Effects Of Contextual Variables Research Articles

Bank financial sustainability evaluation: Data envelopment analysis with random forest and Shapley additive explanations

Ensuring financial sustainability is imperative for a financial institution's overall stability. To mitigate the risk of bank failure amid financial crises, effective management of financial sustainability performance becomes paramount. This study introduces a comprehensive framework for the accurate and efficient quantification, indexing, and evaluation of financial sustainability within the American banking industry. Our approach begins by conceptualizing financial sustainability as a multi-stage, multifactor structure. We construct a composite index through a three-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) and subsequently develop a random forest classification model to predict financial sustainability outcomes. The classification model attains an average testing recall rate of 84.34 %. Additionally, we employ SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to scrutinize the impacts of contextual variables on financial sustainability performance across various substages and the overall banking process, as well as to improve the interpretability and transparency of the classification results. SHAP results reveal the significance and effects of contextual variables, and noteworthy differences in contextual impacts emerge among different banking substages. Specifically, loans and leases, interest income, total liabilities, total assets, and market capitalization positively contribute to the deposit stage; revenue to assets positively influences the loan stage; and revenue per share positively affects the profitability stage. This study serves the managerial objective of assisting banks in capturing financial sustainability and identifying potential sources of unsustainability. By unveiling the “black box” of financial sustainability and deciphering its internal dynamics and interactions, banks can enhance their ability to monitor and control financial sustainability performance more effectively.

Technical and tactical evolution of the offensive team sequences in LaLiga between 2008 and 2021. Is Spanish football now a more associative game?

The aim of this investigation was to study the technical and tactical evolution of the offensive team sequences in the Spanish football teams from 2008/09 to 2020/21. A comparative analysis including twelve variables related to the development of offensive sequences in 4940 matches was performed from 2008/09 to 2020/21 seasons of the Spanish professional football league (LaLiga). All match observations were recorded using a validated video tracking system. Multilevel linear mixed models were used to examine the differences across seasons, considering the effects of contextual variables. The number of passes per sequence (2.4 [CI: 2.2-2.5] vs 3.2 [CI: 3.0-3.4]; +33.3%), the passing accuracy (72.1 [CI: 70.6-73.5] vs 76.9 [CI: 75.4-78.3]%; +6.8%) and the average duration of the team sequences (6.4 [CI: 5.9-6.8] vs 8.3 [CI: 7.8-8.7] seconds; +25.76%) showed a small increasing trend over the seasons (P < 0.05). In contrast, variables such as the direct speed of progression (2.2 [CI: 2.1-2.3] vs 1.6 [CI: 1.5-1.7] metres/second; -24.5%), key passes (8.1 [CI: 7.6-8.5] vs 6.8 [CI: 6.3-7.2]; -15.8%), and the sequences that ended in the attacking third (64.8 [CI: 62,7-66.8] vs 57.1 [CI: 55.1-59.2]; -11.7%) or in a shot (13.0 [CI: 12.4-13.6] vs 10.2 [CI: 9.6-10.8]; -21.6%) showed a small decreasing trend from 2008/09 to 2020/21 (P < 0.05). Spanish professional football teams slightly evolved technically and tactically towards a more associative style of play that includes longer passing sequences. This evolution also involved a decreasing speed of progression and fewer technical actions such as through balls, key passes and shots.

Effect of the phase of the season and contextual variables on match running performance in Spanish LaLiga football teams.

This study aimed to examine the intra-season variation and the effects of contextual variables on total distance (TD), high-intensity running distance (HIRD) and high-speed distance (HSD) covered by Spanish football teams. The sample included 20 professional teams that competed in the Spanish LaLiga during the 2021-2022 season. Data were recorded using the TRACAB (ChyronHego, New York, USA) multicamera computerized optical tracking system. Multilevel linear mixed models were used to examine the effects of five contextual variables (1: phase of the season in six periods, 2: match location, 3: opponent ranking, 4: team ranking and 5: congested schedule) on TD, HIRD and HSD. Teams increased the running performance from period 1 to 5 of the season in TD (+2.2%; P < 0.05) and from period 1 to 4 in HIRD (+7.2%; P < 0.05), while a declining effect was found in period 6 for both TD (-1.2%; P < 0.05) and HIRD (-5.8%; P < 0.05). More HIRD (+1.5) and HSD (+5.3) were covered at home (P < 0.05), and more TD and HIRD were covered when playing against opponents ranked in the first (+2.4% and +5.3%, respectively; P < 0.05) and second quartile (+1.2% and +5.0%, respectively; P < 0.05), compared to teams from the fourth quartile. Football coaches and fitness specialists should note that running performance of Spanish teams increased throughout the season, but it declined during the last matches of the competition. Additionally, home matches and highranked opponents elicited higher running demands.

