bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Governors matter
Authors: Sharafutdinova Gulnaz , Steinbuks Jevgenijs
Published: April 2017

This study uses the latest 2011 round of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey for the Russian Federation to take a closer look at regional‐level factors influencing the business environment in Russia. Specifically, the study explores the role of regional administrations and variables of administrative continuity and governor origin in shaping regional business environment. The findings reveal that regional businesses in Russia are (1) acutely anxious about administrative transitions (as expressed in gubernatorial replacements) and favour administrative continuity, and (2) favour government officials that are locally embedded. The analysis suggests that many localities in Russia have witnessed the emergence of mutually beneficial state‐business arrangements that are inimical to economic competition.
The Free Harmony of the Faculties and the Primacy of Imagination in Kant's Aesthetic Judgment
Authors: Ostaric Lara
Published: April 2017

This essay argues that, contrary to the prevailing view according to which reflection in Kant's aesthetic judgment is interpreted as ‘the logical actus of the understanding’, we should pay closer attention to Kant's own formulation of aesthetic reflection as ‘an action of the power of imagination’. Put differently, I contend in this essay that the rule that governs and orders the manifold in aesthetic judgment is imagination's own achievement, the achievement of the productive synthesis of the ‘fictive power’ (Dichtungsvermögen), entirely independent of the understanding. While this view does not entail that the faculty of the understanding is not necessary in aesthetic reflection, a stronger emphasis on the role of imagination in aesthetic reflection allows us to realize that its schematizing and interpretive activity, while consistent with, goes well beyond the discursive demands of the understanding insofar as it intimates the supersensible ground of freedom that manifests itself as ‘the feeling of life’. Therefore, I show in this essay that the imagination's unique interpretive power has a special role in completing Kant's critical system by facilitating the connection of the sensible to the supersensible, which further helps us appreciate imagination's practical as opposed to merely cognitive significance.
Shifting barriers and phenotypic diversification by hybridisation
Authors: Sefc Kristina M. , Mattersdorfer Karin , Ziegelbecker Angelika , Neuhüttler Nina , Steiner Oliver , Goessler Walter , Koblmüller Stephan
Published: April 2017

The establishment of hybrid taxa relies on reproductive isolation from the parental forms, typically achieved by ecological differentiation. Here, we present an alternative mechanism, in which shifts in the strength and location of dispersal barriers facilitate diversification by hybridisation. Our case study concerns the highly diverse, stenotopic rock‐dwelling cichlids of the African Great Lakes, many of which display geographic colour pattern variation. The littoral habitat of these fish has repeatedly been restructured in the course of ancient lake level fluctuations. Genetic data and an experimental cross support the hybrid origin of a distinct yellow‐coloured variant of Tropheus moorii from ancient admixture between two allopatric, red and bluish variants. Deficient assortative mating preferences imply that reproductive isolation continues to be contingent on geographic separation. Linking paleolimnological data with the establishment of the hybrid variant, we sketch a selectively neutral diversification process governed solely by rearrangements of dispersal barriers.
Shaping the professional landscape through research, advocacy and education – an Australian perspective
Authors: Siemensma Gemma , Ritchie Ann , Lewis Suzanne
Published: April 2017

This article is the first in a new series in this regular feature. The intention of the series is to look at important global developments in health science libraries. Librarians will be invited to share with HILJ readers key initiatives in their country or region. These articles should serve as a road map, describing the key changes in the field and exploring factors driving these changes. We initiate this series with an article by three Australian librarians who use research findings to depict the evolving professional landscape in their country. The starting point of their analysis is a report completed in 2011 which looked into likely future workforce and education requirements for health library professionals. The authors trace the achievements since then, most notably in the areas of research, advocacy and education. Clearly, a great deal has been achieved leading to a greater return on investment. The authors maintain that the key to shaping the profession and enhancing the status of librarians is ongoing professional development. To this end, Australia is promoting a systematic, competency based health specialist certification. Finally, they identify trends impacting on health librarianship, such as the growing importance of research data management and consumer health literacy.

JM
The Context and Impact of Being Wrongly Accused of Abuse in Occupations of Trust
Authors: BURNETT ROS , HOYLE CAROLYN , SPEECHLEY NAOMI‐ELLEN
Published: April 2017

In recent years, there has been rising concern that allegations of sexual abuse, particularly non‐recent abuse, have not received an appropriate response. From this has emerged a new determination to correct past and prevent further injustices, with police operations focusing considerable resources on the identification and prosecution of child abusers. Police and other services have reached out to encourage reporting, and developments in the trial process related to the rules of evidence have eroded due process protections for suspects. This article considers this changed legal and social context, and the processes entailed in responding to allegations of abuse, before presenting original empirical data, gathered from the accounts of 30 men and women who were wrongly accused of abuse related to their employment in occupations of trust. It demonstrates the considerable and lasting harms done to those who face allegations of such heinous crimes.
The Case for Activist Directors: A Conversation with Ira M. Millstein
Authors: Millstein Ira M. , Colvin Geoff
Published: April 2017

In this conversation held at the 2016 Millstein Governance Forum at Columbia Law School, Ira Millstein, a leading authority on corporate governance and founding chair of the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership, discusses his new book, The Activist Director, with Geoff Colvin of Fortune Magazine. In explaining why he wrote the book, Millstein said that it is important for boards of directors to understand the key role they must play to secure the future of our corporations, and for shareholders to recognize, encourage, and support this role.

