bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Demand for financial services by households in Ghana
Authors: Mawuli Akpandjar George , Quartey Peter , Abor Joshua 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate household financial choice and the determinants of financial services in rural and urban households in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachData from the Ghana Living Standard Survey 5 (GLSS 5) are used to estimate the participation of a household in a particular financial sector and what determines this choice.FindingsThe results from Tobit and conditional logit models account for households' demographic characteristics and their financial decisions. The Tobit estimates show that household size, age, sex, marital status, occupation, income, remittances and shocks determine households' participation in the financial markets. Conditional logit model results suggest that locational characteristics are important in obtaining financial services from particular sectors of the financial market. The results also suggest that when the alternatives of financial services are available, rural households are more likely than urban households to obtain their financial services from the informal financial sector.Originality/valueThis current study contributes to the existing literature from the Ghanaian perspective.
iPads, Kindles and Tablets, oh my: using a technology petting zoo to teach about downloadable ebooks
Authors: Bernadette Buljung Brianna , Gale Cooper Karen 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the technology petting zoo developed and hosted by the National Defense University Library. It highlights the poster presentation given at the Special Libraries Association Conference held in Chicago on July 17, 2012. The project was voted best poster by attendees to the session.Design/methodology/approachFaced with a bring‐your‐own‐device (BYOD) environment, NDU librarians implemented a technology petting zoo to inform patrons about the availability of the library's resources on personal computing devices. They overcame technology and security issues inherent in the NDU computing environment, and used the event to connect patrons directly with the library's downloadable electronic resources.FindingsThe event was successful, with more than 80 patrons in attendance. Through the experience, staff acquired knowledge and experience to better serve patrons with inquiries about online and downloadable materials. Patrons and library staff learned to use personal computers and devices to access library materials, especially downloadable ebooks, remotely.Practical implicationsThe petting zoo model changed the way NDU staff and patrons interact with downloadable resources. Successfully hosting a zoo event is especially difficult in federal settings, but the NDU team established the means of supporting off‐site access while observing regulations.Originality/valueThis project has value for government libraries because it leverages the increasingly popular BYOD environment to connect patrons to important resources. The paper also has broad applications in the corporate sector because many corporate libraries are also working to facilitate increasing access to library resources within stringent security guidelines.
Bureaucratic politics, policy learning, and changes of antidumping policy and rules in Japan
Authors: Song Joon‐heon , Lee Kyoung‐joo 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to deepen understanding of the interrelated questions: how Japanese antidumping policies have been formulated and transformed; what the reasons are for such caution in adopting antidumping measures; and what patterns can be observed of recent changes in antidumping policy and legal systems.Design/methodology/approachTo explain the changes in antidumping policy and rules in Japan, this paper examines not only political competition among bureaucratic organizations but also policy learning by bureaucratic organizations and their effects on change in policy preferences and advancements in the legal system.FindingsThe effects of bureaucratic politics and policy learning not only complexly interact but also are highly complicated to initiate policy changes in accordance with the maturity of antidumping legal system. In this case study, the policy learning has led the rival bureaucrats to a consensus to change antidumping policy and legal system, but the agreement could be a temporal truce that may easily collapse by political contingencies.Originality/valueAlong with the influences of large‐scale economic and political dynamisms, this paper focuses on two aspects of the policy subsystem to explain those changes: one is political competition among bureaucratic organizations claiming jurisdiction of antidumping policy; the other is the effect of policy learning among bureaucratic organizations on changes in policy preferences and on advancements in antidumping rules.
The impact of the EU Generalized System of Preferences on exports and GSP utilization by Asian and Latin American countries
Authors: Cuyvers Ludo , Soeng Reth 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of changes in the Generalized System of Preferences of the European Union, on the EU GSP imports from beneficiary countries in ASEAN and China, and Latin America, respectively, and the utilization of GSP benefits by these countries for the period 1994‐2007.Design/methodology/approachThe econometric model specifications used is with unlagged and one year lagged reactions. GSP dummy variables are added in order to test whether the changes in the EU GSP has had impact on bilateral trade flows and the degree of utilization.FindingsThe paper finds that EU GSP agricultural imports are negatively affected by the changes in the EU GSP system, but these of industrial products seem to have positively reacted to changes in the EU GSP. For imports of textile products, the results are not significant. It is also found that ASEAN plus China are significantly benefiting more from the EU GSP for industrial and textile products than the Latin American countries, but the changes in the GSP had no significant different effect on both groups of countries. The authors estimations also show that the graduation mechanism in the EU GSP, against beneficiary countries with higher EU market shares, seems to be effective for industrial products, but in contrast, is working in favour of such countries for textile products. By and large, the other graduation mechanism in the EU GSP linking GSP benefits and level of development of the beneficiary country has not been effective.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to address the issue how the many changes in the EU GSP since 1994 have affected the exports and GSP utilization of beneficiary countries.
Evaluation of effects of copper histidine on copper transporter 1‐mediated accumulation of platinum and oxaliplatin‐induced neurotoxicity in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Ip Virginia , Liu Johnson J , McKeage Mark J 
Published: April 2013

