Specific Regional Characteristics Research Articles

Trends in Hospital Admission Rates and Associated Direct Healthcare Costs in Brazil: A Nationwide Retrospective Study between 2000 and 2015

SummaryBackgroundIn Brazil, the increase in non-fatal events presents a new, unprecedented challenge for the free and universally accessible public healthcare system (SUS), the size and nature of which has yet to be reliably quantified. We examined the change in all-cause and cause-specific SUS hospital admissions during 2000 to 2015.Materials and MethodsData on hospital admissions across 1,816 cities were collected from the Brazilian Unified Health System. The age-standardized rates of hospital admissions, the associated healthcare costs, and length of hospital stay were quantified. Stratum analyses were performed by age, sex, region, and cause-specific categories.ResultsHospital admission rates decreased by 10.2‰ per decade to 54.2‰ in 2015. For admissions in 2015, healthcare costs per patient equaled US$353 (an increase of $23.5/year since 2000) with an average length of hospital stay of 5 days (a decline of 0.04 days/year since 2000). Circulatory diseases incurred the greatest financial costs. Children and the elderly were most susceptible, especially for pneumonia. Injury and poisoning were the primary reason for admission in adult males, whereas maternal and other female-specific conditions were the highest burden in females. The burden of hospital admission was highest in the south and lowest in the north and northeast.DiscussionAlthough hospital admission rates and length of stay have decreased in Brazil since 2000, the decline has been offset by an increase in direct healthcare costs. Age-, sex-, and region-specific features of the disease burden should be factored into future plans for healthcare expenditure in Brazil.

Ethnobotany-informed trait ecology: measuring vulnerability of timber provisioning services across forest biomes in Japan

Trait-based functional ecology plays a key role for valuing biodiversity, based on the mechanistic link between species assembly and ecosystem-services. To evaluate the vulnerability of valuable biodiversity to human impacts, this study focused on assemblages of tree species with timber provisioning services and investigated the functional response of their utilitarian traits to forest exploitation. We first merged traditional knowledge of timber use, successional niche, and functional traits of tree species across forest biomes in Japan. Using leaf and wood traits of 514 tree species, we quantified macro-scale patterns of functional identity, richness, and divergence for the timber species and entire tree assemblages in Japan. At the 10-km grid cell level, we conducted a species loss simulation that assumed forest exploitation, in which later successional species were step-wisely removed from the potential tree assemblages. The simulation showed that species loss led to shifting functional identity and changes in functional richness and divergence. Such responses of functional structure were geographically associated with region-specific redundancy or complementarity in tree species assemblages. Specifically, the shift of functional identities was prominent in high latitudes with low species loss and low latitude with higher species loss. The utilitarian value of tree species in higher latitude forests was more closely associated with their ecological niche and functional uniqueness, which indicates vulnerability of trait space to species loss. The changes in trait space, which were associated with non-random species loss, were context-dependently influenced by climate conditions and species pool size. Our findings indicate that the insurance effect of biodiversity was a region-specific feature of forest biomes. We conclude that ethnobotany-informed trait ecology can elucidate the valuable biodiversity for human culture and its vulnerability to species loss; this information is essential for sustainable use of biodiversity resources in human society.

Two new species of Mesozoic tree ferns (Osmundaceae: Osmundacaulis) in Eurasia as evidence of long-term geographic isolation