The role of directors has changed significantly over the years. Yet corporate performance, broadly speaking, has not lived up to expectations, and Millstein attributes this in part to the failure of directors to adapt and evolve quickly and decisively enough—which in turn has helped to fuel the rise of activist investors. Much of the problem stems from the tendency of boards to view themselves as oversight organizations that review and “challenge” management at arm's length, as opposed to truly engaging with management to make better decisions.

To address this problem, Millstein makes the case for “activist” directors who will partner with management, think deliberately and critically about the company's strategy, and work for the longterm interest of the corporation. And to provide financial incentives for directors to reinforce their commitment to the corporations they serve, Millstein favors an increase in compensation for directors that is tied to long‐term performance.

As an early example of what became an activist board, Millstein describes his own experience with the board of General Motors in the late 1980s and early 1990s when it confronted managerial failure and ended up replacing the CEO. In the current environment of activist investors, activist boards must give serious consideration to shareholder proposals for change, without succumbing to pressure for shortsighted cutbacks in value‐adding investment and while ensuring that management is focused on long‐term growth and innovation. Directors must have the courage and commitment to carry out the course of action they deem to be in the best longterm interests of the corporation.
The Evolution of Executive Pay Policy at General Motors, 1918–2008
Authors: O'Byrne Stephen F. , Young S. David
Published: April 2017

This article documents the gradual movement of General Motors away from the partnership concept that dominated U.S. corporate pay policy in the first half of the 20th century and toward the “competitive pay” concepts that have prevailed since then. The partnership concept was achieved by paying managers bonuses in the form of GM shares, with the amounts paid out of a single company‐wide bonus pool and based on a fixed share of profit (after subtracting a charge for the cost of capital). Thanks to this “EVA‐like” bonus scheme, GM's managers effectively became “partners” with the company's shareholders, sharing the wealth in good times but also the pain in troubled times. What's more, the authors also show that, from the establishment of the program in 1918 through the 1950s, the directors went to great lengths—including several bouts of innovative (and often complex) problem‐solving—to achieve their compensation objectives while maintaining such fixed‐share bonuses.

But the sharing philosophy and associated compensation practices were gradually supplanted by competitive pay practices from the 1960s onward. The authors show that by the late 1970s, GM had a board of directors with modest shareholdings, in contrast to the board in the early post‐war period, whose directors had large stakes. As a consequence, directors began acting less like stewards of capital and more like employees whose financial rewards came not from returns on GM's stock but from the fees they received for their services. This fundamental change in board compensation almost certainly contributed to the gradual abandonment of fixed‐profit sharing for GM's managers. In its place, the board implemented competitive pay policies that, while coming to dominate executive pay policy in the U.S. and abroad, have largely divorced executive pay from changes in shareholder wealth. In the case of GM, this growing separation of pay from performance was accompanied by a significant decline in corporate returns on operating capital as well as stock returns over time.
Corporate Governance and the Investment Efficiency of Diversified Corporate Asset Buyers
Authors: Chen I‐Ju , Chen Sheng‐Syan
Published: April 2017

Many corporate assets are bought and sold each year in the U.S. and most scholars believe these transactions improve economic efficiency. But given the reality that the interests of corporate managers may diverge from those of their shareholders and reflect empire‐building or other managerial entrenchment strategies—and that such agency problems tend to be worse in highly diversified, multi‐divisional companies—the authors tested the proposition that diversified corporate asset buyers with more effective governance structures can be expected to allocate capital more efficiently, as reflected in higher rates of return on operating capital and more favorable market reactions to the announcements of their purchases.

