bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organizational supports and individuals commitments through work integrated learning
Authors: Pennaforte Antoine Pierre
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– The development of individual work competencies through work integrated learning (WIL) emanates from expectations of students to learn from both the workplace and their educational institution, and an assumption that WIL stakeholders will support them. This exchange between individuals and organizational insiders, according to the social exchange norm of reciprocity, may also nurture organizational behaviors. WIL student-workers may perceive support from insiders, and orient their behaviors to increase their contribution to the host organization in terms of performance, by developing specific bonds of commitment toward different targets. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– By designing a “WIL perception of workplace support system” including four core stakeholders as a predictor of bonds of commitments, the author tested these relationships on a sample of 2,457 co-op students enrolled in a North American University.

Findings

– Results globally supported the hypotheses. Student-workers perception of co-workers and supervisor supports developed commitment to team. Student-workers perception of co-workers, supervisor, and organizational supports developed commitment to the host organization and to the work. However, the effect of perception of University support on commitment to host organization and to work was non-significant.

Originality/value

– Given the lack of studies in the WIL field from an organizational approach, the author propose to investigate what supports are perceived by WIL student-workers, and whether these supports develop specific bonds of commitment.
Intellectual capital reporting, leadership and strategic change
Authors: Slack Richard , Munz Matthias
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– A change in leadership can signal a shift in corporate strategy to drive future value creation. To help achieve this, a different emphasis may be placed upon the intellectual capital (IC) resources within the organisation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes in volume, composition and emphasis of IC disclosure in annual reports mapped against the re-orientation of corporate strategy and associated leadership change.

Design/methodology/approach

– A longitudinal period of over three decades (1979-2010) is examined. Adopting a case-based approach, Daimler AG is purposively selected for this research having a number of distinct changes in strategy over the period, reflective of leadership change. Using content analysis, annual report IC-related disclosures (structural, relational and human capital) by Daimler AG are examined, by category and more detailed sub-categories, against corporate strategy.

Findings

– The composition and emphasis of IC disclosures found in the annual reports changes over the longitudinal period and is reflective of the prevailing corporate strategy at that time. There were four identified periods of strategy, each associated with leadership change. The prevalence and qualitative focus of IC disclosures relevant to each period reflects the importance of respective IC components in corporate value creation.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is based on annual report IC disclosures within one case company and hence reflect the messages conveyed by that company over the longitudinal period. Additionally, the authors recognise that the annual report is only one source of corporate information, but as a historic record it serves to consistently capture management disclosure over a long-time period. Future research, adopting an econometric approach, could further test the linkages between leadership change, strategic shift and IC-related disclosure.

Practical implications

– The research reveals how IC-related disclosure shifts to reflect leadership and strategic change within a case company. Through such disclosure, the authors are able to gain greater insight into how a specific business seeks to create value drawing on the components of IC underpinning corporate strategy.

Originality/value

– The research provides new insights into IC disclosure by mapping its content and emphasis against changes in corporate strategy. This has contemporary significance due to the wider disclosure debate concerning strategy and value creation in the annual report, for instance through integrated reporting. Further, the research shows the value of annual reports for longitudinal disclosure research.
The information content of small business earnings
Authors: Benkraiem Ramzi
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– This paper starts from the observation that small businesses in France report a significant fraction of their net income in the form of non-core earnings. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the persistence and informativeness of both core and non-core earnings of small businesses listed on the Euronext Paris market.

Design/methodology/approach

– Panel regressions estimated with heteroskedasticity robust standard errors are used to investigate the relationships between earnings components, future performance and stock market valuation of small businesses.

Findings

– The findings show that core and non-core earnings of the current year (t), contrary to those of the previous year (t−1), make it possible to predict the performance of the next year (t+1). However, only the persistence of current core earnings is valued by the stock market.

Research limitations/implications

– The study puts forward an anomaly of market efficiency. Thus, it shows that investors in the French stock market do not appropriately price a part of the available financial information (i.e. non-core earnings) that may contribute to a better assessment of the future performance of listed small businesses.

Practical implications

– The persistence of non-core earnings is certainly less important than that of core elements but able to help investors appraise the future performance of listed small businesses. Hence, it represents useful financial information for investors.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating the relationships between earnings, future performance and stock market valuation of listed SMEs, especially. Thus, the findings of this research allow a better understanding of earnings components properties (i.e. persistence) and their implication on the stock market valuation (i.e. informativeness) of listed SMEs. Given the observed specificities of earnings for this category of firms, these findings may be of particular interest to both researchers and investors.
Agency theory: the times, they are a-changin’
Authors: Bendickson Josh , Muldoon Jeff , Liguori Eric , Davis Phillip E
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– Theories develop over time and are influenced by both events and people. Looking primarily at the applications between contracting principal-agent relationships, the purpose of this paper is to explore how agency theory emerged from a number of economic and social developments. In doing so, the authors explain how this once dominant theory comes up short regarding varying realms of entrepreneurship as well as with multiple modern business phenomena.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors first present a brief overview of agency theory. Second, the authors identify major events and people and address how they impacted the development of agency theory. Third, the authors provide insights on agency theory across three contexts (strategic entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and family business). Implications, limitations, and future research directions are then offered.

