Resolvable semi-balanced incomplete split-block designs

A method for constructing some new incomplete split-block designs with desirable properties is given. The new class of the designs is characterized with respect to the general balance property. Moreover, the efficiency factors of the designs proposed are given.Received: July 2003 / Revised: November 2003     

Effectiveness and safety of betrixaban extended prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism compared with standard-duration prophylaxis intervention in acute medically ill patients: a systematic literature review and network meta-analysis

Abstract

Aims: To determine the clinical effectiveness and safety of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis using US- and Europe-approved anticoagulants relative to extended-duration VTE prophylaxis with betrixaban. Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs), unfractionated heparin (UFH), fondaparinux sodium and placebo were each compared to betrixaban, as standard-duration VTE prophylaxis for hospitalized, non-surgical patients with acute medical illness at risk of VTE.

Materials and methods: A systematic literature review was conducted up to June 2019 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of VTE prophylaxis in hospitalized, non-surgical patients with acute medical illness at risk of VTE. Studies that reported the occurrence of VTE events (including death) and, where possible, major bleeding, from treatment initiation to 20–50?days thereafter were retrieved and extracted. A Bayesian fixed effect network meta-analysis was used to estimate efficacy and safety of betrixaban compared with standard-duration VTE prophylaxis.

Results: Seven RCTs were analyzed which compared betrixaban, LMWHs, UFH, fondaparinux sodium, or placebo. There were significantly higher odds (median odds [95% credible interval]) of VTE with LMWHs (1.38 [1.12–1.70]), UFH (1.60 [1.05–2.46]), and placebo (2.37 [1.55–3.66]) compared with betrixaban. There were significantly higher odds of VTE-related death with placebo (7.76 [2.14–34.40]) compared with betrixaban. No significant differences were observed for the odds of major bleeding with all comparators, VTE-related death with any active standard-duration VTE prophylaxis, or of VTE with fondaparinux sodium, compared with betrixaban.

Limitations and conclusions: In this indirect comparison, betrixaban was shown to be an effective regimen with relative benefits compared with LMWHs and UFH. This indicates that betrixaban could reduce the burden of VTE in at-risk hospitalized patients with acute medical illness who need extended prophylaxis, though without direct comparative evidence, stronger conclusions cannot be drawn.     

Implementation of International Accounting Standards in Poland: Can True Convergence be Achieved in Practice?

The aim of this study is to discuss the difficulties that Poland, as an example of a transition economy, has in complying with the underlying principles of IAS and to recommend changes that need to be introduced before true convergence to IAS can take place. The study identifies existing differences between Polish financial reporting and the IAS in terms of the underlying conceptual framework, using the treatment of fixed assets to demonstrate the fundamental differences between the two systems.

Using in-depth interviews supported with a review of the published financial statements for a sample of listed Polish and UK companies, the study found considerable differences between Polish accounting law and IAS. The article argues that those differences arise predominantly from the Polish legalistic and rule-based orientation that is incompatible with the principle-based spirit of IAS. It will be argued that, in order to achieve greater convergence to IAS, Polish accountants will need to move away from the system of uniform reporting towards broader, principle-based accounting.     

Is R&D always growth-enhancing? Empirical evidence from the EU countries

This study provides empirical evidence regarding the effects of R&D on economic growth in a panel of 28 European Union (EU) countries over the period 1997–2014. In particular, we investigate whether the impact of business and government R&D stocks on economic growth depends on the country’s distance to the world technology frontier. The main findings are that in the EU (i) there is positive, statistically significant business R&D stock–economic growth nexus in countries that are relatively close to the frontier and (ii) no statistically significant relationship was found to exist between government R&D stock and economic growth. From the policy perspective, the results suggest that designing proper national policies that allow switching from investment-based to innovation-based strategies at appropriate moments may be far more important than a simple call for increase in R&D expenditures and setting common numerical targets for all EU-member states.     

“Tourism – Common cause”. Polish tourist products

This research note relates to the Polish programme entitled “Tourism – common cause”. It describes the programme, project ideas and problems encountered during the creation and operation of tourist products and methods of solving these problems. “Tourism – common cause” is the largest training and consulting project in Poland, co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Polish government and is specific for tourism. The aim of the project (completed in March 2008) was to fully define a tourism product and to transfer knowledge concerning methods of its creation throughout the wider region. The purpose was to aid the development of the tourism industry in Poland through the creation of regional tourism products within a network and enhancing the qualifications of those working in the industry.     

Bank-type specific determinants of sensitivity of loan-loss provisions to business cycle

In this paper, we explore several new factors which may affect the procyclicality of loan-loss provisions in all commercial and cooperative banks operating in Poland between 2000 and 2012. More specifically, we test whether there are visible differences between commercial and cooperative banks in the sensitivity of those provisions to the business cycle. Our results show that whereas loan-loss provisions are procyclical in both cases, the procyclicality is particularly prominent and stronger in the case of commercial banks, than of the cooperative banks. Additionally, in contrast to existing findings, we establish that the negative impact of the business cycle on loan-loss provisions is greater in the case of small banks than of medium or large ones, this feature being common for both commercial and cooperative banks. We have identified two factors which affect procyclicality of loan-loss provisions in different ways for commercial and cooperative banks. The first factor is the empirical importance of capital adequacy ratio size. In commercial banks, the capital ratio size exerts a statistically significant impact on the procyclicality regardless of capitalization. The other factor is discretionary income-smoothing, as we find that the statistically significant increase of procyclicality due to the high discretionary income-smoothing is present only in cooperative banks.     

Multivariate Analysis of the Condition of the Property Development Sector: Selected Local Real Estate Markets in the European Union

The aim of the study is to serve as a multidimensional analysis of relationships between the economic and financial standing of property developers and the residential property market situation. The discussion concerns the property development market situation in the context of the construction market situation, with particular emphasis on residential housing investment in selected EU countries. Property development companies whose activities focused on residential housing were assessed with respect to performance in the selected market on the stock exchange. Individual companies were classified using economic and financial indices. Despite the ongoing economic downturn in real estate markets, the results for these companies did not indicate poor performance on the stock exchange. In the study, a synthetic measure of development was used in linear ordering.