bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Lame Duck Auditors on Management Discretion: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Cassell Cory A. , Myers Linda A. , Seidel Timothy A. , Zhou Jian
Published: January 2016

We identify instances in which the auditor-client relationship has been terminated but the auditor continues to complete a subsequent quarterly review. We refer to these instances as “lame duck auditor” quarters, and we contrast financial reporting quality in these quarters with that in non-lame duck auditor quarters. Using discretionary accruals and financial statement misstatements as proxies for financial reporting quality, we find that financial reporting quality is higher in lame duck auditor situations, suggesting that lame duck auditors perform more stringent quarterly reviews. We attribute these results to improvements in auditor independence and/or heightened reputation concerns. We perform a number of tests to alleviate concerns that our results are attributable to fundamental differences between clients with lame duck auditors and clients with non-lame duck auditors and to alleviate concerns that our results are attributable to changes in manager behavior rather than changes in auditor behavior. Collectively, our results provide insights that are relevant to regulators, auditors, and other stakeholders who are interested in the factors that affect auditor independence and financial reporting quality.

Data Availability: The data used are publicly available from the sources cited in the text.
Developing a Government Reporting Taxonomy
Authors: Snow Neal M. , Reck Jacqueline L.
Published: January 2016

The municipal bond market is a $3.7 trillion market with approximately 75 percent of the market held by private investors (SEC 2012). Municipal bondholders and potential buyers do not have the same level of information as those investors choosing to invest in public companies. This inequity is, in part, the result of poor data accessibility. Frequently the data provided are in a format that does not allow easy comparison across governments or over time. To increase comparability and consistency in government reporting we build a government financial reporting taxonomy using the empirical approach. The completed taxonomy has 194 terms that cover financial statements filed by municipalities. Expert analysts and preparers in government reporting reviewed the completed taxonomy. This study has implications for the municipal reporting market and those entities that regulate them by providing a validated municipal government financial reporting taxonomy.
XBRL Implementation and Post-Earnings-Announcement Drift: The Impact of State Ownership in China
Authors: Chen Songsheng , Guo Jun , Tong Xiaoxiao
Published: January 2016

In this paper, we test the impact of XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) on information asymmetry in the emerging market of China. We focus on the association between XBRL and information asymmetry (proxied by Post-Earnings-Announcement Drift [PEAD]) across two ownership structures: state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which are dominant in China, and non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs). We find that information asymmetry diminishes significantly, as reflected by a significant decline in PEAD, after the mandatory adoption of XBRL, and it diminishes more significantly in SOEs than non-SOEs. Our results remain robust after we control for market and accounting factors that may influence PEAD. Our paper not only supports XBRL's role in improving the market efficiency of the emerging market, but also first documents the impact of government ownership on the implementation of XBRL.
The Effect of SEC Disclosure Regulation Regarding Audit Committees' Financial Experts on Foreign Private Issuers Cross-Listed on U.S. Securities Exchanges
Authors: Garner Steve A. , Hutchison Paul D. , Conover Teresa L.
Published: January 2016

This paper investigates the economic consequences of the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) disclosure regulation by examining market reactions of foreign private issuers (FPI) to events related to the SEC's requirement for a firm to disclose whether its audit committee has at least one financial expert. Using U.S. and home country stock market returns from an FPI, the findings from this study suggest that an FPI traded in U.S. capital markets and subject to SEC regulatory requirements experience negative returns around event dates related to this requirement. Their returns in U.S. markets are also more negatively impacted by the audit committee financial expert disclosure regulation than are the returns in their home countries. Additionally, this study extends research by DeFond, Hann, and Hu (2005), Zhang (2007), and Litvak (2007) by examining the SEC's mandatory disclosures of financial experts on company audit committees.
Weight Change–Adjusted Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery on Glucose Metabolism: 2- and 10-Year Results From the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) Study
Authors: Sjöholm Kajsa , Sjöström Elisabeth , Carlsson Lena M.S. , Peltonen Markku
Published: January 2016

OBJECTIVE

It has been suggested that weight change–independent effects on fasting insulin and glucose levels are present after gastric bypass (GBP) but not after banding and vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG). We therefore evaluated weight change–adjusted effects of GBP, compared with restrictive surgical procedures, on long-term changes in fasting levels of glucose, insulin, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Participants who completed the 2-year (n = 1,762) and/or the 10-year (n = 1,216) follow-up were divided into three weight change classes (weight loss >30%, 20–30%, or ≤20%), and by surgical method (banding, VBG, or GBP). Glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR changes were analyzed in relation to weight change over 2 and 10 years. Analyses were performed in the full cohort and also in subgroups based on baseline glucose status.

