bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gender diversity in the Italian boardroom and firm financial performance
Authors: Gordini Niccolò , Rancati Elisa 
Published: January 2017

PurposeThis study aims to analyse the relationship between board gender diversity and firm financial performance in Italy, where the recently enforced Law 120/2011 prescribes gender quotas for boards of directors.Design/methodology/approachPanel data analysis was used to examine the gender diversity–firm financial performance relationship in an unbalanced panel of 918 Italian listed companies during the years 2011-2014.FindingsGender diversity, as measured by the percentage of women on a board and by the Blau and the Shannon indices, has a positive and significant effect on Tobin’s Q, while the presence of one or more women on the boardper sehas an insignificant effect on firm financial performance.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that board gender diversity is not a simple “numbers game”, greater gender diversity may generate economic gains, greater gender diversity does not destroy shareholder value, investors do not penalize companies that increase female representation on their boards and Italian companies should focus their efforts on the right mix of men and women rather than on simply the presence of at least one woman on a board of directors.Originality/valueMost articles on this topic use data from countries with a legal system based on common law; this paper analyses Italy, a country with a civil law system. This is almost certainly the first study to examine the effect of board gender diversity on firm financial performance in the Italian market.
Videogames as a serious medium
Authors: Steinkuehler Constance 
Published: January 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to inform designers and researchers about the current state of play in videogames in education and its broader context.Design/methodology/approachThis synthetic piece reflects the author’s past decade of work and observation in the domain. It is not a research piece but a reflective essay.FindingsStructural issues inflect the development of games for learning. Here, the author argues for the incubation of a new indie scene in educational domains on par with the burgeoning indie scene in commercial entertainment games.Originality/valueThis is a short essay for scholars, designers and leaders in games for learning who work inside academics yet aspire to have their work impact not only on publications but also on products.
Understanding strategic decision-making through a multi-paradigm perspective
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Christos , Byers Terri , Kolyperas Dimitrios 
Published: January 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the efficacy of using a multi-paradigm perspective to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and strategic decision-making processes in the context of charitable foundations.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper integrates and synthesizes the micro-social processes of “assessable transcendence” (Anagnostopoulos et al., 2014) with Whittington’s (2001) perspectives on strategy. “Assessable transcendence” was achieved from the constant comparison of categories developed through an early iterative process in which data collection and analysis occurred during the same period. In all, 32 interviews were conducted among a sample of key managers in the charitable foundations for the first two divisions of English football.

Findings
The present study illustrates empirically that strategic decision making in charitable foundations does not “seat” neatly in any one of Whittington’s perspectives. On the contrary, this study indicates a great deal of overlap within these perspectives, and suggests that conflicting paradigms should be celebrated rather than viewed as signs of theoretical immaturity. Multi-paradigm approaches can potentially reveal insights into the “mechanics” of managerial decision making that are not easily discernible from a mono-paradigmatic perspective.

Originality/value
This is the first empirical work that examines CSR in relation to strategy within the context of the English football clubs’ charitable foundations, and does so by employing a multi-paradigm perspective on strategy formulation and implementation.
Suggesting a service research agenda in sports tourism: working experience(s) into business models
Authors: Perić Marko , Wise Nicholas , Dragičević Daniel 
Published: January 2017

PurposeBusiness models describe how value is delivered to customers/consumers. When considering sport tourism, the focus on delivering value shifts to the sport experiences being offered in a destination. The purpose of this paper is to fulfil a void that links concept of business models to the area of sport tourism management by integrating notions of experience.Design/methodology/approachTo merge these areas, a review of literature identifies key approaches and missing links. This paper determines research gaps to propose a new holistic research agenda for sport services – specifically relevant to sport tourism.FindingsThis paper addresses types of sport experiences, economic dimensions of experiences and business models to determine capabilities of delivering different types of experiences. These inter-related fields of analysis represent a platform for both academic and business stakeholders to shape the future of delivering sport tourism experiences based on seeking a wider range of motivations in a specific spatial and activity context.Originality/valueA series of research questions and proposals are identified to support the need for future research. Extending understandings of experience in relation to consumer demand has the potential to result in practical elements of sought after experiences being incorporated into business models – aimed at delivering service value.
The Stein Rokkan Lecture 2016 Mission impossible? Reconciling economic and social Europe after the euro crisis and Brexit
Authors: FERRERA MAURIZIO 
Published: January 2017

