bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Low-leverage policy dynamics: an empirical analysis
Authors: Ferrão Joaquim , Curto José Dias , Gama Ana Paula 
Published: November 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide new insights into the low-leverage phenomenon by analyzing the dynamics of firms’ financing policies. The authors explore three theoretical explanations of firms’ motivations to switch among different levels of debt aversion: financial constraints, financial flexibility and financial distress.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors apply a multilevel mixed-effects model to a panel data sample of 9,005 US listed firms during 1987-2014. To use a multinomial ordered logit model, the authors break down the low-leverage firms into several levels of debt aversion.

Findings
The empirical analysis provides four main findings. First, there is a dynamic behavior regarding leverage policy: after five years, 39.4 per cent of initial zero debt firms remain all-equity firms, 14.2 per cent are leveraged firms and approximately 19.7 per cent still adopt a low-leverage policy. Second, greater asset volatility increases the expected likelihood that firms will be debt averse. Third, when firms grow bigger and older, they show a greater likelihood of moving toward a higher leverage level. Fourth, results derived from the investment variables of research and development, acquisitions, and capital expenditure provide strong evidence in favor of the financial flexibility hypothesis.

Practical implications
These findings suggest that conservative debt policy is integrated with corporate investment decisions.

Originality/value
This paper contributes to extant literature by emphasizing the dynamic process associated with a low-leverage policy, unlike prior studies that focus on the determinants and characteristics of low-leverage firms. It also applies an econometric methodology that is new to the field: multilevel models.
Evaluating the value proposition of developing a vacation ownership resort: the case of Florida and Hawaii
Authors: Barreda Albert , Murphy Kevin , Gregory Amy , Singh Dipendra 
Published: November 2016

Purpose
This paper aims to examine the value proposition of developing a vacation ownership project in Florida and Hawaii by analyzing actual company data.

Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on a net present value model approach that was used for analysis of the company financial data.

Findings
Results suggest that the vacation ownership alternative produces better financial performance than traditional hotel development.

Research limitations/implications
Research is limited to the case of a company in two main destinations.

Practical implications
The paper helps practitioners by presenting a current approach to consider in their understanding and perception of vacation ownership.

Social implications
Research is limited to the case of a company in two main destinations.

Originality/value
This study is one of the few investigations about applying real company data and comparing the main timeshare markets.
Leisure boat tourism: residents’ attitudes towards nautical tourism development
Authors: Gon Marika , Osti Linda , Pechlaner Harald 
Published: November 2016

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse how leisure boat tourism impacts are perceived by local communities in coastal areas. For this purpose, a review of the literature on nautical and leisure boat tourism, together with residents’ attitudes, is presented. On that basis, authors consider economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts, together with general development and future policies of nautical tourism, and cluster the coastal community according to their attitudes towards leisure boat tourism.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data are collected among residents of coastal municipalities in the north part of the Adriatic Sea. Within the theoretical framework of social representation, a cluster analysis is performed on 233 valid questionnaires, collected during winter 2013.FindingsInterviewed residents believe that leisure boating has a long tradition and has offered improvements to the municipalities as tourism destinations. They consider leisure boat tourism as a catalyst for tourism development and international tourists’ attraction. The cluster analysis reveals the existence of three homogeneous groups of residents labelled as supporters (51 per cent), cautious (29 per cent) and sceptics (20 per cent).Practical implicationsPractical implications are derived for destination managers and destination management organizations (DMOs) in addressing internal marketing and larger advertisement of the positive impacts leisure boat tourism has over the local community.Originality/valueThe paper enriches the discussion on residents’ perceptions on nautical tourism and specifically on leisure boat tourism in coastal areas. Limitations are linked to the exploratory nature of the research paper, the sample and the geographical connotation of the study area. Further research will enlarge the data collection to a wider number of coastal communities and integrate results with qualitative analysis.
STAT3 down‐regulation induces mitochondria‐dependent G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in oesophageal carcinoma cells
Authors: Shao Dan , Ma Jie , Zhou Chao , Zhao Jia‐Nan , Li Lu‐Lu , Zhao Tong‐Jian , Ai Xi‐Lei , Jiao Ping 
Published: November 2016

