Chinese Firms’ Political Connection, Ownership, and Financing Constraints

We empirically examine some listed Chinese firms’ political connection, ownership, and financing constraints. Politically-connected firms display no financing constraints whereas firms without connection experience significant constraints. Non-connected family-controlled firms bear greater constraints than non-connected state-owned firms.Political connection; investments; financing constraints; Chinese firms

Financial liberalization and financing constraints: some evidence from panel data of listed Chinese firms

This paper examines the impact of recent financial liberalization in China on the financing constraints and investment of publicly-listed Chinese firms. Two continuous indices are constructed to measure the evolution and intensity of financial reforms: a financial liberalization index and a capital control index. Dynamic panel GMM method is used to estimate firms’ financing constraints in an Euler-equation investment model. The results indicate that while smaller firms face significant financing constraints than larger firms, financial liberalization has raised the financing constraints for the latter and failed to relieve the constraints for the former. It appears financial reforms in China have subjected larger firms to greater market discipline but the reforms probably have not been profound enough to benefit smaller firms.Financial liberalization; investments; financing constraints; Chinese firms

Regional Capital Mobility in China: 1978-2006

We examine cross-region capital mobility in China and track how the degree of mobility has changed over time. The effects of fiscal and redistributive activities of different levels of government in China on private capital mobility are taken into account. Our results indicate that there was a significant improvement in capital mobility over time in China, particularly for private capital in the more developed regions. The central and provincial governments, via their taxation, spending, and transfers, loosen the relationship between private saving and investment and appear to promote capital mobility, particularly for less developed regions. There are considerable differences between more and less developed regions in terms of the degree of capital market integration and the improvement in capital mobility over time. The results have important policy implications on global re-balancing as well as regional development gap and risk-sharing within China.Feldstein-Horioka; Chinese cross-region capital mobility; saving-investment relationship; Chinese capital market integration

TP63-mutation as a cause of prenatal lethal multicystic dysplastic kidneys

BACKGROUND: Ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting syndrome 3 (EEC) is one of the six overlapping syndromes caused by mutations in the tumor protein p63 gene (TP63). EEC is suspected when patients have cleft hands or feet, polydactyly, and syndactyly, abnormal development of the ectodermally derived structures, and orofacial clefting. Genitourinary (GU) anomalies have been identified in patients with EEC, yet these are often under-recognized and under-reported. The available literature on sonographic prenatal findings is sparse, especially when considering GU anomalies. METHODS: We present the case of a male stillborn fetus, who was found antenatally to have multicystic dysplastic kidneys and anhydramnios. Following the termination of pregnancy, examination and autopsy further revealed unilateral polydactyly and bilateral syndactyly which had not been previously identified on antenatal ultrasound. RESULTS: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) revealed a de novo heterozygous pathogenic variant in exon 5 of the TP63 gene: p.His247Arg: c.740A\u3eG (NM_003722.4) which has been reported in the literature. The His247Arg variant has been published as a pathogenic variant in association with EEC, both with and without orofacial clefting. CONCLUSION: Our prenatal case expands the phenotypic spectrum of TP63-related disorders in general. In addition, it adds to the phenotype associated with the His247Arg pathogenic variant responsible for EEC. Further, we highlight the importance of WES as a postnatal tool to help clarify unexpected findings, and as a way to add to the spectrum of existing phenotypes of known single-gene disorders

Optimizing Survivorship Care Services for Asian Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors: A Qualitative Study.