The fossil trunks and rhizomes of Osmundaceae provide important information about its evolutionary history. Due to limited records of the Mesozoic trunks and rhizomes in the Eurasia of the Northern Hemisphere, our understanding on the fossil diversity of the Osmundaceae is hindered. Two new species of the Osmundaceae trunks, Osmundacaulis asiatica sp. nov. and Osmundacaulis sinica sp. nov. representing the first discovery of the Mesozoic tree fern genus Osmundacaulis in Eurasia, are described from Wudalianchi and Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China, which enriches the plant diversity of the Osmundaceae in the Eurasia, and provides vital evidence for studying the distribution, radiation and evolution of the genus during the Cretaceous. The fossil records suggest that Osmundacaulis species may have evolved from a common ancestor, which first appeared in the Australian portion of Pangaea, and then spread to ancient northern North America and ancient East Asia. Since then, they developed into different species through their own evolutionary lines. The Chinese species have a special local feature that the outer cortex is thicker than the inner cortex, in contrast with reported Osmundacaulis species having thinner outer cortex and thicker inner cortex. Long-term geographic isolation may have led to the radiation of diverse Osmundacaulis species and the appearance of region-specific features, such as the thick outer cortex and the thin inner cortex of the Chinese species. Among all reported Osmundacaulis species, the two new species found in China, O. nerii from the Jurassic of Australia and the O. lemonii from the Jurassic of the USA, have special groups of mucilage-sacs inside sclerenchyma ring of petiole base. Mucilage sacs probably originated independently among taxonomic groups, representing convergent adaptations to similar habitats, rather than indicating genetic inheritance from a common ancestor.

DeepCropNet: a deep spatial-temporal learning framework for county-level corn yield estimation

Large-scale crop yield estimation is critical for understanding the dynamics of global food security. Understanding and quantifying the temporal cumulative effect of crop growth and spatial variances across different regions remains challenging for large-scale crop yield estimation. In this study, a deep spatial-temporal learning framework, named DeepCropNet (DCN), has been developed to hierarchically capture the features for county-level corn yield estimation. The temporal features are learned by an attention-based long short-term memory network and the spatial features are learned by the multi-task learning (MTL) output layers. The DCN model has been applied to quantify the relationship between meteorological factors and the county-level corn yield in the US Corn Belt from 1981 to 2016. Three meteorological factors, including growing degree days, killing degree days, and precipitation, are used as time-series inputs. The results show that DCN provides an improved estimation accuracy (RMSE = 0.82 Mg ha−1) as compared to that of conventional methods such as LASSO (RMSE = 1.14 Mg ha−1) and Random Forest (RMSE = 1.05 Mg ha−1). Temporally, the attention values computed from the temporal learning module indicate that DCN captures the temporal cumulative effect and this temporal pattern is consistent across all states. Spatially, the spatial learning module improves the estimation accuracy based on the regional specific features captured by the MTL mechanism. The study highlights that the DCN model provides a promising spatial-temporal learning framework for corn yield estimation under changing meteorological conditions across large spatial regions.

ПРОЦЕСС ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ СИСТЕМЫ РЕГИОНА: ОСНОВНЫЕ ФАКТОРЫ ВЛИЯНИЯ

The transport system is an important part of the infrastructure of the Russian Federation, the development of which contributes to economic growth and stability, guarantees the integrity of the state, national security and defense of the country, improves the life of the population, and brings the Russian state closer to the world economic level. The article examines the factors that influence the development of transport infrastructure in the region. Specific regional features and their significance in the development of transport infrastructure are identified, and a classification of regions and transport infrastructures is proposed. The relevance of the research topic is related to the fact that transport infrastructure is directly connected with the life support systems of the region, has a direct impact on the production sectors, and contributes to the effective functioning and development of the production sector. The purpose of the article is to study approaches and factors affecting the development of transport systems in the regions of Russia. Research methods: system, situational approaches, analysis and description of theoretical and methodological factors that determine the prospects for socio-economic development of the region based on the coordination of strategic goals of regional policy with the goals of transport infrastructure development. Results. The article considers different approaches, classifies the transport infrastructure of the region, and identifies specific factors that influence the development of the transport system. The analysis of the transport system of the Krasnodar territory was carried out and strategic directions for its improvement were determined. Conclusions. The results of the analysis have shown that despite the diversification of transport routes in the Krasnodar territory (water, rail transport), a significant share is accounted for by road transport. Digitalization is one of the most relevant and promising areas of development of the transport system. Intelligent systems will allow to provide innovative integrated transport services, depending on the constantly changing needs of the client. To improve the regional transport system, it is necessary to improve the types of road networks and develop a modern regulatory framework for the transport sector

Трансформации отечественной песенной культуры в 90-е годы XX века (региональный аспект)