Findings

– The authors provide a deeper understanding of agency theory, thus broadening its underpinnings and enabling readers to more readily understand why agency theory is limited in its explanation of certain and modern business phenomena. The authors find that some of the seminal influences to agency theory are quite dated which has limited its explanatory power in terms of the modern day business and with more recent disciplines such as entrepreneurship.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors are limited by their choices of major events that influenced agency theory at the expense of not being able to include everything that may have impacted the theory over time. These limitations, however, are offset by the research implications. As the authors highlight the underpinning of agency theory, the authors subsequently provide scholars and practitioners with five primary boundary conditions, each of which are in need of attention for agency theory to maintain relevant explanatory power.

Originality/value

– A deeper understanding of agency theory can be gained by looking at its underpinnings. By presenting numerous principal-agent conflicts and demonstrating areas in which it has fallen short (i.e. entrepreneurship and more recent business phenomenon), we shed light on the obstacles agency theory must overcome in order to maintain its position as a prominent theory.
Anti-migration enhanced tracheal stent design, rapid manufacturing and experimental tests
Authors: Fiorentino Antonio , Piazza Cesare , Ceretti Elisabetta
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to focus on tracheal stent production with the aim of investigating the available devices and improving their performances. The biomedical field is a continuously growing area of the market always in search of the most innovative and competitive solutions for healthcare. Beside the actual critical period of the world economy, it shows continuous improvements in research and innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Within a market analysis and the collaboration between engineering and biomedical research fields, it was outlined a new product concept able to satisfy the patient’s and physician’s requirements with the focus on the enhancement of the stent anchorage. As a result, the concept of a custom- or tailor-made stent was identified as a potential solution. Moreover, additive technologies were identified as the economically sustainable processes for manufacturing these innovative stents. In the present paper, different types of stents were derived from the proposed concept, they were designed, manufactured and their anchorage capability was tested. In particular, the procedures adopted for their design are described and discussed. Moreover, silicone fused deposition modelling was adopted and two types of deposition method, namely, layer-by-layer and continuous, were used to manufacture the devices identifying their pro, cons and limits. Finally, the stents were tested against migration and results were compared with one of the most widely used today.

Findings

– The results show how additive manufacturing allowed to manufacture more efficient and migration resistant stents.

Originality/value

– It is expected that this new stent design will reduce the risk of complications in stenting, as granulation, thanks to a more uniform stress distribution on the trachea tissues. These improved characteristics will allow to enhance the quality of both the product and the patient’s healthcare.
Unpredictability in seagrass restoration: analysing the role of positive feedback and environmental stress on Zostera noltii transplants
Authors: Suykerbuyk Wouter , Govers Laura L. , Bouma Tjeerd J. , Giesen Wim B. J. T. , de Jong Dick J. , van de Voort Roy , Giesen Kris , Giesen Paul T. , van Katwijk Marieke M.
Published: January 2016

Restoration of key species in dynamic coastal ecosystems benefits from reduction in environmental stress. This can be realized by promoting positive feedback (intrinsic processes) or by reducing extrinsic negative forcing.

In a seagrass (Zostera noltii) restoration project in the south‐western Netherlands, we investigated transplantation success in relation to intrinsic processes (i.e. comparing sods vs. single shoots, transplant size, transplant configuration and transplant density) and extrinsic forcing (i.e. bioturbation by Arenicola marina, desiccation and exposure to water dynamics). In total, 2600 m2 of seagrass sods were mechanically transplanted to six intertidal flats over the course of 5 years.

In total, 43% of sod transplants (2·25 m2) survived at the long term, whereas single shoot transplants failed within the first 3 months. The use of larger, or more compact (sod), transplant configurations had no long‐term effect on survival, and initial densities did not affect transplantation success either. Reducing desiccation stress increased the transplantation success during the first growing season. Shielding transplants from bioturbating lugworms had a positive effect on long‐term survival.

Seagrass abundance in summer was related to spring abundance, whereas winter survival was not related to prior seagrass abundance. At four of the six intertidal flats, transplants gradually decreased in size over time. At the other two, extensive colonization occurred around the transplant areas in some years and was still partly present in 2015. A correlation with the studied environmental parameters was not found.

