Asymmetric cost behavior: Theory, meta-analysis, and implications

Asymmetric cost behavior is an emerging and dynamic research area within the context of contemporary cost management research. This study systematically reviews asymmetric cost behavior research published in ABS-ranked journals (53 English-speaking journals) between 2003 and 2020. Additionally, we provide a review of the econometric models and instruments employed in empirical asymmetric cost behavior research and a meta-analysis of prior empirical evidence for the main determinants of the direction and intensity of the asymmetric cost behavior phenomenon. Several research streams are recognized within two major themes of cost asymmetry empirical research: (i) determinants of the asymmetric cost behavior phenomenon, and (ii) cost asymmetry as a determinant of earnings behavior, earnings prediction, and other microeconomic and macroeconomic phenomena. Each major component of our review is accompanied by critical analysis and suggestions for future research. Meta-analysis of the existing body of cost asymmetry studies reveals no publication bias but increasing heterogeneity within existing empirical evidence for cost asymmetry

Depression in Alzheimer's disease

M.A. (Psychology)Please refer to full text to view abstrac

The effects of music and movement on mother-infant interactions

A music and movement program that incorporated vocal, gestural and rhythmical movement activities was devised with the aim of promoting first-time mothers’ interactions with their infants from the age 2 to 6 months. For first-time mothers as primary caregivers, the early post-partum months of the transition to parenthood can be a stressful period, affecting communicative interactions with their infants and the early development of the dyadic relationship. Furthermore, if mothers are lacking a repertoire of activities that promote communicative interactions via the use of vocal, gestural and rhythmical movement activities the development of the mother-infant relationship may be inhibited.Considering factors that affect the early development of the mother in her role as primary caregiver and the developing relationship with her infant, the investigation of two studies are reported. Study 1 was aimed at investigating the effects music and movement and face-to-face social contact on the frequency of mothers’ interactions with their infants and maternal well-being. Face-to-face social contact was investigated as a factor (both independent of music and movement, and its interaction effect with music and movement) that could influence mothers’ communicative interactions with their infants and maternal well-being. Study 2 investigated behavioural outcomes within the mother-infant relationship in response to the communicative effects of music and movement as measured by change in the characteristics of mothers’ Infant-Directed Speech and dyadic reciprocity Results indicated that up-tempo play songs and rhymes which incorporated rhythmical movement were preferred by the mothers to engage with their infants. As an effect of the their use of the music and movement activities, mothers’ interactions with their infants increased together with their perceived mother-to-infant attachment, characteristics associated with their Infant-Directed Speech and the dyadic reciprocity. Without music and movement, mothers decreased their music and movement interactions with their infants together with their perceived mother-to infant attachment, characteristics associated with their Infant-Directed Speech and the dyadic reciprocity. It was concluded that mothers’ use of the music and movement program with their infants in the early post-partum months was a valuable stimulus that can enhance the mother-infant relationship

Association of acquired and inherited thrombophilias in the greek population with recurrent miscarriage and implantation failures: investigation of the role of thrombophilic polymorphisms in the greek population as a cause of recurrent miscarriages and implantation failures

