Treatment patterns,complications, and direct medical costs associated with ankylosing spondylitis in Chinese urban patients: a retrospective claims dataset analysis

Aim: To describe treatment pattern, complications, and direct medical costs associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Chinese urban patients.

Methods: The 2013 China Health Insurance Research Association (CHIRA) urban insurance claims database was used to identify patients with AS. The identified patients were stratified by AS treatments for the comparisons of well established AS-related complications and direct medical costs. Conventional regression analyses adjusted the collected patient baseline characteristics to confirm the impact of treatments on complications and direct medical costs.

Results: Of the identified 1299 patients with AS, 18.0% received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), 11.2% received immunosuppressant, 48.2% received NSAID plus immunosuppressant, 4.6% received biologic agents, and 17.9% received medications without indication for AS. Biologic group was associated with the lowest proportion of AS-related complications (8.3%) that was confirmed by multiple logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 0.200, p?=?.017). The biologic group was also associated with highest direct medical costs (median: RMB?=?14,539) that were confirmed by the multiple generalized linear model (coefficient = 1.644, p?Conclusions: Biologics were not commonly used for AS in Chinese patients likely due to their high cost. Future studies are needed to confirm the potential long-term clinical benefits associated biologic treatment for AS.     

Gibbs posterior inference on value-at-risk

ABSTRACT

Accurate estimation of value-at-risk (VaR) and assessment of associated uncertainty is crucial for both insurers and regulators, particularly in Europe. Existing approaches link data and VaR indirectly by first linking data to the parameter of a probability model, and then expressing VaR as a function of that parameter. This indirect approach exposes the insurer to model misspecification bias or estimation inefficiency, depending on whether the parameter is finite- or infinite-dimensional. In this paper, we link data and VaR directly via what we call a discrepancy function, and this leads naturally to a Gibbs posterior distribution for VaR that does not suffer from the aforementioned biases and inefficiencies. Asymptotic consistency and root-n concentration rate of the Gibbs posterior are established, and simulations highlight its superior finite-sample performance compared to other approaches.     

The futures of offshoring FDI in high-tech sectors

This paper examines what is still a relatively new phenomenon in the literature, the outsourcing/offshoring of high-technology manufacturing and services. This has become a concern for both policy makers and academics for two reasons. Firstly, policy makers have become concerned that the offshoring of high-technology sectors in the West will follow the more labour intensive sectors, and move to lower cost locations. Secondly, international business theory has tended to view low costs, and high levels of indigenous technological development as being the two main drivers of location advantage in the attraction of FDI. We show that this may not be the case for offshored high-technology manufacturing or services.     

简快身心积极疗法的理论基础及其逻辑关系之剖析

简快身心积极疗法在发展过程中,不拘泥于学术学派的束缚,系统整合了当前国内外各种实用有效的治疗技术,因其简洁快速、实用有效的临床辅导效果而独树一帜。本文尝试系统梳理简快身心积极疗法的理论基础,挖掘其内在逻辑关系,剖析其简快有效的原因所在。     

基于关系营销理论的国内电子邮件营销的新应用

本文通过分析引入关系营销这一理论,分析电子邮件营销(EDM)的特点以及国内外的发展概况,并通过关系营销的理论提出国内电子邮件营销的新应用,为企业进行电子邮件营销带来新的策略。     

Foreign Direct Investment,Transactions Linkages,and the Performance of the Domestic Sector

Using data from the UK Census of Production, including foreign ownership data, and information from UK industry input-output tables, this paper examines whether the intensity of transactions linkages between foreign and domestic firms affects productivity growth in domestic manufacturing industries. The implications of the findings for policies promoting linkages between multinational and domestic firms in the UK economy are outlined.     

Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America in the 1990s

Summary

FDI in Latin America has witnessed a resurgence in the 1990s after the debt crisis and capital drought of the 1980s. This inflow results both from more market-friendly policies in the recipient countries and lower returns and growth in developed nations. The latter factor has also attracted many short-term, portfolio instruments to the continent which can be highly damaging to local economies when not properly regulated. Privatization has been among the more important country-specific variables attracting direct investors to the region. Despite the positive effects of FDI, Latin American countries are still beset with problems such as unequal distribution of income and poverty that direct investment is unlikely to ameliorate.     

Positive emotions and behavioral intentions of customers in full-service restaurants: Does aesthetic labor matter?

Based on the Mehrabian–Russell model, this study investigates whether aesthetic labor performance affects the positive emotions and behavioral intentions of customers in full-service restaurants. This research also identifies the mediating effects of positive emotions on aesthetic labor and behavioral intentions. A total of 320 valid questionnaires were collected from the customers of a well-known chain of restaurants in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate a model linking aesthetic labor, positive emotions, and behavioral intentions. The results revealed that aesthetic labor positively and significantly influences positive emotions and behavioral intentions, and that positive emotions positively and significantly influence behavioral intentions. However, when the control variables of food quality, ambiance, and service quality were added, aesthetic labor did not positively influence behavioral intentions. In addition, positive emotions did not mediate the relationship between aesthetic labor and behavioral intentions. Finally, we provide a discussion on practical implications and suggestions for future research.     

Research on China＇s Direct Investment to EU Under the Background of European Debt Crisis

近年来，中国对欧盟的直接投资出现了爆发式增长。欧洲主权债务危机的爆发及持续蔓延，引发了对全球经济“二次探底”的担忧，也给中国对欧盟直接投资带来了新的问题。本文在实证分析的基础上，认为中国对欧投资的超常增长并不是金融危机以来才发生的；欧债危机虽给中国企业对欧投资提供了机遇，但也带来了更多的障碍和风险。因此，要继续扩大对欧直接投资，就必须正确认识中国对欧盟直接投资的战略意义，厘清存在的障碍和风险，从而有针对性地对欧盟内部不同的区域市场和行业进行直接投资。     

非对称竞争对联盟成员机会主义行为倾向影响的实证研究——以我国运动用品（鞋服）制造业为例

本文以我国运动鞋服制造业企业联盟为研究对象，就非对称竞争对联盟成员机会主义倾向的影响这一新的研究领域进行了实证研究，证实了联盟成员间非对称竞争对成员企业的机会主义倾向会产生显著的影响。同时，本研究从竞争行为和竞争意向两个层面上对非对称竞争进行分析，结果表明，相对于行为层面，非对称竞争意向会对成员企业机会主义倾向产生更为显著的强化作用。本研究的相关结论对于进一步的研究与企业管理实践均有一定价值。