Summary

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether copper histidine could inhibit copper transporter 1 (Ctr1)‐mediated transport of oxaliplatin in vitro and thereby limit the accumulation of platinum and neurotoxicity of oxaliplatin in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) tissue in vivo.

In HEK293 cells overexpressing rat Ctr1, copper histidine was shown to be transported by Ctr1 and to inhibit their Ctr1‐mediated uptake of oxaliplatin.

Pilot in vivo dose‐finding studies showed that copper histidine at doses up to 2 mg/kg, p.o., daily for 5 days/week could be added to maximum tolerated doses of oxaliplatin (1.85 mg/kg, i.p., twice weekly) for 8 week combination treatment studies in female Wistar rats.

After treatment, rats showed significant changes in sensory neuron size profiles in DRG tissue induced by oxaliplatin that were not altered by its coadministration with copper histidine.

The expression of copper transporters (Ctr1 and copper‐transporting P‐type ATPase 1 (Atp7a)) in DRG tissue appeared unchanged following treatment with oxaliplatin given alone or with copper histidine.

Platinum and copper tissue levels were higher in DRG than in most other tissues, but were unaltered by the addition of copper histidine to oxaliplatin treatment.

In conclusion, copper histidine inhibited cellular uptake of oxaliplatin mediated by Ctr1 in vitro without altering the accumulation of platinum or neurotoxicity of oxaliplatin in DRG tissue in vivo at doses tolerated in combination with oxaliplatin treatment.
Medicare Payment Reform and Provider Entry and Exit in the Post‐Acute Care Market
Authors: Huckfeldt Peter J. , Sood Neeraj , Romley John A. , Malchiodi Alessandro , Escarce José J. 
Published: April 2013

ObjectiveTo understand the impacts of Medicare payment reform on the entry and exit of post‐acute providers.Data SourcesMedicare Provider of Services data, Cost Reports, and Census data from 1991 through 2010.Study DesignWe examined market‐level changes in entry and exit after payment reforms relative to a preexisting time trend. We also compared changes in high Medicare share markets relative to lower Medicare share markets and for freestanding relative to hospital‐based facilities.Data Extraction MethodsWe calculated market‐level entry, exit, and total stock of home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities from Provider of Services files between 1992 and 2010. We linked these measures with demographic information from the Census and American Community Survey, information on Certificate of Need laws, and Medicare share of facilities in each market drawn from Cost Report data.Principal FindingsPayment reforms reducing average and marginal payments reduced entries and increased exits from the market. Entry effects were larger and more persistent than exit effects. Entry and exit rates fluctuated more for home health agencies than skilled nursing facilities. Effects on number of providers were consistent with entry and exit effects.ConclusionsPayment reform affects market entry and exit, which in turn may affect market structure, access to care, quality and cost of care, and patient outcomes. Policy makers should consider potential impacts of payment reforms on post‐acute care market structure when implementing these reforms.
Objective Bayesian Search of Gaussian Directed Acyclic Graphical Models for Ordered Variables with Non‐Local Priors
Authors: Altomare Davide , Consonni Guido , La Rocca Luca 
Published: April 2013

