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The Eurasian Woodcock is a regular breeder in the wooded areas of the Carpathian Basin. In the past, several literature reviews on the distribution and breeding biology of the species in the Carpathian Basin have been published, but these have ignored the annual reports on spring returns collected between 1894 and 1926 under the coordination of the Hungarian Ornithological Centre. These included 379 nesting records from the present area of Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. The majority of the data came from the Carpathians, with a smaller number from forested areas in the lower mountains and hills. It was particularly rare in lowland areas, with most of the records coming from floodplain forests. The spatial distribution of the data is somewhat at odds with that described in recent summary works. From the Northern Carpathians and the Eastern Alps, however, these sources report fewer nestings, and most of the data come from Transylvania. The temporal distribution of the data is consistent with previously published results. In some cases nestings were found in late February and early March. The peak of nesting was in April, with only a small number of nestings reported in the second half of May. Breeding occurred significantly later in areas at higher altitudes. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that knowledge of the species' nesting in the Carpathian Basin is still incomplete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 66th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Radiation Research Society took place in Tokyo, Japan, from 6 to 8 November 2023. The meeting covered a wide range of radiation research topics, including basic mechanisms involved in radiation effects, translational research, and epidemiology. Some sessions were jointly organized with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Here, we report on some plenary and keynote talks presented at the meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annual reports are the primary source of information for investors. It contains all the details about the company's activities in the preceding financial year. About 80% of an annual report is text (Cheng et al. 2018); hence proper comprehension and readability enhance the usefulness of the information. Earlier researches prove the positive relationship between firm performance and annual report readability (Li 2008). Studies also find that complexity is a deliberate attempt by companies to obfuscate earnings management and poor performance (Bloomfield 2008). Against this backdrop, we investigate the relationship between firm value, financial performance and annual report readability in the Indian context. For this purpose, we use Gunning Fog Index (Flesch Kincaid index, Smog index, and File size as robustness checks) to measure the annual report readability of NSE 500 firms for the period 2016 to 2020. We find a positive relationship between firm performance (Tobin's Q, ROA, and ROCE) and annual report readability. Further, this paper finds a positive relationship between the annual report readability and firm value (Tobin's Q and ROA) in the next year. The findings will be helpful for the investors as it shows how vital is annual report readability in signaling future firm value. It shows the readability of the narrative content as an important signal about a firm's current performance and prospects. This paper recommends that the management be more cautious while preparing financial disclosures because complex disclosures may send negative signals to the investors about the firm's prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate both extent and trend of intellectual capital (IC) information disclosed in annual reports and to examine the impact of board gender diversity (BGD) on IC voluntary disclosure in Tunisia. The statistical analysis is conducted on a sample of 54 Tunisian non-financial listed companies observed over the 2008–2019 period. Both weighted and unweighted disclosure indices, composed of 76 IC items, are constructed to measure IC voluntary disclosure extent in Tunisian companies' annual reports. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions are performed to analyze data. In fact, eight multiple regression models on panel data are developed to examine the impact of BGD on IC voluntary disclosure. The results show that BGD affects significantly IC voluntary disclosure extent, in line with resource dependence theory. BGD is viewed as a complementary corporate governance mechanism that has a significant positive effect on IC voluntary disclosure. These empirical findings have several implications for investors, managers, regulatory bodies and any other interested group as they report the matter of BGD on IC voluntary disclosure. By contributing to IC and BGD literature and adopting both unweighted and weighted IC index based on stakeholders' perception, this paper can be regarded, to the best of the author's knowledge, as the first empirical study that provides empirical evidence on the association between BGD and IC disclosure in Tunisia, as an example of a developing economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the determinants of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) adoption using the Technology-Organizational-Environment framework. This framework explains how the process of adopting and implementing XBRL is influenced by the technological context (country's firm-level technology absorption and technological capacity), organizational context (education) and environmental context (level of economic development; degree of external economic openness; investor protection; accounting system and the burden of government regulation). Using a sample of 78 countries during the period 2009–2017, we find that countries with high levels of technology absorption, higher levels of economic development and strong investor protection are more likely to adopt XBRL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research utilizes the fsQCA technique to investigate how a combination of corporate governance conditions or factors collectively influences the performance of banks. Examining key elements such as board size, busy directors, independent directors, CEO duality, and women on the board, the research employs data collected from the annual reports of 30 banks spanning from 2010 to 2020. The necessary condition analysis (NCA) underscores that no individual condition or factor is indispensable for the ultimate outcome. Nevertheless, the sufficiency analysis reveals distinct solutions, each representing