bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Corporate social responsibility vs. financial interests: the case of responsible gambling programs
Authors: Fiedler Ingo , Kairouz Sylvia , Reynolds Jennifer 
Published: February 2020

AbstractAimCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is supposed to play an important part in public health. Critics argue that opposing financial interests can prevent companies from implementing effective CSR programs. We shed light on this discussion by analyzing CSR programs of gambling operators.Subjects and methodsTwo data sets are used: (1) seven responsible gambling (RG) programs of German slot machine hall operators and (2) a survey carried out among 512 problem gamblers in treatment who play primarily in slot machines halls.ResultsResults show that the RG programs list mostly mandatory measures with one major exception: to approach possible problem gamblers with the intention to help them. However, operators’ staff approach only 1% of problem gamblers.ConclusionWe argue that the observed ineffective implementation of voluntary CSR measures is grounded in the strong financial incentive of operators to serve precisely the group they should stop from playing: problem gamblers. We conclude that financial interests reduce the effectiveness of CSR.
Identity Drift: The Multivocality of Ethical Identity in Islamic Financial Institution
Authors: Hidayah Nunung Nurul , Lowe Alan , De Loo Ivo 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIn today’s neo-liberalist world, Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) face many difficulties combining contemporary financial thinking with Islamic, faith-based principles, on which their day-to-day operations ought to be based. Hence, IFI are likely to experience shifts/changes in organizational and ethical identity due to tensions that the combination of these principles invokes. We present an in-depth case study that focuses on these shifts in a major European based IFI across a 14-year period. We conceptualize identity change as drift, highlighting the multivocal nature of identity construction. The ethico-faith principles that were meant to serve as living codes of ethics guiding the IFI’s organizational culture, operational processes, and strategy formation turned out to mainly have been discursively rationalized to respond to regulatory, market and institutional imperatives. The company is aware that it needs to engage in a continuous dialogue with those who set these requirements. Its ethico-faith principles may consequently be adapted quite radically, especially in periods of turmoil and takeover, as we show across the analysed time period. The paper provides valuable insights for faith-inspired organizations to reflect on the extent to which they wish to engage in the discursive justification and legitimization of current market hegemonies, whilst they actively encourage their managers to behave ethically as well.
Identifying Suitable Bioeconomic Cluster Sites—Combining GIS-MCDA and Operational Research Methods
Authors: Nørstebø Vibeke , Krøgli Svein Olav , Debella-Gilo Misganu , Perez-Valdes Gerardo A. , Uggen Kristin T. , Dramstad Wenche E. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractA transition to a bioeconomy implies an increased focus on efficient and sustainable use of biological resources. A common, but often neglected feature of these resources is their location dependence. To optimize their use, for example in bioeconomic industrial clusters, this spatial aspect should be integrated in analyses. Optimal design and localization of a bioeconomic cluster with respect to the various biological and non-biological resources required for the cluster, the composition of industrial facilities in the cluster, as well as the demands of the outputs of the cluster, is crucial for profitability and sustainability. We suggest that optimal design and location of bioeconomic clusters can benefit from the use of a Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in combination with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Operations Research modeling. The integration of MCDA and GIS determines a set of candidate locations based on various criteria, including resource availability, accessibility, and usability. A quantitative analysis of the flow of resources between and within the different industries is then conducted based on economic Input-Output analysis. Then, the cluster locations with the highest potential profit, and their composition of industrial facilities, are identified in an optimization model. A case study on forest-based bioeconomic clusters in the Østfold county of Norway is presented to exemplify this methodology, the expectation being that further implementation of the method at the national level could help decision makers in the planning of a smoother transition from a fossil-based economy to a bioeconomy.
Exergy and energy amelioration for parabolic trough collector using mono and hybrid nanofluids
Authors: Al-Oran Otabeh , Lezsovits Ferenc , Aljawabrah Ayham 
Published: February 2020

AbstractEnergy and exergy efficiency amelioration of the parabolic trough has taken high interest since recent years, especially when nanofluid used as an enhancement category. This paper aimed to improve LS-2 parabolic trough model and compare the enhancement effect that occurred using different mono and hybrid nanofluids. Inserting mono nanoparticles of Al2O3, CeO2, CuO, and hybrid combinations of Al2O3 with CeO2, or CuO nanoparticles in a Syltherm 800 was investigated by five different cases. The investigation was presented under total volume fraction 4% for all nanofluids and mixing fraction 50:50 for the hybrid types in order to facilitate the analysis and compare various results at the same conditions. Those cases and their comparisons were solved using MATLAB Symbolic tools under turbulent flow regime and variable inlet temperature to present wide domain behavior for the energy and exergy efficiency, Nusselt number, heat transfer coefficient, and pressure drop, whereas the analytical solution of the energy balance equation was taken from the literature and improved to cover the mentioned cases. Moreover, the results were compared with previous researches that used different thermal fluid and showed high accuracy behavior with low deviation. Therefore, the findings showed that Al2O3 and CeO2 hybrid nanofluids were more efficient than using of both Al2O3 and CuO hybrid nanofluids and any mono nanofluids contain the same nanoparticles. The maximum enhancement of thermal and exergy efficiency of using Al2O3 and CeO2 hybrid nanofluids was 1.09% and 1.03%, respectively, whereas it was enhanced by 167.8% and 200.7% for the Nusselt number and heat transfer coefficient, respectively. Also, the hybrid nanofluids have higher advantage over the mono nanofluids by presenting lower pressure drop values. Finally, the assessment of efficiency variation affected by thermal properties of the nanoparticle was presented under optimum temperature equal to 575 K.