SummarySTAT3 is persistently activated in a wide variety of human tumours, and aberrant STAT3 activity promotes tumour growth, invasion and metastasis. To explore STAT3 down‐regulation in human oesophageal cancer cells, cell proliferation, apoptosis and mitochondrial mechanisms were explored in oesophageal carcinoma TE1 cell cultures. We demonstrate for the first time that STAT3 down‐regulation by RNAi is sufficient to inhibit oesophageal cancer cell proliferation inducing cell apoptosis. Further, we demonstrate that mitochondrial transmembrane potential is impaired thereby leading to collapsed mitochondrial membrane potential, abnormal mitochondrial membrane depolarization, nuclear DNA fragmentation and cell cycle G2/M arrest under the conditions of STAT3 down‐regulation. Thus, our results suggest that STAT3 inhibition is a valid approach to induce oesophageal carcinoma cell mitochondrial‐dependent apoptosis in therapeutic strategies against oesophageal cancers.
Influence of adjunct cultures on angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE)‐inhibitory activity, organic acid content and peptide profile of kefir
Authors: Şanli Tuba , Akal Havva Ceren , Yetişemiyen Atila , Hayaloglu Ali Adnan 
Published: November 2016

The angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE)‐inhibitory activities, peptide profiles and organic acid contents in kefir produced by kefir grains plus lactic acid bacteria as adjunct cultures were determined. All the kefir samples showed almost similar peptide profiles as detected by RP‐HPLC, but quantitative differences were observed during storage. The ACE‐inhibitory activities of different lactic cultures did not exhibit a linear tendency during storage period. After 7 days of storage, there was a significant increase in ACE‐inhibitory activity of the sample fermented with Lactobacillus helveticus. However, a kefir sample containing Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis exhibited a higher ACE‐inhibitory activity (92.23%) compared to the other samples.
Changes in Physician Practice Patterns after Implementation of a Communication‐and‐Resolution Program
Authors: Helmchen Lorens A. , Lambert Bruce L. , McDonald Timothy B. 
Published: November 2016

ObjectiveTo test if a 2006 communication‐and‐resolution program to address unexpected adverse outcomes was associated with changes in cost and use trajectories.Data SourceRecords of patients discharged with a principal diagnosis of chest pain from 44 nonfederal general hospitals in Cook County, Illinois, between January 2002 and December 2009.Study DesignPropensity‐score matched discharges from the intervention and comparison hospitals before computing difference‐in‐differences estimates of quarterly growth rates.Data Collection MethodsWe used discharge records submitted to a central statewide repository.Principal FindingsRelative to the comparison hospitals and to pre‐implementation trends, and consistent with reduced testing at presentation, the intervention hospital recorded an increase in the number of patients with a principal diagnosis of chest pain. Among admitted patients, quarterly growth rates of clinical laboratory and radiology charges at the intervention hospital declined by 3.8 and 6.9 percentage points.ConclusionsAmong patients with chest pain, the implementation of a comprehensive communication‐and‐resolution program was associated with substantially reduced growth rates in the use of diagnostic testing and imaging services. Further research is needed to establish to what extent these changes were attributable to the program and clinically appropriate.
Progress at the Intersection of Patient Safety and Medical Liability: Insights from the AHRQ Patient Safety and Medical Liability Demonstration Program
Authors: Ridgely M. Susan , Greenberg Michael D. , Pillen Michelle B. , Bell James 
Published: November 2016

