bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Keeping up with the Joneses: cross-listing spillover effects
Authors: Liao Min-Yu (Stella) , Ferris Stephen
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– When a foreign firm cross-lists on an exchange in the US, it signals stronger investor protection. This is because cross-listing firms must comply with SEC and exchange regulations, thus producing stronger corporate governance. Consequently, cross-listing increases firm attractiveness to investors and places domestic rivals at a disadvantage. Rivals might respond by mimicking the governance changes resulting from cross-listing. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether firms respond to their rivals’ cross-listings through improvement in governance.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study uses earnings management as a measure of governance for a set of international firms. The authors track the changes in governance of non-cross-listing firms following their rivals’ cross-listings. The authors employ an event study methodology to assess the spillover effect of a competitor’s cross-listing.

Findings

– The authors find that rivals exhibit imitative improvements in their governance following a competitor’s cross-listing. This response is immediate and is the strongest in the year of cross-listing. Further, rivals with greater growth opportunities, lower market share, stronger past performance, and larger size demonstrate greater improvements in governance. Rivals make greater improvements in response to more rigorous Level III listings.

Practical implications

– This study finds that cross-listing effects are underestimated. It is not only the investors of the listing-firms who benefit from the cross-listing, but also the investors of non-listing rival as competitors try to match the higher governance standard.

Originality/value

– This study is the first that examines the intra-industry spillover effect of a cross-listing. This study also expands the analysis of the spillover effect in a new dimension: corporate governance.
Measuring and assessing resilience: broadening understanding through multiple disciplinary perspectives
Authors: Quinlan Allyson E. , Berbés‐Blázquez Marta , Haider L. Jamila , Peterson Garry D.
Published: November 2015

Increased interest in managing resilience has led to efforts to develop standardized tools for assessments and quantitative measures. Resilience, however, as a property of complex adaptive systems, does not lend itself easily to measurement. Whereas assessment approaches tend to focus on deepening understanding of system dynamics, resilience measurement aims to capture and quantify resilience in a rigorous and repeatable way.

We discuss the strengths, limitations and trade‐offs involved in both assessing and measuring resilience, as well as the relationship between the two. We use a range of disciplinary perspectives to draw lessons on distilling complex concepts into useful metrics.

Measuring and monitoring a narrow set of indicators or reducing resilience to a single unit of measurement may block the deeper understanding of system dynamics needed to apply resilience thinking and inform management actions.

Synthesis and applications. Resilience assessment and measurement can be complementary. In both cases it is important that: (i) the approach aligns with how resilience is being defined, (ii) the application suits the specific context and (iii) understanding of system dynamics is increased. Ongoing efforts to measure resilience would benefit from the integration of key principles that have been identified for building resilience.
Watermelon pollinators exhibit complementarity in both visitation rate and single‐visit pollination efficiency
Authors: Pisanty Gideon , Afik Ohad , Wajnberg Eric , Mandelik Yael
Published: November 2015

The concept of pollinator niche complementarity maintains that species‐rich pollinator communities can provide higher and more stable pollination services than species‐poor communities, due to contrasting spatial and/or temporal pollination activity among groups of pollinators. Complementarity has usually been examined in pollinators’ patterns of flower visitation or abundance, while largely neglecting the possibility of complementarity in patterns of single‐visit contribution to fruit/seed set (pollination efficiency). However, variability in pollination efficiency can greatly affect pollinators’ overall pollination services and may therefore contribute an additional, important aspect of complementarity.

In this study, we investigated the existence of pollinator complementarity in both visitation rates and pollination efficiencies. The study was conducted in 43 watermelon fields cultivated for seed consumption in a Mediterranean agro‐natural landscape in central Israel. We studied spatiotemporal variation in pollinators’ visitation activity, measured by repeated observations and netting, and single‐visit pollination efficiency, measured by the fruit and seed set rates of hermaphrodite flowers exposed to a single bee visit. Visitation and pollination efficiency were measured throughout the day and season, within and between fields with contrasting availability of nearby wild plants, and among flowers of different sizes.

Pollinator species’ visitation rates as well as single‐visit fruit set efficiencies, but not seed set efficiencies, exhibited significant spatiotemporal variation that contributed to their complementarity. Pollinators’ visit frequencies were affected by surrounding land use, location within field, time throughout the season, and time of day. Pollinators’ fruit set efficiencies were affected by ovary size and time of day.

Synthesis and applications. Crop pollinators may exhibit complementarity in both their visitation rates and pollination efficiencies, which can promote the overall level and stability of their pollination services. Complementarity in pollination efficiencies suggests further diversity effects on crop yield, and calls for taking into account the variability in pollination efficiency along spatiotemporal scales rather than considering it a constant, species‐specific trait. However, some modes of niche complementarity may not necessarily translate into increased pollination services and crop yield; the relevance and limitations of such mechanisms should be considered in the light of the specific crop and management system studied.
Recovery as an occupational journey: A scoping review exploring the links between occupational engagement and recovery for people with enduring mental health issues
Authors: Doroud Nastaran , Fossey Ellie , Fortune Tracy
Published: November 2015

Background/aim

Mental health recovery can be defined in variety of different ways. First person accounts of people experiencing mental health issues and qualitative studies of recovery suggest engaging in personally meaningful and socially valued occupations is important during the process of recovering. This scoping review sought to explore how occupational engagement and recovery are interrelated.