In the Russian song culture of the 1990s both the general features of development in the conditions of reformation of society, as well as the regional specific features were revealed. The issue is examined in the article by the example of the song culture of the composers’ (authorial) tradition of the Volgograd Region. The democratization of society and market economy relations have led to a reorganization of the institutions of culture and artistic unions, the creation of new forms of institutions, organizations and artistic ensembles, as well as to the birth of show business. This period was characterized by a diversity of the art of music in terms of genre and style. The continuity of traditions of the Soviet song classics was preserved, which included songs of civic importance, as well as war and lyrical songs. An example of innovation in the culture of the region was the development of pop culture. The art of jazz, rock music, bard and children’s songs had undergone evolution. The basis of the song culture of the 1990s was the system of musical education created in the 1990s created during the Soviet period, a network of club institutions, the festival motion, the formation of sound recording studios and the appearance of musical radio stations. Keywords: the song culture of Russia, regional culture, the Volgograd region, the popular song, show business.

Identification of the features of the regions that are most preferable for the use of precision farming technologies in agricultural production

As the main hypothesis, it is suggested that the existing unevenness in the number of precision farming elements used in agriculture in the subjects of the Russian Federation is related to regional characteristics and specific features of the agricultural sector of the regional economy. The purpose of the study is to identify the geographical features of the regions that are most preferable for the use of precision farming technology in agricultural production. Mathematical modeling uses data from 20 subjects of the Russian Federation on the dynamics of the introduction and use of precision farming elements and the characteristics of these regions for 14 different indicators that can in one way or another affect the introduction of these technologies. Multiple correlation was obtained using 5 characteristics of regions (the correlation coefficient was r=0.89±0.1). At the same time, two indicators (the change in the level of registered unemployment and the amount of subsidies per 1 ha of agricultural land) were inversely dependent on the result of the introduction of precision farming elements. The selected indicators determined the intensity of introduction of precision farming elements in the regions by almost 80% (the coefficient of determination was D=0.798). The identification of these features and the construction of an appropriate model allows to predict the most preferred regions for the use of precision farming elements in agricultural production based on the generalization of existing experience.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ АНАЛИЗА И ОЦЕНКИ УРОВНЯ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ РОССИЙСКИХ АРКТИЧЕСКИХ ПРИБРЕЖНЫХ РЕГИОНОВ

The article discusses some of the features of the analysis and assessment of the level of economic security of the Arctic coastal regions of the Russian Federation, taking into account the specifics and problems characteristic of these territories. The growing attention to the Arctic issues on the part of the state made it necessary to consider a number of issues related to assessing the level of economic security of the Arctic coastal regions of Russia in the face of constantly growing threats associated with the uncertainty of the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the sanctions imposed on the country. The analysis showed that a number of generally universal methods for assessing the level of economic security are currently being used, which do not allow taking into account specific regional features. In this paper, we consider certain assessment criteria that take into account the Arctic specifics of Russian coastal regions.

The algorithm of control pricing policy in trade networks on the market of ferrous metals

A detailed study of the problems of price policy control of companies. There is developed the technique of control pricing policy for companies with a wide regional network. There is structured an algorithm for automation of companies pricing policy taking into consideration a regional specific features of companies with wide networks. This algorithm has been tested in the environment of the ERP-system 1C 8.2. Enterprise for trade networks on the market of ferrous metals.

Активные процессы во фразеологии (на материале русскоязычных газет Литвы)

Active processes taking place in all areas of the Russian language during the last decades are most clearly manifested in the language of the media. Among the expressive means of the media language, a special place is held by phraseology, which emphasizes the relevance of the information provided, has a strong emotional effect on readers. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to consider some manifestations of the active processes of phraseology in the Russian-language newspapers of Lithuania. The study material is the weekly “Литовский курьер” (“Lithuanian Courier”), “Обзор” (“Review”), “Экспресс-неделя” (“Express Week”). The active processes of phraseology, characteristic for the journalistic style of the modern Russian language, are specifically reflected in the language of the newspapers analysed. The regional specific features of these processes are associated with the activity of use and the specifics of the functioning of phraseological units in newspaper texts, their structural-typological, stylistic features, expressiveness and expression of the author’s appraisal.

