bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Late cardiovascular complications of cancer treatment
Authors: Plummer Chris , El-Khouly Fatima
Published: July 2015

The use of adjuvant therapies in early breast cancer has improved prognosis and reduced recurrence rates. The acute effects of chemotherapy are well established and are important considerations in each patient’s management. The long-term effects of chemotherapy require further research to predict risks, identify early signs of toxicity, and treat these effectively to prevent long-term morbidity and mortality. The use of drugs which can affect the cardiovascular system in the short and long term requires an understanding of these risks and the use of appropriate monitoring. This chapter uses a case history to explore the factors contributing to heart failure and other potential late effects of chemotherapy.
Acid Rather Than Nonacid Reflux Burden Is a Predictor of Tooth Erosion
Authors: Ganesh Meenakshi , Hertzberg Anne , Nurko Samuel , Needleman Howard , Rosen Rachel
Published: July 2015

Objectives:

The relation between tooth erosion (TE) and gastroesophageal reflux in children has not been clearly established, and there are no studies to determine the relation with refluxate height, nonacid reflux, and erosions. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between TE and acid and nonacid gastroesophageal refluxes measured using combined pH and multichannel intraluminal impedance (pH‐MII).

Methods:

We conducted a prospective cohort study of children presenting for pH‐MII testing. Once informed consent was obtained, patients completed questionnaires about their reflux symptoms and diet, and then underwent pH‐MII catheter placement and a dental examination. The Keels‐Coffield erosion index was used to score the extent and severity of TE. Reflux parameters of patients with and without TE were compared using Student t test and correlations were performed using Spearman correlations.

Results:

A total of 27 patients participated in the study, all of whom were on acid suppression at the time of pH‐MII testing. Of the 27 patients, 10 (37%) had TE. There were significant positive correlations between acid reflux episodes (r = 0.44, P = 0.02), the percentage of time that acid reflux was present in the distal esophagus (r = 0.44, P = 0.02), and reflux index (r = 0.54, P = 0.004) with the number of TE in a given patient. The percentage of time that acid reflux was present in the proximal esophagus was positively correlated with the number of teeth erosions per patient with borderline significance (r = 0.38, P = 0.05).

Conclusions:

There was a positive correlation between acid reflux parameters and TE. Acid, rather than nonacid reflux, seems to have a significant role in the pathogenesis of TE.
Notification that new names of prokaryotes, new combinations and new taxonomic opinions have appeared in volume 65, part 4, of the IJSEM
Authors: Oren Aharon , Garrity George M.
Published: July 2015

This listing of names of prokaryotes published in a previous issue of the IJSEM is provided as a service to bacteriology to assist in the recognition of new names and new combinations. This procedure was proposed by the Judicial Commission [Minute 11(ii), Int J Syst Bacteriol 41(1991), p. 185]. The names given herein are listed according to the Rules of priority (i.e. page number and order of valid publication of names in the original articles).

The following taxonomic opinions (i.e. the emendation of circumscriptions or the creation of synonyms) cannot be considered as validly published nor, in any other way, approved by the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes and its Judicial Commission.
Cavicella subterranea gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from a deep mineral-water aquifer, and emended description of the species Perlucidibaca piscinae
Authors: França Luís , Albuquerque Luciana , da Costa Milton S.
Published: July 2015

One strain designated W2.09-231T was isolated from an aquifer through a 150-metre-deep borehole feeding a mineral-water bottling plant in Central Portugal. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the novel organism is most closely related to the species of the genera Perlucidibaca and Paraperlucidibaca, belonging to the family Moraxellaceae, with 16S rRNA gene pairwise sequence similarity of 94.5 and 93.1 %, respectively. The strain was not pigmented and formed Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, short rod-shaped cells. The organism was strictly aerobic, and oxidase- and catalase-positive. Strain W2.09-231T was organotrophic, but grew only on a very limited number of single carbon sources. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and one major unknown phospholipid. Ubiquinone 12 (U-12) was the major respiratory quinone. The DNA G+C content of strain W2.09-231T was 62.0 mol%. Based on phylogenetic, physiological and biochemical characteristics, we describe a novel species of a novel genus represented by strain W2.09-231T ( = CECT 8582T = LMG 28332T) for which we propose the name Cavicella subterranea gen. nov., sp. nov. We also propose to emend the description of the species Perlucidibaca piscinae to reflect new results obtained in this study.
Multilocus sequence analysis of the genus Kurthia, and a description of Kurthia populi sp. nov.
Authors: Fang Wei , Guo Min-wei , Ruan Zhi-yong , Xue Han , Wang Lai-fa , Tian Guo-zhong , Piao Chun-gen , Li Yong
Published: July 2015