Using a sample of diversified U.S. companies that announced large asset purchases between 1988 and 2006, the authors report finding that the investment allocation process following such asset purchases was more consistent with value creation in the case of diversified buyers with more effective governance structures, which were identified by their greater board independence, higher‐quality audit committees, and higher levels of stock ownership by institutional ownership, directors, and CEOs.
IPO or SBO?: The Increasing Importance of Operational Performance for Private Equity Exits Following the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–08
Authors: Plagborg‐Møller Emil , Holm Morten
Published: April 2017

The authors report the findings of their recent study of the role of portfolio company operating performance in determining the choice of exit options by private equity firms between initial public offerings (IPOs) and secondary buyouts (SBOs), and how that role may have changed since the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2008. Virtually all studies of PE exits in all countries have found that portfolio companies that exit through IPOs tend to be larger and have higher operating returns than companies that exit through SBOs or sales to other companies. After examining the exits of PE portfolio companies based in Denmark and Sweden during the period 2003–2013, the authors report that, although general market conditions continue to be a major factor, operating performance and size have become even more important requirements for IPO exits since the crisis. And thus PE firms that fail to make operating improvements in their portfolio companies are likely to find their exit options limited.
Rationally designed ligand‐independent peptide inhibitors of TREM‐1 ameliorate collagen‐induced arthritis
Authors: Shen Zu T. , Sigalov Alexander B.
Published: April 2017

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM‐1) is critically involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In contrast to cytokine blockers, therapeutic blockade of TREM‐1 can blunt excessive inflammation while preserving the capacity for microbial control. However, the nature of the TREM‐1 ligand(s) and mechanisms of TREM‐1 signalling are still not yet well understood, impeding the development of clinically relevant inhibitors of TREM‐1. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti‐arthritic activity of a novel, ligand‐independent TREM‐1 inhibitory nonapeptide GF9 that was rationally designed using the signalling chain homo oligomerization (SCHOOL) model of cell signalling. Free GF9 and GF9 bound to macrophage‐targeted nanoparticles that mimic human high‐density lipoproteins (GF9‐HDL) were used to treat collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA). We also tested if 31‐mer peptides with sequences from GF9 and helices 4 (GE31) and 6 (GA31) of the major HDL protein, apolipoprotein A‐I, are able to perform three functions: assist in the self‐assembly of GA/E31‐HDL, target these particles to macrophages and block TREM‐1 signalling. We showed that GF9, but not control peptide, ameliorated CIA and protected against bone and cartilage damage. The therapeutic effect of GF9 was accompanied by a reduction in the plasma levels of macrophage colony‐stimulating factor and pro‐inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor‐α, interleukin (IL)‐1 and IL‐6. Incorporation of GF9 alone or as a part of GE31 and GA31 peptides into HDL significantly increased its therapeutic efficacy. Collectively, our findings suggest that TREM‐1 inhibitory SCHOOL sequences may be promising alternatives for the treatment of RA.
Signaling by an informed service provider
Authors: Lee Frances Xu , Fong Yuk‐fai
Published: April 2017

We study a service provider, who, at the time of offering a contract, is better informed than the potential client. A service provider that is hired to increase the client's chance of a gain, an “enhancer,” may be better informed of whether the client has a big or small opportunity. A service provider that is hired to reduce the client's chance of a loss, a “problem solver,” may be better informed of whether the client has a big or small problem. We show that an enhancer predominantly offers a contingent contract, while a problem solver predominantly offers a flat fee due to their signaling incentives. This explains the differences in real‐world contracts and also provides a novel explanation for the existence of low‐powered incentive contracts. We evaluate the policy intervention that limits the contingent part of the service providers' contracts.
Growth and maturation of the redlip parrotfish Scarus rubroviolaceus
Authors: Taylor B. M. , Pardee C.
Published: April 2017

This study presents age‐based life‐history information for the red lip parrotfish Scarus rubroviolaceus based on a 5 year sampling programme from the commercial fishery of American Samoa. Females reached sexual maturity at 31·9 cm fork length (LF) and 2·6 years and sex change occurred at 42·3 cm LF, although not all females change sex through their ontogeny. The maximum observed age was 14 years and c. 65% of the fishery harvest was above the median LF at sex change.
Effects of a Multicomponent Restraint Reduction Program for Korean Nursing Home Staff
Authors: Kong Eun‐Hi , Song Eunjin , Evans Lois K.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

Physical restraints are used frequently in Korea, suggesting a growing need for access to programs focused on reduction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a multicomponent restraint reduction program (MRRP) for nursing staff in Korean nursing homes.

Design

A cluster‐randomized, single‐blind, controlled pretest‐posttest design was used. A total of 122 nursing staff (nurses and geriatric care assistants) in two Korean nursing homes participated in this study: 62 in the experimental group (EG) and 60 in the control group (CG).

Methods

Nursing staff in the EG home received the MRRP comprising three educational sessions (two classroom‐based and one web‐based) and two unit‐based consultations. Three instruments were used to measure nursing staff's knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes regarding physical restraints. Data were collected immediately before and after the intervention, and again 1 and 3 months later.

Findings

Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant differences between groups in knowledge (p < .001), perceptions (p< .001), and attitudes (p = .011) over time. These significant improvements in the MRRP group (EG) were sustained over the 3‐month period.

Conclusions

The MRRP effectively improved the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of nursing home staff about restraint use with older adults. Additional studies are recommended to evaluate effects of its components while using larger samples and rigorous research methods and measurements, and the inclusion of boosters or other supports to sustain change.

