bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A design strategy for improving adaptive conjoint analysis
Authors: Huertas-Garcia Ruben , Gázquez-Abad Juan Carlos , Forgas-Coll Santiago 
Published: May 2016

Purpose
Adaptive conjoint analysis (ACA) is a market research methodology for measuring utility in business-to-business and customer studies. Based on partial profiles, ACA tailors an experiment’s design to each respondent depending on their previously stated preferences, ordered in a self-assessment questionnaire. The purpose of this paper is to describe advantages and disadvantages of using a partial-profile randomised experiment, the usual system, and to propose a new design strategy for arranging profiles in blocks that improve its performance.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose a comparison between their design with the commonly used designs, as random designs and the so-called “mirror image”, in their resolution capacity for the estimations of main factors and two-factor interactions with the lowest number of profiles.

Findings
Comparing the proposed design over the other two designs highlights certain aspects. The proposed design guarantees more estimation for each experiment than the others and allows the researcher to tailor the design to his or her goals. The authors’ procedure will help researchers to determine an experiment’s resolution capacity before carrying it out, as well as to estimate main factors and two-factor interactions alike.

Originality/value
The authors propose a new design strategy for arranging the profiles in blocks for improving the performance of ACA. This proposal is based on the use of a full-profile approach in which profiles are arranged in two-level factorial designs in blocks of two, and the levels of each factor are codified vectorially.
The central role of the reputation of country-of-origin firms in developing markets
Authors: Jiménez Nadia , San-Martin Sonia 
Published: May 2016

Purpose
This study aims to test the central role of the perceived reputation of country-of-origin (COO) firms between cultural and socio-psychological variables and management and economic variables that help to explain the multi-faceted phenomenon of COO on a developing market. It also tests the moderator role of ethnocentrism, which is the objective of recommending different segment marketing strategies for international firms.

Design/methodology/approach
The study opted for the structure equation modelling methodology to analyze data collected from 274 Mexican car owners who evaluate Korean automobiles.

Findings
The results show that the COO reputation of firms from a developing market has a mediating role on the relationship between cultural openness and animosity and trust, risk and purchase intention, but the consequents of the perceived reputation of COO vary depending on the level of consumers’ ethnocentrism.

Research limitations/implications
Firms seeking to internationalize need to find out how to overcome the hurdle of target market animosity, to increase the cultural openness and to promote trust and purchases in international markets; at the same time, they reduce the perception of risk. In this sense, it might help to increase the perceived reputation of COO firms and to use different marketing strategies according to the target market.

Originality/value
This study analyzes reputation of firms associated to a COO as a signal that can help to solve purchase decisions in the relationship between consumers and firms from developing markets and also corroborates its role as a mediator factor. In addition, this study empirically tests how animosity and cultural openness influence perceived reputation of COO firms, relationships that has scarcely been studied in literature. This study has also found that less and more ethnocentric consumers have differences in how the COO cues influence on their evaluations and behaviour. Finally, as insufficient consumer research has been conducted into emerging and developing markets, this study focuses on consumers from a developing country and regards automobiles from an emerging country.
The effects of the crisis on marketing innovation: an application for Spain
Authors: Medrano Natalia , Olarte-Pascual Cristina 
Published: May 2016

PurposeThis study aims to identify the structural features of companies that have implemented marketing innovations at two different points, 2008 and 2010 (before and during the crisis).Design/methodology/approachThe sample, obtained from the Technological Innovation Panel, consists of two subsamples of 9,415 enterprises each. The information was processed using a binomial logit model, parametric and non-parametric tests for independent samples and a test of structural stability.FindingsDifferences were found in the results from 2008 and 2010: enterprises in Spain were less likely to implement marketing innovations in 2010 than in 2008; the effect of an enterprise’s size on how likely it was to innovate in marketing decreased by more than half between the two periods; the likelihood of innovating in marketing increased in enterprises that also pursued organizational innovations; and in contrast to 2008, in 2010, the enterprises that were most likely to innovate in marketing were those that exported to countries outside the European Union. These findings show that innovation is part of the business ethos and that public policies that support exports can also foster innovation.Originality/valueMarketing innovation has received little attention in the literature. We believe that marketing innovation can help to improve an organization’s results, even in times of economic crisis.
Business, industrial marketing and uncertainty
Authors: Merigó José M. , Gil-Lafuente Anna M. , Gil-Lafuente Jaime 
Published: May 2016

Purpose
This special issue of the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, entitled “Business, Industrial Marketing and Uncertainty”, presents selected extended studies that were presented at the European Academy of Management and Business Economics Conference (AEDEM 2012).

Design/methodology/approach
The main focus of this year was reflected in the slogan: “Creating new opportunities in an uncertain environment”. The objective was to show the importance that uncertainty has in our current world, strongly affected by many complexities and modern developments, especially through the new technological advances.

