bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the relation between corporate reporting and corporate governance effectiveness
Authors: Kachouri Maali , Jarboui Anis
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between corporate governance effectiveness and information transparency. Hence, this paper seeks to extend prior information transparency research.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a sample of 28 non-financial listed Tunisian companies and covers an eight-year period from 2006 to 2013. To test the hypotheses of this research, a simultaneous equation system model was applied.

Findings

The results obtained show that, for the Tunisians companies, corporate governance practices have a significant positive effect on information transparency. The current study also provides evidence that pertinent information can improve corporate governance index.

Research limitations/implications

The findings may be of interest to the academic researchers, practitioners and regulators who are interested in discovering the quality of corporate governance practices in Tunisian context.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can help Tunisian regulators in creating corporate governance disclosure requirements. The findings also provide the African business community insights concerning the quality of corporate governance and of corporate reporting.

Social implications

This research helps also to inform regulators about the benefits of disclosure more information to investors and to the firm. For instance, how the information can be a source of transparency and stability in the firms what and favors the social environment of the firms.

Originality/value

This paper extends the existing literature by examining the causal relationship between corporate governance and information transparency.
Practical application of anti-money laundering requirements in Bangladesh
Authors: Ahmed Syed Alamin
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an insight into anti-money laundering (AML) regulations in light of the global AML framework. Specific analysis is drawn using a case study of Bangladesh – the national financial culture within the country is carefully examined to establish the extent to which it is conducive to adopting such frameworks. Particular focus is placed on customer due diligence requirements, and the unique challenges posed by alternative remittance systems. The paper evaluates the impact of globalisation as well as the correlation between developments based on resources available to the respective state.

Design/methodology/approach

The research has primarily been conducted through the usage of relevant websites (reports compiled by national and international agencies) and journal articles in electronic format. References have been made to studies and works carried out by authors on the global AML framework.

Findings

The internal structural development of Bangladesh must be enhanced and the various social and economic issues must be overcome before a practical AML framework can be successfully implemented.

Research limitations/implications

The lack of published works on AML in Bangladesh is a shortcoming, and more work on this subject is encouraged. The absence of specific AML reports on Bangladesh has resulted in some informed assumptions based on other developing countries.

Practical implications

The research provides a deep insight into the global AML framework, how it can be applied to developing countries like Bangladesh and the drawbacks of implementing a universal framework domestically.

Originality/value

The study provides an innovative analysis, examining aspects of AML regulation in Bangladesh which have not previously been effectively studied.
Compliance landscape in central and eastern Europe – the case of Hungary
Authors: Kovács Levente , David Sandor
Published: August 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how the understanding of the concept of compliance as its own risk category and the role of compliance as a separate internal banking function developed during the central and eastern European (CEE) region’s restoration of the banking systems, both parallel to and as a part of their transition process from their centrally planned economies to market economies, with special focus on the case of Hungary.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses the transition within CEE and the reconstruction of their banking systems, including that of money and the capital market and the law-abidingness of the banking sector, the role of its reputation, compliance and customer relationships, compliance after 2005, the Bank of International Settlement principles and their implementation, a Hungarian compliance survey conducted in 2009 and future challenges in the field of compliance.

Findings

There is still not a globally or continentally accepted “best” practice in the field of compliance. It is under these circumstances that banking systems must face the challenges of this new epoch of increasing migration and cybercrime.

Originality/value

This paper presents the development of compliance in CEE, with special focus on Hungary. The article was written by employees of the Hungarian Banking Association, put together with the help of the vast experience they gained throughout their careers in the banking sector.
From preparedness to risk: from the singular risk of nuclear war to the plurality of all hazards
Authors: Deville Joe , Guggenheim Michael
Published: August 2017

Debates on risk have largely assumed risk to be the outcome of calculative practices. There is a related assumption that risk objects come only in one form, and that the reason not everything can be transformed into a risk is because of the difficulties in calculating and creating universal quantitative comparisons. In this article, building on recent studies of preparedness that have broadened understandings of risk, we provide an analysis of how preparedness measures might themselves produce risk, in particular through risk's durable instantiation, or what we call ‘concretization’. Our empirical focus is on how government agencies in two countries shifted their attention from the risk of nuclear attack during the Cold War to an all hazards approach to preparedness. Comparing the mid‐ to late‐twentieth century histories of the UK and Switzerland, we show that both countries shifted from focusing from a single risk to plural risks. This shift cannot be explained by a change in prevailing calculative practices, or by the fact that the risks changed historically. Instead, it is driven by historically specific changes in how risks are produced and reproduced in relation to how materializations of risk operate over time.
A Study on the Estimation of Postmortem Interval Based on Environmental Temperature and Concentrations of Substance in Vitreous Humor
Authors: Yang Mingzhen , Li Huijun , Yang Tiantong , Ding Zijiao , Wu Shifan , Qiu Xingang , Liu Qian
Published: August 2017

