Extending geodemographics using data primitives: a review and a methodological proposal

This paper reviews geodemographic classifications and developments in contemporary classifications. It develops a critique of current approaches and identifiea a number of key limitations. These include the problems associated with the geodemographic cluster label (few cluster members are typical or have the same properties as the cluster centre) and the failure of the static label to describe anything about the underlying neighbourhood processes and dynamics. To address these limitations, this paper proposed a data primitives approach. Data primitives are the fundamental dimensions or measurements that capture the processes of interest. They can be used to describe the current state of an area in a multivariate feature space, and states can be compared over multiple time periods for which data are available, through for example a change vector approach. In this way, emergent social processes, which may be too weak to result in a change in a cluster label, but are nonetheless important signals, can be captured. As states are updated (for example, as new data become available), inferences about different social processes can be made, as well as classification updates if required. State changes can also be used to determine neighbourhood trajectories and to predict or infer future states. A list of data primitives was suggested from a review of the mechanisms driving a number of neighbourhood-level social processes, with the aim of improving the wider understanding of the interaction of complex neighbourhood processes and their effects. A small case study was provided to illustrate the approach. In this way, the methods outlined in this paper suggest a more nuanced approach to geodemographic research, away from a focus on classifications and static data, towards approaches that capture the social dynamics experienced by neighbourhoods

The Roles of Standardization, Certification and Assurance Services in Global Commerce

In this article we examine the rapid emergence and expansion of standardized product and process frameworks and a private-sector compliance and enforcement infrastructure that we believe may increasingly be providing a substitute for public and legal regulatory infrastructure in global commerce. This infrastructure is provided by a proliferation of performance codes and standards, many of which define acceptable social and environmental behavior, and a rapidly-growing number of privately-trained and authorized inspectors and certifiers that we call the third-party assurance industry. We offer reasons for this development, evidence of its scope and scale, and then describe the phenomenon in more detail by examining supply chain arrangements in two industries, food products and apparel, where the use of third-party standards and assurance services has expanded especially rapidly. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for the make or buy decision at the core of the theory of the firm. We argue that as quasi-regulatory standards are developed within various industries, and as performance to these standards can be systematically evaluated using third-party inspectors and certifiers, the costs of moving production outside of vertical firm hierarchies drop. We believe this may be an important factor in accelerating the shift to outsourcing that has been observed over the last two decades

Evaluation of prognostic risk models for postoperative pulmonary complications in adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a systematic review and international external validation cohort study

Background Stratifying risk of postoperative pulmonary complications after major abdominal surgery allows clinicians to modify risk through targeted interventions and enhanced monitoring. In this study, we aimed to identify and validate prognostic models against a new consensus definition of postoperative pulmonary complications. Methods We did a systematic review and international external validation cohort study. The systematic review was done in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched MEDLINE and Embase on March 1, 2020, for articles published in English that reported on risk prediction models for postoperative pulmonary complications following abdominal surgery. External validation of existing models was done within a prospective international cohort study of adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing major abdominal surgery. Data were collected between Jan 1, 2019, and April 30, 2019, in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Discriminative ability and prognostic accuracy summary statistics were compared between models for the 30-day postoperative pulmonary complication rate as defined by the Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine Core Outcome Measures in Perioperative and Anaesthetic Care (StEP-COMPAC). Model performance was compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC). Findings In total, we identified 2903 records from our literature search; of which, 2514 (86·6%) unique records were screened, 121 (4·8%) of 2514 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 29 unique prognostic models were identified. Nine (31·0%) of 29 models had score development reported only, 19 (65·5%) had undergone internal validation, and only four (13·8%) had been externally validated. Data to validate six eligible models were collected in the international external validation cohort study. Data from 11 591 patients were available, with an overall postoperative pulmonary complication rate of 7·8% (n=903). None of the six models showed good discrimination (defined as AUROCC ≥0·70) for identifying postoperative pulmonary complications, with the Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia score showing the best discrimination (AUROCC 0·700 [95% CI 0·683–0·717]). Interpretation In the pre-COVID-19 pandemic data, variability in the risk of pulmonary complications (StEP-COMPAC definition) following major abdominal surgery was poorly described by existing prognostication tools. To improve surgical safety during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery and beyond, novel risk stratification tools are required. Funding British Journal of Surgery Society