Findings
One fundamental reason that explains the economic crisis is that the government and companies were not well prepared for these critical situations. And the main justification for this is that they did not have enough information. Otherwise, they would have tried any possible strategy to avoid the crisis. Usually, uncertainty is defined as the situation with unknown information in the environment.

Originality/value
From a theoretical perspective, the problem here is that enterprises and governments should assess the information and the uncertainty in a more appropriate way. Usually, they have some studies in this direction, but many times, it is not enough, as it was proved in the last economic crisis.
Oil price uncertainty and equity returns
Authors: Maghyereh Aktham , Awartani Basel 
Published: May 2016

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the impact of oil price uncertainty on the stock market returns of ten oil importing and exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The sample contains both oil importing and oil exporting countries that depend heavily on oil production and exports.Design/methodology/approachThis paper intuitively applies the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH)-in-mean vector autoregression (VAR) model using weekly data over the period January 2001-February 2014.FindingsThe findings indicate that oil uncertainty matters in the determination of real stock returns. There is a negative and significant relationship between oil price uncertainty and real stock returns in all countries in the sample. The influence of oil price risk is more serious in those economies that depend heavily on oil revenues to grow.Practical implicationsThe findings have important implications. For instance, managers should be aware of the linkages between oil price uncertainty and equity returns when they use oil to hedge and diversify equities, particularly in economies where oil is important for economic growth. The policymakers in oil importing countries should encourage companies to improve efficiency in the usage of energy and to resort to alternative sources to avoid fluctuations in earnings and equity prices. In the countries that heavily depend on oil efforts should focus on diversifying the domestic economy away from oil to protect against oil price fluctuations.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to study the influence of oil price uncertainty in the MENA region. The sample contains both oil importing and oil exporting countries that depend heavily on oil production and exports. The empirical findings of the paper have valuable policy implications for investors, market participants and policymakers.
Financial market determinants of the real cost of funds to public corporations in the US
Authors: Cebula Richard J. , Rossi Fabrizio , Dajci Fiorentina , Foley Maggie 
Published: May 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide new empirical evidence on the impact of a variety of financial market forces on the ex post real cost of funds to corporations, namely, the ex post real interest rate yield on AAA-rated long-term corporate bonds in the USA. The study is couched within an open-economy loanable funds model, and it adopts annual data for the period 1973-2013, so that the results are current while being applicable only for the post-Bretton Woods era. The auto-regressive two-stage least squares (2SLS) and generalized method of moments (GMM) estimations reveal that the ex post real interest rate yield on AAA-rated long-term corporate bonds in the USA was an increasing function of the ex post real interest rate yields on six-month Treasury bills, seven-year Treasury notes, high-grade municipal bonds and the Moody’s BAA-rated corporate bonds, while being a decreasing function of the monetary base as a per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and net financial capital inflows as a per cent of GDP. Finally, additional estimates reveal that the higher the budget deficit as a per cent of GDP, the higher the ex post real interest rate on AAA-rated long-term corporate bonds.

Design/methodology/approach
After developing an initial open-economy loanable funds model, the empirical dimension of the study involves auto-regressive, two-stage least squares and GMM estimates. The model is then expanded to include the federal budget deficit, and new AR/2SLS and GMM estimates are provided.

Findings
The AR/2SLS and GMM (generalized method of moments) estimations reveal that the ex post real interest rate yield on AAA-rated long-term corporate bonds in the USA was an increasing function of the ex post real interest rate yields on six-month Treasury bills, seven-year Treasury notes, high-grade municipal bonds and the Moody’s BAA-rated corporate bonds, while being a decreasing function of the monetary base as a per cent of GDP and net financial capital inflows as a per cent of GDP. Finally, additional estimates reveal that the higher the budget deficit as a per cent of GDP, the higher the ex post real interest rate on AAA-rated long -term corporate bonds.

Originality/value
The author is unaware of a study that adopts this particular set of real interest rates along with net capital inflows and the monetary base as a per cent of GDP and net capital inflows. Also, the data run through 2013. There have been only studies of deficits and real interest rates in the past few years.
Do real estate loans reflect regional banking and economic conditions?
Authors: Ghosh Amit 
Published: May 2016

