy and suggest that policy makers should pay attention to the risk and inefficiency of large banks to enhance the performance of Vietnam's banking system as a whole.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the non-radial slack-based directional technology distance function developed by Färe and Grosskopf (2010) to estimate the efficiency of banks using the data envelopment analysis technique. Data for 44 commercial banks are used.FindingsThe empirical results of the paper contribute to the ongoing debate on the merits of enlarging bank size in a small transitional economy and suggest that policy makers should pay attention to the risk and inefficiency of large banks to improve the performance of Vietnam's banking system as a whole.Originality/valueThis paper extends the extant literature by examining whether efficiency is associated with size in a typical transitional developing economy. The classic Cournot model, the structure-conduct-performance and the efficiency structure hypotheses state that larger banks are more efficient than smaller banks (Bikker and Bos, 2008). Empirical studies of Berger (2003), Mester (2005), Wheelock and Wilson (2012) lend support to the statement in developed countries. However, not much empirical literature focuses on small developing economies such as Vietnam to show that bank size is associated with increased risk, especially credit risk. The study’s empirical results show that size enlargement is not positively associated with risk-adjusted efficiency. Input waste, output shortage and risk surplus of big banks are nearly three times higher than those of small banks. The results are robust under constant and variable returns to scale for production technologies.
Making and breaking the manual – a case of tests and rapport in an interdisciplinary team
Authors: Ilkjær Helene , Madsen Mette My 
Published: March 2020

PurposeThis article engages the concept of tests–here understood as social tests of collaborative abilities in the interdisciplinary teamwork–to examine how they are central to an applied anthropologist's positioning and influence within an organization.Design/methodology/approachPresented as an auto-ethnographic methodological exploration, the article takes its point of departure in ethnographic material from the work by Helene Ilkjær as an Industrial Postdoc with an interdisciplinary team of engineers, scientists and designers in a Danish technology start-up company.FindingsWithin this ethnographic context, the article examines not only the case of “the manual” to unfold how the dynamics of careful development but also notorious circumvention of manuals came to serve as social tests–moments that fundamentally changed the anthropologist's position within the interdisciplinary team. Analytically, the manual serves as a prism through which it explores the slippery and negotiable nature of the anthropologist's professional position as an Industrial Postdoc–suspended between anthropology “for” and “of” the company, officially employed by the company while also engaged in academic research.Originality/valueThe article offers anthropologists a tool to visualize the different movements and placements within continua of professional positionality while working as applied researchers with(in) private sector organizations.
Hypnosis as performance autoethnography in qualitative sociological research
Authors: Entwistle Paul Andrew 
Published: March 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce to sociologists the concept of dissociative hypnosis and to demonstrate the potential that this discipline has for obtaining or deriving biographical narratives in ethnographic and autoethnographic studies.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents brief comparative histories of the development of hypnosis and of performance autoethnography to highlight the degree of consonance between these apparently, disparate modalities, in their struggle for acceptance and respectability. The intensely introspective, emotional and experiential nature of hypnosis and self-hypnosis narratives is then compared with the personal descriptions and applications of the autoethnographic process as depicted in the sociological literature, to illustrate the parallels between the two modalities. The paper concludes with a review of the potential problems and limitations inherent in using hypnosis as a memory recall modality in sociological research studies.FindingsThis paper argues that the exploratory and revelatory nature of information accrual during dissociative altered-state hypnosis closely resembles that during performance autoethnography, and that hypnosis could therefore be usefully employed as an additional and novel (ethno-) autobiographical tool in sociological and ethnographic research.Originality/valuePerformative autoethnography has now become a firmly established route to obtaining a valid and intensely personal autobiographical history of individuals or groups of individuals. However this is the first publication to propose hypnosis as an alternative approach to deriving ethnographic and autoethnographic biographical narratives.
Sports video games participation: what can we learn for esports?
Authors: García Jaume , Murillo Carles 
Published: March 2020