a unique set of conditions or factors sufficient to generate the outcome. The study concludes that the relationship between corporate governance characteristics and bank performance is complex and multifaceted, with neither ROA nor ROE reliant on a singular input condition or factor. The theoretical contributions of the findings align with or partially support various theories and propositions within the realm of corporate governance. Notably, the application of fsQCA contributes to enhance the methodological understanding of corporate governance studies in existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extracts culture element of long-term orientation from Chinese listed firm's annual report, then argue and testify whether long-term orientation can help firms to hang on risky decision especially as innovation, when firms are under performance pressure. There are three main conclusions. First, we report that the higher degree of long-term oriented culture a firm has, the stronger innovation capability the firm shows. Second, we find that long-term oriented culture can improve employee's educational qualification to promote corporate innovation, as well as improve the corporate internal control to promote innovation. Third, when firms are subjected to internal or external performance pressure in their business process, higher long-term oriented culture will make firms more innovative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2023, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) faced both challenges and successes. They mourned the loss of a prominent leader in the field, Karen Postal, while also celebrating the contributions of other members. The AACN addressed controversy surrounding neuropsychology training guidelines and reaffirmed their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Despite these challenges, the AACN experienced growth in membership, financial reserves, and successful conferences. They also expanded collaborations with other organizations and increased their presence on social media. The American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) awarded board certification to individuals and made advancements in their examination process. The American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology Foundation (AACNF) continued to support the AACN through fundraising and grant awards. The text also provides information on the current board members and encourages interested individuals to join the organization. [Extracted from the article]

The structural effects of monetary policy and these effects impact on credit allocation are crucial facets of monetary policy research. This study initially estimates China's monetary policy based on the GDP growth target and CPI target found in the Chinese Government's Annual Work Report. Subsequently, it quantifies the extent of credit misallocation among Chinese firms using data from listed companies from the years 2013 to 2022. Finally, we empirically investigate the repercussions of expansionary monetary policy shocks on credit misallocation, focusing on micro-firms. Empirical findings reveal that expansionary monetary policy significantly exacerbates credit misallocation, particularly in underfinanced firms. Mechanistic analysis suggests that a preference for loan size in lending behavior constitutes a major factor contributing to credit misallocation among firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annual reports serve as vital instruments for government ministries and agencies, enabling transparency and accountability in managing state budgets (APBN) and activities, thereby fulfilling a crucial role in public accountability, particularly in the context of sustainable development goal (SDG) 14. However, due to their extensive nature, it becomes imperative to conduct topic modeling analysis to discern trends and topics within these reports. In this study, latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), a prominent topic modeling technique, is employed to analyze the annual reports of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Indonesia from 2015 to 2022. Utilizing the coherence score as an evaluation metric, we assess the quality of topic models across each report year. Our findings underscore the consistent emphasis on fisheries and marine-related initiatives, emphasizing their relevance to SDG 14 and Indonesia’s maritime landscape. Ultimately, this study offers valuable insights to inform strategic planning and decisionmaking processes within the KKP, contributing to the advancement of SDG 14 and promoting sustainable development in Indonesia’s fisheries and marine sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability reporting has been established as a dominant but problematic communication practice in global sustainability management. In this paper, we challenge the commonplace view of reporting as the simple and textual transmission of information, by interpreting corporate sustainability reports as visual artefacts that encourage particular views of environmental issues. We discuss visualization as a key practice in communication and rhetoric, asking what visual managerialism looks like in corporate reports, focusing on a corpus drawn from the Swedish United Nations Global Compact. We engage in a three-stage rhetorical critique to identify three kinds of visualizations: numerical, diagrammatic, and pictorial, establishing how they emphasize communicative characteristics such as logic, simplicity, and clarity. We consolidate these characteristics with the term 'Powerpoint Imagination,' arguing that they construct environmental problems in terms of a technocratic solutionism, i.e., efficiency, standardization and control. We discuss some issues with the Powerpoint Imagination by contrasting it with other images from sustainability reports, concluding with implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bibliometric studies offer numerous ways of analyzing scientific work. For example, co-citation and bibliographic coupling networks have been widely used since the 1960s to describe the segmentation of research and to look the development of the scientific frontier. In addition, co-authorship and collaboration networks have been employed for more than 30 years to explore the social dimension of scientific work. This paper introduces publication authorship as a complement to these established approaches. Three data sets of academic articles from accounting, astronomy, and gastroenterology are used to illustrate the benefits of publication authorship for bibliometric studies. In comparison to bibliographic