The effect of contextual variables on match running performance in a category 3, U18 English Academy soccer team

The effect of contextual variables on match running performance in a category 3, U18 English Academy soccer team

Use of Item Response Theory (IRT) in subjective assessment of concert halls

Item response theory (IRT) is considered an improvement of the classical theory of tests to determine the educational level using the learning skills of students. The analysis of these tests together with the knowledge of different elements of the social and familiar context, makes it possible to evaluate the educational level of countries, as well as the effect of contextual variables on learning skills levels. The IRT method considers that there is a latent unidimensional continuous variable whose determination makes it possible to establish quantitatively the abilities of individuals and the difficulties of the questions. In this paper, we present an adaptation of this methodology to the analysis of ratings to questions in subjective rating surveys of concert halls, for experts and general public. The latent dimension (LD), provided by the IRT method, has been determined for the surveys of different concerts in 9 concert halls of different types. For each concert hall, a map of the distribution of LD values and subjective rating responses is shown, and the effect of the different context variables is analyzed.

Quantifying farmers’ preferences for antimicrobial use for livestock diseases in northern Tanzania

Abstract Understanding the choice behaviours of farmers around the treatment of their livestock is critical to counteracting the risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergence. Using varying disease scenarios, we measure the differences in livestock species’ treatment preferences and the effects of context variables (such as grazing patterns, herd size, travel time to agrovet shops, previous disease experience, previous vaccination experience, education level, and income) on the farmers’ treatment choices for infections across three production systems—agro-pastoral, pastoral, and rural smallholder—in northern Tanzania, where reliance on antimicrobial treatment to support the health and productivity of livestock is high. Applying a context-dependent stated choice experiment, we surveyed 1224 respondents. Mixed logit model results show that farmers have higher preferences for professional veterinary services when treating cattle, sheep, and goats, while they prefer to self-treat poultry. Antibiotics sourced from agrovet shops are the medicine of choice, independent of the health condition to treat, whether viral, bacterial, or parasitic. Nearness to agrovet shops, informal education, borrowing and home storage of medicines, and commercial poultry rearing increase the chances of self-treatment. Based on our findings, we propose interventions such as awareness and education campaigns aimed at addressing current practices that pose AMR risks, as well as vaccination and good livestock husbandry practices, capacity building, and provision of diagnostic tools.

Deep embedding kernel mixture networks for conditional anomaly detection in high-dimensional data

In various industrial problems, sensor data are often used to detect the abnormal state of manufacturing systems. Sensor data are sometimes influenced by contextual variables that are not related to the system health status and may exhibit different behaviours depending on their values, even if the system is in a normal condition. In this case, a conditional anomaly detection method should be used to consider the effects of contextual variables. In this study, we propose a conditional anomaly detection method, particularly for high-dimensional and complex data, using a deep embedding kernel mixture network. The proposed method comprises embedding and kernel mixture networks. The embedding network learns low-dimensional embeddings from high-dimensional data, and the kernel mixture network models the distribution of the learned embeddings conditional on contextual variables. The two networks enable a flexible estimation of conditional density using the high expressive power of deep neural networks. The two networks are trained simultaneously such that the high-dimensional data are embedded into a low-dimensional space, to assist conditional density estimation. The effectiveness of the proposed model is demonstrated using real data examples from the UCI repository and a case study from a tire company.

The effects of education-job (mis)match on the earnings of graduates in the Czech Republic

Abstract This paper deals with the effects of education-job (mis)match on the earnings of higher education graduates in the context of higher education expansion and different phases of the economic cycle in the Czech Republic in 2006–2018. It aims to contribute to knowledge about the effects of education-job (mis)match on earnings in two ways. First, it concentrates on both the vertical and the horizontal dimensions of education-job (mis)match. Second, it considers the effects of contextual variables: the share of graduates in the population and the unemployment rate of graduates. The paper is based on assumptions derived from assignment theory. The authors use data of graduates’ self-evaluation collected in national and international graduate surveys – REFLEX, REFLEX 2010, REFLEX 2013, and Absolvent 2018. The data for contextual variables come from Eurostat and the Czech Statistical Office. The analyses focus on graduates four to five years after graduation. They are examined both as a whole and in groups based on the field of study using the method of weighted least squares. Overeducation usually has significant negative effects on earnings. Horizontal match effects are contradictory. The education-job (mis)match effects are relatively small in comparison with other factors. The role of contextual variables is mostly predictable, however, some exceptions uncover specifics of the labour market in the Czech Republic. There are important differences among groups of graduates in different fields of study.

