bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Capital requirements or pricing constraints?
Authors: Schlütter Sebastian 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– This paper aims to investigate the interaction between capital requirements and pricing constraints as measures for insurance regulation.

Design/methodology/approach
– In a theoretical model framework, the author derives the insurer’s shareholder-value-maximizing response to capital regulation, price regulation and the unregulated strategy as a benchmark; all three strategies are presented in an analytical form.

Findings
– The paper demonstrates that risk-based capital requirements exhibit an efficiency advantage over price regulation and allow for lower premiums. Moreover, the analysis identifies situations in which price floors make insurance more expensive, but have no positive impact on the safety level.

Practical implications
– The comparison between capital regulation and price floors provides policymakers with a methodology to evaluate which regulatory tool is more appropriate. Also, the article discusses that maximum discount rates for European life insurers could be ineffective when the new regulatory framework Solvency II is in place.

Originality/value
– In all, the article obtains analytical and informative results with relevant implications for insurance regulation.
Cross-cultural, values and ethics differences and similarities between the US and Asian countries
Authors: Garcia Fredi , Mendez Diana , Ellis Chris , Gautney Casey 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– This article aims to investigate the differences and similarities among cross-cultural, values and ethics between the USA and Asian countries. This article analyzes the degree of cultural distance between USA and Asian countries and the impact it has in companies. It examines the comparison between the USA and China’s value system. It also assesses how idealism and relativism impact individual ethical decision-making. In addition, this article examines the impact that globalization, foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade have in the Chinese culture and other countries.

Design/methodology/approach
– The data for this research paper were collected from the following models: Ethics Position Questionnaire of Forsyth, Rokeach Values Survey, Hofstede model, GLOBE model and Wilcoxon test. The main sources used for this research were the Journal of Technology Management in China and the EBSCO database.

Findings
– The research found that Western cultures tend to be more individualistic, while Asian countries tend to be very collective. This study also found that the type of value system that each culture holds depends on the type of government. This research also found that researchers have discovered that American managers are more loyal to their ethical beliefs, rather than to their superior’s or company’s ethical beliefs. While eastern Asian cultures focus more on the importance of acting in the best interests of the company’s superior. The study also found that it is extremely important for foreigners to build a relationship with Chinese business professionals before they do business negotiations. In addition, the study found that globalization, FDI and trade do make a significant cultural difference in some cultural dimensions.

Originality/value
– It contributes to the literature by analyzing the different measurements in value, ethics and cultural differentiation. This research wants to demonstrate the importance of cultural differences, ethics and values across different countries and cultures. It also provides factual evidence that it’s important to understand these differences to be a successful global manager. In addition, it contributes to this literature by analyzing the effect that globalization, FDI and trade have in national cultures.
Emerging technology sustainability
Authors: E. Carraher Jr. Charles 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine sustainability with an emphasis on China.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper examines previous research on sustainability and polymer chemistry to provide a better understanding of the importance of sustainability and technology in China.

Findings
– There are many different perspectives when it comes to sustainability and that multiple stakeholders need to be considered when examining sustainability.

Originality/value
– As the longest serving member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) accreditation committee and a Fellow of the ACS, the perspective on which this paper is based comes from over 1,000 publications and over 45 years of active research in the sciences and technology.
Health care infrastructure amenities – an empirical examination of Indian perspective
Authors: Gupta Atul , Satpathy Ipseeta , Chandra Mohan Patnaik B. , Patel Niharika 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– Health is an important issue in our life. A person with good health will have peace of mind and will be able to contribute to nation-building. We cannot expect performance from an ill person with a low morale. In the present paper, the authors tried to understand the ground realities of health-care facilities provided in India and more specifically in Odisha, India.

Design/methodology/approach
– This empirical paper used a non-experimental design to test a proposed model based on a review of relevant literature. In this paper, an initial pilot study was conducted by taking 44 various variables; however, after the study and taking the expert opinion, the variables were restricted to only 30. For the purpose of study, only state-sponsored hospitals were considered on a random sampling method.

Findings
– The analysis of data is conducted on a simple percentage method with closed-end options. It is found that even after 67 years of independence, people do not have access to basic medical care facilities in the rural areas and to some extent in semi-urban areas also. The major stumbling block is inadequate infrastructure in these hospitals.

Research limitations/implications
– While this study offers some insight into the status of healthcare infrastructure in rural India, the sample was limited to respondents in state-sponsored hospitals, which may not represent the views about private hospitals.

Practical implications
– It seems that in some interior areas of Odisha, people rely more on their fate than then these health-care services.

Social implications
– Various governments claim that they are spending millions of rupees on health-care service, but the benefits are not being felt by the masses. We are sure that our attempt to highlight the scenario of health-care services in the state of Odisha will be an eye opener and will compel the various stake holders to introspect their involvement in the health-care services provided in these areas.