Aim: To investigate the frequency distribution of thrombophilicpolymorphisms in the Greek population in women with recurrent miscarriagesand to compare with that of control qroup.Material & Methods: The study group consisted 190 patients with morethan two consecutive first trimester miscarriages or more than one secondtrimester miscarriage or history of endometrial death who visited the recurrentmiscarriage outpatient clinic of 1st Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department ofUniversity of Athens from January 2008 till December 2012 were included inour study. Couples with the presence of paternal chromosomal anomalies,anatomic uterine defects, presence of antiphospholipid syndrome, protein C orS deficiency, and antithrombin III deficiency were excluded from the study.Control group was comprised from 100 women who visited gynaecologyoutpatient clinic for regular smear test during the period from April 2010 tillJanuary 2011, who had more than two successful pregnancies withoutmiscarriages or terminations and without personal or family history ofthrombosis or any other systematic disease. Women from both groups wereinvestigated for the presence of any of the following thrombophilicpolymorphisms: mutation of factor V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A mutation,factor XIII Val34Leuc polymorphism, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 4G/5Gpolymorphism, C677T and A1298C methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genemutation, C807T polymorphism of GPIa and ApoE polymorphisms.Results: The mean age of women with recurrent miscarriage was32.65±5.09 years compared to 41.4±11.77 in the control group. Women fromstudy group had BMI 24.83±4.88 (17.72-45.78) compared to 25.34±3.98(16.57-36.36) in women from the control group. The mean number ofmiscarriages in the study group was 2.65±1.17 (1-11), while the mean number of successful pregnancies was 0.20±0.45 (0-3). 81 women in study group hadmore than three consecutive miscarriages (42.6%). 155 women from studygroup had primary recurrent miscarriages and 35 secondary. The majority ofwomen in study group had 1st trimester miscarriages (167), 20 had at least one2nd trimester miscarriage and 3 had history of one endometrial death.There was significant difference in the prevalence of mutation of factor VLeiden, homozygosity of 4G/4G polymorphism of plasminogen activatorinhibitor-1 and hymozygosity of 807TT of GPIa in study group. Women withrecurrent miscarriageshad significant. The prevalence of homozygousmutations and total gene mutations among patients with recurrent miscarriagewas significantly higher than among controls.Conclusion: Association of factor V Leiden mutation, homozygosity 4G/4Gof PAI-1 and homozygosity 807TT of GPIa were found to be associated withrecurrent miscarriage. The role of the other thrombophilic polymorphisms canbe also important since women with recurrent miscarriage demonstratedsignificantly more total number of mutations than control women.Σκοπός: Σκοπός της παρούσας μελέτης ήταν να διερευνηθεί ηεπίπτωση των θρομβοφιλικών μεταλλάξεων στον ελληνικό πληθυσμό σεγυναίκες με καθ’ έξιν αποβολές και να συγκριθεί με αυτήν γυναικών ομάδαςελέγχου.Υλικό-Μέθοδος: Δείγμα της μελέτης αποτέλεσαν 190 γυναίκες με άνωτων δύο διαδοχικών αποβολών α΄ τριμήνου ή με άνω της μίας αποβολής β΄τριμήνου ή ιστορικό ενδομήτριου θανάτου που επισκέφθηκαν το ιατρείο καθ’έξιν αποβολών από τον Ιανουάριο του 2008 έως το Δεκέμβριο του 2012.