The Effect of Contextual Variables on Match Performance across Different Playing Positions in Professional Portuguese Soccer Players.

This study investigated the position-specific physical demands of professional Portuguese players. The effects of situational variables on the physical performance demands were also analysed (match location, match half and match result). Match performance observations were collected using Global Navigation Satellite System devices across 11 matches during a competitive season (2019–2020). Data were analysed according to five playing positions: goalkeepers (n = 11), central defenders (n = 42), wide defenders (n = 31), central midfielders (n = 34), open attackers (n = 28), and centre forwards (n = 14). Central midfield players completed the greatest total distance (10,787 ± 1536 m), while central defenders covered the least distance (9272 ± 455; p < 0.001). Open attackers covered the greatest high and very-high-speed distance (1504 ± 363 m), number of high-speed decelerations per match (11 ± 4) and were the fastest players (30.6 ± 1.5 km/h), along with center forwards (30.6 ± 2.0 km/h), versus all other positions (p < 0.05). Greater distances were performed in teams that were winning (9978 ± 1963 m) or drawing (10,395 ± 875 m) versus losing (9415 ± 2050) p = 0.036 and p = 0.006, respectively. Increases in distance covered at walking speeds were observed during the 2nd half (1574 ± 179 m) compared with the 1st half (1483 ± 176; (p < 0.003). A higher number of decelerations across all speeds were performed in the 1st half (144 ± 39) versus the 2nd half (135 ± 37). The distance covered in home matches (10,206 ± 1926 m) far exceeded away matches (9471 ± 1932 m; p < 0.001). The number of faster accelerations were higher in away (7 ± 5) versus home matches (6 ± 4; p < 0.049). The data demonstrate the different physical demands of each playing position and suggest that situational variables influence physical performance. These findings suggest position-specific physical training is required to condition players for the bespoke demands of each playing position.

Effects of contextual variables on strategic investment decision-making styles: An empirical study from Pakistan.

There is a gap in the literature of strategic investment decision making (SIDM) concerning the links between context variables, infrastructure and SIDM practices (or SIDM styles) in developing countries. This research aims to fill that gap. Survey data (N = 128) from the manufacturing companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange was collected via an e-mailed questionnaire and visits to the companies. Data are analyzed with factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results reveal what we call four different SIDM styles (or emphases): managerial power-, financial analysis-, top management-, and strategy-based investing. These styles are considered to be novel perspectives on SIDM that have not been discussed in the previous literature. We find that high perceived profitability is linked only to financial analysis based investing style. Further, contextual variables, such as legislation or local gas shortfalls, have a significant impact on the SIDM style. The findings provide decision-makers and analysts with a comprehensive picture of strategic investment decisions (SIDs) in a developing market. For example, firms may benefit from analyzing their decision-making styles and their own SIDM context. There are no recent studies on SIDM practices with emphasis on a developing country specific local context issues. So, this research first fills the gap in the literature, by surveying the current SIDM practices in a developing country, using local context variables, and, by analyzing the different styles of SIDM.

CoVidAffect, real-time monitoring of mood variations following the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain

The COVID-19 outbreak and the ensuing confinement measures are expected to bear a significant psychological impact on the affected populations. To date, all available studies designed to investigate the psychological effects of this unprecedented global crisis are based on cross-sectional surveys that do not capture emotional variations over time. Here, we present the data from CoVidAffect, a nationwide citizen science project aimed to provide longitudinal data of mood changes following the COVID-19 outbreak in the spanish territory. Spain is among the most affected countries by the pandemic, with one of the most restrictive and prolonged lockdowns worldwide. The project also collected a baseline of demographic and socioeconomic data. These data can be further analyzed to quantify emotional responses to specific measures and policies, and to understand the effect of context variables on psychological resilience. Importantly, to our knowledge this is the first dataset that offers the opportunity to study the behavior of emotion dynamics in a prolonged lockdown situation.

Entrepreneurial orientation and new venture resource acquisition: why context matters

Resource acquisition is vital for new venture survival and growth. However, surprisingly little is known about how the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of the new venture affects its resource acquisition. Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm, we articulate a theory and treatment of EO that address this oversight and remedy for the routine absence of context among studies of EO. Accounting for the simultaneous effect of environmental dynamism and an opportunistic orientation (OO), a tendency among Chinese new ventures to imitate technology and profit through market information asymmetry, as important contextual variables reflecting the Chinese business context, we provide insights on the contingency effects of contextual variables. Results from a quantitative study of 361 Chinese new ventures show that EO positively influences resource acquisition. However, this relationship is context sensitive. In a low dynamic environment, OO negatively moderates this relationship. However, in a highly dynamic environment, OO exhibits no effect on the relationship between EO and new venture resource acquisition. Our results contribute to a resource-based theory of EO and reveal its context sensitivity. Our study is a step in moving the scholarship of EO forward and away from the performance debate towards greater predictive accuracy of EO and its systems of effects.

