bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A chaos analysis for Greek and Turkish equity markets
Authors: Ozun Alper , Hanias Mike P. , Curtis Panayiotis G. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThis paper sets out to apply chaos theory to the prediction of stock returns using Greek and Turkish stock index data. The aim of the analysis is to empirically show whether the markets have informational efficiency, in a comparative perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe research employs Grassberger and Procaccia's methodology in the time series analysis in order to estimate the correlation and minimum embedding dimensions of the corresponding strange attractor. To achieve out of the sample multistep ahead prediction, the paper gives the average for overall neighbours' projections ofk‐steps into the future.FindingsThe results display the fact that the chaos theory is suitable to examine the time series of stock index returns. The empirical findings show that the stock markets are efficient in Greece, though in Turkey the market is predictable. The main practical implication of the findings is that the technical analysis works in Turkish markets and it is possible to beat the market, while in Greece the fundamental analysis works for equity trading.Originality/valueThe research results have both methodological and practical originality. On the theoretical side, the research shows how the chaos theory can be applied in financial time series analysis. The model is employed with data from Greece, as an EU member; and Turkey, as a candidate to the EU. The fact that the model works in Turkey implies that chaos theory can be used in emerging economies as a prediction model. On the practical side, the paper contributed to the previous literature by providing empirical evidence on market efficiency using a stochastic model.
Mobile operators in the new millennium – retrospect and prospect
Authors: Curwen Peter , Whalley Jason 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe objective of this paper is primarily to look back over developments in the mobile sector during the period 1999‐present (mid‐2009).Design/methodology/approachA number of databases have been constructed and these are drawn upon to provide a framework for the analysis.FindingsBecause this is a ten‐year retrospective, no one particular finding is dominant. M&A activity and its consequences form a major theme, as does restructuring in general.Research limitations/implicationsIt has not been possible to examine more than a very limited number of themes in order to contain the length of the paper.Practical implicationsIt is evident that there is no such thing as equilibrium in the mobile sector. Hence the past ten years are to be seen as part of an ongoing narrative, with a few imminent developments highlighted at the end of the paper.Originality/valueA retrospective of this kind has never previously been attempted.
A business model for municipal FTTH/B networks: the case of rural Greece
Authors: Troulos Costas , Merekoulias Vasilis , Maglaris Vasilis 
Published: May 2010

PurposeIn recent years, many municipalities have made investments in fiber to the home/building (FTTH/B) infrastructures to enhance the digital future of their local communities. This paper aims to propose a business model for managing these municipal FTTH/B networks. The paper also seeks to form a part of the discussion on the business, social and policy implications of municipal involvement in physical broadband infrastructures.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the international experience in municipal FTTH projects and identifies the best practices. Greece is then used as a case study due to the country's strategic plans to create efficient broadband infrastructures in the periphery of the country. Finally, the municipal business model is examined on three premises: the extent of horizontal integration; the degree of vertical integration; and the appropriate form of ownership.FindingsThe passive infrastructure model applied within the model presented has strong potentials to ensure fair and open competition. The proposed business model exhibits substantial benefits for the telecommunications industry, the local communities and the managing company. It could become an effective policy tool for future regulation, broadband universal service framework, socially optimal investments and social inclusion.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the international debates regarding the adoption of the “highway” model (“open access”) versus “vertical integration” and the suitability of public‐private partnership (PPP) as a method for developing and operating FTTH/B networks. It also contributes to the discussion about the implications of the public sector's involvement in broadband infrastructure development.
Forecasting tourism demand using consumer expectations
Authors: Claveria Oscar , Datzira Jordi 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThere is a lack of studies on tourism demand forecasting that use non‐linear models. The aim of this paper is to introduce consumer expectations in time‐series models in order to analyse their usefulness to forecast tourism demand.Design/methodology/approachThe paper focuses on forecasting tourism demand in Catalonia for the four main visitor markets (France, the UK, Germany and Italy) combining qualitative information with quantitative models: autoregressive (AR), autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), self‐exciting threshold autoregressions (SETAR) and Markov switching regime (MKTAR) models. The forecasting performance of the different models is evaluated for different time horizons (one, two, three, six and 12 months).FindingsAlthough some differences are found between the results obtained for the different countries, when comparing the forecasting accuracy of the different techniques, ARIMA and Markov switching regime models outperform the rest of the models. In all cases, forecasts of arrivals show lower root mean square errors (RMSE) than forecasts of overnight stays. It is found that models with consumer expectations do not outperform benchmark models. These results are extensive to all time horizons analysed.Research limitations/implicationsThis study encourages the use of qualitative information and more advanced econometric techniques in order to improve tourism demand forecasting.Originality/valueThis is the first study on tourism demand focusing specifically on Catalonia. To date, there have been no studies on tourism demand forecasting that use non‐linear models such as self‐exciting threshold autoregressions (SETAR) and Markov switching regime (MKTAR) models. This paper fills this gap and analyses forecasting performance at a regional level.