RESULTS

Within weight change classes, reductions in glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR were similar in the three surgery groups both at 2 and at 10 years. Reductions in glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR increased with increasing weight loss, and changes were typically related to weight change within each surgery group. Moreover, the association between weight change and change in glucose, insulin, or HOMA-IR did not differ between the surgery groups at 2 and 10 years. When patients were subdivided also by baseline glucose status, similar relationships between weight changes and changes in glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Even though weight loss–independent effects are important for short-term diabetes remission, our results suggest that degree of weight loss is more important for long-term reductions in fasting insulin and glucose than choice of bariatric surgery procedure.
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) demographics in the Gulf of Maine from 1998 to 2012
Authors:   NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Jech J. Michael , Price Victoria , Chavez-Rosales Samuel , Michaels William
Published: January 2016

Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the Georges Bank, Gulf of Maine, and southern New England regions were sampled from early September into mid-November by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center during their annual randomly-stratified bottom trawl and systematic acoustic/midwater trawl surveys. Atlantic herring were randomly selected for length distributions and systematically subsampled for biological metrics (e.g., weight, age, maturity, and sex). Broad similarities in Atlantic herring biological metrics between midwater and bottom trawl catches suggest both gear types provide comparable sampling of herring demographics in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank regions during autumn. Annual mean lengths and weights and temporal patterns of herring size were consistently similar between gear types. Similarity in age structure between Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine suggest a similar response to intrinsic and extrinsic factors between herring stocks in these regions, but apparent asynchrony in spawning timing suggests some level of independence between these stocks. Overall similarities can mask interesting distinctions such as midwater trawls seem to sample younger, smaller, but heavier fish than do bottom trawls. Sampling of historical spawning sites appears to characterize the biological state of Atlantic herring in the Georges Bank region and could be utilized to design an efficient sampling scheme for Atlantic herring in the Gulf of Maine.
The biology of Benthosema glaciale and Ceratoscopelus maderensis (Myctophidae) in the Slope Sea off Nova Scotia, Canada
Authors:   Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Halliday R.G. , Clark K.J. ,   St. Andrews Biological Station, Themelis D.E. ,   Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Published: January 2016

The myctophid species Benthosema glaciale and Ceratoscopelus maderensis were predominant in the catches of 10 mesopelagic fish surveys conducted in the Slope Sea, south and southeast of Nova Scotia. The area surveyed included both cold northeastern (Labrador Slope Water – LSW) and warm southwestern (Warm Slope Water – WSW) components of this water mass. The sub-polar-temperate species, B. glaciale, was found to be only about 15% as abundant in WSW as in LSW. Nonetheless, it occurred throughout WSW and reproduced there, maturing at a younger age than in LSW. The temperate species, C. maderensis, the predominant myctophid caught in WSW, had a life cycle of 1yr in most cases, but a small proportion lived for a second year and these occurred primarily in LSW. These larger animals matured sexually and contributed to spawning in the LSW/WSW boundary area, but their reproductive contribution elsewhere in LSW and in continental slope waters remains to be established. Both species had diverse diets, the taxonomic compositions of which overlapped substantially.
Demographic Characterization of Anonymous Trace Travel Data
Authors: Auld Joshua , Mohammadian Abolfazl (Kouros) , Oliveira Marcelo Simas , Wolf Jean , Bachman William
Published: January 2016

Research was undertaken to determine whether demographic characteristics of individual travelers could be derived from travel pattern information when no information about the individual was available. This question is relevant in the context of anonymously collected travel information, such as cell phone traces, when used for travel demand modeling. Determining the demographics of a traveler from such data could partially obviate the need for large-scale collection of travel survey data, depending on the purpose for which the data were to be used. This research complements methodologies used to identify activity stops, purposes, and mode types from raw trace data and presumes that such methods exist and are available. The paper documents the development of procedures for taking raw activity streams estimated from GPS trace data and converting these into activity travel pattern characteristics that are then combined with basic land use information and used to estimate various models of demographic characteristics. The work status, education level, age, and license possession of individuals and the presence of children in their households were all estimated successfully with substantial increases in performance versus null model expectations for both training and test data sets. The gender, household size, and number of vehicles proved more difficult to estimate, and performance was lower on the test data set; these aspects indicate overfitting in these models. Overall, the demographic models appear to have potential for characterizing anonymous data streams, which could extend the usability and applicability of such data sources to the travel demand context.
Improved Travel Time Estimation for Reliable Performance Measure Development for Closed Highways
Authors: Yang Hong , Ozbay Kaan , Xie Kun
Published: January 2016