The effect of contextual variables on the attacking style of play in professional soccer

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of a Spanish government subproject Mixed method approach on performance analysis (in training and competition) in elite and academy sport [PGC2018-098742-B-C33] (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades, Programa Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Cientifico y Tecnologico del Sistema I+D+i), that is part of the coordinated project New approach of research in physical activity and sport from mixed methods perspective (NARPAS_MM) [SPGC201800X098742CV0].

Hábitos y valores del alumnado en centros de primaria de alta eficacia escolar

Multiple research works conclude that values education is essential for any effective teaching, helps to improve students´ learning and their socioemotional well-being. The objective of this work is to fi nd evidence of the relationship between values education and school effectiveness in elementary schools in the Basque Country. In addition, it will identify the habits and values of elementary school students enrolled in those effective schools with a higher mean score than could be expected once the effects of contextual variables have been monitored by linear hierarchical models, and will pinpoint good practices in the area. A questionnaire was distributed among 391 students (51.9% boys and 48.1% girls) and semistructured interviews were carried out with management teams from three of the schools. The results confi rm that students assess their learning of habits and values positively, but signifi cant differences were found depending on the gender of the participants. Cooperative learning is the strategy most commonly used to teach values in the classrooms. This study offers pedagogical consequences stemming from the different perceptions of habits and values, as well as from a stereotypical performance of the genders.

Contextual influences on financial preparedness of middle-aged workers: A four-country comparative life course study

ABSTRACTIn countries where pensions are not the main responsibility of employers or governments, workers need to plan for their own postretirement financial well-being. This study investigates the financial preparedness of middle-aged workers in the United States, the Netherlands, Thailand, and Malaysia. Within- and between-country differences of three variables – financial satisfaction, financial knowledge, and saving proneness – are examined as indicators of financial preparation and financial well-being. The life course paradigm provides the basis for the conceptual framework. In addition to structural factors unique to each of the four countries, the study considers the effects of contextual variables, including individual attributes, early-in-life socialization experiences, and variables that locate the person in social structures. The results of this exploratory study show how the impact of these variables on the three indicators of financial preparedness of middle-aged workers differs across the four countries. Socioeconomic status is the only variable that positively affects financial satisfaction in all four countries. The results also shed light on the value of the life course approach for understanding individual- and country-based differences in the levels of preparation for financial well-being in later life.

The analysis of characteristics and effects of contextual variables in terms of student achievement levels and gender based on the results of PISA 2015 science domain

The analysis of characteristics and effects of contextual variables in terms of student achievement levels and gender based on the results of PISA 2015 science domain

Prevalence of antibiotic prescription in pediatric outpatients in Italy: the role of local health districts and primary care physicians in determining variation. A multilevel design for healthcare decision support

BackgroundAccording to scientific literature, antibacterials are prescribed for common pediatric conditions that do not benefit from antibiotic therapy. The link between antibiotic use and bacterial resistance is well known. Antibiotic overprescribing generates high social costs and severe consequences for children. Our objectives were to analyze antibiotic prescription patterns in pediatric outpatients residing in the Lazio region (Italy), to identify physicians’ characteristics associated with increased propensity for prescription, to identify the priority axes for action to improve the rational use of antibiotics.MethodsWe enrolled all children aged 13 years or less in 2014. Antibiotic prescription patterns were analyzed during a one-year follow-up period. The main outcome measures were the antibiotic prescription prevalence, and the geographic variation in antibiotic prescribing. Multilevel models were performed to analyze variation. Variation was expressed as Median Odds Ratios (MORs). If the MOR is 1.00, there is no variation between clusters. If there is considerable between-cluster variation, the MOR will be large.ResultsWe enrolled 636,911 children. Most of them were aged 6–13 years (57.3%). In 2015, the antibiotic prescription prevalence was 46% in the 0–13, 58% in the 0–5, and 37% in the 6–13 age group. Overall, penicillins were the most prescribed antibiotics, their consumption increased from 43% to 52% during the 2007–2015 period. In 2015, the antibiotic prescription prevalence ranged from 30% to 62% across local health districts (LHDs) of the region. Moreover, a significant (p < 0.001) variation was observed between physicians working in the same LHD: MORs were equal to 1.52 (1.48–1.56) and 1.46 (1.44–1.48) in the 0–5 and 6–13 age groups, respectively. The probability of prescribing antibiotics was significantly (p < 0.001) lower for more-experienced physicians.ConclusionsPediatric antibiotic use in the Lazio region is much higher than in other European countries. The intra-regional drug prescribing variability underlines the lack of therapeutic protocols shared at regional level and raises equity issues in access to optimal care. Both LHD managers and individual physicians should be involved in training interventions to improve the targeted use of antibiotics and mitigate the effect of contextual variables, such as the spatial-related socioeconomic status of the patient/parent binomial.

