Enterprise risk management (ERM) has emerged as a framework for more holistic and integrated risk management with an emphasis on enhanced governance of the risk management system. ERM should theoretically reduce the volatility of cash flows, agency risk, and information risk—ultimately reducing a firm's default risk. We empirically investigate the relationship between the degree of ERM implementat

Streptococcal pharyngitis is among the most common bacterial infections, but the molecular mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the interactions among three major players in streptococcal pharyngitis: streptococci, plasma, and saliva. We find that saliva activates the plasma coagulation system through both the extrinsic and the intrinsic pathways, entrapping the bacter

China has become the biggest mobile communication carrier in the world since 2001. Advanced technologies create a communication revolution, and the individual, through the advent of mobile media, has become an active participant in this process. This study investigates the mobile phone’s impact upon the developments of public participation, social inclusion and citizenship through the case study o

The neglect of broader social and cultural contexts in crisis communication research raises the question of the applicability of Western originated theories in nonwestern contexts. To address the issue, this study revisits Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) in Chinese contexts by taking an online discussion on Weibo about a high-profile homicide in a McDonald’s restaurant as the case.

The concept of smart specialization has attracted great interest and has been adopted widely in European regional and innovation policy. Foresight is an important part of creating smart specialization strategies. However, both the smart specialization concept and foresight have been criticized for lacking an empirical and theoretical foundation that can help guide their application in practice. Th

To describe outdoor barriers in the nearby home environments of very old people, and to investigate whether the presence of these environmental barriers differed between users and non-users of mobility devices (MDs). Method: Baseline data on 397 Swedish people aged 80-89 years, collected with a study-specific question on MD use and a subset of the environmental component of the Housing Enabler ins

Acoustic divergence among populations may result in assortative mating, behavioral isolation, and speciation. In birds, the recogni- tion of suitable mates depends to a large extent on learning, generally resulting in a tendency to discriminate against nonlocal stimuli. However, there may be geographical variation in the discrimination against nonlocal stimuli, and this may allow inferring the mec

Background and aims: Patients with pain have shown cognitive impairment across various domains. Although the pain qualities vary among patients, research has overlooked how cognitive performance is affected by the duration and persistence of pain. The current study sought to fill this gap by examining how qualitatively different pain states relate to the following cognitive functions: sustained at

PURPOSE. We evaluate how visual fields are affected by the initiation of IOP-reducing therapy in previously untreated glaucoma individuals. METHODS. Qualifying individuals with newly diagnosed glaucoma having normal to moderately elevated IOP were prospectively randomized either to IOP-reducing therapy or to no treatment. Before randomization, individuals underwent repeatedly Standard Automated Pe

RNA editing is a post-transcriptional alteration of RNA sequences that, via insertions, deletions or base substitutions, can affect protein structure as well as RNA and protein expression. Recently, it has been suggested that RNA editing may be more frequent than previously thought. A great impediment, however, to a deeper understanding of this process is the paramount sequencing effort that needs

Most songbird migrants travel between their breeding areas and wintering grounds by a series of nocturnal flights. The exact nocturnal departure time for these flights varies considerably between individuals even of the same species. Although the basic circannual and circadian rhythms of songbirds, their adaptation to migration, and the factors influencing the birds' day-to-day departure decision