PurposeThis study investigates three issues associated with playing sports video games: the correlates of participation (and its intensity) in this type of activity, their complementarity with traditional sports and their perception as sport. Given the scarcity of data on esports participation, these results can be seen as an initial approach to these issues with regard to esports.Design/methodology/approachSequential, two-part and regression models are estimated using a sample of 11,018 individuals from the Survey of Sporting Habits in Spain 2015.FindingsFirst, the association of the correlates follows different patterns for participation in sports video games and its intensity. Second, complementarity with traditional sports is found using different approaches. Third, young people consider this activity as a dimension of their overall interest in sports.Practical implicationsThe different association of the correlates with participation in esports and its intensity can be used to define marketing and brand investment strategies. The complementarity between esports and traditional sports should influence how the actual stakeholders in sport define future strategies to favour the growth of both industries. Finally, the increasing perception of esports as a sport should influence the future organisation of multi-sport events like the Olympic Games.Originality/valueUsing sports video games participation as a proxy of esports participation, this study is the first to provide empirical evidence of the relevance of distinguishing between participation in esports and its intensity, their complementarity with traditional sports and their perception as sport.
Time series momentum trading in green stocks
Authors: Chakrabarti Gagari , Sen Chitrakalpa 
Published: March 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the inherent instability, if any, in the context of investment in stocks of environment friendly companies (or the “green” stocks) across the globe using the time series momentum (TSM) trading strategies.

Design/methodology/approach
Using the monthly data for the Green Indexes from the USA, the Europe and the Asia-Pacific region over 2003-2019, the authors construct TSM trading strategies to examine the efficacy of regional Green Indexes as well as two diversified global green portfolios to offer abnormal return to attract investors, particularly speculators. The authors’ explore further whether such strategies could operate as hedging instrument. A comparison of results across different regions helps the authors establish a universal nature, if any, of investment in green stocks.

Findings
The study finds that regional Green Indexes are unable to outperform the market. The global green portfolios perform significantly better. The inefficacy of the relevant time series momentum trading strategies rules out the possibility of speculations. However, the number of profitable momentum strategies is significantly higher for the diversified portfolios in longer run. The portfolios perform significantly better in outperforming the buy-only strategies as well. The stable market, escalated demand and the resulting increment in valuation of green stocks make adoption of greener technologies a choice rather than a forced obligation. This offers a solution to the problem of Tragedy of Common.

Originality/value
Sustained increase in investment in green stocks is crucial from an environment perspective, as better valuation of their stocks would indubitably convince firms to reduce their carbon footprints. A continued enthusiasm however would require investors’ faith in it. Presence of momentum profit would invite speculators leading to irrational exuberance, dwindling confidence and consequent fragility. Literature on green investment is relatively sparse with the threat of its vulnerability issues left largely unnoticed. The authors’ study fills these gaps.
‘Democratic Socialism’ and the Concept of (Post)Capitalism
Authors: Bolton Matt 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThis article explores the ‘democratic socialism’ being proposed by new left movements on either side of the Atlantic, and evaluates its claim to be a form of anti‐ or postcapitalism. It argues that in the democratic socialist worldview, the line between capitalism and socialism rests on the balance of power between workers and capitalists in the economic sphere. While traditional social democracy seeks to redistribute wealth but leaves relations between workers and capitalists within firms untouched, democratic socialism seeks to abolish private property in the economic sphere. Production is controlled democratically by the workers themselves, in league with a workers’ state. The article critically appraises the claim that such a scenario constitutes a form of postcapitalism. Drawing on the work of critical Marxists such as Moishe Postone, it argues that capitalism is not primarily defined by private property relations in the economic sphere, but rather the peculiar social form of capitalist labour. Unlike in pre‐capitalist societies, for labour in capitalism to secure a continued basis on which to reproduce the means of subsistence, it must be socially validated as ‘value‐producing’. The criteria for value validation is not set in the workplace, or within a single nation state, but rather on the world market. The article concludes that, for all its merits, the democratisation of workplaces does not overcome the need for this social validation, but rather constitutes an alternative form of managing the process of production in this context. As such, democratic socialism, like social democracy, remains susceptible to the same imperatives and crises as other forms of capitalist production, and so cannot be said to constitute a form of ‘postcapitalism’.
Encapsulation of ellagic acid from pomegranate peels in microalgae optimized by response surface methodology and an investigation of its controlled released under simulated gastrointestinal studies
Authors: Yağmur Nuray , Şahin Saliha 
Published: March 2020