Originality/value
– A considerable amount of research has been done evaluating the status of healthcare in India, but this is the first empirical research study to date based on respondents from the rural parts of the state of Odisha in India. Some of these areas are not reachable to researchers due to the poor infrastructure. This contribution is also of special importance amid the recent criticism of the healthcare infrastructure in India by prominent management scholars.
International evidence on R&D services outsourcing practices by technological firms
Authors: Martínez-Noya Andrea , García-Canal Esteban 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– This paper aims to, through the disintegration of the innovation process in this paper, attempt to shed light on what are some of the distinctive features of this phenomenon, such as: Who is outsourcing R&D? What types of R&D services are being outsourced across the R&D value chain and to whom? Where are firms outsourcing these services? and Why do firms decide to outsource them? Outsourcing practices of some stages of the R&D process to specialized providers have been gaining momentum during the past years even by firms operating in high-tech sectors.

Design/methodology/approach
– The data used in this paper stem from an original international survey on R&D services outsourcing. This survey includes a sample of 182 US and European Union firms competing in technology-intensive industries.

Findings
– This study provides evidence of the existence of a global outsourcing market that covers practically all the R&D stages and is widely used by technological firms. However, it highlights the importance of multinationality to be able to use R&D outsourcing as a tool for value creation.

Originality/value
– Despite the relevance of this phenomenon, previous studies tend to analyze the R&D function as a whole. However, through the disintegration of the innovation process, this paper provides original international data which helps to analyze the real magnitude and scope of this R&D offshore outsourcing process at the transactional level.
The relationship between sustainable development and resource use from a geographic perspective
Authors: Aikins Eric K.W. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractGeography provides the basic building blocks for the study of resource use and sustainable development, inasmuch as it categorizes the human environment. Within the environment are resources that are needed for the survival of society. As resources are largely limited and finite, humans as agents of change must employ techniques that allow an efficient and lasting use of the available resources in their environment. This paper discusses the nexus between geography, resource exploitation, use, and sustainable development. It also discusses the characteristics, types, and classification of resources, development and sustainable development as well as the challenges and strategies for attaining sustainable development, particularly in developing countries.
The Mispricing of Cash Flows and Accruals at Different Life‐Cycle Stages
Authors: Hribar Paul , Yehuda Nir 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThis paper employs the firm life‐cycle concept to extend our understanding of the mispricing of accrual and cash flow information by the stock market. We find that accruals and free cash flows are strongly (negatively) correlated in the maturity and decline stages of a firm's life cycle but not in the growth stage, suggesting that they capture unique information in the growth stage of the firm's life cycle but more correlated information in the later stages. Consistent with this finding, we show that the cash flows anomaly subsumes the accruals anomaly in maturity and decline stages, but not in the growth stage. Our findings contribute to the debate regarding the overlap between the two anomalies.
Lifespan‐extending caloric restriction or mTOR inhibition impair adaptive immunity of old mice by distinct mechanisms
Authors: Goldberg Emily L. , Romero‐Aleshire Melissa J. , Renkema Kristin R. , Ventevogel Melissa S. , Chew Wade M. , Uhrlaub Jennifer L. , Smithey Megan J. , Limesand Kirsten H. , Sempowski Gregory D. , Brooks Heddwen L. , Nikolich‐Žugich Janko 
Published: November 2014

SummaryAging of the world population and a concomitant increase in age‐related diseases and disabilities mandates the search for strategies to increase healthspan, the length of time an individual lives healthy and productively. Due to the age‐related decline of the immune system, infectious diseases remain among the top 5–10 causes of mortality and morbidity in the elderly, and improving immune function during aging remains an important aspect of healthspan extension. Calorie restriction (CR) and more recently rapamycin (rapa) feeding have both been used to extend lifespan in mice. Preciously few studies have actually investigated the impact of each of these interventions upon in vivo immune defense against relevant microbial challenge in old organisms. We tested how rapa and CR each impacted the immune system in adult and old mice. We report that each intervention differentially altered T‐cell development in the thymus, peripheral T‐cell maintenance, T‐cell function and host survival after West Nile virus infection, inducing distinct but deleterious consequences to the aging immune system. We conclude that neither rapa feeding nor CR, in the current form/administration regimen, may be optimal strategies for extending healthy immune function and, with it, lifespan.
Heart Rate Variability Indexes as a Marker of Chronic Adaptation in Athletes: A Systematic Review
Authors: da Silva Vanessa Pereira , de Oliveira Natacha Alves , Silveira Heitor , Mello Roger Gomes Tavares , Deslandes Andrea Camaz 
Published: November 2014