Four novel bacterial strains belonging to the genusKurthiawere isolated from the surface of a weevil of the family Curculionidae (strain 10y-14T), and from bark samples of hybrid poplar,Populus × euramericana(strains 6-3, 2-5 and 06C10-3-14), in Puyang, Henan Province, China. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) data showed that the four strains form a distinct cluster in the genusKurthia, indicating that they all belong to a single taxon within the genus. DNA–DNA hybridization levels between strain 10y-4TandKurthia huakuiiLAM0618TandKurthia massiliensisDSM 24639Twere 58.31 and 53.92 %, respectively. This indicates that the four novel strains represent a species distinct from these two closely related species. The DNA G+C content of the novel strains was 42.1–42.6 %. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0and anteiso-C15 : 0.The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, an unknown phospholipid and unidentified aminophospholipids. The predominant menaquinones were MK-7 (90 %) and MK-6 (10 %). The major cell-wall amino acids were lysine, alanine, glutamic acid and glycine. On the basis of the MLSA and 16S rRNA gene sequence phylogenetic analyses, DNA–DNA reassociation values, DNA base composition, and biochemical and phenotypic characteristics, the four strains are considered to represent a novel species within the genusKurthia, for which the nameKurthia populisp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 10y-14T( = CFCC 11600T = KCTC 33522T).
Taxonomic description and genome sequence of Salinicoccus sediminis sp. nov., a halotolerant bacterium isolated from marine sediment
Authors: Kumar Rajendran Mathan , Kaur Gurwinder , Kumar Narender , Kumar Anand , Singh Nitin Kumar , Bala Monu , Kaur Navjot , Mayilraj Shanmugam
Published: July 2015

A Gram-staining-positive, coccoid, halotolerant bacterial strain, designated SV-16T, was isolated from marine sediment and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The strain exhibited phenotypic properties that included chemotaxonomic characteristics consistent with its classification in the genus Salinicoccus. Growth occurred at temperatures in the range 25–37 °C (optimum 30 °C), at pH 7.0–11.0 (optimum pH 8.0) and at NaCl concentrations of up to 25.0 % (optimum 15.0 %). The highest level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity was with Salinicoccus carnicancri CrmT (98.6 %) followed by Salinicoccus halodurans W24T (96.6 %). The predominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylglycerol. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The draft genome of strain SV-16T consisted of 2 591 284 bp with a DNA G+C content of 48.7 mol%. On the basis of the phenotypic characteristics and genotypic distinctiveness of strain SV-16T, it should be classified within a novel species of the genus Salinicoccus, for which the name Salinicoccus sediminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SV-16T ( = MTCC 11832T = DSM 28797T).
The contribution of rare variation to prostate cancer heritability
Authors: Mancuso Nicholas , Rohland Nadin , Rand Kristin , Tandon Arti , Allen Alexander , Quinque Dominique , Mallick Swapan , Li Heng , Stram Alex , Sheng Xin , Kote-Jarai Zsofia , Easton Douglas F , Eeles Rosalind A ,   the PRACTICAL consortium, Le Marchand Loic , Lubwama Alex , Stram Daniel , Watya Stephen , Conti David V , Henderson Brian , Haiman Christopher , Pasaniuc Bogdan , Reich David
Published: August 2015

Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have found more than a hundred common susceptibility alleles for prostate cancer, the GWAS reported variants jointly explain only 33% of risk to siblings, leaving the majority of the familial risk unexplained. We use targeted sequencing of 63 known GWAS risk regions in 9,237 men from four ancestries (African, Latino, Japanese, and European) to explore the role of low-frequency variation in risk for prostate cancer. We find that the sequenced variants explain significantly more of the variance in the trait than the known GWAS variants, thus showing that part of the missing familial risk lies in poorly tagged causal variants at known risk regions. We report evidence for genetic heterogeneity in SNP effect sizes across different ancestries. We also partition heritability by minor allele frequency (MAF) spectrum using variance components methods, and find that a large fraction of heritability (0.12, s.e. 0.05; 95% CI [0.03, 0.21]) is explained by rare variants (MAF<0.01) in men of African ancestry. We use the heritability attributable to rare variants to estimate the coupling between selection and allelic effects at 0.48 (95% CI of [0.19, 0.78]) under the Eyre-Walker model. These results imply that natural selection has driven down the frequency of many prostate cancer risk alleles over evolutionary history. Overall our results show that a substantial fraction of the risk for prostate cancer in men of African ancestry lies in rare variants at known risk loci and suggests that rare variants make a significant contribution to heritability of common traits.
Estimating the effect of competition on trait evolution using maximum likelihood inference
Authors: Drury Jonathan , Clavel Julien , Manceau Marc , Morlon Hélène
Published: August 2015