coupling, publication authorship produces significantly better intra-cluster cosine similarities across all data sets, which in the end yields a more fine-grained picture of the research field in question. Beyond this finding, publication authorship lends itself to other types of documents such as corporate reports or meeting minutes to study organizations, movements, or any other concerted activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to intensified off-balance sheet disclosure by regulatory authorities, financial reports now contain a substantial amount of information beyond the financial statements. Consequently, the length of footnotes in financial reports exceeds that of the financial statements. This poses a novel challenge for regulators and users of financial reports in efficiently managing this information. Financial reports, with their clear structure, encompass abundant structured information applicable to information extraction, automatic summarization, and information retrieval. Extracting headings and paragraph content from financial reports enables the acquisition of the annual report text's framework. This paper focuses on extracting the structural framework of annual report texts and introduces an OpenCV-based method for text framework extraction using computer vision. The proposed method employs morphological image dilation to distinguish headings from the main body of the text. Moreover, this paper combines the proposed method with a traditional, rule-based extraction method that exploits the characteristic features of numbers and symbols at the beginning of headings. This combination results in an optimized framework extraction method, producing a more concise text framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Number 2 Dairy (No. 2 Dairy) unit at Ruakura, Hamilton, New Zealand was established as a dairy research farm in 1943 and became recognised globally as one of the leading institutes for farm systems science. The research undertaken was fundamental to the 'systemisation' of component research into replicable, efficient, competitive, and sustainable dairy systems. From McMeekan's seminal research in the 1950s on rotational grazing to the experiments of Carter, Campbell, Bryant, Penno and others, who brought greater resolution to the key principles influencing successful outcomes on-farm, the more than 60 years of experimental research led to 'good practice' rules that were to transcend geographical, climatic, and system-level interactions. Much of the research can only be found in Annual Reports or in summary form in conference proceedings and not in an electronic form. Our objective was to collate and discuss the research undertaken, thereby ensuring that the legacy of this great work and the wisdom amassed are not lost. To this end, we have compiled a compendium of the research undertaken at No. 2 Dairy, with the hope that it be used to inform the scientific rationale for system design and to stimulate future hypotheses for system improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of extensible business reporting language (XBRL) technology and its functionality on various aspects of financial reporting and its overall quality. Design/methodology/approach: To conduct this study, data was collected from a variety of professionals, including accountants, auditors, tax advisors and others. A structured research instrument was developed, and the collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling and mediation analysis techniques. Findings: The study's results showed that XBRL technology and its functionality have a noteworthy impact on different aspects of financial reporting. Moreover, the various aspects of financial reporting positively affect the overall quality of financial reporting. Research limitations/implications: This study solely relied on the opinions of various professionals regarding the current issue under investigation and did not empirically assess the reporting practices of companies by examining their XBRL-based reports. Additionally, it concentrated solely on financial reporting aspects and did not account for non-financial aspects. The main theoretical contributions of this paper to technology in financial reporting, XBRL and accounting literature are that it sheds light on the influence of the use of technologies in the business reporting process and their influence on various aspects of business reporting, which has only received confined focus from earlier studies so far. Practical implications: This study's findings could provide valuable insights to the managerial teams of organizations seeking to digitize their business reporting practices, specifically in areas such as regulatory compliance, integrated reporting and timely dissemination of reports in a sustainable way. Furthermore, it could help these teams reap the benefits of technology for various regulatory compliance matters. Originality/value: This study could assist business organizations and regulatory authorities in adopting and implementing technology such as XBRL for accounting and business reporting. Furthermore, the study's findings can aid in enhancing financial reporting practices by considering emerging aspects such as ESG and sustainability aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Journal for Individual Psychology reports on the annual conference of the German Society for Individual Psychology (DGIP) in 2023 in Bonn-Bad Godesberg. The main theme of the conference was the tension between powerlessness and creative power. It was discussed how one can integrate object and subjectivity within oneself and perceive and describe one's own complexity as an expression of coherence. The presentations at the conference shed light on, among other things, the emphasis on the victim status of patients and the significance of seemingly insignificant therapeutic events in the course of treatment. The article describes the self-efficacy of the analyst and its effects on the patient. It is shown how people who perceive themselves as objects of state action can gain greater freedom of action and an improved sense of self-worth through counseling and reflection. Furthermore, the connection between Mark Solms' neuropsychoanalytic model of consciousness emergence and the psychodynamics of patients is examined. It is emphasized that understanding patients and encouraging conscious feeling and perception can expand their possibilities for action. Finally, the treatment of a man who suffers from both life-restricting symptoms and a manifest illness is described. The analyst not only serves as a therapist but also as a palliative care physician. It is emphasized that in such cases, there can be no cure and hardly a "good" ending. [Extracted from the article]