Network Risk Assessment Based on Baum Welch Algorithm and HMM
Authors: Wang Chundong , Li Kongbo , He Xiaonan 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWith the increasingly extensive applications of the network, the security of internal network of enterprises is facing more and more threats from the outside world, which implies the importance to master the network risk assessment skills. To improve the accuracy is an importent issue. In the big data era, there are various security protection techniques and different types of group data. Meanwhile, Online Social Networks (OSNs) and Social Internet of Things (SIoT) are becoming popular patterns of meeting people and keeping in touch with friends (Jiang et al. ACM Comput Surv 49:10:1–10:35 2016; Shen et al. 2017). Risk assessment, as a bridge between security experts and network administrators, whose accuracy can influence the judgment of administrators to the entire network state. In order to solve this problem, this essay uses the Baum Welch algorithm to optimize the risk assessment process by establishing the HMM model, which can improve the accuracy of the evaluation value. Firstly, behavior of the attacker is described in-depth by the attack graph generated through MulVAL framework. Then, the nodes on the attack path can will be evaluated and the value will be further evaluated by the Bayesian model. Finally, by establishing the hidden Markov model, the corresponding parameters can be defined and the most likely probabilistic state transition sequence can be calculated by using the Viterbi algorithm and Baum Welch algorithm to deduce the attack intent with the highest possibility.
The occupational trajectories and outcomes of forced migrants in Sweden. Entrepreneurship, employment or persistent inactivity?
Authors: Backman Mikaela , Lopez Esteban , Rowe Francisco 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe current surge in forced migration to Europe is probably the largest and most complex since the Second World War. As population aging accelerates and fertility falls below replacement level, immigration may be seen as a key component of human capital to address labor and skill shortages. Receiving countries are, however, hesitant about the contribution that forced migrants can make to the local economy. Coupled with increasing pressure on welfare services, they are associated with increased job competition and crime. Underutilization of immigrants’ skills is, however, a waste of resources that countries can scarcely afford. Understanding the labor market integration process of forced migrants is thus critical to develop policies that unleash their full skills potential and ultimately foster local economic productivity. While prior studies have examined the employment and salary outcomes of these immigrants at a particular point in time post-migration, they have failed to capture the temporal dynamics and complexity of this process. Drawing on administrative data from Sweden, we examine the occupational pathways of forced migrants using sequence analysis from their arrival in 1991 through to 2013. Findings reveal polarized pathways of long-term labor market integration with over one-third of refugees experiencing a successful labor market integration pathway and an equally large share facing a less fruitful employment outcomes. Our findings suggest education provision is key to promote a more successful integration into the local labor market by reducing barriers of cultural proximity and increasing the occurrence of entrepreneurship activity.
ChIP-seq and RNA-seq for complex and low-abundance tree buds reveal chromatin and expression co-dynamics during sweet cherry bud dormancy
Authors: Vimont Noémie , Quah Fu Xiang , Schöepfer David Guillaume , Roudier François , Dirlewanger Elisabeth , Wigge Philip A. , Wenden Bénédicte , Cortijo Sandra 
Published: February 2020

AbstractChromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) is a robust technique to study interactions between proteins, such as histones or transcription factors and DNA. This technique in combination with RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) is a powerful tool to better understand biological processes in eukaryotes. We developed a combined ChIP-seq and RNA-seq protocol for tree buds (Prunus avium L., Prunus persica L Batch, Malus x domestica Borkh.) that has also been successfully tested on Arabidopsis thaliana and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Tree buds contain phenolic compounds that negatively interfere with ChIP and RNA extraction. In addition to solving this problem, our protocol is optimised to work on small amounts of material. Furthermore, one of the advantages of this protocol is that samples for ChIP-seq are cross-linked after flash freezing, making it possible to work on trees growing in the field and to perform ChIP-seq and RNA-seq on the same starting material. Focusing on dormant buds in sweet cherry, we explored the link between expression level and H3K4me3 enrichment for all genes, including a strong correlation between H3K4me3 enrichment at the DORMANCY-ASSOCIATED MADS-BOX 5 (PavDAM5) loci and its expression pattern. This protocol will allow analysis of chromatin and transcriptomic dynamics in tree buds, notably during its development and response to the environment.