The impact of image congruence between sport event and destination on behavioural intentions
Authors: Hallmann Kirstin , Breuer Christoph 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of image congruence between sport events and their hosts as perceived by sport tourists on future visits to the destination, respectively the sport event.Design/methodology/approachIn order to measure image congruence an indirect, multi‐attributive measure was chosen – using a self‐administered questionnaire distributed to sport tourists at six different sport events in Germany – so as to be able to investigate the two images first separately and second to construct an independent fit measure using the absolute differences of corresponding items. Logistic regression analyses evaluated dependencies between image congruence, location components and socio‐demographic aspects on behavioural intentions.FindingsThe results show that the overall models are significant and that certain elements such as the affinity of atmosphere do play a central role in predicting future visits.Research limitations/implicationsA research limitation could arise due to the sample because almost all sport tourists were German. A more international sample might have shown different results. Future research should analyse samples of different sports concluding whether the sport performed influences behaviour, too.Practical implicationsSome practical implications with respect to the kind of appeal towards sport tourists are given.Originality/valueThis paper shows that not only separated images affect future behaviour but that the perceived fit between two actually distinct images influences behaviour as well.
Valuation accuracy and spatial variations in the efficiency of the property market
Authors: Dunse Neil , Jones Colin , White Michael 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the variation of efficiency of local office markets. It has long been argued that as data in the property market are based on valuations, it has a tendency toward smoothing or stickiness. The accuracy of valuations is shown to be partially dependent on local variable factors such as the extent of information, the variability of local cycles and the heterogeneity of the stock. This paper assesses the efficiency of local office markets in nine cities of the UK by estimating unsmoothed annual time series of rents and returns and comparing with the original valuations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses an econometric approach to identify true unobserved returns from observed smoothed data. It uses desmoothing techniques and compares the volatility of smoothed and desmoothed underlying returns. It then looks for autocorrelation over time in the errors where the presence of autocorrelation rejects the assumption of market efficiency.FindingsExamining, regional city office markets, the results suggest that financial centres have the least efficient markets because of their high level of variability. Other provincial cities are characterised by weak‐form efficiency. Market cyclicality is found to be a key factor affecting valuation accuracy.Research limitations/implicationsResearch in regional markets is often constrained by shortness and low frequency of time series observations. This limits the analysis and the ways in which it could be developed. Issues also relate to the method of desmoothing adopted.Practical implicationsKey financial centre are found to be less efficient markets than other cities. Thus, price changes fully embody all previous information in regional centres but not in London or Edinburgh. Periods of significant cyclical volatility tend to cause valuation inaccuracy and pricing problems.Social implicationsThere are spillovers from inefficiencies in property market pricing that can affect other sectors of society directly (through increased costs) or indirectly (by contributing to macroeconomic cyclicality).Originality/valueThis is the first paper to explicitly consider the efficiency of regional city office markets and to identify the true unobserved returns series in each city office market. Its findings, perhaps unexpectedly, suggest that most regional city office markets are more efficient at processing pricing information than London.
Significance of segment structures in the Portuguese and Iberian property markets
Authors: Manuel Vaz Pinto Almeida Vasques Filipe , Manuel Cardoso Teixeira José , Fernando Moreira Brandão Elísio 
Published: May 2010

PurposeA quite significant body of research regarding the effects of segment structures in direct property returns is available for the USA and the UK markets. There is also some research regarding the broad European context and for some individual countries, like Italy. However, this subject has not been specifically addressed for the Portuguese and Spanish property markets. The central aim of this research is the examination of the effectiveness of the main segmentation structures currently used in the Portuguese and Iberian property markets. Despite this being a starting point for most of the analysis and decision making in property portfolio construction, up to date and to the authors' knowledge, there is absolutely no research on this specific subject for these markets.Design/methodology/approachSubclass annual returns available from the 2005 IPD Iberian Digest were used in a cross‐sectional approach to test the segmentation structure of the IPD indexes. Two different analysis scopes were considered: the Portuguese market alone and the Iberian market as a whole, in a total of six segmentation structures tested for significance regarding total returns, capital returns, and income returns, thus resulting in 18 different evaluations using one and two factor analysis of variance tests.FindingsResults show that the structures based on sector differentiation are generally significant both for Portugal and within an Iberian context and that regional spread does not condition property returns in the periods under study. This supports the argument of sector diversification in both situations, similarly to previous findings for the UK market. Addressing return components, results show that only for income returns do most of the structures describe enough systematic patterns to be worth using, while capital gains seem to be less sensitive to segmentation factors.Originality/valueThis is the first paper regarding effectiveness of segment structures in the Portuguese and Iberian markets. Also the consideration and differentiation of the analysis for return components is original and found to be rather important, despite being apparently disregarded in related literature.
