bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An examination of herding behavior in Pakistani stock market
Authors: Javaira Zuee , Hassan Arshad 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the investment behavior of Pakistani stock market participants, specifically with respect to their tendency to exhibit herd behavior.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study employed two different methodologies suggested by Christie and Huang (1995) and Chang et al. (2000) to test herd formation. Results are based on daily and monthly stock of KSE-100 index for the period 2002-2007.

Findings
– Results based on daily and monthly stock data from Karachi Stock Exchange indicate the non-existence of herd behavior for the period 2002-2007 and find no support for the rational asset pricing model and investor behavior found inefficient. This study denied proved evidence of herding due to market return asymmetry, high and low trading volume states and asymmetric market volatility. Macroeconomic fundamentals have insignificant role in decision-making process of investor therefore has no impact on herding behavior. However, during liquidity crisis of March 2005, Pakistani stock market exhibit herding behavior due to asymmetry of information among investors, presence of speculator and questionable badla financing-local leverage financing mechanism.

Research limitations/implications
– In future, this study can be improved by employing stock returns portfolios based on market capitalization or sector wise portfolio returns from KSE-100. Furthermore by identifying those factors that cause market to be overall inefficient and define the pattern of the investor trading activities.

Practical implications
– For an accurate valuation of assets investors should incorporate the herding factor.

Social implications
– As the assets are mispriced, investor behavior is uncertain and markets are inefficient, foreign investors should invest with caution, as large numbers of securities are needed to achieve the same level of diversification than in an otherwise normal market.

Originality/value
– In Karachi Stock Exchange, it is first attempt to uncover the herding behavior. This paper contribute to the body of knowledge by investigating the herding behavior in the emerging markets since most of the previous study concentrate more on the developed markets. Furthermore, the study also analyzed the herding behavior in different economic condition and includes economic variables and examines asymmetric effect. This study presents an integrated model to test herding behavior in Pakistani equity market. Consideration of said behavioral effect in the decision-making process of investor will make the decisions more rational and optimal.
The relationship between individual investor sentiment, stock return and volatility
Authors: Sayim Mustafa , Rahman Hamid 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Turkish individual investor sentiment on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) and to investigate whether investor sentiment, stock return and volatility in Turkey are related.

Design/methodology/approach
– This study used the monthly Turkish Consumer Confidence Index, published by the Turkish Statistical Institute, as a proxy for individual investor sentiments. First, Turkish market fundamentals were regressed on investor sentiments in order to capture the effects of macroeconomic risk factors on investor sentiments. Then, it used the impulse response functions (IRFs) generated from the vector autoregression (VAR) model to examine the effect of unanticipated movements in Turkish investor sentiment to both stock returns and volatility of the ISE.

Findings
– The generalized IRFs from VAR shows that unexpected changes in rational and irrational investor sentiment have a significant positive impact on ISE returns. This suggests that a positive investor sentiment tends to increase ISE returns. The study also documents that unanticipated increase in the rational component of Turkish investor sentiment has a negative significant effect on ISE volatility. This might indicate that investors have optimistic expectations of the economy overall with respect to market fundamentals in Turkey. This optimism can result in creating positive expectations, reducing uncertainty, and reducing the volatility of stock market returns.

Research limitations/implications
– The study was applied only for the period 2004-2010 on the ISE stock returns and volatility.

Practical implications
– Regardless, investors should know the impact of irrational investor sentiments while establishing investment strategies. The results of this study may also help policy makers stabilize investor sentiments to reduce stock market volatility and uncertainty.