Clinical Relevance

These results provide valuable knowledge regarding a multicomponent intervention for changing nursing home staff attributes that likely influence clinical practice. Elements of the educational content and methods found useful for nursing home staff may also be effective in vocational and continuing education as well as for families of older nursing home residents.
Autologous platelet‐rich plasma versus readymade growth factors in skin rejuvenation: A split face study
Authors: Gawdat Heba I , Tawdy Amira M , Hegazy Rehab A , Zakaria Mohga M , Allam Ryham S
Published: April 2017

Background

The escalating urge for a youthful‐looking skin instigates continuous innovations with minimally invasive procedures. Readymade growth factors and autologous platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) represent such therapeutic interventions.

Objective

Compare the efficacy and safety of PRP to readymade growth factors in skin rejuvenation.

Patients and Methods

Twenty adult females with Fitzpatrick skin types III‐IV and Glogau photoaging types II and III were enrolled in this study. They underwent a split face therapy where each side was randomly assigned to treatment by either readymade growth factors (area A) or autologous PRP (area B). All patients received six sessions at 2‐weeks interval. Evaluation was carried out using Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Patients were followed up for 6 months.

Results

Both procedures yielded significant improvement regarding both GAIS (skin turgor and overall vitality) and OCT (epidermal and dermal thickness) assessment. Significant negative correlation was detected between patients' age, sun exposure, and GAIS. Burning sensation was significantly higher in area A. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in area B. Improvement was more sustained in area B on follow‐up.

Conclusion

Platelet‐rich plasma is effective and safe for skin rejuvenation, comparable to readymade growth factors with noticeable higher longevity.
Recognising and responding to in‐hospital clinical deterioration: An integrative review of interprofessional practice issues
Authors: Allen Emily , Elliott Doug , Jackson Debra
Published: April 2017

Aims and Objectives

To identify, appraise and synthesise current evidence regarding organisation‐wide interprofessional practice issues that facilitate or inhibit effective recognition and response to clinical deterioration, using a theoretical rapid response system model.

Background

Recognition and response to clinical deterioration, in adult general medical–surgical ward patients, is embedded as routine interprofessional practice in acute healthcare organisations worldwide. The process of care escalation is complex and sometimes involves multiple health professionals from different disciplines with varying levels of expertise. While a theoretical rapid response system model offers a formalised structured approach to escalate patient care, it is unclear how the implementation of this model, or similar, influences rapid response system‐wide interprofessional practices to effectively recognise and respond to clinical deterioration.

Design

An integrative review.

Methods

This review was conducted using key words to systematically search four electronic bibliographic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, ProQuest Central, Cochrane Library). Twenty‐nine eligible full‐text papers were identified. Quality appraisal of methods was performed using recommended guidelines. Study findings were narratively coded, themed and conceptualised in the context of an organisation‐wide rapid response system using an interprofessional collaborative practice framework.

Results

Five main themes aligned with the four interprofessional collaborative practice competency domains and a learning continuum of professional development: Organisational culture, Role perceptions and professional accountability, Communication of clinical needs, Team‐based practices, and Interprofessional learning opportunities in recognising and responding to clinical deterioration. Within these themes, three notable interprofessional practice issues were highlighted: professional reporting hierarchies (inhibiting), critical care outreach services (facilitating) and interprofessional relationships (facilitating).

Conclusions

A unique approach for exploring organisation‐wide interprofessional practice issues has been presented using an interprofessional collaborative practice framework. Further interpretive organisation‐wide research is necessary to develop a more in‐depth and meaningful understanding of interprofessional collaborative practice issues that facilitate or inhibit effective recognition and response to clinical deterioration.

Relevance to clinical practice

This review presents a unique system‐wide approach for exploring how health professionals interprofessionally collaborate in practice to effectively recognise and respond to clinical deterioration.
Municipal Bond Liquidity and Default Risk
Authors: SCHWERT MICHAEL
Published: April 2017

This paper examines the pricing of municipal bonds. I use three distinct, complementary approaches to decompose municipal bond spreads into default and liquidity components, and find that default risk accounts for 74% to 84% of the average spread after adjusting for tax‐exempt status. The first approach estimates the liquidity component using transaction data, the second measures the default component with credit default swap data, and the third is a quasi‐natural experiment that estimates changes in default risk around pre‐refunding events. The price of default risk is high given the rare incidence of municipal default and implies a high risk premium.
Deficient double‐strand break repair in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines
Authors: Jessri Maryam , Dalley Andrew J. , Farah Camile S.
Published: April 2017

Background

Approximately 20% of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cases arise without any identifiable environmental cause, suggesting involvement of genetic influences in their aetiology. DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs) sever both strands of DNA and pose a potential threat to genomic integrity. A hastened accumulation of somatic mutations consequent to DSB repair is deemed to be a likely event in tumorigenesis of OSCC.