AbstractSummaryDirected acyclic graphical (DAG) models are increasingly employed in the study of physical and biological systems to model direct influences between variables. Identifying the graph from data is a challenging endeavor, which can be more reasonably tackled if the variables are assumed to satisfy a given ordering; in this case we simply have to estimate the presence or absence of each potential edge. Working under this assumption, we propose an objective Bayesian method for searching the space of Gaussian DAG models, which provides a rich output from minimal input. We base our analysis on non‐local parameter priors, which are especially suited for learning sparse graphs, because they allow a faster learning rate, relative to ordinary local parameter priors, when the true unknown sampling distribution belongs to a simple model. We implement an efficient stochastic search algorithm, which deals effectively with data sets having sample size smaller than the number of variables, and apply our method to a variety of simulated and real data sets. Our approach compares favorably, in terms of the ROC curve for edge hit rate versus false alarm rate, to current state‐of‐the‐art frequentist methods relying on the assumption of ordered variables; under this assumption it exhibits a competitive advantage over the PC‐algorithm, which can be considered as a frequentist benchmark for unordered variables. Importantly, we find that our method is still at an advantage for learning the skeleton of the DAG, when the ordering of the variables is only moderately mis‐specified. Prospectively, our method could be coupled with a strategy to learn the order of the variables, thus dropping the known ordering assumption.
Statistics of Medical Imaging by LEI, T.
Authors: Zhu Hongtu 
Published: April 2013

EDITOR: GUILHERME J. M. ROSAStatistics of Medical Imaging(T. Lei)Hongtu ZhuBayesian Smoothing and Regression for Longitudinal, Spatial and Event History Data(L. Fahrmeir and T. Kneib)Renato AssunçãoTargeted Learning(M. van der Laan and S. Rose)Andrea Rotnitzky
Inhibition of related JAK/STAT pathways with molecular targeted drugs shows strong synergy with ruxolitinib in chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm
Authors: Barrio Santiago , Gallardo Miguel , Arenas Alicia , Ayala Rosa , Rapado Inmaculada , Rueda Daniel , Jiménez‐Ubieto Ana , Albizua Enriqueta , Burgaleta Carmen , Gilsanz Florinda , Martinez‐Lopez Joaquin 
Published: April 2013

SummaryThis study aimed to assess the antitumour effects, molecular mechanisms of action, and potential synergy of ruxolitinib with sorafenib, KNK437, dasatinib, and perifosine, in Philadelphia‐negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Cytotoxic and cytostatic effects of the different compounds were determined in the JAK2 V617F‐positive cell lines, HEL and Ba/F3 JAK2V617F EPOR, and in primary mononuclear and bone marrow CD34‐positive cells from 19 MPN patients. Ruxolitinib [50% inhibitory concentration (IC50)PV = 15 nmol/l], as well as sorafenib (), KNK437 ( ), and perifosine ( ), were able to inhibit proliferation in cell line models and in primary cells from MPN patients. Dasatinib, KNK437, and sorafenib showed a strong synergistic effect in combination with ruxolitinib [combination index (CI)PV < 0·3]. Western blot confirmed that ruxolitinib blocked ERK, and consequently STAT5 activation, sorafenib inhibited ERK, P38 and STAT5, dasatinib blocked SRC and STAT5, and KNK437 decreased the stability of the JAK2 protein, reducing its expression. Inhibiting JAK2‐related proliferative pathways has the potential to inhibit cell proliferation in MPNs. Furthermore, the combination of ruxolitinib with inhibitors that target these pathways has a strong synergistic effect, which may be due to decreased activation of the common effector, STAT5.
Anticoagulation for prevention and treatment of cancer‐related venous thromboembolism
Authors: Barsam Sarah J. , Patel Raj , Arya Roopen 
Published: April 2013