Synthesis and applications. Intrinsic processes favour transplantation development during the growing season, allowing positive feedback. Extrinsic processes favour the development at a longer time‐scale (i.e. reduction in bioturbation, thus breaking the positive feedback of the bare state). Most surprisingly, the starting colonization of two out of six tidal flats could not be related to environmental factors (hydrodynamics, light, emergence time, sediment characteristics, macro‐algae and grazing). Environmental managers can improve transplantation success by restoring the positive feedback, reducing stress, but also via risk spreading by performing transplants over wider areas. They thereby accept the complexity of processes and unpredictable temporal and spatial variation in which transplantation sites turn out to be successful.
Improvement of cardiovascular remodelling by chymase inhibitor
Authors: Takai Shinji , Jin Denan
Published: January 2016

Chymase has been identified as an angiotensin II‐forming enzyme found in cardiovascular tissues. Angiotensin II is involved not only in the regulation of blood pressure, but also in the progression of cardiovascular remodelling. Interestingly, chymase inhibitors prevent cardiovascular remodelling without lowering blood pressure. The reason why chymase inhibitors do not affect blood pressure may depend on the localization of chymase in vivo. In normal tissues, chymase is stored in mast cell granules and has no enzymatic function; whereas, in damaged tissues, chymase exhibits enzymatic activity immediately following its release from the granules. Chymase also activates transforming growth factor‐β and matrix metalloproteinase‐9, both of which are involved in cardiovascular remodelling, and their enzymatic functions are also observed only in damaged tissues. In animal models of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia, chymase inhibitors improve cardiovascular remodelling without a general circulatory effect, including blood pressure. Thus, it is proposed that chymase is a potentially important target for preventing cardiovascular diseases.
A conversation analytic study of building and repairing the alliance in family therapy
Authors: Muntigl Peter , Horvath Adam O.
Published: January 2016

In this paper, we draw from the methods of conversation analysis to illustrate how different alliances that form the ‘web of relationships’ of family therapy are ruptured and subsequently repaired. By focusing on the interactional practices of a master therapist, Dr Salvador Minuchin, we examine how he effectively manages a disaffiliative episode that occurred at the very beginning of a therapy session. In particular, we show how Minuchin's practices function to re‐establish consensus and a positive alliance and to endorse the mother's parental authority (in a context where she claims to be helpless and lack agency). Minuchin thus uses a range of alliance building strategies to join with the family by sharing their distress and, at the same time, moves the conversation forward in a therapeutically‐driven direction to facilitate a restructuring of familial roles and relations.

Practitioner points

Find ways to disagree with clients’ position without generating stress or rupture in the alliance

Verbal and nonverbal discursive moves to join with clients can create an inclusive context for the therapy

Discursive strategies can endorse client authority and counter a self‐deprecating client stance
Dartmouth Atlas Area‐Level Estimates of End‐of‐Life Expenditures: How Well Do They Reflect Expenditures for Prospectively Identified Advanced Lung Cancer Patients?
Authors: Keating Nancy L. , Landrum Mary Beth , Huskamp Haiden A. , Kouri Elena M. , Prigerson Holly G. , Schrag Deborah , Maciejewski Paul K. , Hornbrook Mark C. , Haggstrom David A.
Published: January 2016

Objective

Assess validity of the retrospective Dartmouth hospital referral region (HRR) end‐of‐life spending measures by comparing with health care expenditures from diagnosis to death for prospectively identified advanced lung cancer patients.

Data/Setting/Design

We calculated health care spending from diagnosis (2003–2005) to death or through 2011 for 885 patients aged ≥65 years with advanced lung cancer using Medicare claims. We assessed the association between Dartmouth HRR‐level spending in the last 2 years of life and patient‐level spending using linear regression with random HRR effects, adjusting for patient characteristics.

Findings

For each $1 increase in the Dartmouth metric, spending for our cohort increased by $0.74 (p < .001). The Dartmouth spending variable explained 93.4 percent of the HRR‐level variance in observed spending.

Conclusions

HRR‐level spending estimates for deceased patient cohorts reflect area‐level care intensity for prospectively identified advanced lung cancer patients.
Comparison of fetuin‐A and transforming growth factor beta 1 levels in patients with spondyloarthropathies and rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Harman Halil , Tekeoğlu İbrahim , Gürol Gönül , Sağ Mustafa Serdar , Karakeçe Engin , Çİftçİ İhsan Hakkı , Kamanlı Ayhan , Nas Kemal
Published: January 2016

Aim

We investigated the serum transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) and fetuin‐A levels, and determined the relationships between these biomarkers and disease activity, mobility and radiologic progression in patients with spondyloarthropathy (SpA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Method

The study included 55 patients with SpA and 38 patients with RA, together with 28 healthy subjects. In AS patients, we assessed disease activity using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), functional ability using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), and mobility using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), radiologic progression using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiology Index (BASRI). Serum fetuin‐A and TGFβ1 were determined using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) equipment.