AbstractDuring the crisis, the European Union's ‘social deficit’ has triggered an increasing politicisation of redistributive issues within supranational, transnational and national arenas. Various lines of conflict have taken shape, revolving aroundwhoquestions (who are ‘we’? – i.e., issues of identity and inclusion/exclusion);whatquestions (how much redistribution within and across the ‘we’ collectivities) andwho decidesquestions (the locus of authority that can produce and guarantee organised solidarity). The key challenge facing today's political leaders is how to ‘glue’ the Union together as a recogniseable and functioning polity. This requires a double rebalancing: between the logic of ‘opening’ and the logic of ‘closure’, on the one hand, and between the logic of ‘economic stability’ and ‘social solidarity’, on the other. Building on the work of Stein Rokkan and Max Weber, this article argues that reconciliation is possible, but only if carefully crafted through an extraordinary mobilisation of political and intellectual resources. A key ingredient should be the establishment of a European Social Union, capable of combining domestic and pan‐European solidarities. In this way, the EU could visibly and tangibly extend its policy menu from regulation to (limited, but effective) distribution, reaping the latter's benefits in terms of legitimacy. The journey on this road is difficult but,paceRokkan, not entirely impervious.
Getting away with foul play? The importance of formal and informal oversight institutions for electoral integrity
Authors: BIRCH SARAH , VAN HAM CAROLIEN 
Published: January 2017

AbstractElectoral integrity is increasingly being recognised as an important component of democracy, yet scholars still have limited understanding of the circumstances under which elections are most likely to be free, fair and genuine. This article posits that effective oversight institutions play a key role in scrutinising the electoral process and holding those with an interest in the electoral outcome to account. The main insight is that deficiencies in formal electoral management can be effectively compensated for via one or more other institutional checks: an active and independent judiciary; an active and independent media; and/or an active and independent civil society. Flawed elections are most likely to take place when all four checks on electoral conduct fail in key ways. These hypotheses are tested and supported on a cross‐national time‐series dataset of 1,047 national‐level elections held in 156 electoral regimes between 1990 and 2012.
Estimating the Skull‐to‐Camera Distance from Facial Photographs for Craniofacial Superimposition
Authors: Stephan Carl N. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe overlay of a skull and a face image for identification purposes requires similar subject‐to‐camera distances (SCD) to be used at both photographic sessions so that differences in perspective do not compromise the anatomical comparisons. As the facial photograph is the reference standard, it is crucial to determine itsSCDfirst and apply this value to photography of the skull. So far, such a method for estimating theSCDhas been elusive (some say impossible), compromising the technical validity of the superimposition procedure. This paper tests the feasibility of using the palpebral fissure length and a well‐established photographic algorithm to accurately estimate theSCDfrom the facial photograph. Recordings at knownSCDacross a 1–10 m range (repeated under two test conditions) demonstrate that the newly formulated method works: a meanSCDestimation error of 7% that translates into <1% perspective distortion error between estimated and actual conditions.
A Comparative Study of Phenolic Antioxidant Activity and Flavonoid Biosynthesis‐Related Gene Expression Between Summer and Winter Strawberry Cultivars
Authors: Park Doori , Park Yeri , Lee Young Hun , Choi Ik‐Young , Park Kyong Cheul , Park Sang Un , Kim Byung Sup , Yeoung Young Rog , Park Nam Il 
Published: January 2017

AbstractStrawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) possesses good antioxidant properties. Phenolic compounds in strawberries, such as anthocyanins and ellagic acid, mainly act as antioxidants. This study aimed to compare the phenolic content and expression patterns of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis between summer and winter strawberry cultivars affected by seasonal variation, degree of ripeness, and genotype. Antioxidant activity and the total content of phenols and flavonoids decreased with fruit ripening. Most notably, summer strawberry cultivars showed higher antioxidant activity than winter cultivars. The expression patterns of flavonoid biosynthetic genes tested were cultivar‐dependent and were also affected by ripening. These results help us understand the nutritional and physiological characteristics of selected cultivars and provide a range of information for strawberry consumption.
Effects of Metmyoglobin Reducing Activity and Thermal Stability of NADH‐Dependent Reductase and Lactate Dehydrogenase on Premature Browning in Ground Beef
Authors: Djimsa Blanchefort A. , Abraham Anupam , Mafi Gretchen G. , VanOverbeke Deborah L. , Ramanathan Ranjith 
Published: January 2017