BackgroundRegular exercise promotes functional and structural changes in the central and peripheral mechanisms of the cardiovascular system. Heart rate variability (HRV) measurement provides a sensitive indicator of the autonomic balance. However, because of the diversity of methods and variables used, the results are difficult to compare in the sports sciences. Since the protocol (supine, sitting, or standing position) and measure (time or frequency domain) are not well defined, the aim of this study is to investigate the HRV measures that better indicates the chronic adaptations of physical exercise in athletes.MethodPubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science, SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library), and Scopus databases were consulted. Original complete articles in English with short‐term signals evaluating young and adult athletes, between 17 and 40 years old, with a control group, published up to 2013 were included.ResultsSelected 19 of 1369 studies, for a total sample pool of 333 male and female athletes who practice different sports. The main protocols observed were the supine or standing positions in free or controlled breathing conditions. The main statistical results found in this study were the higher mean RR, standard deviation of RR intervals, and high frequency in athletes group. In addition, the analyses of Cohen's effect size showed that factors as modality of sport, protocol used and unit of measure selected could influence this expected results.ConclusionOur findings indicate that time domain measures are more consistent than frequency domain to describe the chronic cardiovascular autonomic adaptations in athletes.
Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: a medical or surgical disease of the breast?
Authors: Skandarajah Anita , Marley Leah 
Published: November 2014

AbstractIntroductionIdiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare benign breast disease, which can be protracted, disfiguring and may be linked to an underlying autoimmune disorder. The clinical presentation may mimic bacterial mastitis or carcinoma.AimsTo review the mode of presentation, diagnosis, management, resolution and incidence of IGM in three tertiary breast centres and propose guidelines for management.MethodsThe breast and anatomical databases of three centres were reviewed from January 2000 to December 2013 to identify patients with histological diagnosis of IGM. Clinical and demographic characteristics were retrieved and treatment modalities and time to resolution were recorded.ResultsSeventeen patients were identified with a median age of 40. The majority of patients were premenopausal, multiparous and presented with a mass. All patients had initial treatment as infectious mastitis. The diagnosis was made by core biopsy in 71%. Eleven patients required immunosuppressive treatment with steroids and four of these patients required a steroid‐sparing agent because of steroidal side effects, recurrence or persistence of symptoms. The median time to resolution was 3 months (0–24 months). One patient had subsequent systemic Wegener's granulomatosis diagnosed.ConclusionsIdiopathic granulomatosis mastitis requires histological confirmation, close monitoring, exclusion of underlying systemic autoimmune conditions and judicious use of steroids and steroid‐sparing agents such as methotrexate. It has a protracted course with some patients relapsing quickly upon cessation of steroids.
FARMERS’ COOPERATIVES IN THE EU: POLICIES, STRATEGIES, AND ORGANIZATION
Authors: BIJMAN Jos , ILIOPOULOS Constantine 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTThe importance of cooperatives for European farmers has often been claimed but empirical studies to support this claim are scarce. This special issue presents a number of articles on the recent development and status of agricultural cooperatives in the European Union, based on original data collected in the EU‐wide study ‘Support for Farmers’ Cooperatives’. The articles focus on trends in the internal organization, the institutional environment, and the strategies that cooperatives have developed in supply chains and markets. This introductory article presents data on the market shares that cooperatives hold in different sectors and countries, and introduces the three key determinants of performance of cooperatives: policies, strategies and internal organization. Finally, the article develops a future research agenda.
FARMERS' COOPERATIVES IN EUROPE: SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL DETERMINANTS OF COOPERATIVE MEMBERSHIP IN AGRICULTURE
Authors: GIJSELINCKX Caroline , BUSSELS Matthias 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTMembership rates of agricultural co‐operatives vary widely across member states of the European Union. Inspired by various strands of literature (institutionalism, social capital theory, literature on transition countries and the ‘software of the mind’), we investigate historical and social determinants of those differences. We find that social capital and the legacy of communism are significantly correlated with the attractiveness of the co‐operative sector for farmers, while the Hofstede indicators, measuring deeply rooted cultural values that otherwise are so robust and have correlations with many entrepreneurial and organizational aspects, are not. We describe our analysis and elaborate on the limits and implications of the data used and methodology applied.
USING THE REGIONAL ADVANTAGE: FRENCH AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES’ ECONOMIC AND GOVERNANCE TOOL
Authors: FILIPPI Maryline 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTEver‐increasing globalization has forced cooperatives to strike a balance between developing economic performance and sticking to their social values. This article examines in what respect the localization of French agricultural cooperatives could be used as an economic and governance tool. We distinguish between three strategies: (1) enhancing the value of local resources; (2) creating links between members in order to reinforce member loyalty; and (3) building interdependencies with consumers in supply chains. We show that the French cooperatives’ strategies transform their localization constraint into territorial advantages, suggesting a tool that might usefully be adapted by cooperatives of other countries. Further research including international comparisons is needed in order to improve understanding of the mechanisms at work behind commitment with owner‐members at the cooperative level.
PATHS TO COOPERATIVE SURVIVAL: STRUCTURE, STRATEGY AND REGENERATION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES COOPERATIVES IN ALMERÍA AND VALENCIA, SPAIN
Authors: GIAGNOCAVO Cynthia , GEREZ Silvia , CAMPOS i CLIMENT Vanessa 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTTwo important Spanish fruit and vegetable (F&V) producing areas of Almería and Valencia in which agricultural cooperatives and smallholder and family farmers play a vital role are compared. Their F&V cooperatives have distinct development paths and have adopted different structures and strategies, attributable to historical, cultural and political circumstance, infrastructure, regulation and policy measures and/or international exposure. In considering the factors which contribute to agricultural cooperative success or failure, persistent atomization is often cited as inhibiting the ability of cooperatives to thrive. While not discounting that economies of scale may be important, we argue for analysing agricultural cooperative activity using a neo‐endogenous approach (a mix of exogenous and endogenous factors wherein local level characteristics and actors interact with external or global forces), combined with insights from path dependency theory and a dynamic lifecycle approach. Agricultural cooperatives are presented as dynamic entities, capable of renewal, redeployment, regeneration and recombination.
Investigating risk factors and possible infectious aetiologies of mummified fetuses on a large piggery in Australia
Authors: Dron N , Hernández‐Jover M , Doyle RE , Holyoake PK 
Published: November 2014