SummaryThe close relationship between malignancy and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is well established, with malignancy increasing VTE risk and accounting for a substantial proportion of presentations with VTE. Moreover, VTE impacts significantly on morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Anticoagulation for prevention and treatment of VTE requires a patient‐centred approach due to the heterogeneous patient population and inherent increased thrombotic and bleeding risks. In recent years, low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) injections have come to be the mainstay for treatment and prevention of cancer‐related VTE. For treatment, this is usually administered for at least 6 months and continued in patients with active cancer or those receiving treatment for cancer. The use of LMWH for thromboprophylaxis in hospitalised cancer patients is also well accepted, but out‐of‐hospital prophylaxis remains contentious. The development of risk assessment models may help identify the patients at highest risk. The role of the new oral factor Xa and thrombin inhibitors in this setting remains to be determined.
Concentric Spherical Representation for Omnidirectional Soft Shadow
Authors: Xiao Yi , Leung Chi Sing , Ho Tze Yui , Wan Liang , Wong Tien Tsing 
Published: April 2013

AbstractSoft shadows play an important role in photo‐realistic rendering. Although there are many efficient soft shadow algorithms, most of them focus on the one‐side light source situation, where a planar light source is on the outside of the scene. In fact, in many situations, such as games, light sources are omnidirectional. They may be surrounded by a number of 3D objects. This paper proposes a soft shadow algorithm for the omnidirectional situation. We develop a concentric spherical representation to model the behaviour of omnidirectional light sources. To provide better rendering results, a novel summed area table based filtering scheme for spherical functions is proposed. In addition, we utilize unicube mapping, which samples the spherical space more uniformly, to further improve the filtering quality.
Personal Beliefs and National Stories: Theater in Museums as a Tool for Exploring Historical Memory
Authors: Evans Susan 
Published: April 2013

AbstractHow does what we remember about history relate to true historical understanding, and how can the museum become a location for these conversations? During the summer of 2011, the National Museum of American History challenged audiences to consider issues of historical memory and national history through the performance of an interactive museum theater program, The Time Trial of John Brown. Using the Time Trial approach as a case study, this article reveals that interactive theater in museums can provide a platform from which audiences assert their own historical understanding while learning firsthand about their role in creating a shared knowledge of American history. As the role of museums evolves in the twenty‐first century, new attention must be paid to this personal process of examining and creating history and memory through performance. It is through performance and participation that history and memory are both examined and created by the audience.
New Directions, New Relationships: The Smithsonian's Twenty‐first Century Learning in Natural History Settings Conference and the Natural History Museum, London
Authors: Irwin Brad , Pegram Emma , Gay Honor 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe Twenty‐first Century Learning in Natural History Settings Conference at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (2012) has been more influential than similar conferences, resulting in new work streams and international collaborations for the Learning Research and Evaluation team at the Natural History Museum, London (NHM). The conference offered a rare opportunity to discuss issues relevant to our unique workplace and to be surrounded by an instant peer group. Although the event itself brought personal and professional satisfaction, it is the impact of the conference on our institution that has been most fulfilling. The conference has enabled us to think bigger—to think about the sector as a whole and the role the NHM can play as a large national museum.
The Birth, Death, and Persistence of Firms: Creative Destruction and the Spatial Distribution of U.S. Manufacturing Establishments, 2000–2006
Authors: Brown Jason P. , Lambert Dayton M. , Florax Raymond J. G. M. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThis article deals with the dynamics of the U.S. manufacturing sector, analyzing the birth, death, and ongoing existence of firms in the beginning of the twenty‐first century. Schumpeter's notion of creative destruction is hypothesized to explain the spatiotemporal dynamics of the distribution of manufacturing establishments. We implemented a partial adjustment model that accounts for spillover effects between counties, unknown forms of heteroskedasticity, and spatial autocorrelation. The steady‐state equilibrium birth and death rates converged to 6.8 percent and 6.1 percent per year, respectively, during the 2000–06 period. We found that firm birth and death were not decisively affected by a creative destruction process during that period, but firm birth and death positively affect the survival (or persistence) rate of single‐unit manufacturing firms.
3D Transthoracic Echocardiography of Brucella Endoaortitis and Endocarditis of the Aortic Valve and Ascending Aorta
Authors: Jariwala Pankaj 
Published: April 2013