Water savings through off‐farm employment?
Authors: Wachong Castro Veronica , Heerink Nico , Shi Xiaoping , Qu Wei 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to gain more insight into the relationship between off‐farm employment of rural households and water‐saving investments and irrigation water use in rural China.Design/methodology/approachData from a survey held among 317 households in Minle County, Zhangye City, Gansu Province, covering the year 2007, are used for a probit analysis explaining investments in land leveling and for an ordinary least squares regression explaining irrigation water use per mu.FindingsOff‐farm employment is not significantly related to investments in land leveling, but is negatively associated with water use per mu. In addition, the paper finds that the share of migrant students in a household is positively related to investments in land leveling. The results indicate the presence of major factor market imperfections in the research area, and confirm that the new economics of labor migration (NELM) approach is more relevant for analyzing off‐farm employment and agricultural production in China than neoclassical economic theory.Originality/valueThe paper expands the NELM approach towards the analysis of water‐saving investments and water use. In addition, it distinguishes migrant students as an important category that should be taken into account in analyzing farm household decisions making.
The challenges facing young workers during rural labor transition
Authors: Li Xiaofei , Liu Chengfang , Luo Renfu , Zhang Linxiu , Rozelle Scott 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe paper aims to discuss whether the younger generation of China's rural labor force is prepared, in terms of education level or labor quality, for the future labor markets under China's industrial upgrading.Design/methodology/approachUsing nationally representative survey data, the paper gives detailed discussions on the young rural laborers' education attainments, and their off‐farm employment status including job patterns, working hours, and hourly wage rates. The relationship between education and employment status is analyzed and tested. Through these discussions, an employment challenge is revealed, and some policy implications are made.FindingsThis paper finds that China's young rural laborers are generally poorly educated and mainly unskilled. They work long hours and are low paid. While they lack the labor quality that will be required to meet the industrial upgrading, an employment challenge may face them in the near future. This paper also finds a strong link between education levels and employment status for the young labor force, which implies the possible effect of policies such as improving rural education.Originality/valueBased on a solid foundation of a national rural household survey, this paper updates the understanding of the education and employment situations of the young rural labor force in contemporary China. The concern about the employment challenges raised in the paper is related to the future of China's rural labor transition and the whole economy.
A comparison of rural and urban healthcare consumption and health insurance
Authors: Holly Wang H. , Huang Shaomin , Zhang Linxiu , Rozelle Scott , Yan Yuanyuan 
Published: May 2010

PurposeSince 1999, China has undergone reform of its healthcare system. City‐based social health insurance (SHI) is the primary form of current health insurance, supplemented by various commercial health insurance programs. The rural new cooperative medical system (NCMS) was introduced in 1993 and extended to cover the whole of rural China in 2003.Design/methodology/approachThe paper developed a theoretical model for consumer demand of medical services and health insurance based on an expected utility framework with a two‐stage decision under uncertainty. The model is then applied to current health insurance systems in China for urban citizens and rural residents separately. Least square and logistic regressions are employed.FindingsThe major results are that although the factors driving the decisions on health insurance participation are basically the same for rural and urban citizens, the participation levels are quite different. The major difference is that urban SHI has higher coverage and urban citizens have higher income, resulting in a much larger urban medical expenditure.Practical implicationsThe empirical analysis reveals that health insurance programs have played an important role in the healthcare expenditure for urban residents, while the NCMS has not made a significant impact towards increasing the ability of rural residents to seek more medical services, based on data at 2004.Originality/valueThis is the first paper employing a health production theory on China's new urban and rural healthcare programs.