Methods

Two discrete chemical approaches, namely hydrogen peroxide and camptothecin, were used to induce DSB in oral cell lines derived from normal through dysplastic to OSCC tissues. After optimization, gamma histone 2Ax (γH2Ax) foci were counted as an indirect measure of kinetics of DSB and confirmed with Western blot of γH2Ax, Nbs1 and ATM.

Results

Maximal number of γH2Ax foci was detected 1 and 2 hours post‐exposure to camptothecin and hydrogen peroxide, respectively; when adjusted for the baseline number of γH2Ax, neoplastic cell lines showed the lowest number of maximal DSB and slowest rate of repair compared to other cell lines. γH2Ax Western blot closely mirrored the trend observed in immunofluorescent staining for γH2Ax foci. Changes in the expression level of ATM and Nbs1 were minimal; however, ATM expression showed a slight gradual increase in normal cells which reached its peak at 2 hours after exposure to camptothecin.

Conclusions

There is a difference in efficiency of DSB repair pathways in cell lines derived from different stages of oral tumorigenesis with neoplastic cell lines having the most defective DSB repair system.
Effect of Alumina Particle Size on the Bond Strength between Autopolymerized Acrylic Resin and Commercially Pure Titanium
Authors: Alfadda Sara A.
Published: April 2017

Purpose

To address the following null hypothesis: when the Rocatec bonding system is used, the various sizes of aluminum oxide particles used to roughen the surface area of the commercially pure (CP) titanium prior to bonding to autopolymerized resin have no effect on the average shear bond strength.

Materials and Methods

One hundred specimens were randomly allocated to five equally sized groups: Ti‐no air abrasion (group A), Ti‐air‐abraded with 50 μm (group B), Ti‐110 μm (group C), Ti‐250 μm (group D), and Co‐Cr‐50 μm (group E) grain‐size aluminum oxide. Rocatec Plus tribochemical coating was applied to all of the specimens, followed by a RelyX primer and Sinfonyopaquer. Autopolymerized denture base resin was then bonded to the treated titanium surfaces. All specimens underwent thermocycling (10,000 cycles), shear bond testing, and mode of failure examination under stereoscopic microscopy.

Results

The average bond strength of group D (250 μm) was significantly different compared to all other groups, except group C (p = 0.057, trending significance). The average bond strength of group D was substantially higher than that in the other groups (p < 0.01). The weakest bond was observed when the specimens did not receive any air abrasion (group A). Maximum load (N) showed the same significant results as the shear bond strength at maximum load (MPa). The average extension at maximum load (mm) and the time at maximum load(s) for group A were significantly different than that of all other groups. Group A had lower average values than any other group (p = 0.003). More cohesive and mixed, rather than adhesive, modes of failure were observed as the size of the aluminum oxide particles increased.

Conclusion

When the Rocatec system is used, using a combination of chemical and micromechanical adhesion is essential for the success of the bond between the autopolymerized acrylic resin and CP Ti. The micromechanical interlock can be improved significantly when the Ti surface is air abraded with larger particles (250 μm) than the currently used alumina particle size.
The Association of Physical Activity and Academic Behavior: A Systematic Review
Authors: Sullivan Rachel A. , Kuzel AnnMarie H. , Vaandering Michael E. , Chen Weiyun
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND

In this systematic review, we assessed the existing research describing the effects of physical activity (PA) on academic behavior, with a special focus on the effectiveness of the treatments applied, study designs, outcome measures, and results.

METHODS

We obtained data from various journal search engines and 218 journal articles were downloaded that were relevant to PA and academic performance topics. The abstracts of all the articles were independently peer reviewed to assess whether they met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. The literature search was ongoing. Of the reviewed articles, 9 were chosen on the topic of PA effects on academic behavior. Each article was analyzed and summarized using a standard summary template.

RESULTS

Overall, PA interventions commonly found positive effects on academic behavior, with few exceptions. There were additional unique findings regarding differences in outcome measures and PA treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from these studies are significant and support the implementation or continuation of PA in schools to improve academic behavior and associated performance. More research needs to be conducted using the effective aspects of the treatments from this review with consistent outcome measures.
Reported Motivations for and Locations of Healthy Eating Among Georgia High School Students
Authors: Kumar Gayathri S. , Bryan Michael , Bayakly Rana , Drenzek Cherie , Merlo Caitlin , Perry Geraldine S.
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND

Understanding how youth perceive eating healthy foods can inform programs and policies that aim to improve healthy eating. We assessed the reasons for and the most common locations of eating healthy foods among Georgia's (GA) high school (HS) students.

METHODS

Using the 2013 GA HS Youth Risk Behavior Survey, we examined motivations for and locations of eating healthy foods by sociodemographic characteristics and daily fruit and vegetable intake. Weighted chi‐square tests were used to examine differences in responses for each perception.