Accurate travel time information not only is valuable for travelers but is critical to transportation agencies for quantifying the performance of their systems. Interest has been increasing in the development of reliable approaches for estimating travel time from various sensor data. Unlike the extensively studied estimation approaches based on point sensor measurements, the use of probe data from closed highway systems has been limited. To complement current understanding, this study developed an approach that used probe data from an electronic toll collection (ETC) system on closed freeways to estimate travel time. This approach differs from studies relying on automatic vehicle identification systems deployed on main lines as well as those estimated from point detectors. The proposed approach breaks down individual journey time into section travel time and fuses the probe data from vehicles that have used the links. The results, which are based on real-world case studies, illustrate the potential of mining ETC data for travel time estimation for both incident-free and incident conditions. In addition, the estimated results capture traffic dynamics better than instantaneous travel time estimates based on point sensor data. More accurate information is thus provided for deriving reliable performance measures to depict travel time reliability.
Shock Wave Boundary Identification Using Cloud-Based Probe Data
Authors: Li Howell , Remias Stephen M. , Day Christopher M. , Mekker Michelle M. , Sturdevant James R. , Bullock Darcy M.
Published: January 2016

An important component of active management of freeways is the systematic identification of recurring and nonrecurring congestion, particularly the location of the shock wave boundary between the two flow regimes. In the past five decades, many publications have described point-based detection models. The emerging widespread availability of true space mean speed data obtained from probe vehicles greatly simplifies the incident detection problem. This paper describes the use of cloud-based crowdsourced probe data for detecting the boundary between uncongested and congested conditions. Time-stamped freeway segment speed data can be retrieved from a cloud source with standard web communication and data protocols on a predetermined time interval. After data retrieval, differences in speeds of adjacent roadway segments are computed for all segments across the state. The calculated differences are called the “delta speeds.” A threshold is then set for the computed delta speeds, and any record that surpasses the threshold triggers a warning via an incident management website to alert traffic management personnel. The delta speed data can also be aggregated over time for strategizing the management of shifting work zones or making capital investment decisions. This study used delta speed values to examine an incident on I-69 in northeast Indianapolis, Indiana. Data within a 5-h period were collected to analyze the dynamics of the back of the queue during reduced capacity caused by incident investigation. In addition, the area of analysis was expanded to 150 mi of I-69 over a 1-month period for finding locations with recurring backs of queues.
Dynamic Traffic Flow Model for Travel Time Estimation
Authors: Yi Ting , Williams Billy M.
Published: January 2016

Travel time, as a fundamental measurement for intelligent transportation systems, is becoming increasingly important. Because of the wide deployment of fixed-point detectors on freeways, if travel time can be accurately estimated from point detector data, the indirect estimation method is cost-effective and widely applicable. This paper presents a modified dynamic traffic flow model for accurately estimating the travel time of freeway links under transition and congestion conditions with fixed-point detector data. The modified estimation model is based on a thorough analysis of the dynamic traffic flow model. The applications and the limitations of the model are analyzed for theory, equation derivation, and modifications. Through a simulation study and real traffic data, the (modified) dynamic models are compared according to performance measurements. A comparison of the estimated results and measurement errors shows the accuracy of the modified dynamic model for estimating the travel times of freeway links under transition and congestion traffic conditions.
Design and Implementation of a Smartphone-Based Travel Survey
Authors: Safi Hamid , Assemi Behrang , Mesbah Mahmoud , Ferreira Luis , Hickman Mark
Published: January 2016

This paper introduces a smartphone-based system for performing personal travel data collection. The Smartphone-Based Individual Travel Survey System (SITSS), is designed to deal with the challenges associated with applying smartphones in real-world travel surveys, including battery depletion, participant involvement, and privacy concerns. A prompted-recall smartphone-based data collection approach was used in the development of SITSS to facilitate the procedure of data collection while improving the accuracy of collected data. The system was used as part of the national household travel survey of New Zealand to investigate the various aspects of performing a national-level travel survey with smartphones. The study confirmed the successful performance of SITSS in a multiday travel survey. Participants found the data collection procedure an interesting experience, and 71% continued their participation beyond the requested data collection interval. Participants found that the procedure of data collection was straightforward—94% could complete the task without any support request. The smartphone application did not interrupt the normal use of the smartphone. The battery-saving algorithms used in the application was satisfactorily extended the battery life. The study addressed other challenges associated with implementing SITSS, including the procedure for labeling trips, respondents' experience with the data collection method, and concerns related to the performance of the smartphone application.
Analyzing Cell Phone Location Data for Urban Travel
Authors: Çolak Serdar , Alexander Lauren P. , Alvim Bernardo G. , Mehndiratta Shomik R. , González Marta C.
Published: January 2016

Travelers today use technology that generates vast amounts of data at low cost. These data could supplement most outputs of regional travel demand models. New analysis tools could change how data and modeling are used in the assessment of travel demand. Recent work has shown how processed origin–destination trips, as developed by trip data providers, support travel analysis. Much less has been reported on how raw data from telecommunication providers can be processed to support such an analysis or to what extent the raw data can be treated to extract travel behavior. This paper discusses how cell phone data can be processed to inform a four-step transportation model, with a focus on the limitations and opportunities of such data. The illustrated data treatment approach uses only phone data and population density to generate trip matrices in two metropolitan areas: Boston, Massachusetts, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. How to label zones as home- and work-based according to frequency and time of day is detailed. By using the labels (home, work, or other) of consecutive stays, one can assign purposes to trips such as home-based work. The resulting trip pairs are expanded for the total population from census data. Comparable results with existing information reported in local surveys in Boston and existing origin–destination matrices in Rio de Janeiro are shown. The results detail a method for use of passively generated cellular data as a low-cost option for transportation planning.
Framework for Automating Travel Activity Inference Using Land Use Data
Authors: Abdulazim Tamer , Abdelgawad Hossam , Habib Khandker M. Nurul , Abdulhai Baher
Published: January 2016