AbstractEllagic acid (EA), a naturally occurring bioactive phenolic compound largely found in pomegranate, exhibits significant health benefits due to its antioxidant, antimutagenic, and even anticancerogenic properties. The present work aimed to microencapsulate EA extracted from pomegranate peels. To improve the stability of EA, microencapsulation was applied with Spirulina as a coating material. For this purpose, ethanolic extracts obtained from pomegranate peels were used for microencapsulation. Response surface methodology combined with a three‐level, three‐variable Box‐Behnken design (BBD) was applied to obtain optimum microencapsulation. The microparticles obtained under the optimized encapsulation conditions were further characterized by FT‐IR and SEM. The results confirmed the encapsulation of EA in Spirulina cells. Then, the optimum microparticles were used in an in vitro release study. The results of the in vitro digestion with simulated gastrointestinal fluids could help to determine the content and biological activity of EA. In this study, the effect of encapsulation on the release properties of EA during simulated gastrointestinal digestion was also evaluated. HPLC‐DAD analysis and the Folin‐Ciocalteu and ABTS methods were helpful for characterization of EA in the simulated fluids. The release profile of EA indicated that in simulated intestinal fluid, the release was faster than that in gastric fluid.Practical ApplicationThis study describes the microencapsulation of ethanolic extracts of pomegranate peel (PP) in Spirulina. This application has been performed to improve the stability and bioavailability of EA in the extracts. Optimum microencapsulation was obtained by response surface methodology with BBD. After the characterization of the obtained optimum Spirulina/EA mixture by FT‐IR and SEM, an in vitro release study was conducted for stability research. The results will guide other researchers working on the determination of the content and biological activity of EA and on optimizing the microencapsulation process.
Co‐cultivation of Thermoanaerobacter strains with a methanogenic partner enhances glycerol conversion
Authors: Magalhães Carla Pereira , Ribeiro Joaquim A. , Guedes Ana P. , Arantes Ana L. , Sousa Diana Z. , Stams Alfons J. M. , Alves Maria M. , Cavaleiro Ana Júlia 
Published: March 2020

SummaryGlycerol‐rich waste streams produced by the biodiesel, bioethanol and oleochemical industries can be treated and valorized by anaerobic microbial communities to produce methane. As current knowledge of the microorganisms involved in thermophilic glycerol conversion to methane is scarce, thermophilic glycerol‐degrading methanogenic communities were enriched. A co‐culture of Thermoanaerobacter and Methanothermobacter species was obtained, pointing to a non‐obligately syntrophic glycerol degradation. This hypothesis was further studied by incubating Thermoanaerobacter brockii subsp. finnii and T. wiegelii with glycerol (10 mM) in pure culture and with different hydrogenotrophic methanogens. The presence of the methanogen accelerated glycerol fermentation by the two Thermoanaerobacter strains up to 3.3 mM day−1, corresponding to 12 times higher volumetric glycerol depletion rates in the methanogenic co‐cultures than in the pure bacterial cultures. The catabolic pathways of glycerol conversion were identified by genome analysis of the two Thermoanaerobacter strains. NADH and reduced ferredoxin formed in the pathway are linked to proton reduction, which becomes thermodynamically favourable when the hydrogen partial pressure is kept low by the hydrogenotrophic methanogenic partner.
A linked‐read approach to museomics: Higher quality de novo genome assemblies from degraded tissues
Authors: Colella Jocelyn P. , Tigano Anna , MacManes Matthew D. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractHigh‐throughput sequencing technologies are a proposed solution for accessing the molecular data in historical specimens. However, degraded DNA combined with the computational demands of short‐read assemblies has posed significant laboratory and bioinformatics challenges for de novo genome assembly. Linked‐read or “synthetic long‐read” sequencing technologies, such as 10× Genomics, may provide a cost‐effective alternative solution to assemble higher quality de novo genomes from degraded tissue samples. Here, we compare assembly quality (e.g., genome contiguity and completeness, presence of orthogroups) between four new deer mouse (Peromyscus spp.) genomes assembled using linked‐read technology and four published genomes assembled from a single shotgun library. At a similar price‐point, these approaches produce vastly different assemblies, with linked‐read assemblies having overall higher contiguity and completeness, measured by larger N50 values and greater number of genes assembled, respectively. As a proof‐of‐concept, we used annotated genes from the four Peromyscus linked‐read assemblies and eight additional rodent taxa to generate a phylogeny, which reconstructed the expected relationships among species with 100% support. Although not without caveats, our results suggest that linked‐read sequencing approaches are a viable option to build de novo genomes from degraded tissues, which may prove particularly valuable for taxa that are extinct, rare or difficult to collect.
ANTP‐SmacN7 fusion peptide‐induced radiosensitization in A549 cells and its potential mechanisms
Authors: Zhang Rongxin , Sun Hao , Wang Hong , Zhang Wenxue , Geng Kai , Liu Qiang , Wang Ping 
Published: March 2020