Purpose: With an increasing focus on developing survivorship services tailored for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors, incorporation of viewpoints from both survivors and health care professionals (HCPs) is important. This study aims to explore the perceptions of current and prospective survivorship services from both groups in Singapore to propose service design and delivery strategies. Methods: Focus group discussions with 23 AYA cancer survivors between the ages of 16 and 39 years at diagnosis and 18 HCPs were conducted in National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and Singapore Cancer Society (SCS). All focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim. Deductive thematic analysis was performed according to the components of a design thinking model: empathizing with AYA survivors, defining care gaps, proposing services, and implementation strategies. Results: AYA survivors preferred age-specific services that are aligned with their personal goals. Current survivorship care failed to address the needs of survivors' dependents (caregivers and children) and to consider the utility of each service temporally. Prospective services should clarify disease disclosure obligation in job search and introduce a care navigator. Key implementation strategies included (1) training HCPs on communication techniques with AYA, (2) selecting engagement platforms that complement survivors' information-seeking behavior, (3) improving outreach to survivors through appropriate branding and publicity, and (4) consolidating services from multiple providers. Conclusions: The design of survivorship care services for AYA survivors should be systematic in its conceptualization process and employ implementation strategies. The coordination of the wide spectrum of services warrants a concerted effort by cancer centers, community partners, and the government

Impact of 18F-Choline PET scan acquisition time on delineation of GTV in prostate cancer [Poster Abstract]

Background: Dose painting radiotherapy requires accurate outlining of primary tumour volumes in the prostate. T2-Weighted (T2W) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the best imaging method for defining the gross tumour volume (GTV). Choline positron emission tomography (PET) is currently a controversial tracer. The image acquisition differs significantly in published studies. Many used early static imaging. One study found that 18F-choline PET/CT with late image acquisition has superior accuracy to T2W MR and functional MR alone1. We investigate whether increasing 18F-Choline PET scan acquisition time from 60 (PET-60) to 90 (PET-90) minutes improves GTV TVD. Methods. Analysis was performed on 9 18F-Choline PET scans. Patients were injected with 370MBq of activity. Three clinicians (C1, C2 and C3) independently and without reference to each other contoured GTVs on each of the T2W-MRI, PET-60 and PET-90 scans at differing times. Scans were registered by a clinician using rigid co-registration. The treating clinicians MRI contour was used as a reference contour. The resulting PET and MRI GTVs were transferred to the PET-60 and PET-90 scans after image registration. The Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), Specificity (Sp) and Sensitivity (S) were calculated from contour mask voxel analysis. Results. Table 1 shows the mean and range DSC, S and Sp scores on MRI, PET-60 and PET-90 for C1, C2 and C3 in comparison to the treating clinicians contour on MRI (C1). A 2 sampled T-test (P < 0.01) showed, no significant difference in the Sp, S and DSC between GTVs on PET-60 and PET-90 scans. Further to this, as shown in Figure 1, variability in GTV delineation is significant between observers in a singular case as well as across imaging modalities. Conclusion. Compared to MRI delineated GTVs, 18F-Choline PET GTVs are significantly different. This study found however that increasing the PET scan acquisition time from 60 to 90 minutes did not improve the performance of GTV TVD in comparison to MRI delineated GTV

Neural correlates of fanhood:the role of fan identity and team brand strength

Introduction: We analyzed the importance of fan identity and brand strength on fans’ neural reactions to different team-related stimuli.Methods: A total of 53 fMRI scans with fans of two professional sport teams were conducted. Following up on a previous study we focused on the differences between fandom levels as well as the contrast between two team “brand” strength. Neural responses were compared among individuals based on their levels of fan identity. In sum, group comparisons between relatively high and lower identity and between weak and strong teams were made based on the notion that the latter reflects team brand strength (strong brand and weak brand).Results: Findings indicate that brain activity in emotion regulation, memory, and cognitive control circuits is influenced by the relative level of fan identity.Discussion: Higher-level identified fans showed increased reactivity to positive stimuli and the under-recruitment of their cognitive appraisal circuits, suggesting more vulnerability to marketers’ messages. The strength of the team brand activates different neural mechanisms. Interestingly, the posterior cingulate showed larger recruitment both for weaker brands and lower fan identification, suggesting that visual memory processes are more active in these cases. Neurally processed content depends on the relative brand’s strength, highlighting the importance of brand-focused communications

Propiedades psicométricas del índice de calidad de sueño de Pittsburgh en deportistas