A method to determine postmortem interval (PMI) based on environmental temperature and the concentrations of vitreous humor (VH) molecules were explored. Rabbit carcasses were placed in a chamber at 5, 15, 25, or 35°C, and 80–100 μL ofVHwas collected with the double‐eye alternating micro‐sampling method every 12 h. A RocheDPPIbiochemical analyzer was used to measure the concentrations of six substances inVHsamples. The interpolation function model and mixed‐effect model were employed for data fitting to establish equations forPMIestimation. The concentrations of K+, P, Mg2+, creatinine (CRE), and urea nitrogen (UN) exhibited an upward trend with increasingPMIin all temperature groups, while the concentration of Ca2+showed a downward trend. Validation results using K+and Mg2+ions revealed that the mixed‐effect model provided a better estimation than the interpolation function model using the data from our experiment. However, both models were able to estimatePMIusing temperature andVHmolecule concentrations.
Health promotion in Fiji: Is it feasible in the emergency department?
Authors: Creaton Anne , Holt Jackie
Published: August 2017

Objectives

Complications of diabetes, hypertension and asthma are commonly seen in EDs in Fiji. Time spent in the ED offers an opportunity for health promotion activities. The aim of the intervention was to provide information on diabetes, hypertension and asthma to patients in the ED. The aim of the project was to determine whether such an intervention could be implemented using public health students. The aim of this paper is to document the experiences of those who delivered and supervised the intervention.

Methods

This pilot project took place in the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Suva, in August–October 2015. Patient suitability was assessed by the supervising emergency physician. Patients were invited to receive a 10‐min information session relating to asthma, hypertension or diabetes. Once the project had concluded, the students and supervisor were given a questionnaire, requiring them to reflect on their experiences of the project. Data was analysed using an inductive approach with thematic content analysis.

Results

Students required intensive coaching to gain the skills and confidence to deliver the intervention. The intervention was well received by patients, whose knowledge of hypertension, diabetes and asthma was poor.

Conclusion

Health literacy among patients in Fiji is low and measures to address this must be taken. Intensive training and supervision is required for public health students to be able to deliver such activities in the ED setting.
Packaging conditions for the field release of the fruit fly parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
Authors: Cancino Jorge , López‐Arriaga Florida , Montoya Pablo
Published: August 2017

The effects of adult density, hypoxia conditions, temperature and photoperiod on the emergence, mating, flight ability, survival and fecundity of adult Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) were evaluated when insects were packaged in a 20 l cylindrical container for field release. Survival was the only parameter that was significantly affected by density and hypoxia. Emergence and fecundity were noticeably delayed with decreased temperature, although survival increased. Mating depended mainly on temperature, but photoperiod was not a determinant; however, the presence of light significantly increased fecundity and flight ability of adults. Adult emergence averaged 60%, but in high packaging densities a greater incidence of damage to antennae occurred, likely because of mating behaviours in overcrowded conditions. The information generated by this study is useful for the field release of higher quality parasitoid adults in projects intended to utilise augmentative biological control to suppress fruit fly pest populations.
Epidemiology of head and neck cancer in Thailand
Authors: Tangjaturonrasme Napadon , Vatanasapt Patravoot , Bychkov Andrey
Published: August 2017

Cancer is the most common cause of death in Thailand, with the mortality almost doubled during 1998–2011 (from 48.4 to 95.2 per 100 000). The estimated number of new cancer cases in 2011 was 112 392. Our review provides baseline data on the current epidemiological situation with head and neck (HN) cancer in Thailand based on reports of the National Cancer Registry and findings from local and international publications. Collectively, HN cancer approaches age‐standardized rate (ASR) incidence of 15.7 and 10.7 per 100 000 males and females, respectively, and is ranked among the top five dominant cancers in Thailand. The leading HN malignancies in men are oral (ASR incidence 4.6 per 100 000), nasopharyngeal (ASR 2.8) and laryngeal (ASR 2.7) cancers, while the most common cancers in women are thyroid (ASR 5.1) and oral (ASR 3.2) carcinomas. Some local habits (betel quid chewing, traditional cigarette smoking and alcohol intake) are associated with the high incidence of oral cancer in Northeast Thailand. Despite important prognostic significance, the role of human papillomavirus infection in various HN cancers from Thailand has been scarcely addressed. There is a growing incidence of thyroid cancer over the last two decades. The Thai population overall, compared to worldwide rates of HN malignancies, has a lower incidence of laryngeal and thyroid cancers but higher incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer.
Mediterranean Struggles for Movement and the European Government of Bodies: An Interview with Étienne Balibar and Nicholas De Genova
Authors: Garelli Glenda , Sciurba Alessandra , Tazzioli Martina
Published: August 2017