Sedation in digestive endoscopy: the Athens international position statements
Authors: Cohen L. B. , Ladas S. D. , Vargo J. J. , Paspatis G. A. , Bjorkman D. J. , Van der Linden P. , Axon A. T. R. , Axon A. E. , Bamias G. , Despott E. , Dinis‐Ribeiro M. , Fassoulaki A. , Hofmann N. , Karagiannis J. A. , Karamanolis D. , Maurer W. , O’Connor A. , Paraskeva K. , Schreiber F. , Triantafyllou K. , Viazis N. , Vlachogiannakos J. 
Published: May 2010

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 425–442SummaryBackground  Guidelines and practice standards for sedation in endoscopy have been developed by various national professional societies. No attempt has been made to assess consensus among internationally recognized experts in this field.Aim  To identify areas of consensus and dissent among international experts on a broad range of issues pertaining to the practice of sedation in digestive endoscopy.Methods  Thirty‐two position statements were reviewed during a 1 ½‐day meeting. Thirty‐two individuals from 12 countries and four continents, representing the fields of gastroenterology, anaesthesiology and medical jurisprudence heard evidence‐based presentations on each statement. Level of agreement among the experts for each statement was determined by an open poll.Results  The principle recommendations included the following: (i) sedation improves patient tolerance and compliance for endoscopy, (ii) whenever possible, patients undergoing endoscopy should be offered the option of having the procedure either with or without sedation, (iii) monitoring of vital signs as well as the levels of consciousness and pain/discomfort should be performed routinely during endoscopy, and (iv) endoscopists and nurses with appropriate training can safely and effectively administer propofol to low‐risk patients undergoing endoscopic procedures.Conclusions  While the standards of practice vary from country to country, there was broad agreement among participants regarding most issues pertaining to sedation during endoscopy.
All trans retinoic acid nanodisks enhance retinoic acid receptor mediated apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in mantle cell lymphoma
Authors: Singh Amareshwar T.K. , Evens Andrew M. , Anderson Reilly J. , Beckstead Jennifer A. , Sankar Natesan , Sassano Antonella , Bhalla Savita , Yang Shuo , Platanias Leonidas C. , Forte Trudy M. , Ryan Robert O. , Gordon Leo I. 
Published: May 2010

SummaryMantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is characterized by translocation t(11;14)(q13;q32), aggressive clinical behaviour, and poor patient outcomes following conventional chemotherapy. New treatment approaches are needed that target novel biological pathways. All trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a key retinoid that acts through nuclear receptors that function as ligand‐inducible transcription factors. The present study evaluated cell killing effects of ATRA‐enriched nanoscale delivery particles, termed nanodisks (ND), on MCL cell lines. Results show that ATRA‐ND induced cell death more effectively than naked ATRA (dimethyl sulphoxide) or empty ND. ATRA‐ND induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation to a greater extent than naked ATRA. The antioxidant, N‐acetylcysteine, inhibited ATRA‐ND induced apoptosis. Compared to naked ATRA, ATRA‐ND enhanced G1 growth arrest, up‐regulated p21and p27, and down regulated cyclin D1. At ATRA concentrations that induced apoptosis, expression levels of retinoic acid receptor‐α (RARα) and retinoid X receptor‐γ (RXRγ) were increased. Compared to naked ATRA, ATRA‐ND significantly stimulated transcriptional activity of RARA in a model carcinoma cell line. Furthermore, the RAR antagonist, Ro 41‐5253, inhibited ATRA‐ND induced ROS generation and prevented ATRA‐ND induced cell growth arrest and apoptosis. In summary, incorporation of ATRA into ND enhanced the biological activity of this retinoid in cell culture models of MCL.
Regulation of inflammasome activity
Authors: Guarda Greta , So Alexander 
Published: May 2010

SummaryInterleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) is a potent inflammatory cytokine, which is implicated in acute and chronic inflammatory disorders. The activity of IL‐1β is regulated by the proteolytic cleavage of its inactive precursor resulting in the mature, bioactive form of the cytokine. Cleavage of the IL‐1β precursor is performed by the cysteine protease caspase‐1, which is activated within protein complexes termed ‘inflammasomes’. To date, four distinct inflammasomes have been described, based on different core receptors capable of initiating complex formation. Both the host and invading pathogens need to control IL‐1β production and this can be achieved by regulating inflammasome activity. However, we have, as yet, little understanding of the mechanisms of this regulation. In particular the negative feedbacks, which are critical for the host to limit collateral damage of the inflammatory response, remain largely unexplored. Recent exciting findings in this field have given us an insight into the potential of this research area in terms of opening up new therapeutic avenues for inflammatory disorders.