Many classical ecological and evolutionary theoretical frameworks posit that competition between species is an important selective force. For example, in adaptive radiations, resource competition between evolving lineages plays a role in driving phenotypic diversification and exploration of novel ecological space. Nevertheless, current models of trait evolution fit to phylogenies and comparative datasets are not designed to incorporate the effect of competition. The most advanced models in this direction are diversity-dependent models where evolutionary rates depend on lineage diversity. However, these models still treat changes in traits in one branch as independent of the value of traits on other branches, thus ignoring the effect of species similarity on trait evolution. Here, we consider a model where the evolutionary dynamics of traits involved in interspecific interactions are influenced by species similarity in trait values and where we can specify which lineages are in sympatry. We develop a maximum-likelihood based approach to fit this model to combined phylogenetic and phenotypic data. Using simulations, we demonstrate that the approach accurately estimates the simulated parameter values across a broad range of parameter space. Additionally, we develop tools for specifying the biogeographic context in which trait evolution occurs. In order to compare models, we also apply these biogeographic methods to specify which lineages interact sympatrically for two diversity- dependent models. Finally, we fit these various models to morphological data from a classical adaptive radiation (Greater Antillean Anolis lizards). We show that models that account for competition and geography perform better than other models. The matching competition model is an important new tool for studying the influence of interspecific interactions, in particular competition, on phenotypic evolution. More generally, it constitutes a step toward a better integration of interspecific interactions in many ecological and evolutionary processes.
Perturbative formulation of general continuous-time Markov model of sequence evolution via insertions/deletions, Part III: Algorithm for first approximation
Authors: Ezawa Kiyoshi , Graur Dan , Landan Giddy
Published: August 2015

Background

Insertions and deletions (indels) account for more nucleotide differences between two related DNA sequences than substitutions do, and thus it is imperative to develop a stochastic evolutionary model that enables us to reliably calculate the probability of the sequence evolution through indel processes. In a separate paper (Ezawa, Graur and Landan 2015a), we established anab initioperturbative formulation of a continuous-time Markov model of the evolution of anentiresequence via insertions and deletions. And we showed that, under a certain set of conditions, theab initioprobability of an alignment can be factorized into the product of an overall factor and contributions from regions (or local alignments) separated by gapless columns. Moreover, in another separate paper (Ezawa, Graur and Landan 2015b), we performed concrete perturbation analyses on all types of local pairwise alignments (PWAs) and some typical types of local multiple sequence alignments (MSAs). The analyses indicated that even the fewest-indel terms alone can quite accurately approximate the probabilities of local alignments, as long as the segments and the branches in the tree are of modest lengths.

Results

To examine whether or not the fewest-indel terms alone can well approximate the alignment probabilities of more general types of local MSAs as well, and as a first step toward the automatic application of ourab initioperturbative formulation, we developed an algorithm that calculates the first approximation of the probability of a given MSA under a given parameter setting including a phylogenetic tree. The algorithm first chops the MSA into gapped and gapless segments, second enumerates all parsimonious indel histories potentially responsible for each gapped segment, and finally calculates their contributions to the MSA probability. We performed validation analyses using more than ten million local MSAs. The results indicated that even the first approximation can quite accurately estimate the probability of each local MSA, as long as the gaps and tree branches are at most moderately long.

Conclusions

The newly developed algorithm, called LOLIPOG, brought ourab initioperturbation formulation at least one step closer to a practically useful method to quite accurately calculate the probability of a MSA under a given biologically realistic parameter setting.

[This paper and three other papers (Ezawa, Graur and Landan 2015a,b,c) describe a series of our efforts to develop, apply, and extend theab initioperturbative formulation of a general continuous-time Markov model of indels.]

List of abbreviations

HMM

hidden Markov model

indel

insertion/deletion

LHS

local history set

MSA

multiple sequence alignment

PAS

preserved ancestral site

PWA

pairwise alignment
Editorial
Authors: Pombo Carlos , Ogliastri Enrique
Published: July 2015

This Special Issue is dedicated to the memory of the unexpectedly deceased Professor Luis J. Sanz, president of BALAS and Associate Editor of ARLA. The issue includes six papers from Chile, Spain and Costa Rica/Argentina. The case study is on the privatization of the Buenos Aires underground in 1998, a topic of renewed interest in 2015. One of the studies determines the effect of director education and international experience on the firm’s access to international markets. Another paper studies the effect of corporate board diversity on company reputation. The third analyzes the negative effect of the politicization of State savings banks on the benefits of these financial institutions in Spain. The fourth studies the effect of the diversification strategy and cross-control by shareholder groups on firm value in Chile. Finally, we have a literature review, using meta-analysis methodology, on the relationship between auditor specialization by industry and the structure of audit fees.