Methods

Using Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) framework to guide the scoping review, searches of four electronic databases, manual citation tracking, and key authors’ publications were conducted. Seventeen studies, published in the last 30 years, relevant to the topic were identified. Each was reviewed and data extracted to categorise the similarities and differences into themes.

Results

Most studies used qualitative, phenomenological and narrative research approaches. Findings across the studies indicate recovery is an ongoing occupational process that seems to involve experiences of gradual re‐engagement, engaging within the stream of everyday occupational life, and full community participation. Engaging in meaningful and valued occupations appears to support recovering through fostering connectedness, hope, identity, meaning, and empowerment; establishing structured routines and assisting people in managing illness.

Conclusion

This scoping review indicates occupational engagement is an important dimension of the recovery process: recovering is experienced through engaging in occupations, which, in turn, fosters personal recovery. Employment and volunteering have received most attention in studies of occupation and recovery. A broader view of the experiences and factors involved in the processes of ‘occupational recovery’ warrants further exploration to advance theory and inform recovery‐oriented occupational therapy practice.
Beyond Measurement and Reward: Methods of Motivating Quality Improvement and Accountability
Authors: Berenson Robert A. , Rice Thomas
Published: November 2015

Objective

The article examines public policies designed to improve quality and accountability that do not rely on financial incentives and public reporting of provider performance.

Principal Findings

Payment policy should help temper the current “more is better” attitude of physicians and provider organizations. Incentive neutrality would better support health professionals’ intrinsic motivation to act in their patients’ best interests to improve overall quality than would pay‐for‐performance plans targeted to specific areas of clinical care. Public policy can support clinicians’ intrinsic motivation through approaches that support systematic feedback to clinicians and provide concrete opportunities to collaborate to improve care. Some programs administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including Partnership for Patients and Conditions of Participation, deserve more attention; they represent available, but largely ignored, approaches to support providers to improve quality and protect beneficiaries against substandard care.

Conclusions

Public policies related to quality improvement should focus more on methods of enhancing professional intrinsic motivation, while recognizing the potential role of organizations to actively promote and facilitate that motivation. Actually achieving improvement, however, will require a reexamination of the role played by financial incentives embedded in payments and the unrealistic expectations placed on marginal incentives in pay‐for‐performance schemes.
Liraglutide Improves Glycemic and Blood Pressure Control and Ameliorates Progression of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Hiramatsu Takeyuki , Ozeki Akiko , Asai Kazuki , Saka Marie , Hobo Akinori , Furuta Shinji
Published: November 2015

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a multifactorial disease associated with cardiovascular complications. Patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis also experience an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. To prevent progression of cardiovascular complications in DM patients, glycemic control is important. In this study, we examined the efficacy and safety of the glucagon‐like peptide analog liraglutide for treating type 2 diabetes patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Sixteen type 2 diabetes patients on peritoneal dialysis were enrolled. Before liraglutide initiation, 11 patients were on insulin therapy, three were on oral antidiabetic agents, and two were on diet therapy. Of the 16 patients, 12 had switched to liraglutide because of severe hypoglycemia and four because of hyperglycemia. Echocardiography was performed at baseline and 12 months after liraglutide initiation. Hemoglobin A1c, glycosylated albumin, and fasting/postprandial glucose levels gradually decreased after liraglutide initiation. After 6 and 12 months of treatment, postprandial glucose levels showed a significant difference from baseline. Moreover, the mean daily glucose level and glycemic fluctuations decreased. Systolic blood pressure upon waking also decreased. In addition, after 12 months, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) decreased and left ventricular ejection fraction increased. Changes in LVMI positively correlated with morning systolic blood pressure and fasting glucose levels. One patient restarted insulin because of anorexia but severe hypoglycemia was not observed. These findings suggest that liraglutide therapy in type 2 diabetes patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis is safe and effective for decreasing glucose levels, glycemic fluctuations, and blood pressure, apart from improving left ventricular function.
CpwPhoto Warehouse: a custom database to facilitate archiving, identifying, summarizing and managing photo data collected from camera traps
Authors: Ivan Jacob S. , Newkirk Eric S.
Published: November 2015

Contemporary methods for sampling wildlife populations include the use of remotely triggered wildlife cameras (i.e., camera traps). Such methods often result in the collection of hundreds of thousands of photos that must be identified, archived, and transformed into data formats required for statistical analyses.

CpwPhoto Warehouseis a freely available software based in Microsoft Access®that has been customized for this purpose using Visual Basic®for Applications (VBA) code. Users navigate a series of point‐and‐click menu items that allow them to input information from camera deployments, automatically import photos (and image data stored within the photos) related to those deployments, and store data within a relational database. Images are seamlessly incorporated into the database windows, but are stored separately from the database.