Preoperative Embolization of Skull Base Meningiomas: Outcomes in the Onyx Era

Objective: Preoperative embolization may facilitate skull base meningioma resection, but its safety and efficacy in the Onyx era have not been investigated. In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the outcomes of preoperative embolization of skull base meningiomas using Onyx as the primary embolysate. Methods: We queried an endovascular database for patients with skull base meningiomas who underwent preoperative embolization at our institution in 2007–2017. Patient, tumor, procedure, and outcome data were analyzed. Results: Twenty-eight patients (28 meningiomas) underwent successful preoperative meningioma embolization. The mean patient age ± SD was 56 ± 13 years, and 18 patients (64%) were women. The mean tumor size was 49 cm3. There were 1, 2, or 3 arterial pedicles embolized in 21 cases (75%), 6 cases (21%), and 1 case (4%), respectively. The embolized pedicles included branches of the middle meningeal artery in 19 cases (68%), the internal maxillary artery in 8 cases (29%), the ascending pharyngeal artery in 2 cases (7%), and the posterior auricular, ophthalmic, occipital, and anterior cerebral arteries in 1 case each (4%). The embolysates used were Onyx alone in 20 cases (71%), n-butyl cyanoacrylate alone in 3 cases (11%), coils/particles and Onyx/n-butyl cyanoacrylate in 2 cases each (7%), and Onyx and coils in 1 case (4%). The median degree of tumor devascularization was 60%. Significant neurologic morbidity occurred in 1 patient (4%) who developed symptomatic peritumoral edema after Onyx embolization. Conclusions: For appropriately selected skull base meningiomas supplied by dura mater–based arterial pedicles without distal cranial nerve supply, preoperative embolization with current embolysate technology affords substantial tumor devascularization with a low complication rate

Racist Racism: Complicating Whiteness Through the Privilege & Discrimination of Westerners in Japan

With no anti-discrimination legislation, strong Confucian-inspired ingroup mentality, and a belief in their mono-ethnicity, Japan is marred by a culture of widespread discrimination. Although it has ratified the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and guarantees equality in its Constitution, all those who differ from the closely circumscribed norm are excluded culturally, and legally. Whites’ position in this milieu is complicated because of the West’s unique historical relationship with Japan, and due to the perception of white global dominance. Although admired and arguably privileged over other outsiders, Caucasians are nevertheless mocked and discriminated against—openly, frequently, and with impunity. The concept of racism, as funneled through critical race theory’s (“CRT”) reliance on homogeneous white privilege, lacks dialectic space to address their experiences of discrimination. Yet both CRT analytical tools and desire for praxis, and Confucian respect for human dignity have much to offer in expanding discrimination discourse, exposing the concept of racism as Western-centric, supporting equality, and giving voice to victims who do not fit the victim norm. In the process, this enlarged theoretical and analytical space can help alleviate Japan’s labor shortage, prompting multi-faceted reforms, and achieving true Confucian harmony and democracy. I propose to create new discourse, situated within expanded CRT and whiteness studies, while providing analytical coverage to a group of Caucasians rarely mentioned in popular or scholarly literature. Definitions of “the other” and “white privilege” need to move away from monolithic notions of race and power, which are white-centric and racist themselves

The impact of corporate social responsibility assurance on investor decisions: Chinese evidence

In this experimental study, we examine whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports affect the investment decisions of non-professional investors in China depending on whether they are assured, the nature of CSR disclosures (positive versus negative disclosures), and the type of assurance provider (professional accountants versus industry experts). The results indicate that CSR assurance increases investor willingness to invest and that the credibility of CSR information partially mediates the relationship between assurance and investment decisions. We also note that the effect of CSR assurance on investment decisions is greater when CSR disclosures are positive than when they are negative. However, the type of assurance provider does not significantly influence the effect of CSR assurance on investor decision making. China's institutional setting features novice investors, government-affiliated industry expert assurers, and government-driven CSR assurance. As a pioneering study on the effects of CSR assurance in China, our work is a valuable supplement to previous studies, which have largely focused on developed economies with considerably different institutional settings