Este número especial es dedicado a la memoria del súbitamente fallecido profesor Luis J. Sanz, presidente de BALAS y Editor Asociado de ARLA. Publicamos seis trabajos originados en Chile, España, y Costa Rica/Argentina. El caso trata sobre la privatización del metro de Buenos Aires en 1998, tema de renovada vigencia en 2015. Un estudio determina el efecto de la educación de posgrado y la experiencia internacional de los directores en el nivel de acceso a mercados internacionales de sus empresas. El segundo estudia el efecto de la diversidad en la composición de las juntas directivas sobre la reputación de la empresa. Tercero, se analiza el efecto negativo de la politización de las cajas de ahorros estatales en los beneficios de estas instituciones financieras en España. Cuarto, se estudia el efecto de la estrategia de diversificación y del control cruzado de grupos de accionistas sobre el valor de la empresa en Chile. Finalmente, una revisión de la literatura con metodología de meta análisis sobre la relación entre la estructura de auditores especializados por sector empresarial y la estructura de precios de sus tarifas.
Cost of New Nordic Diet school meals
Authors: Jensen Jørgen Dejgård , Thorsen Anne Vibeke , Damsgaard Camilla Trab , Biltoft-Jensen Anja
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to conduct economic evaluation of a school meal programme based on principles of a New Nordic Diet (NND) by assessing the costs of the NND lunch, compared with packed lunch from home, and investigating potential effects of adjusting the NND principles underlying the school meals on the costs and on the rate of food waste.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis combines recipes, dietary records and food waste data from a school meal intervention with collected price data within an economic optimization framework.

Findings

– A New Nordic School meal programme consisting of a morning snack and a hot lunch based on fixed seasonal menu plans and with 75 per cent organic content is 37 per cent more expensive in terms of ingredient costs than corresponding packed school meals. This cost differential can be almost halved by introducing more flexible scheduling of week plans and reducing the level of organic ambition to 60 per cent. Reducing portion sizes could reduce the cost differential by an extra 5 per cent, which would also reduce food waste by about 15 per cent.

Originality/value

– Higher costs and food waste in a restrictive ingredient sourcing school meal programme can be reduced by increased flexibility in meal scheduling, reduction in organic content and reduced average portion size.
Consumer loyalty towards locally certified low-input farm products
Authors: Aoki Misa
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to reveal how a loyalty program that provides economic rewards for locally produced low-input farm products influences the consumers’ behavior of repeated purchase by focussing on the consumers’ motivation and characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study is based on data from a questionnaire survey and actual purchase data obtained from a practical study conducted in Japan. The data were analyzed using regression analysis.

Findings

– Consumers who gain economic rewards by purchasing locally produced low-input fresh food are not likely to purchase these products exclusively for the economic rewards of the program; rather, they do so to get safe and good quality food and to support local farmers and local farm conservation. The most remarkable finding is that the scheme that provides economic rewards makes such products more affordable for consumers from lower-income households.

Originality/value

– This study is of academic value and of value to policy makers and practitioners in the local food supply chain. The study suggests that for increasing and stabilizing the demand for environment-friendly farm products, institutions for creating, designing, and supporting a new market for potential consumers are needed, together with suitable certification systems.
Preserving the cultural identity of a World Heritage Site: the impact of Chichen Itza’s souvenir vendors
Authors: Milman Ady
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the Maya-descent souvenir vendors in sustaining the socio-cultural heritage of Chichen Itza, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site (WHS). The study aims to understand the souvenir vendors’ social and economic position within the diverse stakeholder groups involved in the tourist attraction and their impact on visitors.

Design/methodology/approach

– The exploratory study applied a combination of unobtrusive participant observation and photography methods conducted throughout the site’s monuments. The data were complemented with an analysis of social media comments posted by the WHS visitors.

Findings

– The findings revealed that the excessive retail presence throughout the site, coupled with the souvenir vendors’ continual harassment, have negatively impacted the patrons’ visiting experience. The vendors’ retail activity was not regarded as culturally authentic and did not contribute to the socio-cultural sustainability of the host community.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings may lack generalization, and consequently, additional research is necessary to test the propositions presented, both at Chichen Itza and other WHS.

Practical implications

– The paper recommends adopting new reforms that will benefit all stakeholders involved with the site’s operation, including negotiating culture, identities and “being Maya” within the contemporary Mexican society. Re-evaluating all stakeholders’ socio-economic benefits and securing the government’s control of the site were also recommended.

Originality/value

– This study presents a unique case study approach that reports the tactics adopted by the souvenir vendors at the WHS site. The conversion of culture and heritage into purely economic values coupled with political power might impact the long-term sustainability of the site.
Accessing the economic value of night view of bridge using contingent valuation method: the case of South Korea’s Han-River bridge
Authors: Nam Seungmin , Park Sae-eun , Shin Hong-Chul
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to estimate an individual’s probability of preservation of the night view of Han-River bridge tax using the contingent valuation method (CVM) and to present the effects of 4Es on experience economy theory.