AbstractPremature browning is a condition wherein ground beef exhibits a well‐done appearance before reaching the USDA recommended internal cooked meat temperature of 71.1 °C; however, the mechanism is unclear. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the effects of packaging and temperature on metmyoglobin reducing activity (MRA) of cooked ground beef patties and (2) to assess the effects of temperature and pH on thermal stability of NADH‐dependent reductase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and oxymyoglobin (OxyMb)in‐vitro. Beef patties (lean: fat = 85:15) were packaged in high‐oxygen modified atmosphere (HiOX‐MAP) or vacuum (VP) and cooked to either 65 or 71 °C. Internal meat color and MRA of both raw and cooked patties were determined. Purified NADH‐dependent reductase and LDH were used to determine the effects of pH and temperature on enzyme activity. MRA of cooked patties was temperature and packaging dependent (P< 0.05). Vacuum packaged patties cooked to 71 °C had greater (P< 0.05) MRA than HiOX‐MAP counterparts. Thermal stability of OxyMb, NADH‐dependent reductase, and LDH were different and pH‐dependent. LDH was able to generate NADH at 84 °C; whereas NADH‐dependent reductase was least stable to heat. The results suggest that patties have MRA at cooking temperatures, which can influence cooked meat color.
Negative Association Between MR‐Spectroscopic Glutamate Markers and Gray Matter Volume After Alcohol Withdrawal in the Hippocampus: A Translational Study in Humans and Rats
Authors: Frischknecht Ulrich , Hermann Derik , Tunc‐Skarka Nuran , Wang Guo‐Ying , Sack Markus , van Eijk Julia , Demirakca Traute , Falfan‐Melgoza Claudia , Krumm Bertram , Dieter Sandra , Spanagel Rainer , Kiefer Falk , Mann Karl F. , Sommer Wolfgang H. , Ende Gabriele , Weber‐Fahr Wolfgang 
Published: January 2017

BackgroundBoth chronic alcohol consumption and alcohol withdrawal lead to neural tissue damage which partly recovers during abstinence. This study investigated withdrawal‐associated changes in glutamatergic compounds, markers of neuronal integrity, and gray matter volumes during acute alcohol withdrawal in the hippocampus, a key region in development and maintenance of alcohol dependence in humans and rats.MethodsAlcohol‐dependent patients (N = 39) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MR spectroscopy (MRS) measurements within 24 hours after the last drink and after 2 weeks of abstinence. MRI and MRS data of healthy controls (N = 34) were acquired once. Our thorough quality criteria resulted in N = 15 available spectra from the first and of N = 21 from the second measurement in patients, and of N = 19 from healthy controls. In a translational approach, chronic intermittent ethanol‐exposed rats and respective controls (8/group) underwent 5 MRS measurements covering baseline, intoxication, 12 and 60 hours of withdrawal, and 3 weeks of abstinence.ResultsIn both species, higher levels of markers of glutamatergic metabolism were associated with lower gray matter volumes in the hippocampus in early abstinence. Trends of reduced N‐acetylaspartate levels during intoxication persisted in patients with severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms over 2 weeks of abstinence. We observed a higher ratio of glutamate to glutamine during alcohol withdrawal in our animal model.ConclusionsDue to limited statistical power, we regard the results as preliminary and discuss them in the framework of the hypothesis of withdrawal‐induced hyperglutamatergic neurotoxicity, alcohol‐induced neural changes, and training‐associated effects of abstinence on hippocampal tissue integrity.
African‐American Midwifery, a History and a Lament
Authors: Goode Keisha , Katz Rothman Barbara 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe medicalization of fertility and infertility, pregnancy, abortion, contraception, childbirth, and postpartum care has not always worked in the interests of women. It has had particularly devastating effects on African‐American women. Their fertility has been managed for hundreds of years, first as slaves forced to have children for owners, then as objects to be experimented on without anesthetics, and finally as mothers sterilized without their consent. The relatively high rates of infant and maternal mortality, along with limited access to safe and high‐quality reproductive services, are continuing signs of such devastation. This article discusses the history and consequences of the medicalization of pregnancy, contraception, and abortion in America. Attention is drawn to the ways in which the profession of medicine took control away from midwives, the traditional birth attendants and pregnancy caregivers, and the particular consequences for African‐American women. Ultimately, we posit that greater access to midwifery care could lower infant and maternal mortality rates and improve reproductive services. The reintroduction of spirituality through midwifery would also restore the important role of “wise women” in supporting women, babies, and communities.
Acute liver failure in Scotland: changes in aetiology and outcomes over time (the Scottish Look‐Back Study)
Authors: Donnelly M. C. , Davidson J. S. , Martin K. , Baird A. , Hayes P. C. , Simpson K. J. 
Published: January 2017

SummaryBackgroundAcute liver failure is a rare and devastating clinical condition resulting from sudden loss of hepatic parenchyma and metabolic function. The Scottish Liver Transplant Unit (SLTU) offers specialist management and emergency liver transplantation to patients with acute liver failure from across Scotland.AimTo describe temporal changes in number of admissions, aetiology of acute liver failure, severity of disease at presentation and outcomes over a 22‐year period.MethodsRetrospective analysis of the SLTU database, including all patients admitted with acute liver injury or acute liver failure between November 1992 and March 2014.ResultsThere has been no change in the number of patients presenting with acute liver injury or failure secondary to paracetamol overdose, but a reduction in the number of admissions with acute liver injury or failure secondary to non paracetamol causes. Over time, disease severity at presentation has not changed in the paracetamol cohort; those with a non paracetamol aetiology have latterly presented with milder hepatic encephalopathy. Spontaneous survival rates improved significantly over time for those patients with acute liver failure due to paracetamol and non paracetamol aetiologies. The most marked improvement in survival is observed in the sickest patients meeting Kings College Hospital poor prognostic criteria.ConclusionsThe number of admissions to the SLTU with acute liver failure is decreasing, due to reduced numbers of non paracetamol cases. Outcomes in this condition are improving, due to improvements in intensive care management and use of liver transplantation, and the increase in survival is most marked in patients meeting Kings College Hospital poor prognostic criteria.
Emergence of mania in two middle‐aged patients with a history of unipolar treatment‐refractory depression receiving vagus nerve stimulation
Authors: Salloum Naji C , Walker Marie C , Gangwani Sunil , Conway Charles R 
Published: January 2017