The conversation between Étienne Balibar and Nicholas De Genova engages with the Mediterranean of migration as a multifaceted, productive, and contested space, which can represent a counterpoint to a deep‐rooted Eurocentric imaginary. Looking at the Mediterranean as a space produced by the mobility of the bodies crossing it and by the combination of different struggles, Balibar and De Genova comment on some of the political movements that have taken center stage in the Mediterranean region in the past few years and suggest that the most important challenge today is to mobilize a “Mediterranean point of view” whereby the political borders of Europe and its self‐centered referentiality can be challenged.
A new application of change point analysis reveals extensive edge effects on a temperate mixed forest
Authors: Michels Kristin K. , Hotchkiss Sara C. , Jonaitis Erin , Thurman Andrew L.
Published: August 2017

Questions

How do landscape changes along edges of protected areas affect forest interiors and stand development? What are the locations, spatial extents and magnitudes of these effects?

Location

The 8500‐ha Sylvania Wilderness Area, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, USA.

Methods

We conducted vegetation surveys in 202 plots in ten transects crossing the Sylvania Wilderness border in 2013 and 2014. We recorded characteristics of forest structure, trees, shrubs, saplings, seedlings and herbaceous species. We constructed GLMM to estimate the location, spatial extent and magnitude of change of edge effects on Sylvania with a range of possible edge effect locations and widths of effect. We selected best‐fit models that minimized the AIC and applied likelihood ratio tests to assess the statistical significance of each edge effect.

Results

Overall, evidence of edge effects occurred up to 625 m into the Sylvania Wilderness, with most significant changes occurring within 400 m of the wilderness border. Wide zones of change occurred across the wilderness border, while zones of change farther from the edge tended to be narrower, suggesting that distinct environments are established beyond the transitional habitats surrounding the border region. Canopy‐level and understorey‐level variables exhibited the largest magnitudes and steepest gradients of change, indicating these communities are strongly influenced by edge effects in this forest system. Canopy‐level heterogeneity also increased approaching the internal core area of Sylvania.

Conclusions

In this case study, we applied a linear change point model and found a minimum buffer zone of 400 m to mitigate edge effects in an old‐growth temperate mixed forest. Regionally, land managers could implement this buffer to existing edges of protected areas or negotiate this buffer zone in land acquisitions. A more stringent buffer zone of 625 m internal and 250 m external to old‐growth forests would be ideal. This application of change point analysis provides a simple, efficient method to establish effective buffer zones and to identify functional groups or ecosystem attributes for which edge effects are of greatest conservation concern. We recommend modifying our open‐source change point package to estimate local edge effects that take into account regional characteristics.
The discovery of new and more potent chloropyramine (C4) analogues for the potential treatment of invasive breast cancer
Authors: Kandil Sahar , Prencipe Filippo , Jones Samuel , Hiscox Stephen , Westwell Andrew D.
Published: August 2017

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 25% of all female cancers. Although the survival rate has increased significantly in the past few decades, patients who develop secondary site metastasis as well as those diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer still represent a real unmet medical challenge. Previous studies have shown that chloropyramine (C4) inhibits FAK‐VEGFR3 signalling. More recently, C4 is reported to have SASH1 inducing properties. However, C4 exerts its antitumour and antiangiogenic effects at high micromolar concentrations (>100 μm) that would not be compatible with further drug development against invasive breast cancer driven by FAK signalling. In this study, molecular modelling guided structural modifications have been introduced to the chloropyramine C4 scaffold to improve its activity in breast cancer cell lines. Seventeen compounds were designed and synthesized, and their antiproliferative activity was evaluated against three human breast cancer lines (MDA‐MB‐231, BT474 and T47D). Compound 5c was identified to display an average activity of IC50 = 23.5–31.3 μm, which represents a significant improvement of C4 activity in the same assay model. Molecular modelling and pharmacokinetic studies provided more promising insights into the mechanistic features of this new series.
Assessing the ideal microwave duration for disinfection of sinus irrigation bottles—A quantitative study
Authors: Nikolaou E. , Mitsi E. , Ferreira D.M. , Bartolo A. , Leong S.C.
Published: August 2017

Objectives

Saline irrigation of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses has a recognised role in the management of chronic rhinosinusitis. However, bacterial recontamination of irrigation bottles through backflow from the sinonasal cavity is a concern in recurrent sinus cavity infections. While patients are encouraged to clean the irrigation bottles regularly, there remains significant concern that the use of contaminated bottles may perpetuate chronic rhinosinusitis. This study assesses the optimal microwave duration to achieve decontamination for each irrigation bottle component part (reservoir, tube and nozzle) using a standard, commercially available microwave. In addition, the irrigation fluid was also tested for contamination after each microwave cycle.

