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International audience; The steady expansion of the number of wireless devices and the ubiquity of the networks give rise to various interesting challenges for the future sixth generation (6G) of wireless communication systems. Particularly, the operators have to handle massive connectivity among Machine Type Devices (MTDs) and increasing demand for eMMB through limited spectrum resources. Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) has been spotlighted as an emerging technology to meet the above-mentioned challenges. In this paper, we consider a densely deployed network in which users are divided into NOMA coalitions. Firstly, we model the power allocation problem as a differential game. Then, we extend the formulated game using a Mean Field Game (MFG) theoretic framework by considering the effect of the collective behavior of devices. Furthermore, we derive a distributed power control algorithm that enables the users to appropriately regulate their transmit power according to brief information received from the BS. Indeed, the analysis of the proposed approach is governed by the two fundamental Hamilton- Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) and Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov (FPK) equations. Numerical results are presented to analyze the equilibrium behaviors of the proposed power control algorithm and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the formulated MFG compared to existing works in the literature.

PurposeThis research aims to explore the perceived usefulness of audited social information in making economic decisions, in the eyes of both Tunisian financial analysts and bankers.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct an exploratory qualitative study using twelve semi-structured interviews: seven are carried out with financial analysts, and five are performed among bankers.FindingsThis study’s results reveal that financial analysts and bankers paid little attention to the audited social information in making investment/credit granting decisions. The authors also show that the low perceived usefulness of social audit is due to many reasons related to political, economic, regulatory, educational, cultural and cognitive factors.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the current literature in several ways. First, it enriches the knowledge about the perceived usefulness of social audit. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the perception of financial analysts and bankers to audited social information and its usefulness for decision-making. Second, the focus on the Tunisian context is interesting as it was marked, since the outbreak of the Jasmine Revolution, by the uncertainty and the instability of political, economic and social conditions. Third, this research goes further by exploring the most important factors affecting the perceiveness of social auditing.

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of sustainable practices as proxied by the environmental, social and governance (ESG) score on capital structure. It also investigates whether ESG performance influences the speed of adjustment (SOA) to target leverage in firms. Design/methodology/approach The sample covers 116 non-financial firms listed on the main stock exchanges from five Southeast ASEAN countries (Bursa Malaysia, Indonesia Stock Exchange, Philippines Stock Exchange, Singapore Stock Exchange and Stock Exchange of Thailand) over the period 2012–2019. The study adopts the OLS regression and system-GMM estimators to perform the data analysis. Findings The authors show that the ESG score is positively associated with book leverage, suggesting that firms increase their debt capital through sustainable practices. However, they find that the ESG score is negatively associated with market leverage across our model estimations. The authors also reveal that environmental, social and governance pillar scores produce about 7.82%, 2.88% and 0.47% SOAs, respectively, higher than the SOA of the traditional SOA without the ESG factor. The aggregate ESG score has about 3.41% SOA higher than the baseline SOA without the ESG factor. Practical implications This study is of interest to investors, corporate firms and policymakers. The study demonstrates that the ESG score increases the firm’s SOA to target leverage. By disaggregating the ESG score, the authors establish that ESG pillar scores produce higher SOAs than the traditional SOA (without ESG), with the environmental score inducing the fastest SOA. Practically, the study implies that environmentally sustainable activities reduce environmental transaction costs, benefit firms through better information transparency and enhance a trustful climate between the firm and suppliers of capital. Therefore, this study demonstrates that firms do not only incur the cost of disseminating ESG information but also benefit from lower information asymmetry and a higher SOA with better tax-deductible advantages. Social implications The findings have combined advantages for both stakeholders and directors who monitor and manage the firms’ resources to improve the quality of ESG practices and initiatives. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to establish that sustainable practices induce higher debt capital. Secondly, unlike prior research focusing on the cost of capital, the authors examine whether ESG performance affects capital structure patterns. Thirdly, it documents the extent to which sustainable practices influence the SOA towards target leverage in firms. The authors contribute to corporate finance literature that firms reach faster to their target leverage in the presence of ESG performance. Theoretically, through the notion of the stakeholder proposition, the study establishes that the firms’ pursuance of stakeholder goals further enhances the prediction of the trade-off theory.