Originality/value
– This paper adds to the limited understanding of investor sentiment impact on stock return and volatility in an emerging market context.
Breastfeeding and asthma and allergies: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Lodge CJ , Tan DJ , Lau MXZ , Dai X , Tham R , Lowe AJ , Bowatte G , Allen KJ , Dharmage SC 
Published: July 2015

AbstractAimTo systematically review the association between breastfeeding and childhood allergic disease.MethodsPredetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria identified 89 articles from PubMed, CINAHL and EMBASE databases. Meta‐analyses performed for categories of breastfeeding and allergic outcomes. Meta‐regression explored heterogeneity.ResultsMore vs. less breastfeeding (duration) was associated with reduced risk of asthma for children (5–18 years), particularly in medium‐/low‐income countries and with reduced risk of allergic rhinitis ≤5 years, but this estimate had high heterogeneity and low quality. Exclusive breastfeeding for 3–4 months was associated with reduced risk of eczema ≤2 years (estimate principally from cross‐sectional studies of low methodological quality). No association found between breastfeeding and food allergy (estimate had high heterogeneity and low quality). Meta‐regression found differences between study outcomes may be attributable to length of breastfeeding recall, study design, country income and date of study inception. Some of the protective effect of breastfeeding for asthma may be related to recall bias in studies of lesser methodological quality.ConclusionThere is some evidence that breastfeeding is protective for asthma (5–18 years). There is weaker evidence for a protective effect for eczema ≤2 years and allergic rhinitis ≤5 years of age, with greater protection for asthma and eczema in low‐income countries.
Characterisation and diachronous initiation of coarse clastic deposition in the Magallanes–Austral foreland basin, Patagonian Andes
Authors: Malkowski Matthew A. , Sharman Glenn R. , Graham Stephan A. , Fildani Andrea 
Published: July 2015

AbstractMagallanes–Austral Basin (MAB) fill is preserved along a >1000 km north–south trending outcrop belt in the southern Patagonia region of Argentina and Chile. Although the stratigraphic evolution of the MAB has been well documented in the Chilean sector (referred to as the Magallanes Basin), its northern terminus in southern Argentina (Austral Basin) is poorly constrained. We present new stratigraphic and geochronologic analyses of the early basin fill (Aptian–Turonian) from the Argentine sector (49–51°S) of the MAB to document spatial variability in stratigraphy and timing of deposition during the initial stages of basin evolution. The initiation of the retroarc foreland basin fill is marked by the transition from mudstone to coarse‐clastic deposition, which is characterised by the consistent presence of sandstone beds > ca. 20 cm thick interpreted to represent sediment gravity flows deposited in a submarine fan system. Depositional environments within the early fill of the basin range from lower to upper deep‐water fan settings as well as previously undocumented slope deposits. These facies are present as far north as El Chalten, Argentina (ca. 49°S), indicating that facies‐equivalent rocks can be traced along‐strike for at least 5 degrees of latitude, based on correlation with strata as far south as the Cordillera Darwin (ca. 54°S). Eight new U‐Pb zircon ages from ash beds reveal an overall southward younging trend in the initiation of coarse clastic deposition. Inferred depositional ages range from ca. 115 ± 1.9 Ma in the northernmost study area to not older than 92 ± 1 Ma and 89 ± 1.5 Ma in the central and southern sectors respectively. The apparent diachronous delivery of coarse detritus into the basin may reflect (1) gradual southward progradation of a deep‐water fan system from a northerly point source and/or (2) orogen‐parallel variations in the timing and magnitude of thrust‐belt deformation and erosion that provided more local sources for sediment delivery.
Fiber Surfaces: Generalizing Isosurfaces to Bivariate Data
Authors: Carr Hamish , Geng Zhao , Tierny Julien , Chattopadhyay Amit , Knoll Aaron 
Published: July 2015