Study Design

Laboratory‐based experimental study.

Participants

No patients were involved in this study.

Main outcome measures

The percentage in vitro decontamination of the bottles’ components was determined following 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 seconds of microwave cycles.

Results

Complete decontamination of the bottles was not achieved at any of the tested microwave cycles. Levels of decontamination differed for the different bottle components, and the greatest degree of decontamination for all bottle components occurred at 90 seconds. Although higher levels of decontamination were observed at microwave durations exceeding 90 seconds, this was at the expense of thermal degradation and deformation of the reservoir plastic component of the irrigation bottle. Similarly, lowest contamination of irrigation fluid was observed at 120 seconds.

Conclusions

This study highlights the importance of establishing precise decontamination procedures and recommends a microwave cycle of 90 seconds for optimal decontamination.
Evaluation of the homogenization properties of masterbatches
Authors: Zsíros László , Török Dániel , Kovács József Gábor
Published: August 2017

Appearance is a very important property for many different products, therefore it is important to investigate what types of parameters and processing conditions influence their appearance. The proper investigation of this property requires a reliable and repeatable measurement method. Recently, a novel evaluation method has been developed to evaluate the colour inhomogeneity of injection molded specimens. In this study, this novel inhomogeneity evaluation method was used to compare the homogenization properties of different masterbatches. It was shown using this technique that the homogenization properties of different masterbatch recipes can be evaluated and developed. The results of this method were validated by a group of trained technicians and their results were correlated with the inhomogeneity levels derived from the new method.
A review of inflammatory idiopathic myopathy focusing on polymyositis
Authors: Clark K. E. N. , Isenberg D. A.
Published: August 2017

Inflammatory idiopathic myopathies are a group of autoimmune diseases affecting predominantly the proximal skeletal muscles, with raised muscle enzymes, with or without skin involvement and extramuscular organ involvement. Autoantibodies help to characterize patients into different clinical phenotypes. Successful treatment necessitates controlling inflammation early with corticosteroids and invariably requires additional immunosuppressive therapy. This review focuses on the aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, investigations and management of patients presenting with inflammatory idiopathic myopathies, predominantly focusing on polymyositis and antisynthetase syndrome.
MicroRNA and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: Whole miRNome profiling of human hippocampus
Authors: Bencurova Petra , Baloun Jiri , Musilova Katerina , Radova Lenka , Tichy Boris , Pail Martin , Zeman Martin , Brichtova Eva , Hermanova Marketa , Pospisilova Sarka , Mraz Marek , Brazdil Milan
Published: August 2017

Objective

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is a severe neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. mTLE is frequently accompanied by neurodegeneration in the hippocampus resulting in hippocampal sclerosis (HS), the most common morphological correlate of drug resistance in mTLE patients. Incomplete knowledge of pathological changes in mTLE+HS complicates its therapy. The pathological mechanism underlying mTLE+HS may involve abnormal gene expression regulation, including posttranscriptional networks involving microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNA expression deregulation has been reported in various disorders, including epilepsy. However, the miRNA profile of mTLE+HS is not completely known and needs to be addressed.

Methods

Here, we have focused on hippocampal miRNA profiling in 33 mTLE+HS patients and nine postmortem controls to reveal abnormally expressed miRNAs. In this study, we significantly reduced technology‐related bias (the most common source of false positivity in miRNA profiling data) by combining two different miRNA profiling methods, namely next generation sequencing and miRNA‐specific quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

These methods combined have identified and validated 20 miRNAs with altered expression in the human epileptic hippocampus; 19 miRNAs were up‐regulated and one down‐regulated in mTLE+HS patients. Nine of these miRNAs have not been previously associated with epilepsy, and 19 aberrantly expressed miRNAs potentially regulate the targets and pathways linked with epilepsy (such as potassium channels, γ‐aminobutyric acid, neurotrophin signaling, and axon guidance).

Significance

This study extends current knowledge of miRNA‐mediated gene expression regulation in mTLE+HS by identifying miRNAs with altered expression in mTLE+HS, including nine novel abnormally expressed miRNAs and their putative targets. These observations further encourage the potential of microRNA‐based biomarkers or therapies.
The European Union Post‐Brexit: Static or Dynamic Adaptation?
Authors: Majone Giandomenico
Published: August 2017