RESULTS

Nineteen percent of GA HS students consumed fruit ≥3 times/day and 11% consumed vegetables ≥3 times/day. The most frequently chosen response to motivations for eating healthy foods was the desire to be healthy (42%), followed by enjoying their taste (18%). The most likely location to eat healthy foods was at home (80%), followed by at school (13%).

CONCLUSIONS

GA HS students are most motivated to eat healthy foods by the desire to be healthy and their enjoyment of the taste of healthy foods. Incorporating messages that align with students' motivations to eat healthy foods could be considered when developing promotional programs/policies targeting healthy eating.
Disease burden‐research match? Registered trials in child health from low‐ and middle‐income and high‐income countries
Authors: Joseph Pathma D , Caldwell Patrina HY , Barnes Elizabeth H , Craig Jonathan C
Published: April 2017

Aim

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a match between the health problems that children face and the clinical trials that are being conducted, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs).

Methods

All trials on the World Health Organisation International Clinical Trials Registry Platform registered from 2005 to 2013 were reviewed. The disease‐specific focus of registered trials for children was compared to the global burden of disease for 2011 using World Health Organisation disability‐adjusted life‐year data.

Results

Children account for 34% of the global disease burden, but were represented in only 15% (29 899/203 726) of registered trials. Although the number of trials in children registered annually has increased over time (from 3174 in 2005 to 3392 in 2013), the proportion of trials involving children has decreased (from 18 to 13%). LMICs account for 98% of the disease burden among children world‐wide, but only 22% of trials. More trials were registered in high‐income countries than in LMICs for the majority of the disease categories. There was moderate correlation between the number of trials and the burden of each disease within each region (Spearman's correlation r = 0.6, P = 0.007 and r = 0.55, P = 0.02 in LMICs and high‐income countries, respectively).

Conclusion

Overall, children continue to be under‐represented in clinical trials, particularly children from LMICs where disease burden is greatest. Clinical trial activity correlates moderately with disease burden among the world's children. A more evidence‐informed approach for prioritising trials to specifically address the health‐care needs of children is required.
The Effects of Protestant Theological Conservatism and Trust on Environmental Cooperation
Authors: Irwin Kyle , Martinez Brandon C.
Published: April 2017

Recent studies indicate that Protestant theological conservatism is associated with lower levels of generalized trust. In this article, we ask: What are the implications of theological conservatives’ lower trust levels? Specifically, does their lower trust impact environmental cooperation? Past research finds that trust promotes cooperation, and we theorize that because theological conservatism undermines trust, it should negatively impact cooperation directly. Thus, we suggest an interaction between trust and theological conservatism on cooperation. We test the arguments in the context of environmental social dilemmas, including decisions about recycling, water and energy consumption, and individuals’ willingness to protect the environment, using data from the 2010 General Social Survey. Our results support the theory that trust levels among Protestant theological conservatism more acutely undermine environmental cooperation, and we further discuss the implications of these findings.
The resistance experiments: Morality, authority and obedience in Stanley Milgram's account
Authors: Kaposi Dávid
Published: April 2017

The paper seeks to re‐conceptualize Stanley Milgram's (in)famous experiments on willing obedience by drawing solely on Milgram's own contemporary account. It identifies a substantial incongruence between the findings Milgram presented (i.e., his description of the experiments) and the meaning he imputed to them (i.e., his interpretation of the experiments). It argues that instead of operationalizing the concepts he claimed to operationalize – legitimate authority, embodied morality and willing obedience –, Milgram's description suggests that the operative forces in the experiments were an illegitimate authority and acts which in effect collude with that authority. As a result, the paper concludes that what the experimental findings represented was not so much obedience out of choice, but out of coercion. Thus, the paper seeks to redirect the conceptual‐moral focus of the findings from the participants who “shockingly” obeyed to those who managed to resist the coercive force of the total experimental situation.
Feline Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Review of the Experimental Literature
Authors: Kitz S. , Thalhammer J.G. , Glantschnigg U. , Wrzosek M. , Klang A. , Halasz P. , Shouse M.N. , Pakozdy A.
Published: April 2017