PurposeUsing state-level data, the purpose of this paper is to examine state banking-industry specific as well as region economic determinants of real estate lending of commercial banks across all 51 states spanning the period 1966-2014.Design/methodology/approachUsing both fixed-effects and dynamic-generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation techniques the study compares the sensitivity of different categories of real estate loans to regional banking and economic conditions. Finally, it provides a comparative perspective by comparing the results for real estate loans with other categories of loans given out by banks.FindingsGreater capitalization, liquidity and overhead costs reduce real estate lending, while banks diversification and the size of the banking industry in each state increase such lending. Moreover, real estate loans are found to be procyclical to state economic cycles with a rise in state real gross domestic product (GDP) growth, increase in state housing price index (HPI) and decline in both inflation and unemployment rates, increasing real estate loans. Within disaggregated loan types, construction and land development and single-family residential loans are most responsive to state banking and economic conditions.Originality/valueThe recent financial turmoil is to a large extent attributable to excessive risk-taking by banks, particularly in terms of real estate lending. Hence, it is of paramount importance to empirically address the various determinants of real estate lending. With most banks restricting their operations in either one or a few states only, real estate lending in any given state may be more sensitive to regional banking and economic conditions than national aggregates. The present study is the first of its type to perform such an analysis.
A survey of the assessment and management of gout in general practitioners and medical officers within the Illawarra Network, Australia
Authors: Terrill Matthew , Riordan John 
Published: May 2016

AbstractAimTo review the assessment and management of gout by general practitioners (GPs) and medical officers (MOs) within the Illawarra Network, Australia.MethodA survey was sent to GPs and MOs within the Illawarra Network.ResultsOf 110 GPs, 45 responded. Of 129 MOs, 42 responded. The overall response was 32.6%. On analysis, 65.1% felt their knowledge of gout to be adequate and 61.6% thought they had been educated well. In acute assessment, 59.1% of GPs responded that the diagnosis of gout best be confirmed with a joint aspiration and 36.4% clinical suspicion. Differing, 85.7% of MOs chose a joint aspiration. In acute management, if colchicine were used, 59.1% of GPs would give 1 mg followed by 0.5 mg an hour later, then 0.5 mg twice daily, compared to 9.5% of MOs, while 20.5% of GPs would use 1 mg twice daily. Chronic management was answered poorly. After an acute attack, urate lowering therapy (ULT) would be started 14 days after by 47.7% of GPs, compared to 69.0% of MOs. GPs were more likely to start ULT within 7 days (52.3% vs. 31.0%). With dosing of ULT, 45.3% would treat to target, while 46.5% would dose to the creatinine clearance. Prophylactic therapy with ULT would be started by 81.8%, although only 17.4% would continue it for 3–6 months.ConclusionThere is poor adherence to recommended practice for dosing of colchicine in acute gout. Also in the management of chronic gout, in particular, the timing of starting ULT and the use of prophylaxis when initiating ULT.
An association study revealed substantial effects of dominance, epistasis and substance dependence co‐morbidity on alcohol dependence symptom count
Authors: Chen Gang , Zhang Futao , Xue Wenda , Wu Ruyan , Xu Haiming , Wang Kesheng , Zhu Jun 
Published: May 2016

AbstractAlcohol dependence is a complex disease involving polygenes, environment and their interactions. Inadequate consideration of these interactions may have hampered the progress on genome‐wide association studies of alcohol dependence. By using the dataset of the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment with 3838 subjects, we conducted a genome‐wide association studies of alcohol dependence symptom count (ADSC) with a full genetic model considering additive, dominance, epistasis and their interactions with ethnicity, as well as conditions of co‐morbid substance dependence. Twenty quantitative trait single nucleotide polymorphisms (QTSs) showed highly significant associations with ADSC, including four previously reported genes (ADH1C, PKNOX2, CPE and KCNB2) and the reported intergenic rs1363605, supporting the overall validity of the analysis. Two QTSs within or near ADH1C showed very strong association in a dominance inheritance mode and increased the phenotype value of ADSC when the effect of co‐morbid opiate or marijuana dependence was controlled. Highly significant association was also identified in variants within four novel genes (RGS6, FMN1, NRM and BPTF), two non‐coding RNA and two epistasis loci. QTS rs7616413, located near PTPRG encoding a protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor, interacted with rs10090742 within ANGPT1 encoding a protein tyrosine phosphatase in an additive × additive or dominance × additive manner. The detected QTSs contributed to about 20 percent of total heritability, in which dominance and epistasis effects accounted for over 50 percent. These results demonstrated that perturbations arising from gene–gene interaction and conditions of co‐morbidity substantially influence the genetic architecture of complex trait.
Agricultural Subsidies and Farm Consolidation
Authors: Bruckner Traci 
Published: May 2016