The choice facing the leaders of the European Union, after Brexit, is between a static adaptation, leaving the current approach to integration essentially unchanged, and a dynamic adaptation, which recognises the need for radical changes. Dynamic adaptation requires institutional leadership—something apparently incompatible with the basic principle of the equality of all the Member States. The clearest indication of a deficit of leadership is the failure to define the real purpose of the collective activity. This failure is at the root of Brexit, as may be seen from the explicit rejection of the indefinite goal of ‘ever closer union’ by the British prime minister in November 2015. An alternative approach to European integration finds a good theoretical foundation in Buchanan's theory of clubs. The essential principle of a functional organisation at supranational level is that activities would be selected specifically and organised separately. A strictly functional approach to integration could revive an interest in political union in the form of a confederation. As Tocqueville had clearly understood long ago, the weakness of confederations increases in direct proportion to the extent of their nominal power. What is most important today is to distinguish between the general idea of European integration and one particular implementation of that idea, such as the European Union.
‘Accountable Independence’ of the European Central Bank: Seeing the Logics of Transparency
Authors: Curtin Deirdre
Published: August 2017

The European Central Bank (ECB) emerged from the financial crisis not only as the institutional ‘winner’ but also as the most central—and powerful—supranational institution of our times. This article challenges the so‐called ‘accountable independence’ of the ECB across the range of tasks it carries out. Citizens ‘see’ the ECB today especially for its role in promoting austerity and its involvement as part of the troika and otherwise in the economic decision making of troubled Member States. Far from ECB monetary policy heralding a ‘new democratic model’, the ECB today suffers from a clear deficit in democracy. In between the grandiose concept of ECB ‘independence’ and the more performative ECB ‘accountability’ lies ‘transparency’. Across the range of ECB practices there is a need to take the related concepts of ‘transparency’ and of (democratic) ‘accountability’ more seriously, both in conceptual terms and in their relationship to one another.
Streptococcus pneumoniae surface protein PfbA is a versatile multidomain and multiligand‐binding adhesin employing different binding mechanisms
Authors: Beulin Darwin Selvi Jemima , Radhakrishnan Deepthi , Suresh Sharanya C. , Sadasivan Chittalakottu , Yamaguchi Masaya , Kawabata Shigetada , Ponnuraj Karthe
Published: August 2017

Streptococcus pneumoniae, one of the major human respiratory pathogens, uses its repertoire of surface proteins to adhere to the epithelium of the nasopharynx and lungs leading to colonization. PfbA is a conserved surface protein of S. pneumoniae and helps the bacterium to colonize the host by recognizing the extracellular matrix (ECM) molecule fibronectin, as well as blood proteins like plasminogen and human serum albumin. The crystal structure of rPfbA150–607 revealed it to possess a beta‐helical region similar to those of carbohydrate‐active enzymes as well as a C‐terminal segment that resembles the fibronectin‐binding regions of fibronectin‐binding proteins. To get more insight into the putative carbohydrate‐binding property of PfbA and its binding to various host molecules, we generated three different constructs of PfbA and characterized them by ELISA, isothermal titration calorimetry and bio‐layer interferometry experiments. Importantly, the isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed that PfbA binds to different saccharides. Further, ELISA and bio‐layer interferometry experiments identified that (a) apart from fibronectin and plasminogen, the beta helix of PfbA also binds to other ECM molecules (b) lysines are not responsible for PfbA's binding to plasminogen, (c) in comparison with native fibrinogen, deglycosylated‐fibrinogen exhibits reduced binding affinity towards PfbA implying the importance of sugar molecule‐PfbA interaction and (d) the C‐terminal region of PfbA binds exclusively to the N‐terminal F1 modules of fibronectin. Thus, the results of this study show PfbA to be a versatile multidomain and multiligand‐binding protein employing different binding mechanisms. These results could be useful for structure‐based designing of inhibitors against PfbA.
Do adult mental health services identify child abuse and neglect? A systematic review
Authors: Read John , Harper David , Tucker Ian , Kennedy Angela
Published: August 2017

Child abuse and neglect play a causal role in many mental health problems. Knowing whether users of mental health services were abused or neglected as children could be considered essential for developing comprehensive formulations and effective treatment plans. In the present study we report the findings of a systematic review, using independent searches of three databases designed to discover how often mental health staff find out whether their clients were abused or neglected as children. Twenty‐one relevant studies were identified. Most people who use mental health services are never asked about child abuse or neglect. The majority of cases of child abuse or neglect are not identified by mental health services. Only 28% of abuse or neglect cases identified by researchers are found in the clients’ files: emotional abuse, 44%; physical abuse, 33%; sexual abuse, 30%; emotional neglect, 17%; and physical neglect, 10%. Between 0% and 22% of mental health service users report being asked about child abuse. Men and people diagnosed with psychotic disorders are asked less than other people. Male staff ask less often than female staff. Some improvement over time was found. Policies compelling routine enquiry, training, and trauma‐informed services are required.
Cost‐effective options for the prevention and management of gastrointestinal and liver disease in the Asia–Pacific region
Authors: Roberts‐Thomson Ian C , Lung Thomas
Published: August 2017