To create favorable impressions and receive credit, individuals need to share information about their past accomplishments. Broadcasting one's past accomplishments or claiming credit to demonstrate competence, however, can harm perceptions of warmth and likability. In fact, prior work has conceptualized self-promotion as a hydraulic challenge: tactics that boost perceptions along one dimension (e.g., competence) harm perceptions along other dimensions (e.g., warmth). In this work, we identify a novel approach to self-promotion: We show that by combining self-promotion with other-promotion (complimenting or giving credit to others), which we term "dual-promotion," individuals can project both warmth and competence to make better impressions on observers than they do by only self-promoting. In seven preregistered studies, including analyses of annual reports from members of Congress and experiments using social network, workplace, and political contexts (total N = 1,448), we show that individuals who engage in dual-promotion create more favorable impressions of warmth and competence than those who only engage in self-promotion. The beneficial effects of dual-promotion are robust to both competitive and noncompetitive contexts and extend to behavioral intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the relationship between the level of state funding for Home‐ and Community‐Based Services (HCBS) and state overall and dimension‐specific performances in Long‐Term Services and Supports (LTSS). Data Sources and Study Setting: We employed state‐level secondary data from the Medicaid LTSS Annual Expenditures Reports, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) State Scorecards, the U.S. Census, and Federal Reserve Economic data, spanning the timeframe of 2010–2020. Study Design: Overall state LTSS rankings, along with dimension‐specific rankings, were modeled separately against state Medicaid spending on HCBS relative to total Medicaid spending on LTSS. All models were adjusted for state covariates, secular trend, and state fixed effects. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: The study sample included all 50 states and the District of Columbia. However, California, Delaware, Illinois, and Virginia were excluded from FY2019 due to missing data on Medicaid HCBS expenditures. Principal Findings: Every 10 percentage‐point increase in the proportion of Medicaid LTSS spending to HCBS demonstrated 2.05 points improvement (95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.88 to 0.22, p = 0.03) in rankings for state overall LTSS system performance, 2.92 points improvement (95% CI: −4.87 to 0.98, p < 0.01) in rankings for the Choice of Setting and Provider dimension, as well as 1.73 points (95% CI: −3.14 to 0.32, p = 0.02) ranking improvement in the dimension of Effective Transitions. Conclusions: Our study suggested promising effects of increased state funding for HCBS on LTSS performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of research is the fundamental and technical indicators of companies after the release of the earnings report. This study attempts to address the issue of understanding the impact of fundamental and technical analysis indicator dynamics on profits and loss news releases. This research provides an in-depth analysis of stock price forecasting models, focusing on the influence of earning report seasons as catalysts for stock price growth. The study explores the relationship between key financial indicators, including earnings per share (EPS), revenue, and the maximum price observed in the 52-week period of the previous year (MaxW52). A trading algorithm is developed based on the adaptive neurofuzzy inference system (ANFIS). Through a comprehensive analysis of the neural network's training sample, it is concluded that abnormally large negative indicators have a profound impact on traders' emotional reactions. This results leads to a hypothesis for further research, suggesting that report indicators may be processed by computational algorithms, potentially including artificial intelligence (AI). Consequently, the emergence of emotional trading robots managed by investment funds becomes a crucial area for investigation. Understanding the behavior of these algorithms enables proactive decision-making, allowing traders to leverage their knowledge and sell-purchased securities to these algorithms before their transactions occur. The implications of this research shed light on the evolving landscape of trading strategies and the role of emotionality in financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the genus Cryptococcus are the causative agents of cryptococcal meningitis, a disease mainly associated with HIV-induced immunosuppression. Patients with cryptococcal meningitis are at a serious risk of death. Most patients suffering from cryptococcosis belong to neglected populations. With reduced support for research, new therapies are unlikely to emerge. In this essay, we used the Policy Cures/G-finder platform as a reference database for funding research on cryptococcal disease. Funding for cryptococcal research started being tracked by G-finder in 2013 and has continued to appear in the annual reports ever since. In total, 15 institutions were reported as major funders for research on cryptococcal disease over the years. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) was the main funder, followed by the UK's Wellcome Trust. The annual analysis suggested slow yearly growth in funding from 2013 to 2021. The development of new tools to prevent and fight cryptococcal disease is urgent but requires improved funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This short paper builds on and critiques work presenting potential non-disasters: disasters that did not seem to happen despite a major hazard. Previous work does not differentiate among different types of potential non-disasters. This short paper uses local information to propose three categories according to reasons for vulnerability being low or absent. These proposed categories are used to critique the construct of "potential non-disasters". Design/methodology/approach: This short paper uses a subjective approach to examples of potential non-disasters in 2022, focusing on local information that describes what happened. This information is applied and analysed for the three proposed categories using examples from Japan, Nepal, the Philippines and Vietnam. Such comparisons are useful for critiquing "potential non-disasters", by understanding