AbstractScientific visualization has many effective methods for examining and exploring scalar and vector fields, but rather fewer for bivariate fields. We report the first general purpose approach for the interactive extraction of geometric separating surfaces in bivariate fields. This method is based on fiber surfaces: surfaces constructed from sets of fibers, the multivariate analogues of isolines. We show simple methods for fiber surface definition and extraction. In particular, we show a simple and efficient fiber surface extraction algorithm based on Marching Cubes. We also show how to construct fiber surfaces interactively with geometric primitives in the range of the function. We then extend this to build user interfaces that generate parameterized families of fiber surfaces with respect to arbitrary polygons. In the special case of isovalue‐gradient plots, fiber surfaces capture features geometrically for quantitative analysis that have previously only been analysed visually and qualitatively using multi‐dimensional transfer functions in volume rendering. We also demonstrate fiber surface extraction on a variety of bivariate data.
A Multi‐task Comparative Study on Scatter Plots and Parallel Coordinates Plots
Authors: Kanjanabose Rassadarie , Abdul‐Rahman Alfie , Chen Min 
Published: July 2015

AbstractPrevious empirical studies for comparing parallel coordinates plots and scatter plots showed some uncertainty about their relative merits. Some of these studies focused on the task of value retrieval, where visualization usually has a limited advantage over reading data directly. In this paper, we report an empirical study that compares user performance, in terms of accuracy and response time, in the context of four different visualization tasks, namely value retrieval, clustering, outlier detection, and change detection. In order to evaluate the relative merits of the two types of plots with a common base line (i.e., reading data directly), we included three forms of stimuli, data tables, scatter plots, and parallel coordinate plots. Our results show that data tables are better suited for the value retrieval task, while parallel coordinates plots generally outperform the two other visual representations in three other tasks. Subjective feedbacks from the users are also consistent with the quantitative analyses. As visualization is commonly used for aiding multiple observational and analytical tasks, our results provided new evidence to support the prevailing enthusiasm for parallel coordinates plots in the field of visualization.
Visualnostics: Visual Guidance Pictograms for Analyzing Projections of High‐dimensional Data
Authors: Lehmann Dirk J. , Kemmler Fritz , Zhyhalava Tatsiana , Kirschke Marco , Theisel Holger 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe visual analysis of multivariate projections is a challenging task, because complex visual structures occur. This causes fatigue or misinterpretations, which distorts the analysis. In fact, the same projection can lead to different analysis results. We provide visual guidance pictograms to improve objectivity of the visual search. A visual guidance pictogram is an iconic visual density map encoding the visual structure of certain data properties. By using them to guide the analysis, structures in the projection can be better understood and mentally linked to properties in the data. We introduce a systematic scheme for designing such pictograms and provide a set of pictograms for standard visual tasks, such as correlation and distribution analysis, for standard projections like scatterplots, RadVis, and Star Coordinates. We conduct a study that compares the visual analysis of real data with and without the support of guidance pictograms. Our tests show that the training effort for a visual search can be decreased and the analysis bias can be reduced by supporting the user's visual search with guidance pictograms.
Identification of biomedical journals in Spain and Latin America
Authors: Bonfill Xavier , Osorio Dimelza , Posso Margarita , Solà Ivan , Rada Gabriel , Torres Ania , García Dieguez Marcelo , Piña‐Pozas Maricela , Díaz‐García Luisa , Tristán Mario , Gandarilla Omar , Rincón‐Valenzuela David A. , Martí Arturo , Hidalgo Ricardo , Simancas‐Racines Daniel , López Luis , Correa Ricardo , Rojas‐De‐Arias Antonieta , Loza César , Gianneo Óscar , Pardo Hector ,   the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network
Published: July 2015

AbstractObjectivesJournals in languages other than English that publish original clinical research are often not well covered in the main biomedical databases and therefore often not included in systematic reviews. This study aimed to identify Spanish language biomedical journals from Spain and Latin America and to describe their main features.MethodsJournals were identified in electronic databases, publishers' catalogues and local registries. Eligibility was determined by assessing data from these sources or the journals' websites, when available.FindingsA total of 2457 journals were initially identified; 1498 met inclusion criteria. Spain (27.3%), Mexico (16.0%), Argentina (15.1%) and Chile (11.9%) had the highest number of journals. Most (85.8%) are currently active; 87.8% have an ISSN. The median and mean length of publication were 22 and 29 years, respectively. A total of 66.0% were indexed in at least one database; 3.0% had an impact factor in 2012. A total of 845 journals had websites (56.4%), of which 700 (82.8%) were searchable and 681 (80.6%) free of charge.ConclusionsMost of the identified journals have no impact factor or are not indexed in any of the major databases. The list of identified biomedical journals can be a useful resource when conducting hand searching activities and identifying clinical trials that otherwise would not be retrieved.
The influence of different water types and brewing durations on the colloidal properties of green tea infusion
Authors: Li Jinglei , Joung Hee Joung , Lee Il Woo , Chen Xiguang , Park Hyun Jin 
Published: July 2015