The database includes menu options that (i) facilitate identification of species within the images, (ii) allow users to view and filter any subset of the databased on study area, species, season, etc., and (iii) produce input files for common analyses such as occupancy, abundance, density and activity patterns using Programsmark,presence,densityand therpackages ‘secr’ and ‘overlap’.

Our database makes explicit use of multiple observers, which greatly enhances the efficiency and accuracy with which a large number of photos can be identified. Modular subsets of the data can be distributed to an unlimited number of observers on or off site for identification. Modules are then re‐incorporated into the database using a custom import function.
IgM‐enriched solution BT086 improves host defense capacity and energy store preservation in a rabbit model of endotoxemia
Authors: Shmygalev S. , Damm M. , Knels L. , Strassburg A. , Wünsche K. , Dumke R. , Stehr S. N. , Koch T. , Heller A. R.
Published: November 2015

Introduction

The therapeutic value of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) as an adjuvant therapy in sepsis remains debatable. We hypothesized that intravenous administration of BT086, a predominantly IgM IVIG solution, would improve host defense in an established rabbit model of endotoxemia and systemic sepsis.

Methods

New Zealand white rabbits were randomized into the following four groups: (1) the negative control group without lipopolysaccharide (LPS, control), (2) the positive control group with LPS infusion (LPS group), (3) the albumin‐treated LPS group (ALB+LPS group), and (4) the BT086‐treated LPS group (BT086 + LPS group). A standardized amount of E. coli was intravenously injected into all of the animals. The vital parameters, the concentration of E. coli in the blood and other organs, the residual granulocyte phagocytosis activity, and the levels of the inflammatory mediators were measured. Histological changes in the lung and liver tissue were examined following autopsy.

Results

The elimination of E. coli from the bloodstream was expedited in the BT086‐treated group compared with the LPS‐ and albumin‐treated groups. The BT086 + LPS group exhibited higher phagocytic activity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) than the control and ALB+LPS groups. The liver energy stores were higher in the BT086 + LPS group than in the other groups.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that the IgM‐enriched IVIG has the potential to improve host defense in a rabbit model of endotoxemia. Studies using different animal models and dosages are necessary to further explore the potential benefits of IgM‐enriched IVIG solutions.
Social Goals and Grade as Moderators of Social Normative Influences on Adolescent Alcohol Use
Authors: Meisel Samuel N. , Colder Craig R.
Published: November 2015

Background

The literature distinguishes 2 types of social normative influences on adolescent alcohol use, descriptive norms (perceived peer alcohol use) and injunctive norms (perceived approval of drinking). Although theoretical formulations suggest variability in the salience and influence of descriptive and injunctive norms, little is understood regarding for whom and when social norms influence adolescent drinking. Strong agentic and communal social goals were hypothesized to moderate the influence of descriptive and injunctive norms on early adolescent alcohol use, respectively. Developmental changes were also expected, such that these moderating effects were expected to get stronger at later grades.

Methods

This longitudinal study included 387 adolescents and 4 annual assessments (spanning 6th to 10th grade). Participants completed questionnaire measures of social goals, social norms, and alcohol use at each wave.

Results

Multilevel logistic regressions were used to test prospective associations. As hypothesized, descriptive norms predicted increases in the probability of alcohol use for adolescents with strong agentic goals, but only in later grades. Injunctive norms were associated with increases in the probability of drinking for adolescents with low communal goals at earlier grades, whereas injunctive norms were associated with an increased probability of drinking for adolescents with either low or high communal goals at later grades. Although not hypothesized, descriptive norms predicted increases in the probability of drinking for adolescents high in communal goals in earlier grades, whereas descriptive norms predicted drinking for adolescents characterized by low communal goals in later grades.

Conclusions

The current study highlights the importance of social goals when considering social normative influences on alcohol use in early and middle adolescence. These findings have implications for whom and when normative feedback interventions might be most effective during this developmental period.
The effects of disturbance on the population structure and regeneration potential of five dominant woody species – in Hugumburda‐Gratkhassu National Forest Priority Area, North‐eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Kidane Leul , Nemomissa Sileshi , Woldu Zerihun
Published: November 2015

Vast areas of forests in North‐eastern Ethiopia have been replaced by cropland, shrub land or grazing areas. Thus, information about how vegetation composition and structure varies with disturbance is fundamental to conservation of such areas. This study aimed to investigate the effects of disturbance on the population structure and regeneration potential of five dominant woody species within forest where local communities harvest wood and graze livestock. Vegetation structure and environmental variables were assessed in 50 quadrats (20 m × 20 m). In most of both disturbed and undisturbed treatments, Juniperus procera was the highest contributor to the basal area of the forest, while that of Olinia rochetiana was the lowest. Analysis of population structure showed high density at lower Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and low density at higher DBH classes. Undisturbed forest treatments had 84% canopy cover, 22 m mean vegetation height and a density of 1320 trees of dominant species and 1024 seedlings/saplings ha−1. In disturbed habitats, canopy cover (73%), mean vegetation height (18 m) and density of dominant trees and saplings were significantly lower than in undisturbed habitats. Thus, to ensure species, survival and maintain species diversity managed use of the protected area is essential.
Popular responses to city‐text changes: street naming and the politics of practicality in a post‐socialist martyr city
Authors: Creţan Remus , Matthews Philip W
Published: November 2015