ObjectiveTo identify lessons learned from the experience of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety and Medical Liability (PSML) Demonstration Program.Data Sources/Study SettingOn September 9, 2009, President Obama directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services to authorize demonstration projects that put “patient safety first” with the intent of reducing preventable adverse outcomes and stemming liability costs. Seven demonstration projects received 3 years of funding from AHRQ in the summer of 2010, and the program formally came to a close in June 2015.Study DesignThe seven grantees implemented complex, broad‐ranging innovations addressing both patient safety and medical liability in “real‐world” contexts. Some projects featured novel approaches, while others implemented adaptations of existing models. Each project was funded by AHRQ to collect data on the impact of its interventions. In addition, AHRQ funded a cross‐cutting qualitative evaluation focused on lessons learned in implementing PSML interventions.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsSite visits and follow‐up interviews supplemented with material abstracted from formal project reports to AHRQ.Principal FindingsThe PSML demonstration projects focused on three broad approaches: (1) improving communication around adverse events through disclosure and resolution programs; (2) preventing harm through implementation of clinical “best practices”; and (3) exploring alternative methods of settling claims. Although the demonstration contributed to accumulating evidence that these kinds of interventions can positively affect outcomes, there is also evidence to suggest that these interventions can be difficult to scale.ConclusionsIn addition to producing at least preliminary positive outcomes, the demonstration also lends credence to the idea that targeted interventions that improve some aspect of patient safety or malpractice performance may also contribute more broadly to institutional culture and the alignment of all parties around reducing risk and preventing harm. However, more empirical work needs to be carried out to quantify the effect of such interventions.
Subcellular clustering of a putative c‐di‐GMP‐dependent exopolysaccharide machinery affecting macro colony architecture in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Bedrunka Patricia , Graumann Peter L. 
Published: November 2016