SummaryGreen tea infusions were prepared with three different water types: distilled water, commercial mineral water and CaCl2 added distilled water (at 20 mg L−1). The impact of different water type on the colloidal particle parameters, namely size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential, was examined within 24 h. Our results indicate that distilled water green tea infusion (DWT) brewed at 80 °C for 5 min contained the smallest particles (242.17 ± 11.78 nm) as examined by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Moreover, DWT showed smaller size increase during the 24 h storage than that of mineral water tea and CaCl2 added water tea infusion. The morphology characteristics of green tea infusion particles were visualised by transmission electron microscope (TEM) which revealed that green tea infusion particles had heteromorphic shapes. Our results suggest that mineral composition of water impacts the colloidal size and stability of green tea infusion. Additionally, DLS and TEM could be useful tools to provide colloidal information which is important to understand quality characteristics of green tea infusion during processing and storage.
Effects and consequences of caring for persons with heart failure: (ECCUPENIC study) a nested case–control study
Authors: Timonet Andreu Eva , Morales Asencio José Miguel , Canca Sanchez José Carlos , Sepulveda Sanchez Juana , Mesa Rico Rafael , Rivas Ruiz Francisco 
Published: July 2015

AbstractAimPrimary: To report a research protocol to analyse the relationship between the degree of heart failure and the health‐related quality of life of patients and their family caregivers. Secondary: To identify the characteristics of heart failure patients and their caregivers and the association between these characteristics and hospital admissions. Moreover, to conduct a longitudinal analysis of the relationship between patients' and that of their family caregivers.BackgroundAs heart failure progresses, it reduces the patient's quality of life and progressive functional deterioration requires hospital admission and the provision of healthcare resources. The availability of a family caregiver is a key element in addressing and managing this healthcare problem and some research results have associated this factor with the prognosis for heart failure.DesignMulticentre cohort nested case–control study.MethodsExploratory analysis: Descriptive statistics, measures of central tendency and dispersion or percentages. Bivariate analysis: Using Student's t‐test and chi‐square test, anova and non‐parametric tests. Survival analysis: Kaplan–Meier curves. Multivariate analysis: Cox's proportional hazards model. All calculations performed with an alpha level of 0·05.DiscussionLack of family support for patients with HF or greater duration of care is associated with more hospitalizations and increased depression among caregivers. Further longitudinal studies with a large population sample are required.
An Artificial Neural Network‐Based Method to Identify Five Classes of Almond According to Visual Features
Authors: Teimouri Nima , Omid Mahmoud , Mollazade Kaveh , Rajabipour Ali 
Published: July 2015