Design/methodology/approach

– The on-site survey was conducted in the 11 district Han-River parks: Gwangnaru, Jamsil, Ttukseom, Jamwon, Banpo, Yeechon, Yeouido, Mangwon, Nanji, Ganseo and Yanghwa district, including 24 bridges such as Banpo, Olympic bridge during 8-9 pm around the lighting and 9-10 pm peak time of lighting.

Findings

– Truncated mean willingness-to-pay indicates that the economic value of the night view of Han-River bridge is 49,575 won (about USA $50) per household, which implies the significance of the preservation value of the night view.

Research limitations/implications

– This study sets a hypothetical market, and there are limitations on hypothetical bias of the dichotomous choice CVM. For the future study, a survey with a specific real payment vehicle in an attempt to reduce hypothetical bias can be a tool for the prevention of the overestimation.

Practical implications

– Through the study, Seoul city has to invest aggressively on the night view landscape business of Han-River bridge, which can become a landmark and has lots of attraction for tourists. As this study’s core aim was to justify the economic value of the night view of the Han-River bridges, the estimated amount strongly supports the lighting business of the Han-River bridge.

Originality/value

– The results of this research may help policy-makers of Han-River to establish practical decisions as to whether improving and preserving the Han-River’s night view lighting business are worth the value.
Ethical shopping in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain
Authors: Mitchell Ian
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the significance and limitations of ethical shopping in Britain in the period between the 1880s and 1914 and, in particular, the use of white lists as a means of encouraging consumers only to buy goods produced in satisfactory working conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

– A brief survey of earlier examples of ethical shopping provides the context for a discussion of the published prospectus of the “Consumers” League’. Unpublished records of the Christian Social Union (CSU), supplemented by newspaper reports, are used to examine the rationale for white lists, their creation and effectiveness.

Findings

– The paper demonstrates that, contrary to what has generally been thought, consumers’ leagues originated in Britain not the USA. The CSU was not ineffective but provided an ethical and religious rationale for consumer activism. It was also responsible for the creation of white lists in several towns and cities in Britain and promoted the concept of preferential buying. CSU activity helped shape public opinion, but sustained improvements to working conditions also required effective trade unions and government intervention.

Research limitations/implications

– Relatively few CSU branch records survive and this precludes a comprehensive survey of its role in ethical shopping.

Originality/value

– The British consumer movement in this period has been little studied and often dismissed. By making use of archives, particularly CSU branch records, that have generally been ignored, the paper demonstrates that ethical shopping mattered and deserves more attention. It also highlights the importance of setting this in a wider context, particularly trade unionism and co-operation.
Testing the skill of mutual fund managers: evidence from India
Authors: Sharma Prateek , Paul Samit
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to utilize a constrained random portfolio-based framework for measuring the skill of a cross-section of Indian mutual fund managers. Specifically, the authors test whether the observed performance implies superior investment skill on the part of mutual fund managers. Additionally, the authors investigate the suitability of mutual fund investments under diverse investor expectations.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors use a new skill measurement methodology based on a cross-section of constrained random portfolios (Burns, 2007).

Findings

– The authors find no evidence of superior investment skill in the sample of Indian equity mutual funds. Using a series of statistical tests, the authors conclude that the mutual funds fail to outperform the random portfolios. Furthermore, mutual funds show no persistence in their performance over time. These results are robust to choice of performance measure and the investment horizon. However, mutual funds provide lower downside risks and may be suitable for investors with high degree of risk aversion.

Originality/value

– The authors extend Burns’ (2007) methodology in several aspects, especially by using a much wider range of performance and downside risk measures to address diverse investor expectations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is first study to apply the constrained random portfolios-based skill tests in an emerging market.
Bank dependency and banker directors
Authors: Mitchell Karlyn
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– Directors play a hard-to-quantify but critical role in the success of corporations. Outside directors supplement the firm-specific knowledge of inside directors by providing expertise and monitoring. Prior research finds that outside directors who are commercial bankers can be both beneficial and costly to large, non-financial corporations. Smaller, bank-dependent corporations should benefit more than large firms from the services banker directors provide, but may also be more prone to the costs they can impose. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of bank dependency on appointments of banker directors.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author estimates models relating the probability of a first-time banker-director appointment to proxies of bank dependency on data for a matched sample of firms with and without banker directors drawn from a size-representative sample of Compustat firms.

