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Foreign ownership and corporate litigation risk
No full textThis study examines the impact of foreign ownership on a firm’s litigation risk. Drawing on corporate governance and signaling perspectives, we propose that foreign ownership functions as a monitoring mechanism, enhancing corporate governance, while also signaling to potential litigants that the focal firm may be more costly and challenging to litigate against. Therefore, foreign ownership helps mitigate litigation risk. Importantly, we emphasize the heterogeneity of foreign ownership by distinguishing between foreign institutional and corporate ownership, as well as considering the country of origin of foreign investors. Additionally, we find that a firm’s analyst coverage and outward internationalization can substitute for the impact of foreign ownership. These findings contribute to international business and corporate litigation literature by unpacking the deterrent effect of foreign ownership on litigation risk
Depression and anxiety are increased in autism and ADHD: evidence from a young adult community-based sample
Get PDFBackground:
Autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) overlap to a considerable degree and have been associated with mental health difficulties, yet there is limited research on this relationship. Young adulthood is a time of heightened risk for mental health problems in general. The risk may be greater for individuals with these conditions, for whom societal demands tied to this transitional time may heighten the impact of internalising behaviours. Elucidating the relationships between neurodevelopmental differences and vulnerability to psychopathology may inform future adaptations for specialised support.
Methods:
This study explored whether autistic and ADHD traits and their interaction were associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as meeting diagnostic criteria for internalising disorders in a sample of 556 young-adult twins (mean age 22 years 5 months, 52% female), controlling for sex, age, cognitive ability, and parental socioeconomic status. Four participant groups were created based on traits assessed in young adulthood: high autistic traits, high ADHD traits, high autistic and ADHD traits, and low ADHD and autistic traits.
Results:
High autistic and ADHD traits were independently associated with higher self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms and likelihood of meeting diagnostic thresholds for an anxiety or low mood disorder. While co-occurrence of autism and ADHD exhibited the greatest risk for mental health challenges, no evidence was found for interaction effects between these traits at stringent corrected thresholds. Females with high levels of autistic traits exhibited particularly high risk for concomitant psychopathology.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that those with high levels of autistic and/or ADHD traits may require individualised care strategies, in light of the complex interplay between traits of neurodivergence and mental health outcomes. Future research may explore the efficacy of psychoeducation and specific adaptations to established therapeutic interventions needed to optimise outcomes for adults with these conditions
Can group coaching support the career advancement of women?
Get PDFGroup coaching enhances women's career progression by fostering social capital and overcoming barriers to informal networks. Qualitative studies demonstrate increased self-esteem, courage and resilience, aiding women in navigating gendered career challenges. This study quantitatively assesses the impact of women-only group coaching on social capital, self-esteem, resilience, courage and career advancement. Results reveal significantly higher bridging capital and courage in coached women compared to participants who did not receive coaching, though resilience and self-esteem show no significant difference. Coached women are also more likely to receive a pay rise, providing empirical support for interventions aimed at promoting female career advancement
Farmers’ knowledge improves identification of drought impacts: a nationwide statistical analysis in Zambia
Get PDFClimate adaptation policies rely on accurate estimates of weather-related impacts on community-level food insecurity. These estimates must capture local livelihoods and their varying sensitivity to climate extremes. This paper develops a novel methodology to address this need through incorporating farmer knowledge into robust drought impact assessments.
Using a new dataset of 925 farmer focus groups in Zambia, we investigate whether farmers’ recollection can identify consequential drought events more consistently than crop yields, which are conventionally used for this purpose. Zambia, like many countries, has experienced structural changes in its crop production systems over the last 30 years. Staple crop yields are therefore a weak proxy for food insecurity without wider socio-economic and agricultural context. We posit that in settings like this, farmers’ knowledge can provide the missing context for what constitutes a meaningful climate shock.