BURIALS OF THE AMAZONS OF THE FOREST-STEPPE DNIEPER REGION

The burials of armed women of the territory of forest-steppe Dnieper region of the Scythian Age are analysed in the paper.
 The presented series consists of 27 complexes which are located on the territory of the Forest-steppe region of the Right Bank of the Dnieper (21), Left Bank territories (3) and Terrace Forest-Steppe (3). 14 graves (half of the total number) had been robbed which makes the reliability and informational content of this sample quite suitable for research. The burials of the Amazons of this region were made in a kurgan except for one (ground or flat grave). The height of the mounds varies from 0.2 to 7.6 m, diameter — from 8.7 to 63 m. Only three graves in the group were inserted to the mound.
 The graves are represented by five types. Three types of the pits prevail (81.5 %), two variants of the catacombs are also presented (two and three respectively). The wide use of wood is one of the features of the structure of funerary complexes of the Forest-Steppe Amazons. Thus, the burial structures correspond to the Scythian traditions but have certain local specifics.
 All burials are inhumations. Individual burials are predominant. Age affiliation was detected in 11 cases (more than 40 %). Only two age groups of the deceased are represented — ranging from 15—20 to 35 years.
 The grave goods include various types of weapons (mainly arrows and spears), horse bridles, various de­corations, including precious metals and semiprecious stones, mirrors, tools, sets of various tableware etc. These sets, on the one hand, seem to be common for the Amazons of European Scythia, and on the other hand, they have specific regional features.
 Kurgans with burials of armed women have a fairly broad date: from the second part — end of the 7th till the 4th—3rd centuries BC.

Становлення наднаціональних ідей у народів Центральної Європи

National movement and further development of national benchmarks of the European peoples at the beginning of the revolution of 1848–1849 are one of the most socio-political contextualized pages in the past of the Slavik peoples in Europe. The research is considered to be topical since the process of formation of national ideology in the 19th century, that occured in the Slavs environment, took place in terms of distribution of the national principle and state formation in the majority of the European countries. The purpose of the research is to enlighten the course, laws and specifics of formation of the national paradigm at the beginning of the revolution of 1848–1849. The object of the study is the national movement of the Slavs, the subject of scientific analysis is the national ideology developing under the influence of both internal and external factors. To achieve the main goal of the research the author has considered it to be necessary to solve a number of the following tasks: to scientifically, logically, argumentatively and coherently lay out specifics of the process of Slavic national ideology formation and reveal its main features. It should be emphasized that by the beginning of the revolution the national patriotic mood was not limited merely by the demand of the cultural reforms, it gradually transformed into the context of new political and socio-economic ideas. At the same time, in the meaning of national paradigm of the Slavic National Movement the idea of its moderation or passive opposition actualized drastically. In general national paradigm was a certain mixture of political ideas, in which political freedom – democracy, social and personal guarantees – took a somewhat secondary place, the struggle for the national justice with its moral and cultural principles, became dominant. On the eve of the 1848 revolution western Slavs were involved in the process of modernizing their national ideology. Al though this process was an allEuropean phenomen on and large ethnic units were under going selfdetermination, the spiritual renaissance of the western Slavs had specific regional and ethnic characteristics, thus attracting the political attention of the governments of great empires – the Austrian and the Russian. For Russia, the biggest Slavonic country, the idea of the general Slavonic ethnic unity as well as the Pan-Slavistic ideology were not only of scientific character, but also served as a factor of geopolitical interest.