better local approaches and information available for reporting on situations that could be disasters. Findings: Potential non-disasters remain relevant for exploring mechanisms, tools and actions for educating about vulnerability causes and vulnerability reduction to avert disasters. Limitations are evident by relying on media reports, even local ones with local authors. A suggestion is to implement a grant programme for collecting data immediately after a major hazard without an evident, major disaster. Additionally, an annual report and critique of each year's potential non-disasters, categorised and analysed, would help to evidence the presence and limits of the "potential non-disaster" construct. Originality/value: This short paper contributes a much deeper theoretical dive into understanding potential non-disasters, both describing them and the drawbacks of the construct. To practitioners, the construct now offers more avenues for actions while illustrating their effectiveness in reducing vulnerabilities. Thus, this paper supports multiple, linked pathways towards more non-disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 54th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Medical Education was held in Gunma, Japan, in August 2022, where faculty members of the Toho University Center for Medical Education and Development participated. In relation to medical education, there are increasing opportunities for self-reflection, triggered by the revision of the Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education in 2024 and the acceptance of accreditation for a medical school at each university by the Japan Accreditation Council for Medical Education. Furthermore, as the Common Achievement Test will soon become a part of the national examination for doctors, medical education must change for the better. In the midst of such trends, gathering information and considering upgrades to medical education at Toho University will improve the quality of education. Therefore, we would like to report on the four sessions that we attended at the conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the genus Cryptococcus are the causative agents of cryptococcal meningitis, a disease mainly associated with HIV-induced immunosuppression. Patients with cryptococcal meningitis are at a serious risk of death. Most patients suffering from cryptococcosis belong to neglected populations. With reduced support for research, new therapies are unlikely to emerge. In this essay, we used the Policy Cures/G-finder platform as a reference database for funding research on cryptococcal disease. Funding for cryptococcal research started being tracked by G-finder in 2013 and has continued to appear in the annual reports ever since. In total, 15 institutions were reported as major funders for research on cryptococcal disease over the years. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) was the main funder, followed by the UK's Wellcome Trust. The annual analysis suggested slow yearly growth in funding from 2013 to 2021. The development of new tools to prevent and fight cryptococcal disease is urgent but requires improved funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the association between the institutional environment and the adoption of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. The research sample covers the largest 500 companies in the world, based on Fortune magazine's 2020 ranking. A logistic regression is conducted to examine the relationship between the institutional environment and GRI adoption. The findings reveal that companies from countries with high environmental development and social progress and strong governance are more likely to release GRI-based sustainability reports. This study implies the significant role of country-level institutional factors in corporate reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The European Renal Association (ERA) Registry collects data on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). This paper is a summary of the ERA Registry Annual Report 2021, including a comparison across treatment modalities. Methods Data was collected from 54 national and regional registries from 36 countries, of which 35 registries from 18 countries contributed individual patient data and 19 registries from 19 countries contributed aggregated data. Using this data, incidence and prevalence of KRT, kidney transplantation rates, survival probabilities and expected remaining lifetimes were calculated. Result In 2021, 533.2 million people in the general population were covered by the ERA Registry. The incidence of KRT was 145 per million population (pmp). In incident patients, 55% were 65 years or older, 64% were male, and the most common primary renal disease (PRD) was diabetes (22%). The prevalence of KRT was 1040 pmp. In prevalent patients, 47% were 65 years or older, 62% were male, and the most common PRDs were diabetes and glomerulonephritis/sclerosis (both 16%). On 31 December 2021, 56% of patients received haemodialysis, 5% received peritoneal dialysis, and 39% were living with a functioning graft. The kidney transplantation rate in 2021 was 37 pmp, a majority coming from deceased donors (66%). For patients initiating KRT between 2012–2016, 5-year survival probability was 52%. Compared to the general population, life expectancy was 65% and 68% shorter for males and females receiving dialysis, and 40% and 43% shorter for males and females living with a functioning graft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of business activity is of increasing concern to European Union citizens. In response, Directive 2014/95/EU becomes the first supranational regulation that requires companies to report business impacts on social and environmental sustainability using sustainability reports (SR). This study aims to analyse the quantity of sustainability information disclosed by Spanish agri-food companies with respect to the requirements established in Directive 2014/95/EU. In order to achieve this, a content analysis is applied to 30 SR following Global Reporting Initiative – GRI – Standards and published after the transposition of the Directive into Spanish regulation. Our findings show a generally low level of reporting, and most of the analysed SR fails to reliably document the information at indicator level. Indeed, the level of disclosure slightly increases for less material information, such as that related to social local communities and employees. Consequently, Spanish agri-food companies should start to make more of an effort to ensure that the information disclosed is complete and of high quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green technology innovation is an effective means to achieve high-quality economic development. The impact and mechanism of digital financial inclusion on regional green technology innovation are tested using a threshold regression model and the panel fixed effect model, based on China's provincial Panel data (provincial Panel data are regional annual report data) from 2011 to 2020. According to the study, there is a direct link between local green technology innovation and digital financial inclusion. This paper highlights the differences in their influence by location and usage depth and underscores the necessity of government engagement to improve these characteristics. Information infrastructure needs to be strengthened, especially in areas with gaps. Greater investment in research and development (R&D) indirectly supports regional green technology innovation since it is impacted by digital financial inclusion. Interestingly, a threshold effect becomes most noticeable when digital financial inclusion rises above a particular threshold. Promoting utilizing digital financial inclusion to lessen regional differences in green technology innovation is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The given document is the annual report for the year 2023 of AIMS Bioengineering, a journal that focuses on bioengineering research. In 2023, the journal received 46 submissions and published 28 papers, including 17 research articles and 8 review articles. The authors of these articles came from various countries, including the USA, Spain, UK, Italy, Germany, Brazil, France, Japan, China, India, and others. The report highlights the importance of special issues and the invitation of experts to join the editorial board. The journal aims to increase the number of high-quality submissions, reduce processing time, and strengthen its presence and reputation in 2024. [Extracted from the article]

The article is devoted to comparing the composition and structure of financial statement forms of private sector entities according to national and international standards. It examines the list of economic entities obliged to submit reports according to IFRS, along with the information that must be disclosed in providing financial statements. The set of financial statements under national and international standards are revised, comparing the provisions of national and international standards regarding the statement of financial position and the statement of comprehensive income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial note is dedicated to the 2023 Journal report of AIMS Materials Science, which was run by AIMS Press. After a brief summary about the annual development in 2023, future developments of the journal in 2024 are proposed. In 2023, AIMS Materials Science received its first Impact Factor (1.8). In addition, based on the Scopus database of Elsevier, the CiteScore of AIMS Materials Science has been increased from 3.3 to 4.2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With access to cancer care services limited because of coronavirus disease 2019 control measures, cancer diagnosis and treatment have been delayed. The authors explored changes in the counts of US incident cases by cancer type, age, sex, race, and disease stage in 2020. Methods: Data were extracted from selected US population‐based cancer registries for diagnosis years 2015–2020 using first‐submission data from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. After a quality assessment, the monthly numbers of newly diagnosed cancer cases were extracted for six cancer types: colorectal, female breast, lung, pancreas, prostate, and thyroid. The observed numbers of incident cancer cases in 2020 were compared with the estimated numbers by calculating observed‐to‐expected (O/E) ratios. The expected numbers of incident cases were extrapolated using Joinpoint trend models. Results: The authors report an O/E ratio <1.0 for major screening‐eligible cancer sites, indicating fewer newly diagnosed cases than expected in 2020. The O/E ratios were lowest in April 2020. For every cancer site except pancreas, Asians/Pacific Islanders had the lowest O/E ratio of any race group. O/E ratios were lower for cases diagnosed at localized stages than for cases diagnosed at advanced stages. Conclusions: The current analysis provides strong evidence for declines in cancer diagnoses, relative to the expected numbers, between March and May of 2020. The declines correlate with reductions in pathology reports and are greater for cases diagnosed at in situ and localized stage, triggering concerns about potential poor cancer outcomes in the coming years, especially in Asians/Pacific Islanders. Plain Language Summary: To help control the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), health care organizations suspended nonessential medical procedures, including preventive cancer screening, during early 2020.Many individuals canceled or postponed cancer screening, potentially delaying cancer diagnosis.This study examines the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the number of newly diagnosed cancer cases in 2020 using first‐submission, population‐based cancer registry database.The monthly numbers of newly diagnosed cancer cases in 2020 were compared with the expected numbers based on past trends for six cancer sites.April 2020 had the sharpest decrease in cases compared with previous years, most likely because of the COVID‐19 pandemic. This analysis provides strong evidence for sharp declines in the numbers of new cancer cases diagnosed between March and May of 2020. The declines are correlated with reductions in pathology reports and are more substantial for cases diagnosed at in situ and localized stage, triggering concerns for potential poor cancer outcomes in certain demographic subgroups in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the problems and solutions to the 14th Annual United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Annual Editor Report for 2023 from the Brazilian Business Review (BBR) emphasizes the journal's commitment to publishing high-quality academic research in business. The report discusses the editorial process, which involves a team of experienced researchers and younger professors who select content relevant to the academic community. The report also reveals an increase in submissions and a higher rate of rejections, indicating a more rigorous evaluation process. The processing times have decreased, demonstrating a dedication to providing timely feedback to authors. BBR is indexed by Scopus and is working towards indexation in the Web of Science. The journal has a strong international presence and is one of the most downloaded journals in Brazil. The report highlights the importance of BBR remaining bilingual, as over 50% of the website's traffic comes from countries other than Brazil, with the United States and Indonesia being the top sources of traffic. The contributions of editorial assistants, associate editors, reviewers, and authors are acknowledged, as well as the support of FUCAPE Business School, CNPq, and FAPES. [Extracted from the article]