The cultural politics of attributing names and the popular responses to the naming process of the urban landscape are core issues in ‘critical toponymies’. In many Romanian cities there are place names that articulate a collective memory agenda with respect to the 1989 Revolution, and Timişoara stands at the forefront of streets bearing martyr names. However, there have been recent calls for more attention to the popular responses to place‐naming practices. This paper explores these calls by addressing the issue of users of urban street place names. It also highlights the need to introduce the theory of ‘the politics of practicality’ in place‐ and street‐name studies. We seek to explain if Timişoarians are (un)happy with the new ‘martyr city‐text’ and how social justice and the contextualisation of the conflict as a case of the practical and the ideological are interrelated. By analysing the concerns of local service workers and by surveying local people's opinion on the use of the martyrs' names, we look to determine to what extent they accept or reject the new names and their use. In particular, pride and recognition versus everyday difficulties in martyr name uses produce major tensions at a local level. Therefore social justice (restitution) issues created local conflict over the uses of new names, and the politics of practicality in the martyrs' case shaped how political and symbolic changes are received by the people. This paper is developing and challenging previous work on place and street naming in geography by considering, beyond the understanding that conflicts over naming are symbolic or ideological, that ordinary citizens use, connect with, and depend upon street names in practical terms: they internalise and react differently to the costs of rewriting the city‐text.
The in vitro antioxidant properties of alcalase hydrolysate prepared from silkie fowl (Gallus gallus) blood protein
Authors: Cheng Fu‐Yuan , Lai I‐Chun , Lin Liang‐Chuan , Sakata Ryoichi
Published: November 2015

Two types of proteins including blood plasma protein and blood cell protein were isolated from silkie fowl (Gallus gallus) blood and hydrolyzed using alcalase for 0, 2, 4 and 6 h. The blood plasma protein hydrolysate (BPH) and blood cell protein hydrolysate (BCH) were analyzed for pH value, peptide content and antioxidative properties. The significantly higher peptide contents were observed in BPH than that of BCH, which showed that blood plasma protein was more suitable to hydrolysis by alcalase than blood cell protein. Both BPH and BCH showed strong 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging activity and Fe2+ chelating ability. BPH at 4 h of hydrolysis (BPH4) demonstrated significantly higher antioxidant capacity than those treated by alcalase in most of the assays. The BPH4 was separated using ultra‐filtration and assessment of the fractions and indicated that low molecular weight of peptides (< 3 kDa) possessed greater DPPH scavenging activity, Fe2+ chelating ability and inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation. These results show that BPH has the potential to be ingredients in the food industry as a replacement of synthetic antioxidants.
Genetic analysis of the rates of conception using a longitudinal threshold model with random regression in dairy crossbreeding within a tropical environment
Authors: Buaban Sayan , Kuchida Keigo , Suzuki Mitsuyoshi , Masuda Yutaka , Boonkum Wuttigrai , Duangjinda Monchai
Published: November 2015

This study was designed to: (i) estimate genetic parameters and breeding values for conception rates (CR) using the repeatability threshold model (RP‐THM) and random regression threshold models (RR‐THM); and (ii) compare covariance functions for modeling the additive genetic (AG) and permanent environmental (PE) effects in the RR‐THM. The CR was defined as the outcome of an insemination. A data set of 130 592 first‐lactation insemination records of 55 789 Thai dairy cows, calving between 1996 and 2011, was used in the analyses. All models included fixed effects of year × month of insemination, breed × day in milk to insemination class and age at calving. The random effects consisted of herd × year interaction, service sire, PE, AG and residual. Variance components were estimated using a Bayesian method via Gibbs sampling. Heritability estimates of CR ranged from 0.032 to 0.067, 0.037 to 0.165 and 0.045 to 0.218 for RR‐THM with the second, third and fourth‐order of Legendre polynomials, respectively. The heritability estimated from RP‐THM was 0.056. Model comparisons based on goodness of fit, predictive abilities, predicted service results of animal, and pattern of genetic parameter estimates, indicated that the model which fit the desired outcome of insemination was the RR‐THM with two regression coefficients.
Advantage of tacrolimus/mycophenolate mofetil regimen for cytotoxic T cell-mediated defence and its inhibition by additive steroid administration in high-risk liver transplant recipients
Authors: Uemoto S , Ozawa K , Kaido T , Mori A , Fujimoto Y
Published: November 2015