Results

Fetuin‐A was significantly higher in the axial SpA and RA groups than in healthy subjects (P < 0.01). Serum TGFβ1 and fetuin‐A levels were similar in the peripheral SpA group and in healthy subjects. A significant positive correlation was found between the fetuin‐A and TGFβ1 levels in the axial SpA, peripheral SpA, and RA groups (r = 0.293, P = 0.009; r = 0.215, P = 0.04; r = 0.223, P = 0.05, respectively). Significant correlations were found between fetuin‐A and the BASMI and BASRI values in the axial SpA patients (r = 0.444, P = 0.031; r = 0.486, P < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

We conclude that Fetuin‐A may be one of the steps that can be active in disease progression in axial SpA patients.
Complications after surgery for the relief of dyspareunia in women with lichen sclerosus: a case series
Authors: Burger Matthé P.M. , Obdeijn Miryam C.
Published: January 2016

Introduction

The objective of this study was to analyse complications after surgical intervention on the vulva, especially with grafting of the vaginal epithelium, for the relief of dyspareunia in women with lichen sclerosus.

Material and methods

A case series of 23 women with histologically confirmed lichen sclerosus who underwent vulvar surgery because of disabling sexual dysfunction. Surgical care was provided in a university hospital (tertiary referral center) between 2008 and 2012. The interventions were posterior vestibuloplasty (perineoplasty), dehooding of the glans clitoridis and anterior vestibuloplasty with grafts of vaginal epithelium.

Results

A posterior vestibuloplasty was performed in all 23 women. Short‐term complications included postoperative infection with subtotal dehiscence of the advanced vaginal epithelium (n = 1), and reactivation of lichen sclerosus with the formation of bullae due to the postoperative discontinuation of dermatosteroid use (n = 1). The long‐term complications included localized pain (n = 3); although the relation with the surgical intervention was unclear. Four women underwent dehooding of the glans clitoridis, all without complications. Anterior vestibuloplasty with a free full‐thickness graft of vaginal mucosa was performed in five women. One woman underwent a second operation because of contraction and keratinization of the graft. The importance of estrogens for the condition of the graft was unclear.

Conclusions

After reconstructive vulvar surgery in women with lichen sclerosus, issues such as infection, reactivation of the disease and pain require attention. The use of vaginal grafts in the repair of the anterior vestibule is a novel approach and deserves further exploration.
Rearing conditions affected responses of weaned pigs to organic acids showing a positive effect on digestibility, microflora and immunity
Authors: Wang Yu. , Kuang Yiwen , Zhang Yalin , Song Yumo , Zhang Xiaoling , Lin Yan , Che Lianqiang , Xu Shengyu , Wu De. , Xue Bai , Fang Zhengfeng
Published: January 2016

Three experiments were conducted to assess the response of weaned pigs to organic acid SF3, which contains 34% calcium formate, 16% calcium lactate, 7% citric acid and 13% medium chain fatty acids. Dietary treatments had no effect on growth performance of piglets (21‐day weaning) fed the commercial prestart diet for 1 week before receiving the experimental diets supplemented with SF3 at 0, 3 or 5 g/kg diet (Exp. 1), whereas diarrhea frequency averaged across a week was decreased by SF3 supplementation (5 g/kg diet) in piglets fed the experimental diets immediately after weaning (Exp. 2). In Exp. 3, piglets (28‐day weaning) were fed the control (containing pure colistin sulfate and enramycin, respectively, at 20 mg/kg diet) for 1 week and then were fed the control or SF3‐supplemented (5 g/kg diet) diet for 2 weeks. The SF3‐fed piglets had greater apparent ileal digestibility of calcium and dry matter, while also demonstrating greater overall gross energy, up‐regulated jejunal expression of sodium‐glucose cotransporter‐1 and transforming growth factor‐β, down‐regulated jejunal expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, higher ileal Lactobacillus, with lower total bacteria content, lower plasma TNF‐α but higher IgG levels than the control‐fed piglets. Collectively, SF3 consumption improved diarrhea resistance of weaned pigs by improving nutrient digestibility, piglet immunity and intestinal bacteria profile. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science
A comparison of plasma glucose and oxidative status in lactating dairy cows in summer and autumn
Authors: Kurokawa Yuzo , Yamashita Rina , Okita Miki , Yoshitoshi Rena , Sugino Toshihisa , Obitsu Taketo , Kawamura Kensuke
Published: January 2016

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the hot summer season on plasma glucose and oxidative stress markers. For two 14‐day experimental periods, namely periods 1 (July‐August) and 2 (October‐November), 12 and 14 lactating dairy cows, respectively, that were milked using an automatic milking system, were fed diets containing similar ingredients, and their milk production, plasma metabolites and oxidative status markers were investigated. Dry matter intake and milk yield were not affected by the experimental period. Rectal temperature at 18.00 hours and milk protein concentration in period 1 were higher and lower, respectively, than in period 2 (P < 0.05), suggesting that the hot summer season had an effect on the experimental dairy cows. Plasma glucose and the ascorbic acid + dehydroascorbic acid (AA) concentrations in period 1 were lower than in period 2 (P < 0.01). The plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration did not differ between the experimental periods. The increase in the cellular AA uptake in peripheral tissues in period 1 might be a possible compensatory mechanism to balance the occurrence of reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant capacity in the cells, resulting in the absence of an effect of the hot summer season on plasma MDA concentration. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science
Tissue responses to fractional transient heating with sinusoidal heat flux condition on skin surface
Authors: Ezzat Magdy A. , El‐bary Alaa A. , Al‐sowayan Noorah S.
Published: January 2016