ObjectiveTo investigate risk factors and potential infectious aetiologies of an increased mummification rate (>2%) identified over time on a 1200‐sow farrow‐to‐finish farm in Australia.MethodsAssociation of potential non‐infectious risk factors and the mummification rate was investigated using 15 years of breeding herd data (40,940 litters) and logistic regression analysis. Samples from a limited number of mummified fetuses were taken to identify potential infectious aetiologies (porcine parvovirus, Leptospira pomona, porcine circovirus type 2, Bungowannah virus and enterovirus).ResultsLogistic regression analysis suggested that the mummification rate was significantly associated with sow breed and parity, year and total born and stillborn piglets per litter. The mummification rate was lower (P < 0.001) in Landrace (3.4%) and Large White (2.6%) sows than in Duroc sows (4.9%). Gilts (2.9%) had a lower (P < 0.001) mummification rate than older sows. The mummification rate increased with total born litter size and decreased with the number of stillborn piglets (P < 0.001). A clustering effect within individual sows was identified, indicating that some sows with mummified fetuses in a litter were more likely to have repeated mummifications in subsequent litters. No infectious agents were identified in the samples taken.ConclusionResults from this study suggest that the increased mummification rate identified over time on this farm is likely to be a non‐infectious multifactorial problem predisposing the occurrence of mummification. Further research is required to better understand the pathophysiology of mummification and the role that different non‐infectious factors play in the occurrence of mummified fetuses.
Acute undifferentiated leukaemia in a dog
Authors: Miglio A , Antognoni MT , Miniscalco B , Caivano D , Lepri E , Birettoni F , Mangili V 
Published: November 2014

BackgroundAcute undifferentiated leukaemia (AUL) is considered a separate entity in the context of acute leukaemias. AUL is extremely rare in both humans and dogs, has a rapid clinical course and does not respond to treatment. It is characterised by the presence of blast cells within the bone marrow and/or peripheral blood at levels ≥20% and even up to 100% of all nucleated cells. Blast cells are unable to be differentiated on morphological, cytochemical and phenotypic criteria into myeloid or lymphoid lineages because of their immaturity and/or atypia.Case reportAn 8‐year‐old German Shepherd dog was referred for depression, asthenia, mild anaemia, thrombocytopenia and marked leucocytosis. Abdominal ultrasound showed hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, bilateral nephromegaly and enlargement of mesenteric lymph nodes. Echocardiography revealed biventricular hypertrophy with abnormal tissue density of the myocardium. Blood and bone marrow smears were composed of 95% unclassifiable and/or atypical blast cells and signs of dysplasia of the erythroid and thrombocytic/megakaryocytic lineages were present. Blast cells were negative for all cytochemical stains used and flow cytometry of peripheral blood revealed 85% of total leucocytes consisting of small‐to‐medium‐sized cells, negative for all lymphoid and myeloid markers except CD45 and CD34.After necropsy, cytology and histology revealed that blast cells had diffusely infiltrated all tissues examined. Both erythroid and megakaryocytic extramedullary haemopoiesis was also detected in the spleen, lymph nodes and liver. All immunohistochemical stains used were negative.ConclusionOn the basis of all the results, a diagnosis of acute leukaemia involving a very primitive haematopoietic precursor was made.