We conduct a statistical analysis of the dominant patterns of variability in farmers’ recollected drought years as compared to satellite rainfall. We find that farmers’ recall identifies meteorologically consistent patterns in shocks, going back 40 years. In contrast, conventional methods of regressing weather on maize yields to measure shocks would result in estimates that are biased and overconfident. Our analysis demonstrates, for the first time at a national scale, that farmers’ knowledge of climate shocks is a uniquely reliable source of impact data
Airborne soil-derived dust hazards in aviation
Get PDFAirborne mineral dust poses a safety challenge for aviation. Several fatal accidents have happened in dust-laden air due to reduced visibility, strong gusty winds, and wind shear. Dust-induced icing also contributed at least to two fatal accidents. Furthermore, atmospheric dust has long- and short-term effects on aircraft operating conditions due to corrosion and abrasion on the aircraft surfaces and molten ingress deterioration of engine hot section components. The combined impact can increase operating and maintenance costs and increase the overall cost of ownership. While the scientific community has started preparing and providing products based on atmospheric dust modeling and observation, there are still important data and information gaps in the fundamental science. These include (i) insufficient data which could be used to better understand the effects of dust on aircraft as well as on ground systems and operations (e.g., four-dimensional information of dust mineralogy, cost–benefit analysis of the impact of dust on aviation along flight routes), (ii) the identification of airborne dust monitoring and modeling products and services that could enable the flow of relevant information in commercial aviation and in decision-making workflows, and (iii) the underdeveloped, unclear, or absent role of dust hazards in regulations and operational procedures as well as in the training, skill set, and knowledge base of pilots. This review is aimed at both academic and aviation stakeholders and presents the current state-of-the-art knowledge at the intersection of dust hazards, aviation safety, and impacts on flight operations and aircraft maintenance
Signal-to-noise errors in early winter Euro-Atlantic predictions linked to weak ENSO teleconnections and pervasive jet biases
Get PDFLong-range winter predictions over the Euro-Atlantic sector have demonstrated significant skill but suffer from systematic signal-to-noise errors. Here, I examine sources of early winter seasonal predictability in 16 state-of-the-art seasonal forecasting systems. As in previous studies, these systems demonstrate skill in the hindcasts of the large-scale atmospheric circulation in early winter, associated with the East Atlantic pattern. The predictability is strongly tied to the ENSO teleconnection to the North Atlantic, though the systems' response to ENSO is systematically too weak. The hindcasts of the East Atlantic index exhibit a substantial signal-to-noise errors, with the systems' predicted signal generally being smaller than would be expected for the observed level of skill, though there is substantial spread across systems. The signal-to-noise errors are found to be strongly linked to the strength of the ENSO teleconnection in the systems; those with a weaker teleconnection exhibit a larger signal-to-noise problem. The dependency on modelled ENSO teleconnection strength closely follows a simple scaling relationship derived from a toy model. Further analysis reveals that the strength of the ENSO teleconnection in the systems is linked to pervasive climatological biases in the North Atlantic and North Pacific jets. More specifically, systems that better represent the dynamics of the North Atlantic jet - with more frequent poleward jet excursions, less frequent high-latitude blocking, and a more poleward climatological jet position - are better at representing the ENSO teleconnection to the North Atlantic in early winter, with lower associated signal-to-noise errors
Urban greening for climate resilient and sustainable cities: grand challenges and opportunities
Get PDFUrban greening plays a crucial role in enhancing climate resilience, environmental quality, public health, and societal wellbeing. Policy makers at all levels are increasingly embracing greening and other nature-based solutions; however, successful implementation of these approaches requires a multidisciplinary strategy involving collaboration, community engagement, and adaptive interventions. This paper synthesizes key insights from an expert panel, comprising representatives of government agencies, research institutions, private sector, and local authorities, forming an international panel of experts, convened by the RECLAIM Network Plus (https://www.reclaim-network.org). Funded by the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI), this network project brings together over 650 members from 40 plus countries. It provides national leadership in urban greening, serving as a “one-stop-shop” for towns and cities to access green and blue infrastructure support, resources, and peer connections. The paper highlights grand challenges, priorities, successful case studies and opportunities in urban greening initiatives. The importance of strategic planning is also addressed, together with technological advancements and access to suitable data for maximizing the impact of green infrastructure as well as innovative funding models, such as corporate social responsibility and green finance. This work highlights the importance of an integrated, inclusive, and forward-thinking approach to urban greening for more resilient, sustainable, and equitable cities. Further, it emphasizes the need for cross-sector collaboration among local authorities, researchers, and businesses, as well as community involvement in successful planning for both short- and long-term outcomes. Ultimately, urban greening strategies must be informed by future climate scenarios while prioritizing equity and social justice to ensure adaptation options benefitting all communities
The effectiveness of partnerships with commercial actors to improve food environments: a systematic review
Get PDFPartnerships with commercial actors have been proposed as a policy approach to create healthier food environments. We conducted a systematic review to assess their effectiveness for improving food environments and population health at state, national, or international levels. We searched in 14 databases and two websites for real-world evaluations published between 2010 and 2020. Study quality was appraised using a modified Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Data were synthesized narratively by outcome (human, food environment, policy content, and implementation progress), considering their effect direction. Seventeen studies reporting on seven PPPs in four countries were included. Most studies (n = 14) involved food reformulation, especially salt reduction.