Our previous work revealed that the recipients with the highest pre-existing numbers of CD8+ effector T cells (TE) [hyperparathyroidism (HPT)E recipients] occupied approximately 30% of adult transplant recipients performed in our hospital. HPTE recipients demonstrated very poor clinical outcome compared with the remaining 70% of recipients with the lowest pre-existing TE (LPTE recipient). This study aimed to clarify the best combined immunosuppressive regimen related to function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) for HPTE recipients. Eighty-one HPTE recipients were classified into three types, according to the immunosuppressive regimens: type 1, tacrolimus (Tac)/glucocorticoid (GC); type 2, Tac/mycophenolate mofetil (MMF)/GC; and type 3, Tac/MMF. Frequencies of severe infection, rejection and hospital death were the highest in types 1 and 2, whereas the lowest occurred in type 3. The survival rate in type 3 was the highest (100%) during follow-up until post-operative day 2000. Regarding the immunological mechanism, in type 1 TE perforin and interferon (IFN)-γ were generated through the self-renewal of CD8+ central memory T cells (TCM), but decreased in the early post-transplant period due to marked down-regulation of interleukin (IL)-12 receptor beta-1 of TCM. In type 2, the self-renewal TCM did not develop, and the effector function could not be increased. In type 3, in contrast, the effectors and cytotoxicity were correlated inversely with IL-12Rβ1+ TCM levels, and increased at the highest level around the pre-transplant levels of IL-12Rβ1+ TCM. However, the immunological advantage of Tac/MMF therapy was inhibited strongly by additive steroid administration.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation‐assisted gait increases muscle strength and volume in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy
Authors: Pool Dayna , Elliott Catherine , Bear Natasha , Donnelly Cyril J , Davis Caroline , Stannage Katherine , Valentine Jane
Published: November 2015

Aim

To determine if neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) applied to the ankle dorsiflexors during gait improves muscle volume and strength in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP).

Method

Thirty‐two children (15 females, 17 males; mean age 10y 8mo, age range 5y 5mo–18y 1mo) with unilateral spastic CP and a Gross Motor Function Classification System of level I or level II were randomly assigned to either the 8‐week daily NMES treatment group or control group (usual or conventional treatments). Outcomes at week 8 (post‐NMES) and week 14 (carryover) included magnetic resonance imaging for muscle volumes (tibialis anterior, anterior compartment, and gastrocnemius), strength (hand‐held dynamometry for isometric dorsiflexion strength and heel raises for functional strength), and clinical measures for lower limb selective motor control.

Results

At week 8, the treatment group demonstrated significantly (p<0.05) increased muscle volumes for tibialis anterior, anterior compartment, medial and lateral gastrocnemius, and dorsiflexion strength not only when compared to their baseline values but also when compared to the control group at week 8. At week 14, both tibialis anterior and lateral gastrocnemius volumes in the treatment group remained significantly increased when compared to their baseline values. However, only lateral gastrocnemius volumes had significantly greater values when compared to the control group at week 14. There were no between group differences in the clinical measures for lower limb selective motor control at week 8 and 14.

Interpretation

Eight weeks of daily NMES‐assisted gait increases muscle volume and strength of the stimulated ankle dorsiflexors in children with unilateral spastic CP. These changes are use‐dependent and do not carry over after the 8‐week treatment period. Gastrocnemius volume also increased post‐treatment with carryover at week 14.
Hunting Without a Web: How Lycosoid Spiders Subdue their Prey
Authors: Eggs Benjamin , Wolff Jonas O. , Kuhn‐Nentwig Lucia , Gorb Stanislav N. , Nentwig Wolfgang
Published: November 2015

More than half of all spider species hunt prey without a web. To successfully subdue their prey, they use adapted capture behaviour and efficient grasping mechanisms to interrupt the prey's locomotion, and to restrain it from escaping during the subsequent handling for final envenomation. In this study, we investigated how the prey capture behaviour of different lycosoid spider species is related to leg morphology and venom efficiency; using high speed videography, feeding experiments, stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and LD50 venom bioassays. We found that different species employed different techniques when grasping their prey and these differences strongly correlate with the distribution and size of hairy adhesive leg pads (so‐called scopulae on pro‐ and retrolateral parts of legs) and erectable spines, which act in a complementary way. Our results indicate that the grasping and handling behaviour and leg morphology is crucial in restricting the prey's movements. However, none of these traits is directly related with venom efficiency.
Egg Cortisol Exposure Enhances Fearfulness in Larvae and Juvenile Rainbow Trout
Authors: Colson Violaine , Valotaire Claudiane , Geffroy Benjamin , Kiilerich Pia
Published: November 2015

We investigated the effects of an early boost of cortisol exposure in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs during fertilisation on subsequent behavioural responses when exposed to a sudden stimulus in larvae and juveniles. At 55 d post‐fertilisation (dpf), treatment had no effect on high accelerations occurring after a sudden event. At 146 dpf, these high accelerations were more frequent in cortisol‐treated fish than in controls. At 146 dpf also, swimming activity was increased in cortisol‐treated fish both before and after the sudden stimulus. This study underlines the important behavioural modifications in both larvae and juveniles, linked to a change in the surrounding environment of the embryo. Indeed, fish exposed to cortisol as eggs showed a higher level of fearfulness later in life. Our findings are of major interest for stress management in an aquaculture context and also allow for a better understanding of the long‐lasting effects of a permanent and/or acute stress – mediated by cortisol – that could be encountered by females, affecting population's life history trajectory.
A tale of two seas: a meta‐analysis of crustacean stocks in the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Vasilakopoulos Paraskevas , Maravelias Christos D
Published: November 2015