BackgroundRadioresistance in tumors limits the curative effect of the radiotherapy. Mimetic compounds of second mitochondria‐derived activator of caspase (Smac) are potential new tumor radiation‐sensitizing drugs because they can increase radiation‐induced tumor cell apoptosis. Here, we observed the radiosensitization effect of a new Smac mimetic Antennapedia protein (ANTP)‐SmacN7 fusion peptide in A549 cells and investigated the underlying mechanisms behind the effects of this protein on tumor cells.MethodsThe ANTP‐SmacN7 fusion peptide was synthesized and linked with fluorescein isothiocyanate to observe the protein's ability to penetrate cells. A549 cells were divided into the control, radiation‐only, ANTP‐SmacN7‐only and ANTP‐SmacN7 + radiation groups. The cells were exposed to 0, 2, 4 and 6 Gy, with 20 μmol/L of ANTP‐SmacN7. The radiation‐sensitizing effects of the ANTP‐SmacN7 fusion proteins were observed via clonogenic assay. Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry. A comet assay was used to assess DNA damage. The levels and degrees of cytochrome‐c, PARP, H2AX, caspase‐8, caspase‐3, and caspase‐9 activation were detected via western blot assay. The radiation sensitization of the fusion peptide, expression of γ‐H2AX and C‐PARP were compared after adding the caspase inhibitor, Z‐VAD.ResultsANTP‐SmacN7 fusion proteins entered the cells and promoted A549 cell radiosensitization. Treatment with ANTP‐SmacN7 + radiation significantly reduced the A549 cell clone‐forming rate, increased the cytochrome‐c, cleaved caspase‐8, cleaved caspase‐3 and cleaved caspase‐9 expression levels, promoted caspase activation, and increased the rate of radiation‐induced apoptosis. The ANTP‐SmacN7 fusion peptide significantly increased radiation‐induced double‐stranded DNA rupture in the A549 cells and increased DNA damage. Adding Z‐VAD reduced the fusion peptide's proapoptotic effect but not the level of double‐stranded DNA breakage.ConclusionsThe ANTP‐SmacN7 fusion peptide exerted a remarkable radiosensitization effect on A549 cells. This protein may reduce tumor cell radioresistance by inducing caspase activation and may be a potential new Smac mimetic that can be applied in radiosensitization therapy.
Appreciation of literature by the anaesthetist: A comparison of citations, downloads and Altmetric Attention Score
Authors: Kampman Jasper M. , Hermanides Jeroen , Boere Pascal R. Q. , Hollmann Markus W. 
Published: March 2020

BackgroundDifferent metrics exist to evaluate the impact of a paper. Traditionally, scientific citations are leading, but nowadays new, internet‐based, metrics like downloads or Altmetric Attention Score receive increasing attention. We hypothesised a gap between these metrics, reflected by a divergence between scientific and clinical appreciation of anaesthesia literature.MethodsWe collected the top 100 most cited and the top 100 most downloaded articles in Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica (AAS) and Anesthesia & Analgesia (A&A) published between 2014 and 2018. We analysed the relationship between the average number of citations per year, downloads per year and Altmetric Attention Score.ResultsFor both AAS and A&A, a significant correlation between the 100 most cited articles and their downloads (r = .573 and .603, respectively, P < .001) was found. However, only a poor correlation with Altmetric Attention Score was determined. For the 100 most downloaded articles, download frequency did not correlate with their number of citations (r = .035 and .139 respectively), but did correlate significantly with the Altmetric Attention Score (r = .458 and .354, P < .001).ConclusionHighly cited articles are downloaded more frequently. The most downloaded articles, however, did not receive more citations. In contrast to the most cited articles, more frequently downloaded papers had a higher Altmetric Attention Score. Thus, a ‘trending’ anaesthesia paper is not a prerequisite for scientific appreciation, reflecting a gap between clinical and scientific appreciation of literature.