The Asia–Pacific region contains more than half of the world's population and is markedly heterogeneous in relation to income levels and the provision of public and private health services. For low‐income countries, the major health priorities are child and maternal health. In contrast, priorities for high‐income countries include vascular disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, and mental health disorders as well as chronic inflammatory disorders such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Cost‐effectiveness analyses are methods for assessing the gains in health relative to the costs of different health interventions. Methods for measuring health outcomes include years of life saved (or lost), quality‐adjusted life years, and disability‐adjusted life years. The incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio measures the cost (usually in US dollars) per life year saved, quality‐adjusted life year gained, or disability‐adjusted life year averted of one intervention relative to another. In low‐income countries, approximately 50% of infant deaths (< 5 years) are caused by gastroenteritis, the major pathogen being rotavirus infection. Rotavirus vaccines appear to be cost‐effective but, thus far, have not been widely adopted. In contrast, infant vaccination for hepatitis B is promoted in most countries with a striking reduction in the prevalence of infection in vaccinated individuals. Cost‐effectiveness analyses have also been applied to newer and more expensive drugs for hepatitis B and C and to government‐sponsored programs for the early detection of hepatocellular, gastric, and colorectal cancer. Most of these studies reveal that newer drugs and surveillance programs for cancer are only marginally cost‐effective in the setting of a high‐income country.
The signals to trigger the initiation of ovule enlargement are from the pollen tubes: The direct evidence
Authors: Zhong Sheng , Zhang Jun , Qu Li‐Jia
Published: August 2017

In angiosperms, initiation of ovule enlargement represents the start of seed development, the molecular mechanism of which is not yet elucidated. It was previously reported that pollen tube contents, rather than double fertilization, can trigger ovule enlargement. However, it remains unclear whether the signal(s) to trigger the initiation of ovule enlargement are from the sperm cells or from the pollen tubes. Recently, we identified a mutant drop1− drop2−, which produces pollen tubes with no sperm cells. Taking advantage of this special genetic material, we conducted pollination assays, and found that the ovules pollinated with drop1− drop2− pollen could initiate the enlargement and exhibited significant enlarged sizes at 36 h after pollination in comparison with those unpollinated ovules. However, the sizes of the ovules pollinated with drop1− drop2− pollen are significantly smaller than those of the ovules pollinated with wild‐type pollen. These results demonstrate that the pollen tube, rather than the sperm cells, release the signal to trigger the initiation of ovule enlargement, and that double fertilization is required for further enlargement of the seeds.
Loss of chloroplast‐localized protein phosphatase 2Cs in Arabidopsis thaliana leads to enhancement of plant immunity and resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris infection
Authors: Akimoto‐Tomiyama Chiharu , Tanabe Shigeru , Kajiwara Hideyuki , Minami Eiichi , Ochiai Hirokazu
Published: August 2017

Protein phosphatases (PPs) counteract kinases in reversible phosphorylation events during numerous signal transduction pathways in eukaryotes. PP2Cs, one of the four major classes of the serine/threonine‐specific PP family, are greatly expanded in plants. Thus, PP2Cs are thought to play a specific role in signal transduction pathways. Some rice PP2Cs classified in subgroup K are responsive to infection by the compatible Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, the causal agent of bacterial blight. In Arabidopsis thaliana, orthologous PP2C genes (AtPP2C62 and AtPP2C26) classified to subgroup K are also responsive to Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc, causal agent of black rot) infection. To elucidate the function of these subgroup K PP2Cs, atpp2c62‐ and atpp2c26‐deficient A. thaliana mutants were characterized. A double mutant plant which was inoculated with a compatible Xcc showed reduced lesion development, as well as the suppression of bacterial multiplication. AtPP2C62 and AtPP2C26 localized to the chloroplast. Furthermore, the photosynthesis‐related protein, chaperonin‐60, was indicated as the potential candidate for the dephosphorylated substrate catalysed by AtPP2C62 and AtPP2C26 using two‐dimensional isoelectric focusing sodium dodecylsulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D‐IDF‐SDS‐PAGE). Taken together, AtPP2C62 and AtPP2C26 are suggested to be involved in both photosynthesis and suppression of the plant immune system. These results imply the occurrence of crosstalk between photosynthesis and the plant defence system to control productivity under pathogen infection.
The Shifting Border Between Perception and Cognition
Authors: Phillips Ben
Published: August 2017