AbstractAlthough agricultural subsidies were begun during the New Deal to provide enough income to enable farmers to continue operating, their net effect has been to raise the price of farmland and to squeeze many owner‐operated farms out of existence, leaving mostly large‐scale operations that are often tied to agribusiness. Numerous efforts have been made, with limited success, to mitigate this problem by limiting the subsidy to small or mid‐size farm operations. The 2014 farm bill, adopted by the U.S. Congress, made the situation worse. Rather than imposing stricter limits on subsidies to the largest farms, the legislation removed existing limits, ended direct payments, and increased subsidies for insurance against crop losses and income risk. The new law not only provides a windfall to owners of very large farms, it also encourages plowing of fragile soils, since the risks of crop failure are now borne primarily by taxpayers. The article concludes by offering recommendations about how to correct these problems
The Middle Way: The National Catholic Rural Life Conference and Rural Issues in the 20th and 21st Centuries
Authors: Bovée David S. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis article explains how the National Catholic Rural Life Conference (NCRLC), from its founding in 1923 to the present, applied basic Catholic principles in response to a succession of changes in American rural society. In doing so, it proposed a middle way between capitalism and socialism and between the Democratic and Republican parties. In the 1920s, the Reverend Edwin V. O'Hara founded the NCRLC mainly to bolster the demographically weak rural Church. In the 1930s, the NCRLC turned to economic concerns in response to the Great Depression. It supported many New Deal programs that helped farmers as well as cooperatives and a “back‐to‐the‐land” movement. The Conference consistently supported the family farm as the basic institution of a morally and economically sound rural society. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Conference entered the realm of international affairs under Monsignor Luigi G. Ligutti and addressed problems of world hunger, land reform, and underdeveloped countries. Under Monsignor Edward W. O'Rourke, who became director in 1960, the NCRLC joined in the movement for social justice and campaigned for the rights of the rural poor and migrant farm workers. Starting around 1970, the Conference became increasingly interested in environmental and energy issues. The NCRLC is in harmony with the 21st‐century pope, Francis, on rural and ecological issues.
Comparability and reproducibility of adult male anogenital distance measurements for two different methods
Authors: Mendiola J. , Oñate‐Celdrán J. , Samper‐Mateo P. , Arense‐Gonzalo J. J. , Torres‐Roca M. , Sánchez‐Rodríguez C. , García‐Escudero D. , Fontana‐Compiano L. O. , Eisenberg M. L. , Swan S. H. , Torres‐Cantero A. M. 
Published: May 2016

SummaryThe distance from the genitals to the anus, anogenital distance, reflects androgen concentration during prenatal development in mammals. The use of anogenital distance in human studies is still very limited and the quality and consistency of measurements is an important methodological issue. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and reproducibility of adult male anogenital distance measurements by two different methods. All men were attending an outpatient clinic at a university hospital and underwent an andrological examination and completed a brief questionnaire. Two variants of anogenital distance [from the anus to the posterior base of the scrotum (AGDAS) and to the cephalad insertion of the penis (AGDAP)] by two methods (lithotomy or frog‐legged position) were assessed in 70 men. Within and between coefficient of variations, intra‐class correlation coefficients, two‐way repeated‐measures analysis of variance, and scatter and Bland–Altman plots were calculated. The two methods produced similar values for AGDAP but different estimates for AGDAS. Nonetheless, the overall agreement (ICC ≥ 0.80) was acceptable for both measures. Therefore, both methods are internally consistent and adequate for epidemiological studies, and may be used depending on the available medical resources, clinical setting, and populations.
Efficacy of photodynamic therapy in steroid‐associated chronic central serous chorioretinopathy: a case–control study
Authors: Breukink Myrte B. , Mohabati Danial , van Dijk Elon H. C. , den Hollander Anneke I. , de Jong Eiko K. , Dijkman Greet , Keunen Jan E. E. , Hoyng Carel B. , Boon Camiel J. F. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractPurposeTo investigate whether patients who developed chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (cCSC) in association with corticosteroid treatment respond differently to photodynamic therapy (PDT) as compared to patients who have not used corticosteroids.MethodsClinical evaluation included visual acuity (VA), fundoscopy, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography. The main outcome measure was a complete resolution of subretinal fluid (SRF) on OCT after PDT.ResultsOne hundred and twenty‐three eyes (117 patients), including 35 steroid‐associated cases (29%), who received PDT treatment with reduced settings for active cCSC were included. Complete resolution of SRF on OCT was seen in 69% of the steroid‐associated cases and in 50% of the controls after PDT treatment (p = 0.062). At the final follow‐up moment, 74% of the cases had a complete resolution of SRF compared to 60% in the control group (p = 0.142). The VA at the first visit after therapy showed an increase in both groups (mean VA before treatment; cases: 69 ± 14 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters, controls: 74 ± 13 ETDRS letters, mean VA first visit after treatment; cases: 76 ± 13 ETDRS letters, controls: 75 ± 13 ETDRS letters). No significant differences were seen in response to PDT between the patients who continued corticosteroid treatment and those who ceased the use of corticosteroids.ConclusionsPhotodynamic therapy appears to be equally effective in patients suffering from steroid‐associated cCSC as compared to patients with cCSC who do not use corticosteroids. Continuation of corticosteroids at the time of PDT treatment does not seem to adversely affect PDT response.