The annual report of the Library and Information Association of Jamaica for the year 2023-2024 provides an overview of the association's mission and purpose, as well as highlights from the year such as conferences and training sessions. The report includes reports from various sections and committees within the association, detailing their activities, initiatives, and challenges faced. The financial report and acknowledgements from the president are also included. The report showcases the association's efforts to provide leadership in the development and promotion of resources in the library, archives, records management, and information sectors in Jamaica. [Extracted from the article]

This study aims at describing and characterizing the Human Resources practices (HRPs), as reported by organizations within the framework of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). That endeavor was undertaken considering the concept of decent work (DW). Specifically, we intended to analyze and verify to what extent those practices translate and incorporate the concept of DW to build a typology of commitment levels by organizations regarding the values behind UNGC. We conducted a documentary analysis on 40 annual reports of Portuguese organizations' participants of the UNGC. A qualitative content analysis using NVivo and a descriptive and cluster analysis based on coding similarity were performed. One output of this research is the design of a maturity typology of adhesion to the UNCG. Four levels were identified, reflecting expressed concerns with DW concepts and the UNGC Ten Principles and its integration into HRP. This research reflects the concerns of Human Resources Management (HRM) with the wellbeing, development, and conditions of employees and may support the design of future research and interventions, leading to more responsible and ethical HRM practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIMS Allergy & Immunology is an international Open Access journal that focuses on publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed papers in the field of immunology and allergy. In 2023, the journal received 26 manuscripts and published 20 papers, including review articles, research articles, mini reviews, letters, case reports, commentaries, and editorials. The authors of these papers came from over 10 countries, indicating an increase in international collaborations. The journal also received its first impact factor of 0.7 in 2023. The editorial board currently consists of 71 members from 19 countries, and efforts will be made to renew the board in 2024. The journal aims to continue publishing high-quality papers and increase its impact and citations in the field. [Extracted from the article]

This study investigates the impact of derivatives on risk management, financial performance, and firm value in non-financial firms from 2016-2021, spanning pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. It first examines firms’ derivatives usage intensity through annual reports, then assesses the direct effects using panel data analysis. According to derivatives usage intensity observations, it is seen that the approach of firms to use derivatives hasn’t changed based on the pandemic. Approximately %30 of firms stated that they use derivatives in risk management while other firms stated they use in-house methods in risk management. Moreover, according to the results of the panel data analysis, this study, which is based on limited data and examines the impact of the pandemic period, finds that the use of derivative instruments increases risk and negatively affects financial performance. On the other hand, any relationship between derivatives usage and firm value hasn’t been found to be statistically significant. These results suggest that derivatives are not an effective risk management tool for the sector, prompting firms to reconsider their risk management strategies and explore why derivatives fail to mitigate risk effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EPPO Bulletin's Annual Report and Council Recommendations for 2022 highlights the organization's activities and achievements throughout the year. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, EPPO successfully organized physical meetings and workshops, emphasizing the importance of in-person interactions and networking among experts. The report also mentions the increasing number of new or revised standards adopted, the growth of the EPPO Bulletin and EPPO Reporting Service, and the expansion of data in EPPO databases. EPPO's work focuses on improving plant health and protection, with specific efforts in the areas of plant protection products and diagnostics. The organization aims to adapt to changes in the plant health landscape and collaborate with partners to ensure its work remains relevant. The report concludes with an overview of EPPO's staff and their roles, as well as progress made towards the organization's strategic objectives for 2021-2025. [Extracted from the article]

The emergence of purpose‐built student accommodation (PBSA) as a 'global' asset class has physically and socially transformed university cities through 'new‐build studentification' implicated in the financialization of urban space. Yet, the COVID‐19 pandemic has exposed the risk inherent in this asset's reliance on a narrow submarket, as students' domestic and international mobilities were temporarily disrupted. We interrogate PBSA providers' response to the pandemic through the analysis of real estate consultancy reports, firms' annual reports and other investor‐facing documents, in Africa, Australia, Europe and North America, demonstrating how the financialization of this niche sector is sustained through crisis. Tactics include building goodwill to expand market share, temporarily reorienting towards domestic students and operational strategies to cut costs and increase revenues. Despite the sector's optimism, these approaches amplify existing trends of finance‐driven new‐build studentification in university cities, characterized by uneven development, the privatization of student