The distinction between perception and cognition has always had a firm footing in both cognitive science and folk psychology. However, there is little agreement as to how the distinction should be drawn. In fact, a number of theorists have recently argued that, given the ubiquity of top‐down influences (at all levels of the processing hierarchy), we should jettison the distinction altogether. I reject this approach, and defend a pluralist account of the distinction. At the heart of my account is the claim that each legitimate way of marking a border between perception and cognition deploys a notion I call ‘stimulus‐control.’ Thus, rather than being a grab bag of unrelated kinds, the various categories of the perceptual are unified into a superordinate natural kind (mutatis mutandis for the complimentary categories of the cognitive).
Uptake kinetics of nitrate, ammonia and phosphate by the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa circularisquama isolated from Hiroshima Bay, Japan
Authors: Yamamoto Tamiji , Kishigami Tomoko , Nakagawa Hikaru
Published: August 2017

Heterocapsa circularisquama is a harmful dinoflagellate whose first bloom in Hiroshima Bay, Japan, appeared in 1992. As suggested by the authors’ group, in the Seto Inland Sea including Hiroshima Bay, oligotrophication particularly the reduction of phosphate starting 1980 is severe. The bloom caused serious damage to the bay's extensive oyster culture. In the present study, the uptake kinetics of nitrate, ammonia, and phosphate by this species were experimentally investigated. The maximum uptake rate (ρmax) and the half‐saturation constant (Ks) were 0.41 pmol cell−1 h−1 and 4.45 μM, respectively, for nitrate, 2.02 pmol cell−1 h−1 and 11.1 μM for ammonium, and 0.079 pmol cell−1 h−1 and 1.79 μM for phosphate. The maximum specific uptake rates (Vmax) for nitrate, ammonia, and phosphate were estimated to be 8.95, 44.1, and 21.3 day−1, respectively. A comparison of Vmax/Ks, which is also an index of affinity to nutrients, between this species and others suggested that H. circularisquama can utilize nitrate and ammonia efficiently, but not phosphate. Considering both reports describing that H. circularisquama has the ability to utilize dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) and the DOP concentration is higher than phosphate in Hiroshima Bay, it was concluded that H. circularisquama became dominant due to the phosphate reduction measure.
Innovative look at dairy heifer rearing: Effect of prenatal and post‐natal environment on later performance
Authors: Van Eetvelde M , Opsomer G
Published: August 2017

Contents

As heifer rearing is a costly investment, dairy farmers have been stimulated to maximize early growth of their calves, mainly by enhanced liquid feeding. However, the long‐term effects of this “accelerated growth” are largely unknown. Studies recently performed at Ghent University indicate that in dairy cattle, certain maternal factors (such as young age and high milk yield) and environmental factors (such as high ambient temperatures) create a suboptimal environment for the developing foetus, altering the phenotype of the newborn calf. According to the “thrifty phenotype hypothesis,” these metabolic alterations prepare the newborn for similar (“matching”) conditions after birth, enhancing its survival during periods of limited feeding. Yet, when an abundance of nutrients is available in post‐natal life (e.g., during periods of enhanced feeding), the “mismatch” between pre‐ and post‐natal environment results in an early catch‐up growth, with potential negative consequences. The aim of the article was to discuss this mismatch between pre‐ and post‐natal environment in dairy calves. Previous studies, especially in human medicine, have shown catch‐up growth to be associated with obesity, fertility problems, metabolic diseases and a reduced lifespan. Hence, we hypothesize that, by applying programs of accelerated growth, our current management system accentuates the mismatch between the pre‐ and post‐natal environment in dairy calves. We can conclude that, although more research is necessary, the current findings point towards a more individual approach when rearing dairy heifers.
Insurance, Public Assistance, and Household Flood Risk Reduction: A Comparative Study of Austria, England, and Romania
Authors: Hanger Susanne , Linnerooth‐Bayer Joanne , Surminski Swenja , Nenciu‐Posner Cristina , Lorant Anna , Ionescu Radu , Patt Anthony
Published: August 2017

In light of increasing losses from floods, many researchers and policymakers are looking for ways to encourage flood risk reduction among communities, business, and households. In this study, we investigate risk‐reduction behavior at the household level in three European Union Member States with fundamentally different insurance and compensation schemes. We try to understand if and how insurance and public assistance influence private risk‐reduction behavior. Data were collected using a telephone survey (n = 1,849) of household decisionmakers in flood‐prone areas. We show that insurance overall is positively associated with private risk‐reduction behavior. Warranties, premium discounts, and information provision with respect to risk reduction may be an explanation for this positive relationship in the case of structural measures. Public incentives for risk‐reduction measures by means of financial and in‐kind support, and particularly through the provision of information, are also associated with enhancing risk reduction. In this study, public compensation is not negatively associated with private risk‐reduction behavior. This does not disprove such a relationship, but the negative effect may be mitigated by factors related to respondents' capacity to implement measures or social norms that were not included in the analysis. The data suggest that large‐scale flood protection infrastructure creates a sense of security that is associated with a lower level of preparedness. Across the board there is ample room to improve both public and private policies to provide effective incentives for household‐level risk reduction.
Cutaneous iridophoroma in a Green iguana ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬(Iguana iguana)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
Authors: Rousselet Estelle , De Mello Souza Carlos H. , Wellehan James F.X. , Epperson Ember D. , Dark Michael J. , Wamsley Heather L.
Published: August 2017