Meta‐analysis of marine biological resources can elucidate general trends and patterns to inform scientists and improve management. Crustacean stocks are indispensable for European and global fisheries; however, studies of their aggregate development have been rare and confined to smaller spatial and temporal scales compared to fish stocks. Here, we study the aggregate development of 63 NE Atlantic and Mediterranean crustacean stocks of six species (Nephrops norvegicus, Pandalus borealis, Parapenaeus longirostris, Aristeus antennatus, Aristaeomorpha foliacea and Squilla mantis) in 1990–2013 using biomass index data from official stock assessments. We implemented a dynamic factor analysis (DFA) to identify common underlying trends in biomass indices and investigate the correlation with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. The analysis revealed increasing and decreasing trends in the northern and southern NE Atlantic, respectively, and stable or slowly increasing trends in the Mediterranean, which were not related to NAO. A separate meta‐analysis of the fishing mortality (F) and biomass (B) of 39 analytically assessed crustacean stocks was also carried out to explore their development relative to MSY. NE Atlantic crustacean stocks have been exploited on average close to FMSY and remained well above BMSY in 1995–2013, while Mediterranean stocks have been exploited 2–4 times above FMSY in 2002–2012. Aggregate trends of European crustacean stocks are somewhat opposite to trends of fish stocks, suggesting possible cascading effects. This study highlights the two‐speed fisheries management performance in the northern and southern European seas, despite most stocks being managed in the context of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy.
The divergent impact of COMTVal158Met on executive function in children with and without attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Jin J. , Liu L. , Gao Q. , Chan R. C. K. , Li H. , Chen Y. , Wang Y. , Qian Q.
Published: November 2015

Children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) usually display deficits in executive function (EF), which are primarily mediated by prefrontal cortex (PFC). The functional polymorphism of catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT), Val158Met (rs4680), leads to observed polymorphic differences in the degradation of dopamine within PFC. This study aimed to explore the effect of rs4680 on EF using case–control design. In addition, considering the dynamic development of EF, we also attempted to investigate whether this genetic influence changes during development or not. A total of 597 ADHD children and 154 unaffected controls were recruited. The EF was evaluated using Rey–Osterrieth complex figure test (RCFT), trail making test (TMT) and Stroop color and word test for working memory, shifting and inhibition. Association between genotype and EF was analyzed using analysis of covariance (ancova). The results showed significant interaction effect of genotype and ADHD diagnosis on RCFT performance (P < 0.001). However, the associated genotypes between ADHD and controls were divergent. In ADHD, the Met carriers performed better than the Val homozygotes on detail immediate [(10.38 ± 6.90) vs. (9.33 ± 6.92), P = 0.007] and detail delay [(9.96 ± 6.86) vs. (8.86 ± 6.89), P = 0.004], while Val homozygotes showed better performance compared with Met carrier controls [for detail immediate (14.55 ± 6.18) vs. (11.10 ± 6.45), P<0.001; for detail delay (14.31 ± 5.96) vs. (11.31 ± 6.96), P = 0.001]. We did not find significant interaction between genetic variant and development. COMT Val158Met (rs4680) may have divergent effect on working memory in ADHD children compared with healthy controls.
Developmental vitamin D deficiency and schizophrenia: the role of animal models
Authors: Schoenrock S. A. , Tarantino L. M.
Published: November 2015

Schizophrenia is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder that affects 1% of the US population. Based on twin and genome‐wide association studies, it is clear that both genetics and environmental factors increase the risk for developing schizophrenia. Moreover, there is evidence that conditions in utero, either alone or in concert with genetic factors, may alter neurodevelopment and lead to an increased risk for schizophrenia. There has been progress in identifying genetic loci and environmental exposures that increase risk, but there are still considerable gaps in our knowledge. Furthermore, very little is known about the specific neurodevelopmental mechanisms upon which genetics and the environment act to increase disposition to developing schizophrenia in adulthood. Vitamin D deficiency during the perinatal period has been hypothesized to increase risk for schizophrenia in humans. The developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency hypothesis of schizophrenia arises from the observation that disease risk is increased in individuals who are born in winter or spring, live further from the equator or live in urban vs. rural settings. These environments result in less exposure to sunlight, thereby reducing the initial steps in the production of vitamin D. Rodent models have been developed to characterize the behavioral and developmental effects of DVD deficiency. This review focuses on these animal models and discusses the current knowledge of the role of DVD deficiency in altering behavior and neurobiology relevant to schizophrenia.
Mexico, the failed state debate, and the Mérida fix
Authors: Gallaher Carolyn
Published: November 2015