ObjectivesWe report on two patients who experienced emergence of full manic symptoms while receiving vagal nerve stimulation (VNS).MethodsTwo patients, both with a well‐documented and verified history of longstanding unipolar depression, were initiated on VNS for treatment of their severe major depressive episodes.ResultsThe two patients had emergence of full manic symptoms after 8 and 9 months of VNS, respectively. Manic symptoms were adequately managed with standard treatments (mood stabilizer and electroconvulsive therapy) and VNS was continued in the two subjects for up to 5 years without any further occurrences of manic/hypomanic episodes.ConclusionsThese cases suggest that some patients with treatment‐resistant depression may have a previously unrecognized bipolar disorder, triggered only by VNS. This report also provides evidence that VNS‐induced manic switches, however serious and troubling to patients, can be managed safely, and that VNS maintenance can be continued for an extended period of time without manic relapses. Although the mechanism of action of VNS is not known, emerging evidence supports central nervous system dopaminergic and possibly cholinergic system involvement.
BayesCAT: Bayesian Co-estimation of Alignment and Tree
Authors: Shim Heejung , Larget Bret 
Published: January 2017

Summary
Traditionally, phylogeny and sequence alignment are estimated separately: first estimate a multiple sequence alignment and then infer a phylogeny based on the sequence alignment estimated in the previous step. However, uncertainty in the alignment is ignored, resulting, possibly, in overstated certainty in phylogeny estimates. We develop a joint model for co-estimating phylogeny and sequence alignment which improves estimates from the traditional approach by accounting for uncertainty in the alignment in phylogenetic inferences. Our insertion and deletion (indel) model allows arbitrary-length overlapping indel events and a general distribution for indel fragment size. We employ a Bayesian approach using MCMC to estimate the joint posterior distribution of a phylogenetic tree and a multiple sequence alignment. Our approach has a tree and a complete history of indel events mapped onto the tree as the state space of the Markov Chain while alternative previous approaches have a tree and an alignment. A large state space containing a complete history of indel events makes our MCMC approach more challenging, but it enables us to infer more information about the indel process. The performances of this joint method and traditional sequential methods are compared using simulated data as well as real data. Software named BayesCAT (Bayesian Co-estimation of Alignment and Tree) is available at https://github.com/heejungshim/BayesCAT.
Conditional Estimation in Two-Stage Adaptive Designs
Authors: Broberg Per , Miller Frank 
Published: January 2017

Summary
We consider conditional estimation in two-stage sample size adjustable designs and the consequent bias. More specifically, we consider a design which permits raising the sample size when interim results look rather promising, and which retains the originally planned sample size when results look very promising. The estimation procedures reported comprise the unconditional maximum likelihood, the conditionally unbiased Rao–Blackwell estimator, the conditional median unbiased estimator, and the conditional maximum likelihood with and without bias correction. We compare these estimators based on analytical results and a simulation study. We show how they can be applied in a real clinical trial setting.
Statistical Significance for Hierarchical Clustering
Authors: Kimes Patrick K. , Liu Yufeng , Hayes David Neil , Marron James Stephen 
Published: January 2017

Summary
Cluster analysis has proved to be an invaluable tool for the exploratory and unsupervised analysis of high-dimensional datasets. Among methods for clustering, hierarchical approaches have enjoyed substantial popularity in genomics and other fields for their ability to simultaneously uncover multiple layers of clustering structure. A critical and challenging question in cluster analysis is whether the identified clusters represent important underlying structure or are artifacts of natural sampling variation. Few approaches have been proposed for addressing this problem in the context of hierarchical clustering, for which the problem is further complicated by the natural tree structure of the partition, and the multiplicity of tests required to parse the layers of nested clusters. In this article, we propose a Monte Carlo based approach for testing statistical significance in hierarchical clustering which addresses these issues. The approach is implemented as a sequential testing procedure guaranteeing control of the family-wise error rate. Theoretical justification is provided for our approach, and its power to detect true clustering structure is illustrated through several simulation studies and applications to two cancer gene expression datasets.