Findings

– Bank-dependent firms are less likely to appoint bankers as directors than bank-independent firms. Bank-dependent firms are also less likely to appoint bankers whose employers are firms’ creditors (i.e. affiliated bankers). Bank-dependent and bank-independent firms are indistinguishable in their probabilities of appointing unaffiliated bankers as directors.

Practical implications

– Bank-dependent firms with unexploited growth opportunities appear unable to ameliorate their financial constraints by having banker directors. Appointing retired bankers to boards may give firms the benefits of banker directors without the costs.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first to: document the prevalence of banker directors at smaller corporations; present econometric evidence on banker-director appointments at firms ranging from small to large; and identify bank dependency as a factor limiting appointments of affiliated banker directors.
Product-mix and bank performance: new U.S. and Canadian evidence
Authors: Calmès Christian , Théoret Raymond
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the link between product-mix and bank performance with a comprehensive look at the contribution of each component of banking activities.

Design/methodology/approach

– The generalized method of moments estimation approach the authors apply to the US and Canadian large data sets deals with the endogeneity issues related to banks’ decision to diversify in fee-based activities, and the authors also control the non-linearities (asymmetries) in the innovation with a complementary EGARCH procedure.

Findings

– The results suggests that the increasing involvement of banks in fee generating activities has a greater positive impact on US bank performance. On the one hand, US banks are more involved in fees related to traditional lending activities and securitization, which contributes to their higher mean return. On the other hand, Canadian banks focus more on investment banking activities, which makes their financial results more procyclical and volatile. Greater profitability notwithstanding, the authors also found that US bank non-interest income activities incorporate more credit risk, a type of risk obviously less diversifiable when credit shocks occur.

Originality/value

– The approach shows that the endogeneity problems related to the banks’ decision to diversify in non-traditional activities may be important. The multivariate GARCH approach the authors introduced strongly suggests that diversification gains fluctuate over the business cycle, and that the decision to diversify must be understood in a dynamic setting rather than in a static one.
Taste Detection Thresholds of Resveratrol
Authors: Koga Clarissa C. , Becraft Alexandra R. , Lee Youngsoo , Lee Soo‐Yeun
Published: July 2015

Resveratrol is a polyphenol that is associated with numerous health benefits related to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and neurological function. The addition of this compound to food products would help to deliver these health benefits to the consumer. However, bitterness associated with resveratrol may impart negative sensory qualities on the food products into which resveratrol is added; thus, decreasing consumer acceptability. This concern may be resolved by encapsulating resveratrol through spray drying, an innovative processing technique. The objectives of this research were to (1) compare taste detection thresholds of unencapsulated resveratrol and encapsulated resveratrol and (2) determine if the inclusion of anhydrous milk fat in the formulation of the encapsulation wall material affects the taste detection threshold of resveratrol within the microcapsules. Resveratrol microcapsules were produced by encapsulating resveratrol in a protein matrix through spray drying. R‐index measure by the rating method was used to determine the average taste detection threshold and the pooled group taste detection threshold. The average and pooled group taste detection thresholds of unencapsulated resveratrol, sodium‐caseinate‐based resveratrol microcapsule without fat (SC), and sodium‐caseinate‐based resveratrol microcapsule with fat (SCAMF) were 90 and 47 mg resveratrol/L (unencapsulated), 313 and 103 mg resveratrol/L (SC), 334 and 108 mg resveratrol/L (SCAMF), respectively. The findings demonstrate that the encapsulation of resveratrol decreased the detection of the compound and provided a means to incorporate resveratrol into food products without imparting negative sensory properties.
F11R mRNA expression and promoter polymorphisms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Fang Tzu‐Jung , Lin Chia‐Hui , Lin Yuan‐Zhao , Li Ruei‐Nian , Ou Tsan‐Teng , Wu Cheng‐Chin , Tsai Wen‐Chan , Yen Jeng‐Hsien
Published: July 2015

Aim

Although F11 receptor (F11R), also named junctional adhesion molecular A (JAM‐A), participates in leukocyte migration, its role in autoimmune diseases has not been specifically disclosed. In this study, we examined the association of F11R expression with the development and clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Method

RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and DNA from the peripheral blood in RA patients and a healthy control group were extracted. F11R messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was determined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The F11R polymorphisms were determined by the TaqMan genotyping assay.

Results

There was more F11R mRNA expression in the PBMCs of RA patients than those of the control group (P = 0.018). In F11R promoter −688 A > C, C carriers have lower titers of the anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti‐CCP) antibodies (P = 0.002) and fewer positive rates of Schirmer's tests (P = 0.009). The effect is independent of the existence of HLA‐DR4. Different genotypes in F11R promoter −688 A > C and −436 A > G do not lead to changes of the gene expression in RA patients.