Wages and Labor Productivity in Russia: Regional Aspect

The presented study examines the statistics of labor productivity and wages in the Russian Federation.Aim. The study aims to analyze trends in the changes of labor productivity and wages in Russia in the territorial and temporal aspects.Tasks. This study examines and compares the dynamics of wages and labor productivity in Russia, identifying the specific regional features of their fluctuation.Methods. The authors conduct a statistical research of the current situation in Russia as well as a dynamic, correlation, and structural analysis based on the data of the Federal State Statistics Service, and formulate economic assessments of the results from the perspective of the systems approach.Results. The study substantiates that it is inadvisable to traditionally exclude anomalous data in the statistical research of economic systems as this leads to unacceptable changes in the structures of the latter. The authors propose comparing these systems by enlarged structural elements. Some common Russian trends in the changes of labor productivity and wage levels in time and space are analyzed and specified by federal districts and constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Consistent patterns in the dynamics of annual frequency distributions and variations of these indicators by regions, districts, and republics of the Russian Federation are described, and the leading and underperforming regions are identified.Conclusions. Over the examined time period, labor productivity in Russia grew with slight fluctuations, while average wages only increased during economically favorable periods (in constant prices). The overall situation in the country is slowly improving and remains relatively stable in the regional aspect, but not the best. It would be advisable to implement economic mechanisms aimed at improving the self-sufficiency of the country and its regions. The authors believe the current methodology of the Federal Statistics Service to be applicable to the measurement of performance of industrial regions and — to a lesser extent — agricultural regions.

Analysis of the Inhomogeneous Effect of Different Meteorological Trends on Drought: An Example from Continental Croatia

The majority of central Europe has a transitional climate type as a result of interactions between maritime and continental climates. This study focuses on the appearance and severity of drought in continental Croatia, which is part of the transitional climate area. It is situated between 15° E and 19° E. The altitude declines from west (167 m a.s.l) to east (88 m a.s.l.). The time period analysed is 1981–2018. Air temperature and precipitation data series from 13 meteorological stations were analysed. The analysis was done on an annual basis to define the spatio-temporal variability in air temperature and precipitation and their impact on drought episodes using the standardised evapotranspiration precipitation index. Different statistical methods (e.g., the nonparametric Mann–Kendall test and agglomerative hierarchical clustering) were used to examine the trend homogeneity of the analysed region. The analysis indicated inhomogeneity across the study area in terms of what significantly impacted the occurrence and severity of droughts. Drought occurrence is influenced more strongly by increasing trends in air temperature as compared with increasing or decreasing precipitation trends. The probability of severe drought occurrence was estimated using a copula function, and the results demonstrated that areas with higher precipitation could be more exposed to drought. Furthermore, the results demonstrated the impacts of specific regional characteristics on drought occurrence, severity, and duration, which indicates that small-scale research on droughts is more reliable.

Impact of meteorological parameters on suicide mortality rates: A case-crossover analysis in Southern Germany (1990–2006)

BackgroundThere is evidence for a seasonal pattern of suicides with peaks in spring and early summer; however, only a limited number of studies has investigated whether daily changes in meteorological variables may trigger suicides. MethodsDaily fatal suicide (N = 10,595) and meteorological data were available for four Bavarian cities and ten counties (Germany) for 1990–2006. City/county-specific immediate, delayed and cumulative effects of air temperature, sunshine duration, and cloud cover on suicides were analyzed using a time-stratified case-crossover approach; city/county-specific effects were then combined using random effects meta-analysis. Potential effect modifiers were specific weather conditions, personal or regional characteristics, and season. ResultsA 5 °C increase in air temperature on the day before a suicide compared to the control days was associated with a 5.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6; 11.0) higher suicide risk. Further, the suicide risk was 6.5% (95% CI: 0.2; 13.3) higher on days with low/medium cloud cover (0–6 oktas) compared to days with high cloud cover (7–8 oktas). While daily changes in temperature were not associated with suicides in spring, we found a higher suicide risk in summer, autumn, and winter in association with temperature increases. The effects of cloud cover were strongest in summer and autumn and on days with temperature above the median (>8.8 °C). Sunshine duration was not associated with suicides. ConclusionWe found a higher risk for suicides in association with short-term increases in air temperature on the day before the event compared to the control days and on days with low to medium cloud cover. This may highlight times when people are more likely to commit suicide.