This paper examines the discourse of ‘shared responsibility’ that the governments of the United States and Mexico created through the 2008 Mérida Initiative. This discourse fixed the terms of an unruly debate that stood in the way of bilateral cooperation – are Mexico's drug cartels terrorists, and if so is Mexico in danger of failing? Specifically, the discourse does three things. First, it clarifies the formal position of both governments that Mexico's drug cartels are criminals, not insurgents. Second, by using the term ‘transnational criminal organisation’ (TCO) to label the cartels, the United State accepts some responsibility for them. Finally, the discourse establishes a territorial notion of sharing so that US participation inside Mexico is limited. Although ‘shared responsibility’ has been characterised as a ‘paradigm shift’ in how the two countries deal with one another (Benítez Manaut 2009, Revista Mexicana de Política Exterior 87), I argue here that it reinforces a militarised status quo. By defining ‘shared responsibility’ as an obligation between states, the two countries do not have to articulate a joint responsibility to Mexico's civilians, who bear the brunt of both the cartels and the bilateral fight against them. This framing also helps explain the US government's muted response to abuses by the Mexican military since the agreement took effect.
Assessment of Oxidative Stability in Fish Oil‐in‐Water Emulsions: Effect of Emulsification Process, Droplet Size and Storage Temperature
Authors: Neves Marcos A. , Wang Zheng , Kobayashi Isao , Nakajima Mitsutoshi
Published: November 2015

In this study, the effects of emulsification process, droplet size and storage temperature on the chemical and physical stability of Menhaden fish (Brevoortia tyrannus) based oil‐in‐water (O/W) emulsions were investigated, foreseeing the development of food emulsion systems with enhanced oxidative stability. For that purpose, the authors evaluated four different emulsification processes as follows: microchannel emulsification, premix membrane emulsification, vacuum homogenization and high‐pressure homogenization, and the droplets formulated had an average diameter ranging between 94 nm and 26.8 μm. For oil droplets sized within the micrometer range and stored at 5°C, decreasing the droplet size resulted in a significant increase on the oxidation activity (P < 0.01), which was expected considering that the increase in surface area likely leads the way to more oxygen diffusion toward the droplet surface onto the lipid core. On the contrary, for droplets sized within the submicron range, a linear relationship (R2 = 0.91) between droplet sizes and the specific lipid oxidation rate was found. The results also indicate that other factors such as emulsifier type, emulsification process and storage temperature play major roles on lipid oxidation during emulsion storage. The spontaneous droplet formation in the case of microchannel emulsification resulted in emulsions with the lowest lipid oxidation compared with conventional homogenizers, which generally employ high energy input to disrupt the droplets, further promoting lipid oxidation. This study also revealed that lipid oxidation is strongly temperature‐dependent, since lipid hydroperoxide content in all O/W emulsions increased as the storage temperature increased. Among the emulsifiers tested, sodium oleate, an anionic emulsifier, was revealed as the most suitable candidate to suppress lipid autoxidation, especially considering the storage of food emulsions at room temperature.

Practical Applications

The insights on lipid oxidation presented herein may provide a liable source of information while designing and formulating oil‐in‐water emulsions containing antioxidant compounds, such as ω‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, with enhanced oxidative stability, foreseeing their potential application as functional foods or drug delivery systems. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report relating to lipid oxidation in oil‐in‐water emulsions comprising different emulsification processes, resulting in fine oil droplets sized within a wide range, based on fish oil, a lipid highly prone to oxidation. The aspects of lipid oxidation kinetics presented here could have a potential economic contribution to the food emulsion industry while saving energy on the emulsification process or storage environment.
Role and mechanism of insulin‐like growth factor 2 on the proliferation of human trophoblasts in vitro
Authors: Chen Huiyue , Li Yating , Shi Jia , Song Weiwei
Published: November 2015

Aim

To study the effect and relevant molecular mechanisms of insulin‐like growth factor 2 (IGF2) on the proliferative activity of first trimester human trophoblasts in vitro.

Materials and Methods

Extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVCTs) were isolated and cultured. Cells were cultured with IGF2 at different concentrations and the proliferative activity was measured using methyl thiazolyl tretrazolium assay. LY294002, a specific inhibitor of the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K), was used as an indirect indicator of the possible involvement of the PI3K signal pathway. We tested the apoptosis rate using flow cytometry technology influenced by IGF2 with or without LY294002. The effects of IGF2 on phosphorylation of key cell signaling proteins (protein kinase B [AKT] and phosphorylated AKT) in EVCTs were examined by western blot analysis with or without LY294002.