Microplastics in seawater: sampling strategies, laboratory methodologies, and identification techniques applied to port environment
Authors: Cutroneo Laura , Reboa Anna , Besio Giovanni , Borgogno Franco , Canesi Laura , Canuto Susanna , Dara Manuela , Enrile Francesco , Forioso Iskender , Greco Giuseppe , Lenoble Véronique , Malatesta Arianna , Mounier Stéphane , Petrillo Mario , Rovetta Ruben , Stocchino Alessandro , Tesan Javier , Vagge Greta , Capello Marco 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe European Interreg Italy–France 2014–2020 Maritime Project SPlasH! (Stop to Plastics in H2O!) focused on the study of microplastics (MPs) in the marine port environment to evaluate their presence, abundance, and mechanisms of diffusion to the open sea. In the framework of this project, a worldwide review of 74 studies was carried out, providing an overview of MP investigation techniques, focusing on sampling strategies, laboratory methodologies, and identification of MPs collected in seawater, and specifically evaluating their applicability to the marine port environment. Nets were the most commonly used device for MP surface sampling, but their use can be difficult in narrow spaces within the port basins, and they must be coupled to discrete sampling devices to cover all port basins. In the laboratory, density separation (NaCl, ZnCl2, NaI, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)), filtration (polycarbonate, polyamide, glass, cellulose, ANOPORE inorganic membrane filters), sieving, visual sorting, and digestion methods (acidic, enzymatic, alkaline, oxidative) were used to separate MPs from seawater. Digestion becomes essential with water samples with great inorganic and organic loads as deriving from a port. Although many studies are based only on visual MP identification under a microscope, analytical identification techniques unequivocally determine the particle nature and the identity of the plastic polymers and are necessary to validate the visual sorting of MPs. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is the most used analytical identification technique.
Etiology of Lumbosacral Radiculoplexopathy: Sacral Insufficiency Fracture on Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Geannette Christian , Lee Susan C. , Sneag Darryl B. 
Published: February 2020

Background Sacral insufficiency fracture (SIF) can cause lumbosacral radiculoplexopathy (LSRP) and is probably under-recognized. Symptoms may include nonspecific lumbar spine or buttock pain that is exacerbated by physical activity and alleviated with rest. The frequency of LSRP secondary to SIF has not been reported. Questions/Purposes We aimed to determine the frequency of LSRP associated with SIF using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine. Methods We searched a radiology database at our institution using the keywords “sacral insufficiency fracture” and “lumbar spine MRI” for patient records from January 2014 through December 2017. We assessed for the presence of LSRP, reflected by elevated T2-weighted or short tau inversion recovery (STIR) signal intensity and enlargement of the nerve on noncontrast lumbar spine MRI. An incompletely healed vertically oriented SIF was confirmed if there was a persistent bone marrow edema pattern adjacent to the fracture site; we did not include purely transverse SIFs. The final cohort comprised 57 patients (48 female; age range, 14 to 89 years). Results Abnormalities of the extraforaminal L5 nerve root or the combined L4 and L5 nerve roots (the lumbosacral trunk) were identified in 19 (33%) of 57 patients, with a total of 23 sites (bilateral involvement in four cases). Of the 23 abnormal nerves, 19 (82.6%) had corresponding, clinically documented radicular symptoms and 16 (69.6%) had no other explanation on MRI for their radicular symptoms other than SIF. Conclusions LSRP caused by SIF is an entity all radiologists should be cognizant of, especially in cases of otherwise unexplained radicular symptoms. The diagnosis of SIF can be helpful in cases involving concomitant multilevel lumbar spondylosis and neural foraminal stenosis.
Structural and Social Determinants of Health in Asthma in Developed Economies: a Scoping Review of Literature Published Between 2014 and 2019
Authors: Sullivan Kathryn , Thakur Neeta 
Published: February 2020

AbstractPurpose of ReviewUsing the WHO Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health, this review provides a discussion of recent epidemiologic, mechanistic, and intervention studies of structural and social determinants of health and asthma outcomes covering the period from 2014 to 2019.Recent FindingsA majority of studies and interventions to date focus on the intermediary determinants of health (e.g., housing), which as the name suggests, exist between the patient and the upstream structural determinants of health (e.g., housing policy). Race/ethnicity remains a profound social driver of asthma disparities with cumulative risk from many overlapping determinants. A growing number of studies on asthma are beginning to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that connect social determinants to human disease. Several effective interventions have been developed, though a need for large-scale policy research and innovation remains.SummaryStrong evidence supports the key role of the structural determinants, which generate social stratification and inequity, in the development and progression of asthma; yet, interventions in this realm are challenging to develop and therefore infrequent. Proximal, intermediary determinants have provided a natural starting point for interventions, though structural interventions have the most potential for major impact on asthma outcomes. Further research to investigate the interactive effect of multiple determinants, as well as intervention studies, specifically those that are cross-sector and propose innovative strategies to target structural determinants, are needed to address asthma morbidities, and more importantly, close the asthma disparity gap.