Knowledge process capabilities and innovation: testing the moderating effects of environmental dynamism and strategic flexibility

Knowledge process capabilities are highly associated with innovation performance. Namely, firms which develop better capabilities in processing knowledge can innovate better. The Dynamic Capabilities view states that the effects of contextual variables on capability development cannot be ignored. This study seeks to examine the roles of two contextual variables; environmental dynamism and strategic flexibility on developing knowledge process capabilities and innovation performance. In parallel with this aim, a survey was conducted on a sample of 236 firms from different industries in Turkey and a number of hypotheses including the interaction effects of environmental dynamism and strategic flexibility were tested through moderated multiple regression methods. The three-way interaction of knowledge process capabilities, environmental dynamism and strategic flexibility was associated more strongly with innovation performance than the two-way interactions of knowledge process capabilities and environmental dynamism, and knowledge process capabilities and strategic flexibility. Hence, the findings revealed that the effectiveness of knowledge process capabilities on the way of enhancing innovation performance in highly dynamic markets were contingent upon strategic flexibility.

Hedonic scaling: assumptions, contexts and frames of reference

The role of assumptions, contexts and frames of reference in hedonic scaling are reviewed and discussed. The assumption that affect is bipolar is a long-held one, but recent studies in the food science literature have challenged this assumption through the use of separate scales for liking and disliking. These data and other theoretical and empirical arguments show that the bipolarity assumption is yet to be resolved. More certain are the effects of contextual variables in hedonic scaling. Recent research on the nature, relative degree of liking/disliking, and similarity of other stimuli to the target stimulus, the role of end-anchor labels on hedonic scales, and the impact of the framing of hedonic questions and their influence on the consumer’s ‘consideration set’ are reviewed and discussed. The goal of the review is to inform food scientists about assumptions and contextual influences that operate in hedonic testing, so that these influences may be controlled and/or taken into account when using hedonic scales in consumer testing.

Cardiorespiratory hospitalisation and mortality reductions after smoking bans in Switzerland.

Smoking bans are considered one of the most effective policies to reduce population exposure to tobacco smoke and prevent adverse health outcomes. However, evidence on the effect of contextual variables on the effectiveness of smoking bans is still lacking. The patchwork of cantonal smoke-free laws in Switzerland was used as a quasi-experimental setting to assess changes after their introduction in: hospitalisations and mortality due to cardiorespiratory diseases in adults; total hospitalisations and hospitalisations due to respiratory disorders in children; and the modifying effects of contextual factors and the effectiveness of the laws. Using hospital and mortality registry data for residents in Switzerland (2005-2012), we conducted canton-specific interrupted time-series analyses followed by random effects meta-analyses to obtain nationwide smoking ban estimates by subgroups of age, sex and causes of hospitalisation or death. Heterogeneity of the impact caused by strictness of the ban and other smoking-related characteristics of the cantons was explored through meta-regression. Total hospitalisation rates due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases did not significantly change after the introduction of the ban. Post-ban changes were detected in ischaemic heart disease hospitalisations, with a 2.5% reduction (95% confidence interval [CI)] -6.2 to 1.3%) for all ages and 5.5% (95% CI -10.8 to -0.2%) in adults 35-64 years old. Total mortality due to respiratory diseases decreased by 8.2% (95% CI -15.2 to -0.6%) over all ages, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality decreased by 14.0% (95% CI -22.3 to -4.5%) in adults ≥65 years old. Cardiovascular mortality did not change after the introduction of the ban, but there was an indication of post-ban reductions in mortality due to hypertensive disorders (-5.4%, 95% CI -12.6 to 2.3%), and congestive heart failure (-6.0%, 95% CI -14.5 to 3.4%). No benefits were observed for hospitalisations due to respiratory diseases in children or for infant mortality. The type of smoking ban implemented explained the heterogeneity of benefits across cantons for some outcomes. Smoking bans in Switzerland were associated with overall reductions in cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalisation and mortality in adults.