Mini‐AbstractEndocarditis is a rare complication of brucellosis, and it is the most common cause of deaths in brucellosis. We report a case of Brucella endocarditis and endoaortitis of the bicuspid aortic valve and ascending aorta (sinotubular junction) diagnosed with real time three‐dimensional (3D) transthoracic echocardiography. The vegetation attached to ascending aorta could be delineated with help of 3D transthoracic echocardiography suggestive of Brucella endoaortitis which is seen in fulminant infections like brucellosis. 3D echocardiography helped to understand the pathophysiology of Brucella endo‐aorto‐carditis which not only infects valvular structures but also the aortic.
The association between asymptomatic coronary artery disease and CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores in patients with stroke
Authors: Cha M.‐J. , Lee H. S. , Kim Y. D. , Nam H. S. , Heo J. H. 
Published: April 2013

Background and purposeCHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores are measurement tools that stratify thromboembolic risk in patients with non‐valvular atrial fibrillation, and are predictive of cerebral atherosclerosis, fatal stroke and ischaemic heart disease. Patients with higher CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores are more likely to have had an akinetic/hypokinetic left ventricular segment or a recent myocardial infarction, all of which are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Most of the CHADS2 score components are also risk factors for atherosclerosis. Thus, CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores may be predictive of CAD.MethodsIn all, 1733 consecutive patients with acute ischaemic stroke who underwent multi‐slice computed tomography coronary angiography were enrolled. The association of CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores with the presence and severity of CAD was investigated.ResultsOf the 1733 patients, 1220 patients (70.4%) had any degree of CAD and 576 (33.3%) had significant CAD (≥50% stenosis in at least one coronary artery). As the CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores increased, the presence of CAD also increased (P < 0.001). The severity of CAD was correlated with CHADS2 score (Spearman coefficient 0.229, P < 0.001) and CHA2DS2‐VASc score (Spearman coefficient 0.261, P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for confounding factors, CHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores ≥2 were independently associated with CAD. The CHA2DS2‐VASc score was a better predictor of the presence of CAD than the CHADS2 score on area under the curve analysis.ConclusionCHADS2 and CHA2DS2‐VASc scores were predictive of the presence and severity of CAD in patients with stroke. When a patient has high CHADS2 or CHA2DS2‐VASc scores, physicians should consider coronary artery evaluation.
Rapid warming accelerates tree growth decline in semi‐arid forests of Inner Asia
Authors: Liu Hongyan , Park Williams A. , Allen Craig D. , Guo Dali , Wu Xiuchen , Anenkhonov Oleg A. , Liang Eryuan , Sandanov Denis V. , Yin Yi , Qi Zhaohuan , Badmaeva Natalya K. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractForests around the world are subject to risk of high rates of tree growth decline and increased tree mortality from combinations of climate warming and drought, notably in semi‐arid settings. Here, we assess how climate warming has affected tree growth in one of the world's most extensive zones of semi‐arid forests, in Inner Asia, a region where lack of data limits our understanding of how climate change may impact forests. We show that pervasive tree growth declines since 1994 in Inner Asia have been confined to semi‐arid forests, where growing season water stress has been rising due to warming‐induced increases in atmospheric moisture demand. A causal link between increasing drought and declining growth at semi‐arid sites is corroborated by correlation analyses comparing annual climate data to records of tree‐ring widths. These ring‐width records tend to be substantially more sensitive to drought variability at semi‐arid sites than at semi‐humid sites. Fire occurrence and insect/pathogen attacks have increased in tandem with the most recent (2007–2009) documented episode of tree mortality. If warming in Inner Asia continues, further increases in forest stress and tree mortality could be expected, potentially driving the eventual regional loss of current semi‐arid forests.