Αποκλείστηκαν από την μελέτη γυναίκες με χρωμοσωμικές ανωμαλίες,ανατομικές ανωμαλίες μήτρας, παρουσία αντιφωσφολιπιδικού συνδρόμου,ανεπάρκεια πρωτεΐνης S, πρωτεΐνης C ή αντιθρομβίνης ΙΙΙ. Ομάδα ελέγχουαποτέλεσαν 100 γυναίκες που επισκέφθησαν τα εξωτερικά γυναικολογικάιατρεία του νοσοκομείου «Αλεξάνδρα» για τακτικό γυναικολογικό έλεγχο (τεστΠαπανικολάου) κατά το διάστημα Απρίλιος 2010 έως Ιανουάριος 2011, οιοποίες είχαν στο ιστορικό τους άνω των δύο κυήσεων επιτυχούς έκβασης, ενώδεν είχαν αποβολές ή εκτρώσεις, ατομικό ή οικογενειακό ιστορικό θρόμβωσης ήπαρουσία άλλης συστηματικής νόσου. Όλες οι γυναίκες ελέγχθησαν για τουςεξής 8 θρομβοφιλικούς πολυμορφισμούς: παράγων FVL G1691A, παράγων ΙΙπροθρομβίνη G20210A, παράγων XIII V34L, πολυμορφισμός 4G/5G του PAI-1 , MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C, πολυμορφισμός C807T της GPIa καιπολυμορφισμοί της ApoE με την μέθοδο της PCR.Αποτελέσματα: Η μέση ηλικία των γυναικών με καθ’ έξιν αποβολέςήταν 32.65±5.09 έτη και αυτή των γυναικών ομάδας ελέγχου 41.4±11.77 έτη. Οιγυναίκες της ομάδας καθ’ έξιν αποβολών είχαν ΒΜΙ 24.83±4.88 (17.72-45.78)σε σχέση με ΒΜΙ της ομάδας ελέγχου 25.34±3.98 (16.57-36.36). Οι γυναίκεςτης ομάδας μελέτης εμφάνισαν μέσο αριθμό αποβολών (σύνολο α΄, β΄ τριμήνου ή ενδομητρίου θανάτου) 2.65±1.17 (1-11), ενώ ο μέσος όρος επιτυχούςέκβασης κύησης ήταν 0.20±0.45 (0-3). 81 γυναίκες εμφάνισαν άνω των τριώνδιαδοχικών αποβολών (42.6%). 155 γυναίκες από την ομάδα των καθ’ έξιναποβολών δεν είχαν ιστορικό επιτυχούς έκβασης κύησης (πρωτοπαθείς καθ’έξιν αποβολές), ενώ 35 είχαν τουλάχιστον μία προηγούμενη κύηση επιτυχούςέκβασης (δευτεροπαθείς). Η πλειοψηφία των γυναικών είχαν αποκλειστικάαποβολές α΄ τριμήνου (167), 20 εμφάνισαν τουλάχιστον μία αποβολή β΄τριμήνου (διακύμανση αποβολών β΄τριμήνου από 1-3), ενώ 3 γυναίκες είχανιστορικό ενός ενδομήτριου θανάτου.Ανευρέθη στατιστικά σημαντικά αυξημένη συχνότητα εμφάνισης τηςετεροζυγωτίας του παράγοντα FVL, της ομοζυγωτίας του πολυμορφισμού4G/4G του PAI-1 και της ομοζυγωτίας 807ΤΤ του GPIa στην ομάδα τωνγυναικών με αποβολές. Επιπρόσθετα οι γυναίκες με καθ’ έξιν αποβολές είχανστατιστικά σημαντικά αυξημένο αριθμό συνδυασμών θρομβοφιλικώνδιαταραχών σε σχέση με τις γυναίκες της ομάδας ελέγχου.Συμπέρασματα: Στην παρούσα μελέτη μελετήθηκε ο ρόλος 8θρομβοφιλικών πολυμορφισμών μεμονωμένα ή σε συνδυασμό στον ελληνικόπληθυσμό σε γυναίκες με καθ’ έξιν αποβολές. Στατιστικά σημαντικές διαφορέςπαρατηρήθηκαν για την ετεροζυγωτία του παράγοντα FVL, την ομοζυγωτία4G/4G του PAI-1 και την ομοζυγωτία 807ΤΤ του GPIa. Ωστόσο δεν θα πρέπεινα παραλείπουμε τον πιθανό ρόλο που μπορεί να διαδραματίζουν οι υπόλοιποιθρομβοφιλικοί πολυμορφισμοί καθώς σε γυναίκες με καθ’ έξιν αποβολέςπαρατηρήθηκε αυξημένη συχνότητα συνδυασμών θρομβοφιλικών μεταλλάξεων

Exploring the predictive ability of cost asymmetry on bankruptcy

This study explores whether cost asymmetry affects bankruptcy predictions. Cost asymmetry, driven by adjustment costs, empire-building behaviours, and managerial optimism, can reduce resource availability, liquidity, and earnings predictability, thereby increasing the risk of liquidity issues and potential bankruptcy. High cost asymmetry implies additional financing needs due to idle resources, which are less likely (or more costly) to be covered by retained earnings or capital market funds. Furthermore, elevated cost stickiness driven by intense empire-building consumes valuable resources and signals weaker governance and auditing efficiency, while increased managerial optimism heightens the risk to future operating performance. Using a sample of US publicly listed firms over the period 1990–2020, we provide empirical evidence that the level of cost asymmetry is incrementally useful for bankruptcy prediction. The fundamental factors of cost asymmetry, including adjustment costs and managerial incentives, reinforce its predictive ability to corporate bankruptcy. Additional robustness tests confirm our empirical results across (i) fluctuations in sales revenue, (ii) the effects of financial constraints on cost asymmetry, (iii) managerial and firm-specific characteristics, and (iv) propensity score-based partitioned samples