Results

There was a significant difference between the IGF2 group above 10 nM and the control group (P < 0.05). LY294002 (10 μM) not only inhibited the proliferative activity of EVCT, but also significantly restrained the effect on EVCTs (P < 0.05). In vitro data proved that the apoptosis rate decreased when IGF2 was added (P < 0.05), but increased when inhibited by LY294002 (P < 0.05). After incubation with IGF2, AKT phosphorylation increased compared to incubation without IGF2 treatment (P < 0.05). LY294002 activation reduced the IGF2‐induced effects (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Our data suggest that IGF2 enhances EVCT proliferation and inhibits apoptosis. The PI3K/AKT pathway is an important signaling pathway in the proliferative activity of EVCTs on early human pregnancy in vitro.
Post‐partum hemoperitoneum: Do not miss false aneurysm as a cause of bleeding
Authors: Goupil Jean , Marcellin Pierre‐Jean , Elahee Shafey , Choffel Alexy , Boukerrou Malik
Published: November 2015

A 27‐year‐old woman underwent a first vaginal delivery at our institution. She returned four days after delivery, presenting with abdominal pain and an unexplained drop in her hemoglobin value, without external bleeding. The initial computed tomography abdominal scan revealed an isolated diffuse hemoperitoneum. A laparoscopy did not find the cause of bleeding. A second computed tomography scan, performed 15 days later, revealed hemoperitoneum associated with a false aneurysm of the right uterine artery. Treatment consisted of embolization of the uterine arteries, with clinical success. False aneurysms are a rare cause of intra‐abdominal non‐exteriorized bleeding in late post‐partum hemorrhage.
Minimum ovarian stimulation involving combined clomiphene citrate and estradiol treatment for in vitro fertilization of Bologna‐criteria poor ovarian responders
Authors: Kuroda Keiji , Kitade Mari , Kumakiri Jun , Jinushi Makoto , Shinjo Azusa , Ozaki Rie , Ikemoto Yuko , Katoh Noriko , Takeda Satoru
Published: November 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a minimal ovarian stimulation involving combined clomiphene citrate (CC) and estradiol (E2) administration for poor responders with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR).

Material and Methods

In this case–control study, we recruited 41 consecutive hypergonadotropic poor responders (69 cycles) who met Bologna‐criteria and had experienced cancellation of oocyte retrieval. In 10 (20 cycles), 11 (21 cycles) and 20 patients (28 cycles) between 2012 and 2014, follicular development was induced using an E2 cycle, CC cycle and CC + E2 cycle, respectively. After confirmation of high follicle‐stimulating hormone levels (15–40 mIU/ml) at menstrual day 3, DOR patients were treated with oral E2 of 1.0 mg/day, CC of 100 mg/day, or both CC and E2 continuously, until ovulation induction. Two days later, we transvaginally aspirated the follicles, performed in vitro fertilization, and cryopreserved the cleavage embryos. One warmed embryo was transferred into the uterus during the hormone replacement cycles.

Results

For the E2, CC, and CC + E2 cycles, the median patient age was 41 years in all groups, and the serum anti‐Müllerian hormone levels were 0.2 ± 0.3, 0.4 ± 0.4, and 0.2 ± 0.3 ng/mL, respectively (P = 0.258); follicular development failure rates were 50.0%, 19.0%, and 3.6%, respectively (P < 0.001); numbers of retrieved oocytes (/cycle) were 0.5 ± 0.6, 0.8 ± 0.7, and 1.2 ± 1.1, respectively (P = 0.033); and clinical pregnancy rates (/cycle) were 5.0%, 4.8%, and 10.7%, respectively (P = 0.725).

Conclusion

CC + E2 administration for the patients with DOR was effective with a lower cancellation rate of oocyte retrieval and a higher number of retrieved oocytes. © 2015 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Comparing the accuracy of obstetric sonography and fetal echocardiography during pediatric cardiology consultation in the prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease
Authors: Lai Carman Wing Sze , Chau Adolphus Kai Tung , Lee Chin Peng
Published: November 2015

Aim

The diagnostic accuracy of fetal echocardiogram performed by an obstetrician alone and that performed jointly by an obstetrician and pediatric cardiologist for congenital heart disease were compared.

Materials and Methods

All cases of suspected fetal congenital heart disease (CHD) referred to the Prenatal Diagnostic Clinic at Tsan Yuk Hospital, Hong Kong during 2006–2011 were reviewed. Prenatal fetal echocardiogram findings were compared with postnatal diagnosis. Cases of incorrect prenatal diagnosis with significant difference in prognosis were analyzed qualitatively.

Results

One hundred and eleven cases of fetal CHD were analyzed. Complete agreement between prenatal and postnatal diagnosis of CHD was observed in 69.4% of cases by fetal echocardiogram performed by obstetrician and 83.8% by fetal echocardiogram performed during pediatric cardiology consultation (P = 0.001). Collaboration with a pediatric cardiologist also improved detection of ductal‐dependent cardiac lesions (77.4% vs 86%, P = <0.001). Five cases with an incorrect diagnosis were associated with a different prognosis. Three of the cases involved outflow tract abnormalities with incorrect identification of outflow vessels.

Conclusion

Collaboration with a pediatric cardiologist can significantly improve the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis of CHD. In particular, joint consultation is associated with significantly better detection of ductal‐dependent lesions. Outflow tract abnormalities remain a diagnostic challenge in prenatal diagnosis. Incorrect identification of outflow tract vessels was the major cause of incorrect diagnosis in our series.