SummaryThe structure of bacterial biofilms is predominantly established through the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). They show that Bacillus subtilis contains an operon (ydaJ‐N) whose induction leads to increased Congo Red staining of biofilms and strongly altered biofilm architecture, suggesting that it mediates the production of an unknown exopolysaccharide. Supporting this idea, overproduction of YdaJKLMN leads to cell clumping during exponential growth in liquid culture, and also causes colony morphology alterations in wild type cells, as well as in a mutant background lacking the major exopolysaccharide of B. subtilis. The first gene product of the operon, YdaJ, appears to modify the overproduction effects, but is not essential for cell clumping or altered colony morphology, while the presence of the c‐di‐GMP receptor YdaK is required, suggesting an involvement of second messenger c‐di‐GMP. YdaM, YdaN and YdaK colocalize to clusters predominantly at the cell poles and are statically positioned at this subcellular site, similar to other exopolysaccharide machinery components in other bacteria. Their analysis reveals that B. subtilis contains a static subcellular assembly of an EPS machinery that affects cell aggregation and biofilm formation.
Biospeckle activity in coffee seeds is associated non‐destructively with seedling quality
Authors: Vivas P.G. , Resende L.S. , Braga R.A. , Guimarães R.M. , Azevedo R. , da Silva E.A.A. , Toorop P.E. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractSeeds age during storage, resulting in a decline in germination and seedling quality. Seed quality tests are important to monitor this decline. However, such tests are usually destructive and require large seed numbers and long time. For coffee seeds the standard germination test and assessment of seedling quality takes 30 days. Biospeckle has been used previously as a non‐destructive optical tool to monitor biological activity in a range of tissues. Biospeckle was applied 3–6 days after imbibition (DAI) to investigate an association with coffee seedling quality after 30 days. Two distinct areas of biospeckle activity were demonstrated, concurring with the locations of the embryonic axis and the cotyledons in the apical and central seed parts, respectively. Moisture content analysis revealed that embryos of imbibed seeds contained more water than endosperm. Different areas within the endosperm did not differ in moisture content, while the moisture content of the axis was higher than that of the cotyledons, and this did not change from 4 DAI. Therefore, it was concluded that high biospeckle activity was not the result of increased water content in any seed part, but more likely of growth and metabolism in the axis and cotyledons, which had been described previously. A threshold biospeckle ratio apical : central of 1.02 after 6 days distinguished between seeds that produced dead and viable seedlings after 30 days and provided similar results as a tetrazolium test, a widely acknowledged but destructive test for seed quality. Thus, biospeckle data provided a non‐destructive early parameter for seedling quality, based on embryo growth during germination.
Social implications of a colony collapse in a highly structured vertebrate species (long‐tailed bat, Chalinolobus tuberculatus)
Authors: Monks J. M. , O'Donnell C. F. J. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractStrong social structuring within a population can confer fitness advantages to group members, but may also affect the ability of a population to recover from local extinctions. Opportunities to evaluate the dynamics of the collapse of a sub‐population on a vertebrate population in the wild are rare, requiring a crash during a long‐term study of marked individuals. Endangered long‐tailed bats Chalinolobus tuberculatus, which are members of the widespread family Vespertilionidae, live in closed social groups as evidenced by non‐random associations of individuals and a low degree of mixing among colonies. During a 19‐year mark‐recapture study of long‐tailed bats in the Eglinton Valley, New Zealand, one colony of bats collapsed over a 2‐year period in which numbers of introduced predators were high. We investigated individual‐ and colony‐level implications of this local extinction event. Survivors (11 known) were assimilated into the neighbouring colony during and immediately after the collapse, but retained higher association rates with individuals from their former colony. The neighbouring colony gradually extended its roosting range into habitat formerly occupied by the extinct colony. Acceptance of individuals into other colonies demonstrates resilience of highly structured vertebrate populations to local crashes.
Testing bidirectional associations among emotion regulation strategies and substance use: a daily diary study
Authors: Weiss Nicole H. , Bold Krysten W. , Sullivan Tami P. , Armeli Stephen , Tennen Howard 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBackground and aimsAlcohol and marijuana are widely used among college students. Emotion regulation strategies have been linked to alcohol and marijuana use, but little attention has been devoted to modeling the directionality of these associations. The aims of the current study were to test whether (a) daytime use of emotion regulation strategies influences the likelihood of evening substance use and (b) evening substance use influences the likelihood of next‐day use of emotion regulation strategies.DesignLongitudinal daily diary data were collected for 30 days via on‐line surveys.SettingNortheastern United States.ParticipantsA total of 1640 college students (mean age = 19.2 years, 54% female, 80% European American) were recruited each semester between Spring 2008 and Spring 2012.MeasurementsDaily diaries assessed emotion regulation strategies (distraction, reappraisal, problem‐solving, avoidance) and substance use (any drinking, heavy drinking, marijuana use, co‐use of any drinking/heavy drinking and marijuana). Covariates included gender, age, race/ethnicity, fraternity/sorority involvement and baseline depression.FindingsDaytime distraction [odds ratio (OR) = 0.95], reappraisal (OR = 0.95) and problem‐solving (OR = 0.94) predicted lower odds of evening marijuana use (P‐values < 0.02). Evening heavy drinking (OR = 0.90) and marijuana use (OR = 0.89) predicted lower odds of next‐day problem‐solving, with heavy drinking also predicting higher odds (OR = 1.08) of next‐day avoidance and marijuana use also predicting higher odds (OR = 1.08) of next‐day reappraisal (P‐values < 0.03).ConclusionsThere appear to be reciprocal relations among emotion regulation strategies and substance use: greater daytime use of distraction, reappraisal, and problem solving predicts lower evening substance use, while higher evening substance use predicts higher next‐day avoidance and reappraisal but lower next‐day problem‐solving.
The nutrition transition and agricultural transformation: a Preston curve approach
Authors: Masters William A. , Hall Anaya , Martinez Elena M. , Shi Peilin , Singh Gitanjali , Webb Patrick , Mozaffarian Dariush 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe nutrition transition in diets and health is closely tied to other aspects of economic development, including agricultural transformation and urbanization as well as demographic change and epidemiological transition from infectious to noncommunicable disease. Over time, dietary patterns typically shift from widespread inadequacy of many foods and nutrients, especially for children and mothers, into surplus energy intake and rising obesity with continued inadequacy of healthier foods. Diet‐related diseases remain the largest single cause of premature death and disability in all regions. This article combines food availability and dietary intake data from more than 100 countries over 30 years with a wide range of other evidence to characterize the nutrition transition and its association with changes in agricultural production and the food environment, asking how future dietary patterns might be steered toward healthier outcomes as national incomes grow.
Institutional innovation and policy support to facilitate small‐scale farming transformation in China
Authors: Huang Jikun , Ding Jiping 
Published: November 2016