Conclusion

RA patients have higher mRNA expression of F11R. In RA patients, F11R −688 C may be a protective factor for the development of anti‐CCP antibodies and positive rates of Schirmer's tests.
Claudin expression in follicle‐associated epithelium of rat Peyer's patches defines a major restriction of the paracellular pathway
Authors: Markov A. G. , Falchuk E. L. , Kruglova N. M. , Radloff J. , Amasheh S.
Published: July 2015

Aim

Members of the tight junction protein family of claudins have been demonstrated to specifically determine paracellular permeability of the intestinal epithelium. In small intestinal mucosa, which is generally considered to be a leaky epithelium, Peyer's patches are a primary part of the immune system. The aim of this study was to analyse the tight junctional barrier of follicle‐associated epithelium covering Peyer's patches (lymphoid follicles).

Methods

Employing small intestinal tissue specimens of male Wistar rats, electrophysiological analyses including the Ussing chamber technique, marker flux measurements and one‐path impedance spectroscopy were performed. Morphometry of HE‐stained tissue sections was taken into account. Claudin expression and localization was analysed by immunoblotting and confocal laser scanning immunofluorescence microscopy.

Results

Almost twofold higher parameters of epithelial and transepithelial tissue resistance and a markedly lower permeability for the paracellular permeability markers 4 and 20 kDa FITC–dextran were detected in follicle‐associated epithelium compared to neighbouring villous epithelium. Analysis of claudin expression and localization revealed a stronger expression of major sealing proteins in follicle‐associated epithelium, including claudin‐1, claudin‐4, claudin‐5 and claudin‐8. Therefore, the specific expression and localization of claudins is in accordance with barrier properties of follicle‐associated epithelium vs. neighbouring villous epithelium.

Conclusion

We demonstrate that follicle‐associated epithelium is specialized to ensure maximum restriction of the epithelial paracellular pathway in Peyer's patches by selective sealing of tight junctions. This results in an exclusive transcellular pathway of epithelial cells as the limiting and mandatory route for a controlled presentation of antigens to the underlying lymphocytes under physiological conditions.
CHILDSPLA: a collaboration between children and researchers to design and animate health states
Authors: Abrines Jaume N. , Abbiss M. , Wray J. , Ashworth J. , Brown K. L. , Cairns J.
Published: July 2015

Aim

The children's health state preferences learnt from animation (CHILDSPLA) project developed an interactive application presented on a touch screen device using an animated character to collect information from children about their health.

Background

The underlying hypothesis was that health information could be directly collected from children as young as 4 years old by the use of animated characters. This paper describes in detail how children were involved in the development of the application, and recounts both the challenges and benefits of that process. A child psychologist and an animation filmmaker worked closely with children to design a character and to animate it to represent different health states. Children were recruited from a local primary school (n = 38) and a paediatric specialist hospital (n = 36). Diverse interactive activities were organized to help children give feedback and guide the design process. The activities for each session were adjusted to the children's needs, based on the experience of previous sessions.

Results

The character and the animations were modified according to the feedback provided by the children.

Conclusions

Developing the CHILDSPLA app in collaboration with children was a worthwhile and enriching experience, despite the required iteration and extension of the design process, as it enabled us to adjust the tool to the children's needs.
Chinese Cretaceous larva exposes a southern Californian living fossil (Insecta, Coleoptera, Eucnemidae)
Authors: Huali Chang , Muona Jyrki , Hanyong Pu , Li Xu , Chen Wang , Teräväinen Marianna , Dong Ren , Qiang Yang , Xingliao Zhang , Songhai Jia
Published: July 2015

Palaeoxenus sinensis Chang, Muona & Teräväinen sp. nov. (Coleoptera, Eucnemidae) is described on the basis of a Cretaceous larva found from the Yixian Formation in Huangbanjigou, Liaoning Province, China. The only previously known member of this clade is a southern Californian endemic, Dohrn's elegant eucnemid beetle (Palaeoxenus dohrni), a species that develops in conifers, especially the incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens). The new find proves that the highly specialized main eucnemid lineages had evolved 123 Mya, before the main radiation of the angiosperms and probably as an adaptation to development in gymnosperms.
Osteoinductive potential of a novel biphasic calcium phosphate bone graft in comparison with autographs, xenografts, and DFDBA
Authors: Miron Richard J. , Sculean Anton , Shuang Yang , Bosshardt Dieter D. , Gruber Reinhard , Buser Daniel , Chandad Fatiha , Zhang Yufeng
Published: July 2015

Objectives

Since the original description of osteoinduction in the early 20th century, the study and development of innovative biomaterials has emerged. Recently, novel synthetic bone grafts have been reported with potential to form ectopic bone in vivo. However, their full characterization in comparison with other leading bone grafts has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the osteoinductive potential of bone grafts by comparing autogenous bone grafts, demineralized freeze‐dried bone allografts (DFDBA), a commonly utilized natural bone mineral (NBM) from bovine origin (Bio‐Oss), and a newly developed biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP).