Accumulating evidence suggests that epileptic seizures originating from the temporal lobe (TL) occur in cats. Typically, affected animals have clinically focal seizures with orofacial automatisms including salivation, facial twitching, lip smacking, chewing, licking, and swallowing. Motor arrest and autonomic and behavioral signs also may occur. Many affected cats have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes within the hippocampus or histopathologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis or necrosis. From the 1950s to the 1980s, cats frequently were used as animal models for neurophysiological experiments and electrophysiological studies, from which important basic knowledge about epilepsy originated, but which has been rarely cited in clinical veterinary studies. These studies were reviewed. Experimental research on cats showed the widespread anatomical connections among TL structures. The ictal clinical signs originating from the hippocampus, amygdala, or lateral temporal cortex are similar, because of their dense interconnections. The ictal signs can be divided into autonomic, somatic, and behavioral. For research purposes, a 6‐stage system was established, reflecting the usual sequential progression from focal to generalized seizure: attention response (1), arrest (2), salivation, licking (3), facial twitching (4), head turning or nodding (5), and generalized clonic convulsions (6). Knowledge of this data may help in recognizing low‐stage (stage 1 or stage 2) epileptic seizures in clinical practice. Early experimental research data are in accordance with recent clinical observations regarding ictal clinical signs of TL epileptic seizures in cats. Furthermore, the research data supports the idea that TL epilepsy represents a unique clinical entity with a specific seizure type and origin in cats.
Coping with criminal victimization and fear of crime: The protective role of accommodative self‐regulation
Authors: Rühs Farina , Greve Werner , Kappes Cathleen
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The protective role of accommodative coping in mitigating possible aversive consequences of criminal victimization and fear of crime was investigated across different types of criminal offences and age groups.

Methods

Two hundred and forty‐six participants aged 15–77 years participated in a cross‐sectional, Internet‐based questionnaire study. They provided information on their experiences of criminal victimization, depressive symptoms, fear of crime (FC), and accommodative coping.

Results

Multiple regression analyses showed that accommodative coping had a moderating (buffering) effect, both on the positive relationship between criminal victimization and fear of crime and on the positive relationship between fear of crime and victims’ depressive symptoms. The greater the tendency of accommodative coping was, the weaker were the relationships between criminal victimization and fear of crime, and between fear of crime and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

The results indicate that accommodative processes could indeed facilitate adaptive coping with criminal victimization and could, at least for some of the assumed negative psychological consequences, have a protective effect.
Update (2012–2017) on lunar meteorites from Oman
Authors: Korotev Randy L.
Published: April 2017

This report presents bulk composition data for 10 lunar meteorite stones from Oman for which the names have been approved since June, 2012. On the basis of composition and reported find location, four new meteorites are represented among this group of stones. Data from neutron activation analysis of 371 subsamples of all lunar meteorites from Oman and Saudi Arabia analyzed in this laboratory are presented.
Low socio‐economic status adversely effects dialysis survival in Australia
Authors: Krishnasamy Rathika , Gray Nicholas A
Published: April 2017

Aim

Low socio‐economic status (SES) is associated with increased incidence of end‐stage kidney disease and in the USA, poorer dialysis survival. All Australians have access to a universal healthcare system.

Methods

The study included all non‐indigenous adult Australians registered with the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry who commenced dialysis between 2003 and 2013. SES at dialysis start was classified into quartiles of advantaged through to disadvantaged using Australian Bureau of Statistics socio‐economic indexes for areas. The primary outcome was survival assessed using a competing risk regression model with renal transplantation as a competing risk. There was a significant interaction between age and SES, and hence, age‐stratified survival analyses were performed.

Results

A total 20 810 commenced dialysis during the study period. Mortality for the most advantaged quartile was 102.4/1000 person–years (95% confidence interval (CI) 98.0–106.9) compared with 110.7/1000 person–years (95% CI 105.8–115.7) in the disadvantaged quartile. In adjusted analysis, dialysis survival, compared with quartile 1 (advantaged), was inferior in quartile 3 (sub‐hazard ratio 1.10, 95% CI 1.03–1.17) and the disadvantaged quartile (sub‐hazard ratio 1.09, 85% CI 1.02–1.16) and was significantly modified by age. This disparity in survival outcome between the different SES quartiles was only observed in younger patients but was attenuated in the older ones following an age‐stratified analysis.

Conclusions

In Australia, low SES has an adverse effect on dialysis patient survival despite universal healthcare. This effect is mainly among younger patients where SES may have a greater proportional impact than co‐morbidities.
Leaf water storage increases with salinity and aridity in the mangrove Avicennia marina: integration of leaf structure, osmotic adjustment and access to multiple water sources
Authors: Nguyen Hoa T. , Meir Patrick , Sack Lawren , Evans John R. , Oliveira Rafael S. , Ball Marilyn C.
Published: April 2017