A fractional model of Bioheat equation for describing quantitatively the thermal responses of skin tissue under sinusoidal heat flux conditions on skin surface is given. Laplace transform technique is used to obtain the solution in a closed form. The resulting formulation is applied to one‐dimensional application to investigate the temperature distribution in skin with instantaneous surface heating for different cases. According to the numerical results and its graphs, conclusion about the fractional bioheat transfer equation has been constructed. Sensitivity analysis is performed to explore the thermal effects of various control parameters on tissue temperature. The comparisons are made with the results obtained in the case of the absence of time‐fractional order. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science
Provision of Meaningful Care at Diagnosis, Birth, and after Stillbirth: A Qualitative Synthesis of Parents' Experiences
Authors: Lisy Karolina , Peters Micah D. J. , Riitano Dagmara , Jordan Zoe , Aromataris Edoardo
Published: January 2016

Background

The care provided to parents experiencing stillbirth can have significant and lasting impacts on their immediate and long‐term psychological well being. The aim of this qualitative synthesis was to investigate parents' experiences of care received during and after stillbirth.

Methods

Qualitative findings extracted from 20 included studies were pooled using a meta‐aggregative approach.

Results

Four meta‐syntheses encompassing parents' experiences of care at diagnosis of stillbirth, induction and birth, immediately postbirth and onwards, revealed care strategies that parents appreciated and found helpful, and also actions and behaviors that were distressing. Helpful strategies included a warm and sensitive communication style, provision of clear and understandable information, shared decision making, and respect for individual needs and preferences. Parents appreciated guidance from health care professionals about seeing and holding, including being prepared for their baby's possible appearance, information on how to spend time with their baby, and collection of memorabilia. After stillbirth, offers of follow‐up care, including referrals for professional support, were appreciated.

Conclusions

Care received during and after stillbirth may have lasting impacts on parents' future well being. Health care professionals may aid in improving parents' well being after stillbirth by providing care that is cognizant of parents' emotional states. Care strategies arising from the findings of this review are suggested.
The impact of health anxiety in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis: Misperception, misattribution and quality of life
Authors: Hayter Aimee L. , Salkovskis Paul M. , Silber Eli , Morris Robin G.
Published: January 2016

Objectives

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease with an unpredictable prognosis. Previous studies have reported health anxiety within the MS population. This study examines the effect of health anxiety on MS patients’ quality of life (QoL) and evaluates the potential contribution of cognitive factors in maintaining health anxiety.

Methods

A total of 84 patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) were screened for health anxiety. From this sample, a group with relatively high and another group with low anxiety (n = 21 in each group) were identified. A further 21 healthy controls were recruited for comparison. A measure of QoL was then completed. Cognitive biases were investigated by measuring perception and attribution of common bodily symptoms as well as appraisal of performance on neuropsychological and physical fatigue tests.

Results

The high health anxiety group reported poorer QoL relative to the other groups, independent of level of disability. They were also more likely to misattribute common bodily changes to MS, and perceive their (objectively intact) performance on tests of cognition and fatigue as being impaired, attributing the cause of impairment to MS.

Conclusion

Health anxiety may be a factor in mediating the psychosocial impact of MS. Skilled psychological treatment which changes misperception and misattribution may significantly benefit patients with MS and elevated health anxiety.

Practitioner Points

Clinical implications

Health anxiety impacts on quality of life in patients with MS even when disability and other measures of psychological distress are taken into account.

High levels of health anxiety distort perceptions of symptoms in patients with MS in line with the predictions made by the cognitive model of health anxiety.

Limitations of study

This study is limited to patients with RRMS within the relatively early stages of their disease and is based on a small sample size.

Health anxiety is correlated with measures of generalized anxiety, depression, and worry, although it is found to have a unique impact on quality of life in patients with MS.
Prostate‐specific antigen patterns in US and European populations: comparison of six diverse cohorts
Authors: Simpkin Andrew J. , Donovan Jenny L. , Tilling Kate , Athene Lane J. , Martin Richard M. , Albertsen Peter C. , Bill‐Axelson Anna , Ballentine Carter H. , Bosch J. L. H Ruud , Ferrucci Luigi , Hamdy Freddie C. , Holmberg Lars , Jeffrey Metter E. , Neal David E. , Parker Christopher C. , Metcalfe Chris
Published: January 2016

Objective

To determine whether there are differences in prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels at diagnosis or changes in PSA levels between US and European populations of men with and without prostate cancer (PCa).