Materials and methods

Grafts were compared in vitro for their ability to stimulate bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) migration, proliferation, and differentiation as assessed by quantitative real‐time PCR for genes coding for bone markers including Runx2, collagen I, and osteocalcin. Furthermore, bone grafts were implanted in the calf muscle of 12 beagle dogs to determine their potential to form ectopic bone in vivo.

Results

The in vitro results demonstrate that both autografts and DFDBA show potential for cell recruitment, whereas only autografts and BCP demonstrated the ability to differentiate BMSCs toward the osteoblast lineage. The in vivo ectopic bone model demonstrated that while NBM particles were not osteoinductive and autogenous bone grafts were resorbed quickly in vivo, ectopic bone formation was reported in DFDBA and in synthetic BCP grafts.

Conclusion

The modifications in nanotopography and chemical composition of the newly developed BCP bone grafts significantly promoted ectopic bone formation confirming their osteoinductive potential. In conclusion, the results from this study provide evidence that synthetic bone grafts not only serve as a three‐dimensional scaffold but are also able to promote osteoinduction.
Concepts as Semantic Pointers: A Framework and Computational Model
Authors: Blouw Peter , Solodkin Eugene , Thagard Paul , Eliasmith Chris
Published: August 2015

The reconciliation of theories of concepts based on prototypes, exemplars, and theory‐like structures is a longstanding problem in cognitive science. In response to this problem, researchers have recently tended to adopt either hybrid theories that combine various kinds of representational structure, or eliminative theories that replace concepts with a more finely grained taxonomy of mental representations. In this paper, we describe an alternative approach involving a single class of mental representations called “semantic pointers.” Semantic pointers are symbol‐like representations that result from the compression and recursive binding of perceptual, lexical, and motor representations, effectively integrating traditional connectionist and symbolic approaches. We present a computational model using semantic pointers that replicates experimental data from categorization studies involving each prior paradigm. We argue that a framework involving semantic pointers can provide a unified account of conceptual phenomena, and we compare our framework to existing alternatives in accounting for the scope, content, recursive combination, and neural implementation of concepts.
Where Pop Meets Purl: Knitting, the Curation of Craft, and the Folk/Mass Culture Divide
Authors: Wolfram Cox Julie , Minahan Stella
Published: July 2015

Since the 1970s, the de‐differentiation of high and low culture has legitimized the curation of craft and popular culture. The curation of some crafts, such as quilting, has assisted in reducing art‐craft distinctions, and the exhibition of fashion and popular music has highlighted links between folk culture (e.g., stories, songs, and crafts) and mass culture. With reference to the craft of knitting, we draw on the concept of the contact zone) to show how the current breaching of museum boundaries by yarn bombers can draw further attention to inclusions and exclusions in museum curation. Just as traditional age and gender distinctions are both problematized and perpetuated in public images and press reports on knitting, we argue that discussion of new forms and new contributors to curation processes may be tempered by broader analysis of the representation of craft within popular culture.
Museum Monsters and Victorious Viruses: Improving Public Understanding of Emerging Biomedical Research
Authors: Diamond Judy , Jee Benjamin , Matuk Camillia , McQuillan Julia , Spiegel Amy N. , Uttal David
Published: July 2015

Although microbes directly impact everyone's health, most people have limited knowledge about them. In this article, we describe a museum and media public education campaign aimed at helping diverse audiences better understand emerging knowledge about microbes and infectious disease. Funded primarily by the Science Education Partnership (SEPA) program of the National Institutes of Health, this campaign involved crosscutting programs designed to extend impacts throughout a broad public audience.

Collaborations with partners from public media, libraries, science education, the social sciences, and biomedical research centers extended our outreach to local and national audiences of adults and youth. Our campaign developed programs for radio broadcast, schools, libraries, museums, and publishers to ultimately reach over eight million people. In addition, we conducted a series of research studies focused on understanding the mental models that people create of the complex concepts of microbes and infectious disease and on how to engage hard‐to‐reach adolescents with this science content. These studies furthered our understanding of how people reason about unseen phenomena, the kinds of materials that might intrigue youth who claim little interest in science, and how to begin to combat misinformation pervasive in this field. Our comparisons of expert, teacher, and teen reasoning about microbes revealed their distinct mental models on the topics of infection, vaccination, and immune response. Our investigation of comics confirmed their power to motivate teenagers to want to read more about science. Across all levels of science identity, we found that youth were more engaged with the comics than with comparable essays. Together, these findings provide insights into how to educate a diverse public about emerging biomedical research.