Growth of Hatchery‐Reared Chinook Salmon in Lakes Michigan and Huron Exhibits Limited Spatial Variation but Is Temporally Linked to Alewife Abundance

AbstractChinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were introduced into Lakes Michigan and Huron in the 1960s to diversify recreational fisheries and reduce overabundant, nonnative Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus. Alewife remain the primary prey of Chinook Salmon but have experienced substantial declines in abundance due to reduced food resources and salmonine predation pressure. The movements of Chinook Salmon have been linked to the density and spatial distribution of Alewife, but spatial patterns in Chinook Salmon growth have not been well documented and the temporal relationship between growth and Alewife density has not been evaluated during the current period of low Alewife abundance. We evaluated spatial and temporal variation in growth of Chinook Salmon in Lake Michigan and the U.S. waters of Lake Huron and explored linkages with Alewife density. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were generally similar for recaptured coded‐wire‐tagged Chinook Salmon from different stocking locations and different recovery locations. Only a few small differences among stocking and recovery regions were evident, with regions divided into two subtly different groups with shared growth parameters. The small regional differences may be attributable to unique habitat and/or stocking characteristics of specific regions. In Lake Michigan average Chinook Salmon length at age also varied across years and was tightly coupled with annual lakewide densities of age‐1 and older Alewife, suggesting that Chinook Salmon growth from 2012 to 2016 was constrained by Alewife density. Our findings are consistent with evidence of lakewide movements associated with foraging and support continued management of Chinook Salmon in Lake Michigan as a single population. Furthermore, similar growth in Chinook Salmon from Lakes Michigan and Huron corroborates evidence that Chinook Salmon move from U.S. waters of Lake Huron to Lake Michigan to feed and reinforces the recent decision to include most fish stocked in northwestern Lake Huron in the Lake Michigan population when managing for predator–prey balance.

E-Commerce Company Valuation: Regional Features

Russian e-commerce market shows positive trends with regard to its core aspects that define market size and performance. To consummate e-commerce market transactions in a proper manner, as well as to select a further growth strategy for a company, one needs to correctly determine the market value of e-commerce companies. The market value is affected by such factors as the company’s location and regional presence. The purpose of this paper is to research into the possibilities of taking due account of regional specific features when determining the market value of e-commerce companies. The paper also analyzes Russian e-commerce market performance and trends in its evolution, as well as changes in customer dynamics in e-commerce, as illustrated by the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation. The paper proposes a plan for how one should take due account of the specific features of regional e-commerce market, through the example of a company engaged in e-commerce business in Volgograd Region. The article also includes an overview of currently available approaches to company valuation in e-commerce, as well as the methods of existing risks assessment. The following growth drivers have been identified for the Russian e-commerce market: “side effects” of networks, complementarity of various Internet trade components, and low operating costs. Consequently, the key aspects of company valuation in e-commerce, as identified and segmented region-wise, are further being translated into the key factors that have a direct impact on the total value of the companies under valuation. Such impact factors include the number of potential customers in the region, change trends with regard to retail turnover in the region, and e-commerce market share depending on the population size of the region.

Organizational sponsorship and the economics of place: How regional urbanization and localization shape incubator outcomes