Subjects and Methods

We analysed repeated measures of PSA from six clinically and geographically diverse cohorts of men: two cohorts with PSA‐detected PCa, two cohorts with clinically detected PCa and two cohorts without PCa. Using multilevel models, average PSA at diagnosis and PSA change over time were compared among study populations.

Results

The annual percentage PSA change of 4–5% was similar between men without cancer and men with PSA‐detected cancer. PSA at diagnosis was 1.7 ng/mL lower in a US cohort of men with PSA‐detected PCa (95% confidence interval 1.3–2.0 ng/mL), compared with a UK cohort of men with PSA‐detected PCa, but there was no evidence of a different rate of PSA change between these populations.

Conclusion

We found that PSA changes over time are similar in UK and US men diagnosed through PSA testing and even in men without PCa. Further development of PSA models to monitor men on active surveillance should be undertaken in order to take advantage of these similarities. We found no evidence that guidelines for using PSA to monitor men cannot be passed between US and European studies.
Depositional systems in multiphase rifts: seismic case study from the Lofoten margin, Norway
Authors: Henstra Gijs A. , Gawthorpe Robert L. , Helland‐Hansen William , Ravnås Rodmar , Rotevatn Atle
Published: January 2016

The evolution of depositional systems in multiphase rifts is influenced by the selective reactivation of faults between subsequent rift phases. The Middle Jurassic to Palaeocene tectonic history of the Lofoten margin, a segment of the North Atlantic rift system, is characterised by three distinct rift phases separated by long (>20 Myr) inter‐rift periods. The initial rift phase comprised a distinct fault initiation and linkage stage, whereas the later rift phases were characterised by selective reactivation of previously linked through‐going faults which resulted in immediate rift climax. Using 2‐D and 3‐D seismic reflection data in conjunction with shallow core data we present a 100 Myr record of shallow to deep marine depositional environments that includes deltaic clinoform packages, slope aprons and turbidite fans. The rapid re‐establishment of major faults during the later rift phases impacts on drainage systems and sediment supply. Firstly, the immediate localisation of strain and accumulation of displacement on few faults results in pronounced footwall uplift and possible fault block rotation along those faults, which makes it more likely for any antecedent fault‐transverse depositional systems to become reversed. Secondly, any antecedent axially‐sourced depositional systems that are inherited from the foregoing rift phase(s) are likely to be sustained after reactivation because such axial systems have already been directed around fault tips. Hence, the immediate localisation of strain through selective reactivation in the later rift phases restricts fault‐transverse sediment supply more than axial sediment supply, which is likely to be a key aspect of the tectono‐sedimentary evolution of multiphase rifts.
Polymorphisms of the GR and HSD11B1 genes influence body mass index and weight gain during hormone replacement treatment in patients with Addison's disease
Authors: Molnár Ágnes , Kövesdi Annamária , Szücs Nikolette , Tóth Miklós , Igaz Péter , Rácz Károly , Patócs Attila
Published: January 2016

Objective

Glucocorticoid substitution is essential in patients with chronic primary adrenocortical insufficiency (Addison's disease) and both over‐treatment and inadequate dosage have deleterious effects. Individual sensitivity to glucocorticoids is partly genetically determined.

Context

To test the hypothesis whether the well‐characterized SNPs of the GR and HSD11B1 genes may modulate the individual sensitivity to exogenous glucocorticoids and may influence clinical and/or laboratory parameters and the glucocorticoid substitution dosage in patients with Addison's disease.

Patients and methods

68 patients with primary adrenocortical insufficiency were involved. Clinical and laboratory data, as well as the dosage of the hormone replacement therapy were collected. Peripheral blood DNA was isolated, and the GR and HSD11B1 SNPs were examined using allele‐specific PCR or Taqman assay on Real Time PCR.

Results

The allele frequency of the GR N363S polymorphism was higher in patients compared to the control group and the disease appeared significantly earlier in patients harbouring the GR A3669G compared to noncarriers. These patients had higher ACTH level measured at the time of diagnosis. Homozygous BclI carriers had higher body mass index (BMI) and lower total hydrocortisone equivalent supplementation dose needed than heterozygous or noncarriers. The BMI and weight gain during hormone replacement therapy were also higher in carriers of the HSD11B1 rs4844880 treated with glucocorticoids other than dexamethasone.

Conclusion

The BclI polymorphism of the GR gene and the rs4844880 of the HSD11B1 gene may contribute to weight gain and may affect the individual need of glucocorticoid substitution dose in these patients.
Cosmetic preservative labelling on the Thai market
Authors: Bunyavaree Monthathip , Kasemsarn Pranee , Boonchai Waranya
Published: January 2016

Background

Preservatives are added to cosmetics and other consumer products to prevent microbial growth and product degradation. Many cosmetic preservatives are skin sensitizers and frequent causes of contact dermatitis. The use of preservatives may vary by country and/or region, according to legislation, and may be reflected in differences in the prevalence rates of preservative allergy worldwide.