This paper introduces a framework for inferring activity travel given nearby land use information that can be obtained from a location-based social network (LBSN) such as Foursquare. The first component of the framework implements a generic method for acquiring land use data from LBSN services, which is a prerequisite for the inference algorithm. Three inference algorithms are suggested, and situations in which each algorithm might be a better fit are discussed. Finally, a case study is presented for activity inference applied to a data set collected in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area, Ontario, Canada, during the fall of 2012. Results are encouraging and suggest that it is possible to infer daily activity travel automatically; this possibility could significantly reduce the burdens of personal travel surveys and allow for collection of long-period travel diary data that is not easily achievable with traditional survey methods.
Use of Mobile Ticketing Data to Estimate an Origin–Destination Matrix for New York City Ferry Service
Authors: Rahman Subrina , Wong James , Brakewood Candace
Published: January 2016

One of the fundamental components of transit planning is understanding passenger demand, which is commonly represented with origin–destination (O-D) matrices. However, manual collection of detailed O-D information through surveys can be expensive and time-consuming. Moreover, data from automated fare collection systems, such as smart cards, often include only entry information without tracking where passengers exit the transit network. New mobile ticketing systems offer the opportunity to prompt riders about their specific trips when they purchase a ticket, and this information can be used to track O-D patterns during the ticket activation phase. Therefore, the objective of this research is to use back-end mobile ticketing data to generate passenger O-D matrices and compare the outcome with O-D matrices generated with traditional onboard surveys. Iterative proportional fitting was used to create O-D matrices with both mobile ticketing and onboard survey data. These matrices were compared using Euclidean distance calculations. This work was done for the East River Ferry in New York City, and the results show that during peak periods, mobile ticketing data closely match survey data. However, in the off-peak period and during weekends, when travelers are more likely to be noncommuters and tourists, matrices developed from mobile ticketing and survey data have greater differences. The impact of occasional riders making noncommute trips is the likely cause for these differences, because commuters are familiar with using the mobile ticketing product and occasional riders are more likely to use paper tickets on the ferry service.
Welfare Conditions of Donkeys in Europe: Initial Outcomes from On-Farm Assessment
Authors: Dai Francesca , Dalla Costa Emanuela , Murray Leigh , Canali Elisabetta , Minero Michela
Published: January 2016

This paper is a baseline study to present the initial outcomes of data collected in a sample of EU donkey farms using the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for donkeys, comprehensive of 22 valid, reliable and feasible animal-based indicators. A total of 20 donkey facilities (N = 12 in Italy and N = 8 in United Kingdom) were visited and 278 donkeys of different breed, aged 2–45 years, were assessed. Three assessors underwent a common training period to learn how to perform and score all the indicators included in the protocol. Data was collected using digitalized systems and downloaded to a database. A descriptive statistic for each welfare indicator was calculated. The authors found recurrent issues: 25% of donkeys were moderately over weight; although most of the assessed animals had good quality hoof care, 15.16% of them presented some signs of neglect, such as overgrowth and/or incorrect trimming; 18.05% of donkeys showed an avoidance reaction to an approaching human in the avoidance distance test. The protocol has proven to be applicable in different management conditions and for donkeys of different attitude.
Assessment of the Performance of a Ventilated Window Coupled with a Heat Recovery Unit through the Co-Heating Test
Authors: Danza Ludovico , Barozzi Benedetta , Belussi Lorenzo , Meroni Italo , Salamone Francesco
Published: January 2016

The aim of the article is to describe the results of an experimental campaign based on the assessment of a heat recovery unit coupled with a dynamic window. Two fully monitored and calibrated outdoor test cells are used, in order to evaluate the energy performance and the related thermal comfort. The former presents a traditional window with double-glazing, aluminum frame and indoor blind and a centrifugal extractor for the air circulation. The latter is equipped with a dynamic window with ventilated and blinded double-glazing provided with a heat exchanger. The connection of the dynamic window and heat recovery unit provides different actions: heat recovery; heat transfer reduction; pre-heating before the exchanger. Different operating configurations allowed the trends of the dynamic system to be assessed in different seasons in terms of energy saving, thermal comfort behavior and energy efficiency. The results showed an overall lower consumption of the innovative system, both in winter and summer, with 20% and 15% energy saving, respectively. In general, the dynamic system provided the best comfort conditions, even if it involves a worse behavior than expected, in the summer season.
Learning Lessons from Adverse Drug Reactions in Children
Authors: Sammons Helen , Choonara Imti
Published: January 2016