The quality evaluation is one of the key factors that have a major impact on the final price of agricultural products. Nowadays, image processing‐based techniques are becoming as an acceptable and widespread in quality evaluation procedures. In this study, we develop a robust method based on image processing and computational intelligence for quality grading and classification of almonds. The images of five classes of almond including normal almond (NA), broken almond (BA), double almond (DA), wrinkled almond (WA) and shell of almond (SA) were acquired by a scanner. For segmentation of images, both H component in HSI color space and Otsu's thresholding method were applied. In the next step, the feature vector, which includes 8 shape features, 45 color features and 162 texture features, was composed. For choosing correlated and superior features among all the 215 extracted features, sensitivity analysis was applied. Principal component analysis method was also used to reduce the dimension of the feature vector. The classification of almonds into different classes was carried out by artificial neural networks (ANNs). Among different ANN structures, the 18‐7‐7‐5 topology was the most optimum classifier. The accuracy of ANN classifier for each class was 98.92% for NA, 99.46% for BA, 98.38% for DA, 98.92% for WA and 100% for SA. The technique can readily be extended for online sorting machines.Practical ApplicationsOne of the applications of this method is in the design and fabrication of real‐time grading and sorting machines. The biggest advantage of the presented algorithm is its high precision. The developed classifier is able to detect and eject defected almonds (broken, double, wrinkled and shell of almonds) out of a stream of almonds in the sorting process line. Therefore, if the processing time of the method is improved further, it can readily be used in an online sorting machine.
Malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia: a systematic review of observational studies
Authors: Warnakulasuriya S. , Ariyawardana A. 
Published: July 2015

The aim of this systematic review was to ascertain the malignant transformation rate of oral leukoplakia and the associated risk factors.MethodPublished literature was searched through several search engines from 1960 to the end of December 2013. The inclusion criteria included ‘leukoplakia’, ‘pre‐cancer’, ‘malignant transformation’, ‘follow‐up’ and ‘outcome’. Two reviewers extracted the data independently and also assessed the quality of evidence.ResultsThe search strategy resulted in 1032 abstracts or full‐text articles, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. There was much variation in the definitions used by the various authors in their original reports to define oral leukoplakia or in the criteria used to recruit their patients for follow‐up. The estimated overall (mean) malignant transformation rate for the total population described in these 24 studies amounts to 3.5% (405/11423), with a wide range between 0.13% and 34.0%. Based on the evidence presented, the features that stand out as significant determinants contributing to malignant potential of OL include advanced age, female sex, leukoplakia exceeding 200 mm2, non‐homogeneous type (eg. erythroleukoplakia) and the higher grades of dysplasia.ConclusionThe review indicates that drawing meaningful evidence‐based conclusions are difficult from retrospective studies of this nature. However, many of the determinants exposed in the review require further investigation by well‐designed prospective studies.
What is a Good Looking Penis? How Women Rate the Penile Appearance of Men with Surgically Corrected Hypospadias
Authors: Ruppen-Greeff Norma Katharina , Weber Daniel M. , Gobet Rita , Landolt Markus A. 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACTIntroductionSome men with corrected hypospadias perceive their penile appearance to be abnormal, although health professionals consider these results satisfactory.AimThe aim of this study was to investigate how relevant women consider single aspects of penile appearance to be. Moreover, we studied whether women perceive hypospadias-affected surgically repaired genitals (HASRGs) to be as normal-looking as circumcised genitals and identified the most relevant predictors that influence whether a penis is perceived as normal.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 105 women in different age groups (age range: 16–20, 25–30, and 40–45 years) completed a standardized questionnaire.Main Outcome MeasuresParticipants had to rate the importance of eight penile aspects and to indicate how normal they found the appearance of standardized photos of 10 HASRGs and of 10 circumcised genitals. Furthermore, they were asked about demographic characteristics and their sexuality.ResultsResults showed that women considered the position and shape of the meatus as the least important penile aspect. Furthermore, results showed that HASRGs with distal hypospadias were perceived to be as normal-looking as circumcised genitals, whereas genitals with more proximal hypospadias were perceived as significantly less normal. However, the difference need not be considered clinically relevant, as the effect size was small. Observer-related predictors of a more positive perception of HASRGs were higher age, higher sexual interest, and perceiving the general cosmetic penile appearance as more important and penile length as less important.ConclusionsOverall, women were found to consider the “position and shape of the meatus” as the least important penile aspect. These findings may stimulate reflections regarding the relevance of surgical correction of the meatus in minor forms of hypospadias. In addition, this study indicates that women perceived genitals of men with distal operated hypospadias (which represents the majority of hypospadias) to be as normal as nonaffected, circumcised genitals.