Objective

To examine the type and frequency of preservative use in cosmetics sold in Thai markets in metropolitan Bangkok, Thailand.

Methods

Preservatives contained in 1000 different cosmetics sold in Thai markets were documented and analysed, based on the labelling of ingredients.

Results

Most of the cosmetic and skincare products sold in Thai markets were international brands, with only a small proportion of cosmetic products being produced in Thailand. International brand cosmetics were more likely to contain non‐formaldehyde‐releasing preservatives than domestically produced brands. Isothiazolinone‐based preservatives, which are responsible for the current increase in the prevalence of contact allergy, were found at a significant frequency in domestically produced, leave‐on cosmetic products.

Conclusion

Preservatives in cosmetics were significantly different according to source of production and type of cosmetics.
The Euro‐Dollar Exchange Rate: How Traders’ Behaviour Has Been Affected by the 2007–2008 Financial Crisis
Authors: Cagliesi Gabriella , Della Bina Antonio Carlo Francesco , Tivegna Massimo
Published: January 2016

This paper investigates the dynamics of the Euro/US dollar exchange rate before, during and after the global financial crisis using intra‐day data in a sample covering the period 2003–2011. The paper extends over the conventional empirical framework and specifies an EGARCH (3,1) model to account for heterogeneity in three temporal trading zones and for asymmetric volatility to news. The findings indicate the presence and evolution of differences in Euro/US exchange rate dynamics across American, European and Asian trading zones before and during the financial crisis. As a result of the crisis, traders in the three areas have modified their reactions to scheduled news, unscheduled surprises and content of policies. Developing a better understanding of how traders' behaviour has adjusted since the onset of the crisis is an important issue given the global significance of this exchange rate and the considerable volatility experienced over the sample period.
Can public policies lower religiosity? Evidence from school choice in France, 1878–1902
Authors: FRANCK RAPHAËL , JOHNSON NOEL D.
Published: January 2016

This study analyses the effects of public policies on religiosity by focusing on the enrolment of pupils in French Catholic primary schools between 1878 and 1902. During this period, the government increased public spending and made school attendance free and mandatory until the age of 13. The empirical analysis presented here suggests that greater public spending had no substantial effect on the enrolment in Catholic schools. By contrast, mandatory schooling laws had a negative, but quantitatively limited, impact. The overall resilience of Catholic schooling is traced to the political divide created by the 1789 French Revolution.
Measurement of liver iron concentration by superconducting quantum interference device biomagnetic liver susceptometry validates serum ferritin as prognostic parameter for allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Jacobi Nicole , Herich Lena
Published: January 2016

Introduction

There are conflicting data regarding the role of serum ferritin (SF) as surrogate parameter for iron overload as an independent prognostic factor for outcome after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) biomagnetic liver susceptometry, a noninvasive measurement of iron overload, allows measurement of the interference of an exteriorly applied small but highly constant magnetic field by the paramagnetic liver storage iron. By measuring the true iron load of patients through SQUID, we wanted to assess the effect of iron overload on patients undergoing SCT.

Methods

We conducted a single‐center retrospective analysis (1994–2010), comparing the effect of SF and liver iron content measured by SQUID shortly before transplantation on overall survival (OS), event‐free survival (EFS), and transplant‐related mortality (TRM) in 142 patients (median age 54.5 yr, range 5.6–75 yr) undergoing SCT (80% reduced intensity regimen). Patients were subdivided into five groups: myelodysplastic syndrome, de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML), secondary AML, primary myelofibrosis, and others.

Results

Correlation between SF and SQUID was significant (r = 0.6; P < 0.001; log function). The chance of infection was increased 2.4‐fold (95% CI 1.22–4.71) when SQUID values ranged ≥1000 μg Fe/g liver (P = 0.012). We found similar results for SF >1000 ng/mL (P = 0.003). A significant association between SQUID and fungal infection was also seen (P = 0.004). For patients with SQUID ≥1000, the risk of proven fungal infection was increased 3.08‐fold (95% CI 1.43–6.63). A similar association between SF >1000 and fungal infection was shown (P = 0.01). In univariate analysis, age was a prognostic factor for TRM (P = 0.034, HR 1.04, CI 1.00–1.08). SF ≥1000 was associated with OS (P = 0.033, HR 2.09, CI 1.06–4.11) and EFS (P = 0.016, HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.15–4.10). In multivariate analysis on EFS, only age and SF >1000 remained as independent factors (HR 1.027, P = 0.040, 95% CI 1.001–1.054 and HR 2.058, P = 0.034, 95% CI 1.056–4.008, respectively). The multivariate analysis on TRM left age and SQUID values ≥1000 in the final model (HR 1.045, P = 0.041, 95% CI 1.002–1.090 and HR 2.110, P = 0.103, 95% CI 0.859–5.183, respectively).