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a widely used instrument in clinical and non-clinical populations for the evaluation of sleep quality. The purpose of this work was to determine the factorial structure and internal consistency of the ICSP in university athletes from southern Sonora, Mexico, for the evaluation of the psychometric properties of the instrument. A non-experimental cross-sectional study was carried out with 98 university athletes, 39 women (38.2%), in a range of 17 to 25 years. The internal consistency and homogeneity of the instrument were evaluated, as well as the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliability results indicated a Cronbach's α of 0.79 after eliminating the components of sleep medication use and habitual sleep efficiency. The EFA identified a two-factor model and the AFC a one-dimensional model. It is concluded that the sleep quality in this sample of athletes is better explained by a unidimensional model of five components.El índice de calidad de sueño de Pittsburgh (ICSP) es un instrumento ampliamente utilizado en poblaciones clínicas y no clínicas para la evaluación de la calidad de sueño. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la estructura factorial y consistencia interna del ICSP en deportistas universitarios del sur de Sonora México para la evaluación de las propiedades psicométricas del instrumento. Se realizó un estudio transversal no experimental con 98 deportistas universitarios, 39 mujeres (38,2%), en un rango de 17 a 25 años. Se evaluó la consistencia interna y homogeneidad del instrumento, así como los análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) y confirmatorio (AFC). Los resultados de confiabilidad indicaron un α de Cronbach de 0,79 eliminando los componentes de uso de medicamentos para dormir y eficiencia habitual del sueño. El AFE identificó un modelo de dos factores y el AFC un modelo unidimensional. Se concluye que la calidad de sueño en esta muestra de deportistas se explica mejor mediante un modelo unidimensional de cinco componentes

Para um desenvolvimento de competências interculturais

El grupo de Galapro “Intercomprensión e interculturalidad”, está compuesto por participantes de lenguas romances, en su mayoría formadores, que han decidido relacionar de alguna manera la intercomprensión entre las lenguas de una misma familia con cuestiones relacionadas con la diversidad de culturas y costumbres. El objetivo marcado es la realización de un artículo o trabajo que analice un aspecto concreto de la interculturalidad en una sesión del Chat de una plataforma anterior, denominada Galanet, donde se investigaba y ponía en práctica la intercomprensión. Concretamente, hemos decidido tratar las formas de la cortesía en este lugar y entre lenguas/culturas distintas. Pero para ello, presentaremos primero una serie de características que nos sitúen en esa nueva forma de comunicación que es el Chat. Tras los análisis concretos de distintos aspectos de la cortesía (traducción e interculturalidad, otros aspectos y las negaciones y sus respuestas) propondremos algunas aplicaciones didácticas posibles en base a todo lo estudiado. En concreto, ofrecemos un cuestionario para los participantes en chats de diversas lenguas para conocer las representaciones sobre la interculuralidad y la cortesía que manejan. Algunos de los objetivos de estas propuestas didácticas podrían ser: encontrar modos de potenciar la interculturalidad, conocer las costumbres y modos lingüísticos corteses y descorteses de otras culturas para evitar el conflicto, deconstruir mitos y anular estereotipos, etc. Los materiales utilizados para componer este artículo han sido en primer lugar, ejemplos de Chats extraídos de Galanet que trataban diferencias culturales y/o lingüísticas. Entre ellos tenemos, una sesión que se ocupaba de lo no verbal y lo gestual entre extranjeros, otra que trataba sobre los falsos amigos, un Chat denominado “Agua”, pero que se dedicaba a las interferencias entre lenguas romances y experiencias en el extranjero de los participantes y finalmente, el Chat “Comida” que es el que hemos elegido para realizar nuestro análisis y que incluye varios temas “interculturales” como el orden de las comidas o la forma de leer la hora. Además de esta base de datos que recopila ejemplos empíricos se han incluido en los foros otros artículos de carácter teórico, como aquel que trata las formas de gestionar el conflicto en los chats y foros , varias fichas de lectura tomadas de Galanet y Galapro y se nos ha animado a visitar los ficheros específicos de esta segunda plataforma que trataban sobre la intercomprensión