An 11‐year‐old intact male Green iguana (Iguana iguana) was referred for treatment of a probable iridophoroma based on previous cytopathology. A periocular mass was present near the right medial canthus. Computed tomography did not show any sign of metastasis. Clinicopathologic abnormalities included lymphopenia and hyperproteinemia. Cytologic and histologic evaluations of the mass were consistent with iridophoroma. Complete surgical excision of the mass was not possible without removal of the orbit due to local tissue involvement. Recovery and suture removal were unremarkable. Adjunctive radiation therapy was recommended, but not performed. A year later, the surgical site had healed well. To our knowledge, this is the first reported chromatophoroma cytopathology in a Green iguana. Chromatophoromas should be included in the differential diagnoses of pigmented skin tumors in reptiles. Early surgical excision is useful to limit local tissue destruction and metastatic potential.
The Relation between Academic Procrastination of University Students and Their Assignment and Exam Performances: The Situation in Distance and Face-to-Face Learning Environments
Authors: Yilmaz M. Betul
Published: August 2017

The relation between assignment and exam performances of the university students and their academic procrastination behaviors in distance and face-to-face learning environments was investigated in this study. Empirical research carried out both in face-to-face and online environments have generally shown a negative correlation between academic procrastination and academic performance. However, the effect of academic procrastination on assignments in distance learning setting has not been analyzed extensively. To understand the interaction between academic procrastination and the learning environment; assignment and exam performances of eighty-eight university students in face-to-face (FtF) and distance learning (DL) environments were investigated. According to the findings of the study, students’ academic procrastination and assignment scores were negatively correlated in both environments but especially in DL setting. Contrary to this, academic procrastination and exam scores were correlated to each other only in FtF environment. On the other hand, there was no correlation between total assignment and exam scores for DL group, while a medium positive correlation was found in FtF group. The findings of binary logical regression analysis demonstrated that predictive value of the DL environment for assignment score is much stronger than academic procrastination behavior of students.
An Investigation of Two Finite Element Modeling Solutions for Biomechanical Simulation Using a Case Study of a Mandibular Bone
Authors: Liu Yun-feng , Fan Ying-ying , Dong Hui-yue , Zhang Jian-xing
Published: August 2017

The method used in biomechanical modeling for finite element method (FEM) analysis needs to deliver accurate results. There are currently two solutions used in FEM modeling for biomedical model of human bone from computerized tomography (CT) images: one is based on a triangular mesh and the other is based on the parametric surface model and is more popular in practice. The outline and modeling procedures for the two solutions are compared and analyzed. Using a mandibular bone as an example, several key modeling steps are then discussed in detail, and the FEM calculation was conducted. Numerical calculation results based on the models derived from the two methods, including stress, strain, and displacement, are compared and evaluated in relation to accuracy and validity. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison of the two solutions is listed. The parametric surface based method is more helpful when using powerful design tools in computer-aided design (CAD) software, but the triangular mesh based method is more robust and efficient.
Electrochemical Carbon Separation in a SOFC–MCFC Polygeneration Plant With Near-Zero Emissions
Authors: Mastropasqua Luca , Campanari Stefano , Brouwer Jack
Published: August 2017

The modularity and high efficiency at small-scale make high temperature (HT) fuel cells an interesting solution for carbon capture and utilization at the distributed generation (DG) scale when coupled to appropriate use of CO2 (i.e., for industrial uses, local production of chemicals, etc.). The present work explores fully electrochemical power systems capable of producing a highly pure CO2 stream and hydrogen. In particular, the proposed system is based upon integrating a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). The use of these HT fuel cells has already been separately applied in the past for carbon capture and storage (CCS) applications. However, their combined use is yet unexplored. The reference configuration proposed envisions the direct supply of the SOFC anode outlet to a burner which, using the cathode depleted air outlet, completes the oxidation of the unconverted species. The outlet of the burner is then fed to the MCFC cathode inlet, which separates the CO2 from the stream. This layout has the significant advantage of achieving the required CO2 purity for liquefaction and long-range transportation without requiring the need of cryogenic or distillation plants. Furthermore, different configurations are considered with the final aim of increasing the carbon capture ratio (CCR) and maximizing the electrical efficiency. Moreover, the optimal power ratio between SOFC and MCFC stacks is also explored. Complete simulation results are presented, discussing the proposed plant mass and energy balances and showing the most attractive configurations from the point of view of total efficiency and CCR.