Conclusion

Our data confirmed that SF ≥1000 increases the risk of infection, moreover fungal infection in transplant recipients. As SQUID values correlate well with SF, we could show that SF is indeed a good surrogate parameter for iron overload when measured shortly before SCT. Prospective trials are needed to investigate the effect of iron chelation before or during SCT on transplant outcome.
Model of anaesthetic induction by unilateral intracerebral microinjection of GABAergic agonists
Authors: Devor Marshall , Zalkind Vladimir , Fishman Yelena , Minert Anne
Published: January 2016

General anaesthetic agents induce loss of consciousness coupled with suppression of movement, analgesia and amnesia. Although these diverse functions are mediated by neural structures located in wide‐ranging parts of the neuraxis, anaesthesia can be induced rapidly and reversibly by bilateral microinjection of minute quantities of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)A‐R agonists at a small, focal locus in the mesopontine tegmentum (MPTA). State switching under these circumstances is presumably executed by dedicated neural pathways and does not require widespread distribution of the anaesthetic agent itself, the classical assumption regarding anaesthetic induction. Here it was asked whether these pathways serve each hemisphere independently, or whether there is bilateral redundancy such that the MPTA on each side is capable of anaesthetizing the entire brain. Either of two GABAA‐R ligands were microinjected unilaterally into the MPTA in awake rats, the barbiturate modulator pentobarbital and the direct receptor agonist muscimol. Both agents, microinjected on either side, induced clinical anaesthesia, including bilateral atonia, bilateral analgesia and bilateral changes in cortical activity. The latter was monitored using c‐fos expression and electroencephalography. This action, however, was not simply a consequence of suppressing spike activity in MPTA neurons, as unilateral (or bilateral) microinjection of the local anaesthetic lidocaine at the same locus failed to induce anaesthesia. A model of the state‐switching circuitry that accounts for the bilateral action of unilateral microinjection and also for the observation that inactivation with lidocaine is not equivalent to inhibition with GABAA‐R agonists was proposed. This is a step in defining the overall switching circuitry that underlies anaesthesia.
Dimorphism of both head and prothoracic horn morphologies in male Copris acutidens (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea)
Authors: Akamine Mayumi
Published: January 2016

Allometric scaling of male horn morphologies of Copris acutidens, including the head and prothoracic horns, was analyzed. The analyses of scaling relationships indicated a discontinuous increase in head horn length and prothoracic horn height but a linear increase in prothoracic horn length relative to body size. The different results for length and height of the prothoracic horn suggest that the height is functionally more important for ensuring mates in the nests. Furthermore, both the head and prothoracic horns were dimorphic, and this characteristic was not found in the scarabaeoid beetle Onthophagus. Similarity in the switch point values for the head and prothoracic horns suggests that the dimorphism of the two kinds of horns may result from the same developmental threshold mechanism.
Early comers occupy popular territories in a lycaenid butterfly, Chrysozephyrus smaragdinus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Authors: Takeuchi Tsuyoshi
Published: January 2016

Territorial activities of a lycaenid butterfly, Chrysozephyrus smaragdinus, were observed throughout its adult season to investigate the territorial dynamics. The territories occupied earlier in the season were abandoned later than later‐occupied territories, indicating that the site preference of male C. smaragdinus was largely maintained during the adult season. Three indexes of territory quality based on animal preference, occupation duration (OD), initial occupation date (IOD) and the number of contests (NOC), were highly correlated. Therefore, these preference‐based indexes are consistent and reliable, although they are indirect estimates of benefits obtained from territories. Males arriving at territory sites early in the season were more likely to hold territories of better quality when NOC was used as the index of territory quality. The positive relationship between territory quality and male arrival date is congruent with the result of a previous study showing that early comers tend to hold a territory whereas late comers do not. However, male arrival date was not related to territory quality when OD or IOD was used as an index of territory quality. One possible reason for this apparent discrepancy is that the coefficient of variation of NOC is larger than those of OD and IOD, and therefore NOC could evaluate territory quality more quantitatively than the other two indexes. To date, studies of territoriality in butterflies have not considered the quality of territories. More studies considering the quality of territories will provide new insights into butterfly territoriality.
Style Migration in Europe
Authors: Broussard John Paul , Mikkonen Jussi , Puttonen Vesa
Published: January 2016

This paper complements the literature on style migration by examining value and size premiums throughout Europe. Information from more than 25 European markets indicates an average value premium of 9.58% per year. The primary determinants of the persistent value outperformance are: 1) value firms migrating to a neutral or growth portfolio, and 2) growth stocks migrating to neutral or value portfolios. The financial health metric F_SCORE helps uncover outperforming stocks ex ante, and provides preliminary evidence on the probability of migration, but only for small stocks.