Drug toxicity is, unfortunately, a significant problem in children both in the hospital and in the community. Drug toxicity in children is different to that seen in adults. At least one in 500 children will experience an adverse drug reaction each year. For children in hospital, the risk is far greater (one in ten). Additionally, different and sometimes unique adverse drug reactions are seen in the paediatric age groups. Some of the major cases of drug toxicity historically have occurred in neonates. It is important that we understand the mechanism of action of adverse drug reactions. Greater understanding alongside rational prescribing should hopefully reduce drug toxicity in children in the future.
Exponentiated Gradient Exploration for Active Learning
Authors: Bouneffouf Djallel
Published: January 2016

Active learning strategies respond to the costly labeling task in a supervised classification by selecting the most useful unlabeled examples in training a predictive model. Many conventional active learning algorithms focus on refining the decision boundary, rather than exploring new regions that can be more informative. In this setting, we propose a sequential algorithm named exponentiated gradient (EG)-active that can improve any active learning algorithm by an optimal random exploration. Experimental results show a statistically-significant and appreciable improvement in the performance of our new approach over the existing active feedback methods.
Increment Entropy as a Measure of Complexity for Time Series
Authors: Liu Xiaofeng , Jiang Aimin , Xu Ning , Xue Jianru
Published: January 2016

Entropy has been a common index to quantify the complexity of time series in a variety of fields. Here, we introduce an increment entropy to measure the complexity of time series in which each increment is mapped onto a word of two letters, one corresponding to the sign and the other corresponding to the magnitude. Increment entropy (IncrEn) is defined as the Shannon entropy of the words. Simulations on synthetic data and tests on epileptic electroencephalogram (EEG) signals demonstrate its ability of detecting abrupt changes, regardless of the energetic (e.g., spikes or bursts) or structural changes. The computation of IncrEn does not make any assumption on time series, and it can be applicable to arbitrary real-world data.
Scientometrics of Forest Health and Tree Diseases: An Overview
Authors: Pautasso Marco
Published: January 2016

Maintaining forest health is a worldwide challenge due to emerging tree diseases, shifts in climate conditions and other global change stressors. Research on forest health is thus accumulating rapidly, but there has been little use of scientometric approaches in forest pathology and dendrology. Scientometrics is the quantitative study of trends in the scientific literature. As with all tools, scientometrics needs to be used carefully (e.g., by checking findings in multiple databases) and its results must be interpreted with caution. In this overview, we provide some examples of studies of patterns in the scientific literature related to forest health and tree pathogens. Whilst research on ash dieback has increased rapidly over the last years, papers mentioning the Waldsterben have become rare in the literature. As with human health and diseases, but in contrast to plant health and diseases, there are consistently more publications mentioning “tree health” than “tree disease,” possibly a consequence of the often holistic nature of forest pathology. Scientometric tools can help balance research attention towards understudied emerging risks to forest trees, as well as identify temporal trends in public interest in forests and their health.
Carbon Fiber Biocompatibility for Implants
Authors: Petersen Richard
Published: January 2016

Carbon fibers have multiple potential advantages in developing high-strength biomaterials with a density close to bone for better stress transfer and electrical properties that enhance tissue formation. As a breakthrough example in biomaterials, a 1.5 mm diameter bisphenol-epoxy/carbon-fiber-reinforced composite rod was compared for two weeks in a rat tibia model with a similar 1.5 mm diameter titanium-6-4 alloy screw manufactured to retain bone implants. Results showed that carbon-fiber-reinforced composite stimulated osseointegration inside the tibia bone marrow measured as percent bone area (PBA) to a great extent when compared to the titanium-6-4 alloy at statistically significant levels. PBA increased significantly with the carbon-fiber composite over the titanium-6-4 alloy for distances from the implant surfaces of 0.1 mm at 77.7% vs. 19.3% (p < 10−8) and 0.8 mm at 41.6% vs. 19.5% (p < 10−4), respectively. The review focuses on carbon fiber properties that increased PBA for enhanced implant osseointegration. Carbon fibers acting as polymer coated electrically conducting micro-biocircuits appear to provide a biocompatible semi-antioxidant property to remove damaging electron free radicals from the surrounding implant surface. Further, carbon fibers by removing excess electrons produced from the cellular mitochondrial electron transport chain during periods of hypoxia perhaps stimulate bone cell recruitment by free-radical chemotactic influences. In addition, well-studied bioorganic cell actin carbon fiber growth would appear to interface in close contact with the carbon-fiber-reinforced composite implant. Resulting subsequent actin carbon fiber/implant carbon fiber contacts then could help in discharging the electron biological overloads through electrochemical gradients to lower negative charges and lower concentration.
Preliminary Validation of a Questionnaire Covering Risk Factors for Impaired Driving Skills in Elderly Patients
Authors: Schulz Philipp , Spannhorst Stefan , Beblo Thomas , Thomas Christine , Kreisel Stefan , Driessen Martin , Toepper Max
Published: January 2016