Leaf structure and water relations were studied in a temperate population of Avicennia marina subsp. australasica along a natural salinity gradient [28 to 49 parts per thousand (ppt)] and compared with two subspecies grown naturally in similar soil salinities to those of subsp. australasica but under different climates: subsp. eucalyptifolia (salinity 30 ppt, wet tropics) and subsp. marina (salinity 46 ppt, arid tropics). Leaf thickness, leaf dry mass per area and water content increased with salinity and aridity. Turgor loss point declined with increase in soil salinity, driven mainly by differences in osmotic potential at full turgor. Nevertheless, a high modulus of elasticity (ε) contributed to maintenance of high cell hydration at turgor loss point. Despite similarity among leaves in leaf water storage capacitance, total leaf water storage increased with increasing salinity and aridity. The time that stored water alone could sustain an evaporation rate of 1 mmol m−2 s−1 ranged from 77 to 126 min from subspecies eucalyptifolia to ssp. marina, respectively. Achieving full leaf hydration or turgor would require water from sources other than the roots, emphasizing the importance of multiple water sources to growth and survival of Avicennia marina across gradients in salinity and aridity.
Divine hiddenness: Part 2 (recent enlargements of the discussion)
Authors: Schellenberg J. L.
Published: April 2017

Offered here is Part 2 of a two‐part critical survey of recent work in philosophy on divine hiddenness. Part 1 surveyed recent development of the discussion initiated by my 1993 book on the subject. Here, I examine some related work that expands the scope of the hiddenness discussion. Some of the enlargements take further the discussion of Stephen Maitzen's work on the demographics of theism. Others introduce new hiddenness problems and ways of dealing with them. A third category of new work urges theological constraints, of one sort or another, on hiddenness reasoning, thus raising new methodological issues.
Sanctions for repeat offenders: a question of wealth?
Authors: Eggert Wolfgang , Minter Steffen , Stephan Maximilian , von Ungern‐Sternberg Handirk
Published: April 2017

In a two‐period standard law‐enforcement model, individuals observe or break the law. In addition, individuals may offend accidentally. When sanctions are limited by individual wealth constraints, the government chooses appropriate sanctions for first and repeat offenders and the level of monitoring. We assume a welfare‐oriented government and derive subgame‐perfect equilibria for constant, increasing and decreasing sanctions depending on the individual wealth level.
Soil health – What should the doctor order?
Authors: Wood M. , Litterick A. M.
Published: April 2017

The concept of soil health has been extensively reviewed in the scientific literature, but there is only patchy and inconsistent information available to farmers and growers who are concerned about the declining condition of their soils and are looking for appropriate test methods and management interventions to help reverse it. Although there are well‐established laboratory methods for soil chemical analysis, and a range of laboratory and field methods for measuring soil physical properties, only now are methods starting to emerge for soil biological analysis. This study provides an overview of the methods that are currently available commercially (or are close to commercialization) for farmers and growers in the UK. We examine the science underpinning the methods, the value of the information provided and how farmers and advisors can use results from such assessments for informed decision‐making in relation to soil management.
Platelet donor selection for HLA‐immunised patients; the impact of donor‐specific HLA antibody levels
Authors: Linjama T. , Niittyvuopio R. , Tuimala J. , Pyörälä M. , Rintala H. , Rimpiläinen J. , Kauppila M. , Peräsaari J. , Juvonen E.
Published: April 2017

Background

Approximately 20% of patients with a recurrently poor platelet transfusion increment show human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alloantibodies. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) levels of donor‐specific HLA antibodies and the feasibility of the HLAMatchmaker algorithm in donor selection.

Study design and methods

A total of 270 HLA‐typed platelet transfusion responses of 40 patients were included in the study. The patients' immunisation status was determined with Luminex‐based methods, and HLA alloantibody strengths were defined as the MFI. For the Matchmaker eplet matching, the HLA‐ABC Eplet Matching Version 2.1 was used.

Results

In 62% of the 270 transfusions, HLA antibodies against the transfused platelets were present, with a median cumulative MFI level of 2026 (range: 299–29 203). In multivariate analysis, a cumulative MFI level higher than 1000 emerged as an independent risk factor for a poor platelet transfusion increment, along with infection and the age of the product.

Conclusion

The HLAMatchmaker algorithm alone is not a sufficient tool for donor selection. Donor selection based primarily on the levels of donor‐specific HLA antibodies is a preferable practice.
The feasibility of currency union in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A business cycle synchronisation view
Authors: Essaadi Essahbi
Published: April 2017

This paper study the feasibility of a monetary union among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, by measuring the evolution of economic integration among them. Considering the critical role of crisis and shocks in the integration process within the region, we determine whether GCC countries are characterised by a common business cycle. We suggest a different empirical approach that, unlike previous studies, allows one to endogenously detect structural changes in the comovement process between outputs. We apply a new measure for this region that is based on the time‐varying coherence function. Such a measure not only detects comovement dynamics but also distinguishes these dynamics in terms of short‐ and long‐term cycles. Additionally, we can test whether certain countries tend to be more synchronised. The main finding of this study is that not all GCC countries share a common short‐term business cycle. However, in the long term, all country‐pairs indicate a medium‐level synchronisation in the most recent subperiods. The new role of the United Arab Emirates’ regional trade platform allows it to strengthen long‐term business cycle comovement, thus differentiating it from other GCC country‐pairs that have shown a decline in the last two subperiods.