Three focused on specific settings (the eating out-of-
home sector, schools, and convenience stores). There was mixed evidence that partnerships make people buy fewer calories or more school meals (n = 3 studies) or reduce product sodium content (n = 6). Some positive effects were described in one uncontrolled study each for decreasing trans-fatty acid intake and for making healthier options more available in school cafeterias, but these studies had important limitations. Five document analyses highlighted shortcomings in the partnerships, including their limited scope, failure to add value to ongoing actions, varying
participation levels, and lack of implementation, monitoring, and reporting. Alternative policy approaches should be considered. This systematic review is registered on PROSPERO as CRD42020170963
Pain catastrophising predicts optimal improvement in pain following genicular arterial embolisation for the treatment of mild and moderate knee osteoarthritis.
Get PDFKnee osteoarthritis(OA) is the most common form of OA and mild-to-moderate OA. Patients who do not respond to conversative treatment or yet warrant joint replacement represent a significant clinical challenge. Genicular Arterial Embolisation(GAE) is a promising interventional radiological technique for OA. However, data highlight a consistent subset of patients that do not respond to GAE, despite a successful procedure.
Pain Catastrophising(PC) represents a set of cognitive/affective biases to pain, linked to maladaptations in the descending pain modulatory system and has been frequently identified as a predictor of clinical outcomes. This study investigated the association between PC and GAE outcomes and underlying neural correlates, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Thirty patients participated in a presurgical assessment battery, including psychometric profiling and quantitative sensory testing. Due to MR exclusions, a subset of seventeen patients also completed an rs-fMRI session. Patients recorded their outcomes at 6-weeks, 3-months and 12-months. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC) served as a seed for whole-brain voxel-wise connectivity, with pain catastrophising scores as a regressor.
PC was associated with a myriad of psychological/lifestyle baseline variables, such as depression, anxiety and poor sleep. Surprisingly, high pain catastrophisers demonstrated the best improvements, with PC scores predicting the higher reductions in pain at 6-weeks(R2=.18,p=.024), 3-months(R2=.37,p<.001) and 1-year(R2=.18,p=.027). Resting-state analyses revealed that catastrophising was associated with higher connectivity between the DLPFC and areas of the brain associated with pain processing, suggesting more frequent engagement of top-down modulatory processes.
These results highlight that, interestingly, patients who catastrophise may benefit most from GAE. Potential explanations for this are discussed within. Overall, this data indicates GAE is an effective treatment for knee OA, and may be valuable at managing pain for high catastrophisers, who often fare worse in more invasive surgical procedures
A weakened AMOC could cause Southern Ocean temperature and sea‐ice change on multidecadal timescales
Get PDFWe present the first CMIP6-era multi-model intercomparison of the Southern Ocean (SO) temperature and sea-ice response to substantial Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) weakening. Results are based on analysis of the North Atlantic Hosing Model Intercomparison Project, involving eight CMIP6 models under identical North Atlantic freshwater hosing. On multidecadal timescales, we find that southwards ocean heat transport into the SO increases, causing surface warming and sea-ice loss. Additionally, an atmospheric tropical-Antarctic teleconnection, identified here for the first time, causes regional temperature and sea-ice changes in the SO. Unlike previous studies, we find that the Amundsen Sea Low deepens for only some models. Overall, in the multi-model ensemble mean (multi-model range in brackets), over years 50–100 after AMOC weakening: SO surface air temperature warms by 0.3 (0.1–0.7)°C, sea level pressure (SLP) decreases by 30 (10–70) Pa, and sea-ice area decreases by 0.4 (−0.2–1.3) Mkm2. The teleconnection leads to regional differences between the response in the Indian sector and the Weddell Sea of 180 (80–320) Pa in SLP, 0.6 (0.5–1.4)°C in surface air temperature, and 0.1 (0.1–0.2) Mkm2 in sea-ice area. These SO heat transport, temperature, pressure, and sea-ice changes are small relative to the changes expected under future anthropogenic warming, despite the large and idealized 0.3 Sv hosing used to weaken the AMOC