Due to rather unspecific statutory regulations in Germany, particularly for patients with neurodegenerative disorders, many seniors still drive despite severe driving-related cognitive deficits. An accurate assessment of driving fitness requires immense financial, personnel and temporal resources which go beyond daily clinical routines. In cooperation with a working group from Switzerland, we therefore developed the questionnaire Safety Advice For Elderly drivers (SAFE), an economic instrument covering different risk factors for driving safety. The main aim of the current work was a first validation of the SAFE. Twenty-two driving seniors performed the Corporal A, a test battery permitted by law to assess driving-related cognitive functions. Based upon the Corporal results and the percentile rank 16 criterion, participants were divided into cognitively impaired and unimpaired drivers. Moreover, participants were assessed using the SAFE and an extensive neuropsychological test battery. The results revealed high sensitivity and specifity scores for the SAFE suggesting that the SAFE may be a valuable and economical instrument to quantify and document individual risk factors for driving safety and to differentiate between impaired and unimpaired drivers. Notably, the results must be replicated in future studies including a larger sample, different clinical subgroups, and a practical driving lesson.
Hereditary Cancer: Example of a Public Health Approach to Ensure Population Health Benefits of Genetic Medicine
Authors: Cragun Deborah , Lewis Courtney , Camperlengo Lucia , Pal Tuya
Published: January 2016

This article introduces the identification, prevention, and treatment of hereditary cancer as an important public health concern. Hereditary cancer research and educational outreach activities are used to illustrate how public health functions can help to achieve health benefits of genetic and genomic medicine. First, we evaluate genetic service delivery through triangulating patient and provider survey results which reveal variability among providers in hereditary cancer knowledge and genetic service provision. Second, we describe efforts we have made to assure competency among healthcare providers and to inform, educate and empower patients with regard to the rapidly evolving field of genomics and hereditary cancer. Lastly, key policy-issues raised by our experiences are discussed in the context of how they may help us to more effectively translate future genomic technologies into practice in order to attain population health benefits from genetic and genomic medicine.
Building a Biopsychosocial Conceptual Framework to Explore Pressure Ulcer Pain for Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Kim Junglyun , Ahn Hyochol , Lyon Debra , Stechmiller Joyce
Published: January 2016

Although pressure ulcers are a prevalent condition, pain associated with pressure ulcers is not fully understood. Indeed, previous studies do not shed light on the association between pressure ulcer stages and the experience of pain. Especially, pain characteristics of suspected deep tissue injury, which is a new category that was recently added by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, are yet unknown. This is concerning because the incidence of pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients has increased exponentially over the last two decades, and health care providers are struggling to ensure providing adequate care. Thus, in order to facilitate the development of effective interventions, this paper presents a conceptual framework to explore pressure ulcer pain in hospitalized patients. The concepts were derived from a biopsychosocial model of pain, and the relationships among each concept were identified through a literature review. Major propositions are presented based on the proposed conceptual framework, which integrates previous research on pressure ulcer pain, to ultimately improve understanding of pain in hospitalized patients with pressure ulcers.
Unemployment Rate, Smoking in China: Are They Related?
Authors: Wang Qing , Shen Jay , Cochran Chris
Published: January 2016

Background: Studies on the relationship between unemployment rate and smoking have yielded mixed results. The issue in China has not been studied. This study aims to examine the influence of unemployment rate on smoking in China. Methods: Logit model and two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation were used to estimate the effects. Estimations were done for 4585 individual over 45 using data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study conducted in Zhejiang and Gansu provinces in 2008 and 2012. Results: A percent increase in the unemployment rate resulted in the increase in the likelihood of smoking by a combined 9.1 percent for those who smoked including a 2.9% increase for those who smoked 1–10 cigarettes per day; a 2.8% increase for those who smoked 11–20 cigarettes per day; and a 3.4% increase for those who smoked 20 cigarettes or more per day. The effects were stronger for those who were employed. Non-drinkers were more likely to engage in smoking with increased unemployment rate. 2SLS estimation revealed the same association. Conclusions: The unemployment rate was positively associated with smoking behavior. Smoking control and intervention strategies should focus on both the individual′s characteristics and the physical environment in which unemployment rate tend to rise.
MiRNA-Target Interaction Reveals Cell-Specific Post-Transcriptional Regulation in Mammalian Cell Lines
Authors: Kulkarni Varun , Naqvi Afsar , Uttamani Juhi , Nares Salvador
Published: January 2016