The objective of this study was to identify clinical parameters predicting either a pathological EEG or a subsequent epileptic seizure (SES), based on the relation between paroxysmal EEG abnormalities and clinical features in children who presented at least one febrile seizure (FS). We collected data of children who presented to our department during the period 2013 to 2018 for EEG recording as part of their febrile seizure assessment. Only children aged between 1 month to 5 years were included. Both the clinical and EEG data were retrospectively collected and statistically studied. We performed a detailed analysis of the EEG recordings. SES was identified for patients with sufficient follow-up. A total of 120 children were included in the study, of whom 48% had EEG abnormalities. Psychomotor retardation (p = 0.002), completion of an EEG within 7 days of the last FS (p = 0.046), and late age (> 3 years) of the first FS onset (p = 0.021) were significantly associated with a pathological EEG. In multivariate analysis, performing early EEG (< 7 days from the last FS) (odds ratio [OR]: 2.35; p = 0.043; confidence interval [CI]: 1.028–5.375) and psychomotor retardation (OR: 4.19; p = 0.008; CI: 1.46–12) were independent predictors of a pathological EEG. Of 120 patients, 45 had a follow-up. However, only 10 (22.22%) had SES. Children with SES tended more to have a psychomotor delay, compared with children without SES (50% vs. 14.28%, p = 0.029). Moreover, the percentage of initial abnormal EEG in patients with SES was significantly higher than those without SES (70% vs. 34.28%, p = 0.05). Even though some FS characteristics predict EEG abnormalities, they are not always associated with SES. We highlight the importance of performing an EEG in the group of children who had both FS and psychomotor retardation. This is most likely the group at the highest risk of developing epilepsy.

Resume Le travail de nuit et/ou poste occupe une place importante dans les differents secteurs, notamment le secteur medical, mais des perturbations des habitudes alimentaires avec une obesite ont ete associees a ce mode de travail alimentaire et a une obesite. Methode Notre etude descriptive, transversale a ete realisee pendant un mois au sein des salles de travail des services de maternite dans cinq centres hospitaliers du grand Tunis. Pour cette population, il n’y a pas de poste de jour mais plutot deux amplitudes de travail : de 12 h et de 24 h. Nous avons inclus 50 sages-femmes reparties de facons egales en 2 groupes G12 h et G24 h pour analyser des donnees anthropometriques, et des donnees de l’enquete alimentaire. Le but etait une evaluation comparative du comportement alimentaire des sages-femmes dans les deux groupes, et ceci durant le jour de garde (j0), le jour avant la garde (j−1) et le jour suivant la garde (j+1) ainsi que le profil ponderal des participantes dans chaque groupe. Resultats L’apport energetique total etait superieur aux recommandations dans la majorite des cas, ceci se voit particulierement le jour de la garde (86 %) sans difference significative entre les deux groupes, mais avec une relation significative a l’anciennete du travail (p = 0,001), Les apports glucidique et lipidique etaient superieurs aux recommandations pour la majorite des cas sans difference significative entre les deux groupes, mais ils etaient lies a l’anciennete dans le post. Les donnees anthropometriques comparatives avant et apres le travail de nuit ont montre une majoration de la surcharge ponderale de 33 % (avec une repartition egale entre les 2 groupes G12 G24) et l’apparition d’une obesite dans 24 % dont 4 % etait classee stade III. Conclusion Les problematiques de la perturbation de l’alimentation durant le travail de nuit est un enjeu majeur et ceci independamment de l’amplitude du travail et necessite des interventions nutritionnelles aupres de cette population.

In this paper, we introduce and characterize a new filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) architecture, based on flexible zero padding (FZP), suitable for applications obeying stringent latency requirements. FZP conveniently distributes zeros between transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) waveforms, and covers cyclic prefix (CP) and zero padding (ZP) as special extremal cases, providing, in this way, a bridge between classical CP-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and ZP-OFDM. It has the merit of being the only possible architecture that guarantees optimum confined and autonomous transmission and reception of each OFDM symbol within the symbol period, leading to a minimized latency. We assess the best achievable signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) performances, of all possible FBMC configurations, obeying the FZP architecture, through a systematic optimization of their Tx and Rx waveforms, using the ping-pong optimized pulse shaping (POPS) algorithm. We also assess the whole communication link performance, in terms of raw and coded bit error rate (BER), for several representative FZP configurations. It turns out that the medium alternative between CP and ZP, which evenly distributes FZP between the Tx and Rx waveforms, does not provide a significant improvement in signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) and BER, for slightly time dispersive channels, but brings more robustness to time synchronization errors. The conducted study shows that conventional CP-OFDM remains an interesting alternative since it leads to an insignificant degradation in SIR, compared to the optimal FZP configuration, while providing a decorrelated noise at the receiver, beneficial for short coded packets.