housing and deepening class and age segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To compare and contrast the views of benefits and general work conditions of participants working in corporate hospitals compared to those working in privately owned hospitals. SAMPLE: Veterinary members of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) working as associate veterinarians in corporate- or privately owned hospitals. METHODS: An electronic survey distributed via the VIN data collection portal. RESULTS: A total of 896 responses from associate veterinarians working full time were received, of which 286 (31.9%) reported working in private practice and 610 (68.1%) in corporate practice. Fifty-five percent of participants indicated a preference for working in private practice compared to 12% preferring corporate practice. Veterinarians working in corporate practice were more likely to report receiving insurance (health, dental, life, and short-term disability), mental wellness programs (eg, counseling), wellness mobile apps, VIN membership, and continuing education paid by their employer than those working in privately owned practices. However, participants in private practice reported higher satisfaction with feeling known as an individual by upper management, hospital culture, the ability to fire difficult or abusive clients, and mentorship. Those working in corporate practices reported feeling more pressure than those in private practice to generate revenue and see more clients per shift. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There are positives and negatives of corporate-owned hospitals when compared to privately owned practices. Corporate hospitals may be well positioned to make large organizational-level changes that can improve work culture and, as a result, the well-being and retention of small animal practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scorpion stings are a common medical emergency in many parts of the world. However, no statistical records are available about the incidence of scorpion sting envenomation and related mortality rates in the Sudan. This study aimed to describe the burden in the Sudan and to highlight the most affected states. We extracted retrospective hospital-based data on scorpions' stings envenomation for the years 2014–2018 from the annual statistical reports of the Federal Ministry of Health, Republic of the Sudan. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the extracted data and elucidate the results. A total of 129,427 people were envenomed during 2014–2018 with a mean of 25,885 cases/year. More adults were stung compared to children. However, mortality was higher among children younger than 15 years old 4.7% (186/3974) than older victims 1% (56/5371). Envenomation was more frequent in males (56%) than females (44%). The Northern state reported the highest incidence of scorpion stings (344 per 100,000 population), followed by the River Nile state (240 per 100,000 population), and Khartoum state (174 per 100,000 population). Fatalities amongst hospitalized patients were 2.6% (242/9345) with the Northern state accounting for 34% (0.8/2.3) of total fatalities reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical values for the prediction of the ultimate axial capacity of ductile driven piles In the 2022 annual report of the working group "Piles" of the German Geotechnical Society, the inclusion of the pile system "ductile driven pile" in the new 3rd edition of the "Recommendations on Piling" (EA‐Pfähle) was announced. As a result, practical empirical values for predicting the axial ultimate capacity as well as information on quality assurance during pile installation are now available for grouted ductile driven piles, which have been used in Germany for decades. The basis for the development of the empirical values was a research project at the University of Kassel, in which in a first phase extensively instrumented pile load tests were carried out in cohesive and non‐cohesive soils. The results of the load tests were included in a comprehensive database for ductile driven piles from which correlations for pile shaft friction and pile base resistance of grouted ductile driven piles could then be determined using a multi‐linear regression model. In the scope of this paper, these investigations, which were used as the basis for determining the empirical values, will be illustrated and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the level of corporate governance quality (CGQ) of firms in sub-Saharan Africa and the factors that determine this CGQ as a build-up of the study of Waweru (Waweru, Managerial Auditing Journal 29:455–485, 2014). The study's sample comprises 104 companies listed on the respective stock markets of nine sub-Saharan African countries. The data are collected from annual reports from 2007 to 2019, a total of 1108 firm-year observations. Both static and dynamic panel data models are used in the analyses. The study established that the CGQ of firms in Sub-Saharan African capital markets is weak thus disputing the findings of Waweru (Waweru, Managerial Auditing Journal 29:455–485, 2014). The study also concludes that IFRS adoption, asset tangibility, ownership concentration, audit quality, firm size and national regulatory quality are the most consistent predictors of CGQ of firms in sub-Saharan Africa. The other determinants of CGQ include listing tenure, business operating tenure, leverage, firm growth opportunities and macroeconomic misery index. The novelty of this study stems from its consideration of a larger cross-country panel dataset from sub-Saharan Africa to extend the work of Waweru (Waweru, Managerial Auditing Journal 29:455–485, 2014). Again, the study's introduction of the economic misery index and regulatory quality variables as determinants of CGQ extends the agency theory by demonstrating how macroeconomic factors and the quality of the national regulatory environment can influence governance at the firm level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, we wrote to you of our dedication and vision for JAACAP "to be antiracist at every level."1 Over the last 3 years, we have pursued initiatives "to reshape the Journal to pursue this vision."2,3 In this article, we provide an update on these goals and initiatives (Figure 1). With the launching of our new open access journal, JAACAP Open ,4 in late 2022, we now extend these initiatives to both scientific journals in the JAACAP family and aspire to be a leader among mental health journals in our intentional pursuit of antiracist policies and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]