MicroRNAs are 18–22 nucleotides long, non-coding RNAs that bind transcripts with complementary sequences leading to either mRNA degradation or translational suppression. However, the inherent differences in preferred mode of miRNA regulation among cells of different origin have not been examined. In our previous transcriptome profiling studies, we observed that post-transcriptional regulation can differ substantially depending on the cell in context. Here we examined mechanistic differences in the regulation of a let-7a targeted (wild type) or resistant (mutant) engineered renilla transcript across various mammalian cell lines of diverse origin. Dual luciferase assays show that compared to mutant (mut), the reporter gene containing wild type (wt) let-7a binding sites was efficiently suppressed upon transfection in various cell lines. Importantly, the strength of miRNA regulation varied across the cell lines. Total RNA analysis demonstrates that wt renilla mRNA was expressed to similar or higher levels compared to mut suggesting that translation repression is a predominant mode of miRNA regulation. Nonetheless, transcript degradation was observed in some cell lines. Ago-2 immunoprecipitation show that miRNA repressed renilla mRNA are associated with functional mi-RISC (miRNA-RNA induced silencing complex). Given the immense potential of miRNA as a therapeutic option, these findings highlight the necessity to thoroughly examine the mode of mRNA regulation in order to achieve the beneficial effects in targeting cells.
NLRP3 Upregulation in Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Wang Yujuan , Hanus Jakub , Abu-Asab Mones , Shen Defen , Ogilvy Alexander , Ou Jingxing , Chu Xi , Shi Guangpu , Li Wei , Wang Shusheng , Chan Chi-Chao
Published: January 2016

Inflammation and oxidative stress are involved in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and possibly associated with an activation of neuronal apoptosis inhibitor protein/class II transcription activator of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)/heterokaryon incompatibility/telomerase-associated protein 1, leucine-rich repeat or nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat-containing family, and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. In the present study, we used a translational approach to address this hypothesis. In patients with AMD, we observed increased mRNA levels of NLRP3, pro-interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and pro-IL-18 in AMD lesions of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor. In vitro, a similar increase was evoked by oxidative stress or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in the adult retinal pigment epithelium (ARPE-19) cell line, and the increase was reduced in siRNA transfected cells to knockdown NLRP3. Ultrastructural studies of ARPE-19 cells showed a swelling of the cytoplasm, mitochondrial damage, and occurrence of autophagosome-like structures. NLRP3 positive dots were detected within autophagosome-like structures or in the extracellular space. Next, we used a mouse model of AMD, Ccl2/Cx3cr1 double knockout on rd8 background (DKO rd8) to ascertain the in vivo relevance. Ultrastructural studies of the RPE of these mice showed damaged mitochondria, autophagosome-like structures, and cytoplasmic vacuoles, which are reminiscent of the pathology seen in stressed ARPE-19 cells. The data suggest that the NLRP3 inflammasome may contribute in AMD pathogenesis.
The Roles of RNase-L in Antimicrobial Immunity and the Cytoskeleton-Associated Innate Response
Authors: Ezelle Heather , Malathi Krishnamurthy , Hassel Bret
Published: January 2016

The interferon (IFN)-regulated endoribonuclease RNase-L is involved in multiple aspects of the antimicrobial innate immune response. It is the terminal component of an RNA cleavage pathway in which dsRNA induces the production of RNase-L-activating 2-5A by the 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase. The active nuclease then cleaves ssRNAs, both cellular and viral, leading to downregulation of their expression and the generation of small RNAs capable of activating retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I)-like receptors or the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. This leads to IFNβ expression and IL-1β activation respectively, in addition to broader effects on immune cell function. RNase-L is also one of a growing number of innate immune components that interact with the cell cytoskeleton. It can bind to several cytoskeletal proteins, including filamin A, an actin-binding protein that collaborates with RNase-L to maintain the cellular barrier to viral entry. This antiviral activity is independent of catalytic function, a unique mechanism for RNase-L. We also describe here the interaction of RNase-L with the E3 ubiquitin ligase and scaffolding protein, ligand of nump protein X (LNX), a regulator of tight junction proteins. In order to better understand the significance and context of these novel binding partners in the antimicrobial response, other innate immune protein interactions with the cytoskeleton are also discussed.
Antiproliferative Activity of Double Point Modified Analogs of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D2 Against Human Malignant Melanoma Cell Lines
Authors: Piotrowska Anna , Wierzbicka Justyna , Nadkarni Sharmin , Brown Geoffrey , Kutner Andrzej , Żmijewski Michał
Published: January 2016