AbstractWhile the Asian food economy has been experiencing significant transitions, it is widely believed that little transformation has occurred in farm land operation. However, the recent rapid emergence of middle and large‐size farms in many regions of China is striking, as is the increase in size of operational units. The overall goal of this article is to understand small‐scale farm transformation in China based on a unique dataset surveyed in Northeast and North China. The results show that the institutional innovation through establishing land transfer service centers to promote land rental markets and reduce transaction costs, policy support to speed up land consolidation, and farm mechanization services are major driving forces in the recent evolution of China's farm operations. The article concludes with policy implications on small‐scale farming transformation in China and the rest of world and identifies research issues for further study.
Human behavior and the use of experiments to understand the agricultural, resource, and environmental challenges of the XXI century
Authors: Cárdenas Juan Camilo 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe use of laboratory1 experiments in economics, and their later deployment in the field as a tool for exploring how actual decision‐makers respond to information, incentives or institutions has brought a revolution to how we model economic systems, and design policies for them. This new century will bring challenges for the study of agriculture, natural resources and the environment, where it will be necessary to have a better understanding of human behavior, in a world where climate on the one hand, and land, labor and food markets are ever more unstable. This article reviews the intellectual history of a rich dialogue between theory and experiments with a particular focus on its relevance for agricultural, resource and environmental issues. Special attention will be given to the case of common‐pool resources where this dialogue between models, field work and laboratory experiments continues to provide a rich cross‐fertilization for the advance in the understanding of the economic systems that governs these resources. I will close by arguing that agricultural, environmental and resource economists will have to take part of this behavioral revolution by embracing experiments in their teaching, their research and their policy design.
The feasibility of micro‐ultrasound as a tool to image peripheral nerves
Authors: Chandra A. , Eisma R. , Felts P. , Munirama S. , Corner G. A. , Demore C. E. M. , McLeod G. 
Published: November 2016

SummaryDespite widespread use of ultrasound imaging to guide needle placement, the incidence of transient and permanent nerve damage as a complication of regional anaesthesia has not changed over the last decade. In view of the controversy surrounding intraneural injection there is a need to understand the structural changes caused by subepineural and subperineural needle penetration. Clinical ultrasound machines do not provide adequate anatomical resolution, and anaesthetists have difficulty judging the precise location of the needle tip relative to the epineurium. We studied the suitability of micro‐ultrasound imaging (which offers anatomical resolution better than 100 μm) as a tool for viewing neural anatomy and deformation caused by needle insertion. The primary objective was to assess micro‐ultrasound imaging as a method to view fascicles within nerves resected from fresh and soft‐embalmed cadavers. Secondary objectives were to observe any disruption of the neural anatomy caused by anaesthetic needle penetration, and to assess the integrity of fresh and Thiel method soft‐embalmed nerves, after handling and during needle insertion using ultrasound images and histology. We imaged nine nerves from the left and right sides of fresh and soft‐embalmed cadavers. A regional block needle was inserted into three median nerves. We identified fascicles > 0.4 mm in width using micro‐ultrasound. Subepineural needle placement was associated with denting, rotation and elastic deformation of fascicles, whereas subperineural needle insertion split fascicles permanently.