Organizational sponsorship impacts new venture emergence and survival prospects by shaping the relationship between new ventures and their surrounding environment. While extant literature offers an explanation as to why heterogeneity in the effectiveness of sponsorship emerges based on the sponsor's characteristics, current theorizing largely overlooks how sponsorship interacts with local economic conditions. This study introduces insights from urban economics to extend organizational sponsorship theory by showing how different types of agglomeration economies affect the effectiveness of organizational sponsorship. We test our hypotheses with a comprehensive database that includes over 46,000 sponsored and non-sponsored firms in the years 1997–2007. Our results reveal organizational sponsorship delays new venture exit when urbanization levels are low, localization is low, and both urbanization and localization are high.Executive Summary.Organizational sponsorship (OS) is an institutional arrangement whereby private or public entities provide assistance to new firm ventures. Since young firms face low survival chances at birth, it is assumed that any assistance such firms receive is to their advantage. However, very little research supports this assumption (Clayton et al., 2018; Dutt et al., 2016). It is in this context that we examine the impact of OS in different regional environments. Specifically, we look at the interplay between business incubation, a ubiquitous form of OS, urbanization, the city-scale of the region in which the firm is founded, and localization, the presence of same-industry firms in the region, in determining new venture survival. By exploring this interaction, we identify how the efficacy of OS varies in differing environmental circumstances. Additionally, it provides a better understanding of the specific OS mechanisms that are most likely to promote new venture survival depending on regional characteristics.For the purposes of our study, we combine insights from OS and agglomeration literatures. Specifically, we look at the interplay between the bridging, buffering and curating functions of OS with the externalities that arise from urbanization and localization. We consider the regional characteristics that provide new ventures with positive agglomeration externalities of input sharing, quick and quality matching with resource providers, and knowledge spillovers. Similarly, we also consider regional characteristics that give rise to negative externalities of rising costs and congestion. Thus, we identify urbanization and localization scenarios in which new ventures are most in need of buffering from competition, in the form of financial aid and subsidies, and scenarios where new ventures need to be bridged or curated with non-monetary resources such as accountants, lawyers, or industry-specific suppliers and investors. That is, we identify founding environments in which OS functions are most valuable.We test our hypothesis on a population of US business incubators operating between 1997 and 2007. To study the impact of OS at different levels of urbanization and localization, we compare the probability of exit by incubated new ventures with that of a control group of non-incubated new ventures in the same county. We find that incubators are most effective in improving the survival of new ventures when both localization and urbanization in the founding environment are low or when both are high.By linking OS literature with agglomeration literature our study identifies the conditions under which OS is most effective and finds that it is most effective when mitigating the lows of resource-deprived environments or the highs of a hyper-competitive landscape. We also extend the theoretical link between these two streams of literature by identifying the critical role of the OS function of curating in a highly localized and urbanized environment.Our study sheds new light on why OS is often met with varying levels of success in promoting new venture survival. We see that specific regional characteristics determine the type of OS mechanisms that are most beneficial. Thus, for instance, simply mimicking successful incubators in one region may not lead to success for incubators in other regions. Furthermore, we see that OS is counterproductive in regions with low urbanization and high localization. Together, these findings suggest that policy-makers need to consider the specific constraints faced by entrepreneurs in different regions before they seek to promote entrepreneurship through OS. It also stresses the need for entrepreneurs to do due diligence prior to joining an incubator.

우리나라 아동의 지역별 말소리 발달 차이

This study aimed to investigate regional differences in the development of speech production in Korean children. A total of 619 children aged 2 to 7 years from the Jeolla, Seoul/Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang areas were included in this study. The subjects were assessed with the UTAP2 word-level test. In PWC, PMLU, and PWP, the performance was significantly lower in Gyeongsang at 2 years 11 months and in Jeolla and Chungcheong at 3 years 5 months than in Seoul/Gyeonggi. The total PCC of Gyeongsang and Chungcheong and UTAP PCC of Chungcheong were significantly lower at 2 years 11 months compared with those of Seoul/Gyeonggi, while Jeolla and Chungcheong showed significantly lower total PCC and UTAP PCC than Seoul/Gyeonggi at 3 years 5 months. However, no regional difference was observed in any indicators after the age of 3 years 6 months. These results suggest that there are regional differences in the ability to produce speech sounds at a very young age, and that the differences can be explained by the differences between Seoul/Gyeonggi and the other provinces rather than by the individual characteristics of specific regions.

Mapping citizens' identification with the EU

AbstractDo citizens show different patterns of European identification? Are the results driven by specific regional characteristics? Has Cohesion Policy an influence on EU citizens' identification?With the aim to answer these questions, we develop a novel probabilistic model that allows classification of citizens according to their different patterns of identification with Europe and the European project. This model exploits the heterogeneity of citizens' identification patterns across the European regions and how they are influenced by individual and regional characteristics. The results of the analysis at regional level are presented with regards to nine case‐study regions. The model builds on PERCEIVE's research results that develop the theoretical framework for the definition and measurement of the level of identification with EU and its drivers.