Vitamin D is a lipid soluble steroid hormone with pleiotropic biological properties, including regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. As to these desirable anticancer actions, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamins D and analogs have been reported to inhibit the proliferation and to induce differentiation of a wide variety of cancer cell types, including human malignant melanoma. However, there is a need for novel and more efficacious vitamin D analogs, and how best to design such is still an open issue. A series of double point modified (DPM) analogs of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D2 (1,25(OH)2D2) induced differentiation of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) positive A375 and VDR negative SK-MEL 188b human malignant melanoma cell lines. Surprisingly, the dose of 1,25(OH)2D2 required to inhibit the proliferation of the A375 melanoma cell line by was several fold lower than that required in the case of 1,25(OH)2D3. To evaluate the impact of the modification in the side chain (additional 22-hydroxyl) and in the A-ring (5,6-trans modification), the regular side-chain of vitamin D2 or D3 was retained in the structure of our analogs. As expected, 5,6-trans modification was advantageous to enhancing the anti-proliferative activity of analogs, but not as a single point modification (SPM). Very unexpectedly, the additional 22-hydroxyl in the side-chain reduced significantly the anti-proliferative activity of both the natural and 5,6-trans series analogs. Finally, an induction of pigmentation in melanoma SK-MEL 188b cells was observed to sensitized cells to the effect of vitamin D analogs.
Revealing the Effects of Missense Mutations Causing Snyder-Robinson Syndrome on the Stability and Dimerization of Spermine Synthase
Authors: Peng Yunhui , Norris Joy , Schwartz Charles , Alexov Emil
Published: January 2016

Missense mutations in spermine synthase (SpmSyn) protein have been shown to cause the Snyder-Robinson syndrome (SRS). Depending on the location within the structure of SpmSyn and type of amino acid substitution, different mechanisms resulting in SRS were proposed. Here we focus on naturally occurring amino acid substitutions causing SRS, which are situated away from the active center of SpmSyn and thus are not directly involved in the catalysis. Two of the mutations, M35R and P112L, are reported for the first time in this study. It is demonstrated, both experimentally and computationally, that for such mutations the major effect resulting in dysfunctional SpmSyn is the destabilization of the protein. In vitro experiments indicated either no presence or very little amount of the mutant SpmSyn in patient cells. In silico modeling predicted that all studied mutations in this work destabilize SpmSyn and some of them abolish homo-dimer formation. Since dimerization and structural stability are equally important for the wild type function of SpmSyn, it is proposed that the SRS caused by mutations occurring in the N-domain of SpmSyn is a result of dysfunctional mutant proteins being partially unfolded and degraded by the proteomic machinery of the cell or being unable to form a homo-dimer.
Tuning of Hula-Hoop Coordination Geometry in a Dy Dimer
Authors: Peng Yan , Mereacre Valeriu , Anson Christopher , Powell Annie
Published: January 2016

The reaction of DyCl3 with hydrazone Schiff base ligands and sodium acetate in the presence of triethylamine (Et3N) as base affords two dysprosium dimers: [Dy2(HL1)2(OAc)2(EtOH)(MeOH)] (1) and [Dy2(L2)2(OAc)2(H2O)2]·2MeOH (2). The DyIII ions in complexes 1 and 2 are linked by alkoxo bridges, and display “hula hoop” coordination geometries. Consequently, these two compounds show distinct magnetic properties. Complex 1 behaves as a field-induced single molecule magnet (SMM), while typical SMM behavior was observed for complex 2. In addition, comparison of the structural parameters among similar Dy2 SMMs with hula hoop-like geometry reveals the significant role played by coordination geometry and magnetic interaction in modulating the relaxation dynamics of SMMs.
Pediatric Invasive Candidiasis: Epidemiology and Diagnosis in Children
Authors: Steinbach William
Published: January 2016

Pediatric patients present with differing underlying conditions and cytotoxic therapeutic protocols, so the differing epidemiology of invasive candidiasis in children versus adults is not surprising. Understanding the Candida species epidemiology is critical, as we often begin empiric therapy or therapy before antifungal susceptibilities are known. Reports with newer molecular diagnostic assays for invasive candidiasis are rare and require more study to develop firm pediatric-specific guidance. Antifungal treatment of pediatric candidiasis is reviewed in the context of larger epidemiologic studies and the few trials completed to date.
A Critical Evaluation of the Influence of the Dark Exchange Current on the Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: García-Rodríguez Rodrigo , Villanueva-Cab Julio , Anta Juan , Oskam Gerko
Published: January 2016

The influence of the thickness of the nanostructured, mesoporous TiO2 film on several parameters determining the performance of a dye-sensitized solar cell is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. We pay special attention to the effect of the exchange current density in the dark, and we compare the values obtained by steady state measurements with values extracted from small perturbation techniques. We also evaluate the influence of exchange current density, the solar cell ideality factor, and the effective absorption coefficient of the cell on the optimal film thickness. The results show that the exchange current density in the dark is proportional to the TiO2 film thickness, however, the effective absorption coefficient is the parameter that ultimately defines the ideal thickness. We illustrate the importance of the exchange current density in the dark on the determination of the current–voltage characteristics and we show how an important improvement of the cell performance can be achieved by decreasing values of the total series resistance and the exchange current density in the dark.