Immunohistochemical characterization of the anti-Müllerian hormone receptor type 2 (AMHR-2) in human testes
Authors: Sansone A. , Isidori A. M. , Kliesch S. , Schlatt S. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractPurposeIn males, AMH is secreted by immature Sertoli cells; following exposure to endogenous androgens, Sertoli cells undergo a process of maturation which ultimately inhibits AMH expression to undetectable levels in the serum. However, expression of AMH receptor (AMHR-2) has never been studied in human testes, and high intratubular concentrations of AMH have been reported in recent literature. We therefore assessed expression of AMHR-2 in several testicular tissue samples by immunohistochemistry (IHC).MethodsThe IHC method was first validated on tissue samples from healthy human testis (n = 2) and from marmoset ovary (n = 1). The same method was then used for assessment on testicular histopathology specimens from patients with mixed atrophy (MA,n = 2), spermatogenetic arrest (SA,n = 2), Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCO,n = 1), Klinefelter syndrome (KS,n = 1), and nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT,n = 1). Tissue samples from two subjects at different pubertal stages (AndroProtect (AP), aged 5 and 14 years) with hematological malignancies were also retrieved.ResultsIn adult men, AMHR-2 was expressed on peritubular mesenchymal cells, with patterns closely mirroring α-smooth muscle actin expression. Similar patterns were preserved in almost all conditions; however, in nonseminomatous germ cell tumors the tissue architecture was lost, including AMHR-2 expression. More positive and diffuse staining was observed in tissue samples from prepubertal testes.ConclusionsIn specimens from both healthy and affected testes, AMHR-2 expression appears weaker in adult than in prepubertal tissue sections. The persistence of AMHR-2 expression seemingly hints at a possible effect of intratesticular AMH on the tubular walls.
Could the kinetin riboside be used to inhibit human prostate cell epithelial–mesenchymal transition?
Authors: Dulińska-Litewka Joanna , Gąsiorkiewicz Bartosz , Litewka Aleksandra , Gil Dorota , Gołąbek Tomasz , Okoń Krzysztof 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a molecular process connected to higher expression of vimentin and increased activity of transcription factors (Snail, Twist) which restrains E-cadherin. EMT has been linked to prostate cancer metastatic potential, therapy resistance, and poor outcomes. Kinetin riboside (9-(b-dribofuranosyl)-6-furfurylaminopurine, KR) is a naturally occurring cytokinin, which induces apoptosis and shows strong antiproliferative activity against various human cancer cell lines. To establish the effect of KR on human prostate cell lines, expression of, e.g. AR, E-, N-cadherins, Vimentin, Snail, Twist, and MMPs, was analysed at mRNA and protein levels using Western Blot and RT-PCR and/or RQ-PCR techniques. KR inhibited the growth of human prostate cancer cells, but also, to a small extent, of normal cells. This effect depended on the type of the cells and their androgen sensitivity. KR also decreased the level of p-Akt, which takes part in androgen signalling modulation. The antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein was down-regulated in cancer cell lines, while that of Bax is up-regulated upon KR exposure. KR contributed to re-expression of the E-cadherin as well as to significant changes in cell migration. Taken together, our results indicate for the first time that KR can be proposed as a factor for signalling pathways regulation that participates in the inhibition of development of aggressive forms of prostate cancer, and may alter the approach to therapeutic interventions. We propose KR as a potent inhibitor of EMT in human prostate cells.
Molecular profiling in breast cancer—ready for clinical routine?
Authors: Tendl Kristina A. , Bago-Horvath Zsuzsanna 
Published: February 2020

SummaryThe herald of genomic testing opened novel diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities for many tumor entities. For breast cancer, molecular profiling has become an integral part of disease management on multiple levels. Genetic testing allows for the identification of hereditary cancer syndromes in patients with a family history of malignancies and contributes to the successful prevention of breast cancer. In early breast cancer, several prospective randomized trials demonstrated the prognostic significance of commercially available mRNA-based gene expression analyses, which now have become part of standard of care in the adjuvant setting. In advanced breast cancer, testing for targetable mutations ensures personalized cancer treatment. Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors provide the first targeted alternative for patients with BRCA 1/2-associated breast cancer. In advanced breast cancer of luminal type, the detection of Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-Bisphosphate 3-Kinase Catalytic Subunit Alpha (PIK3CA) mutations provides a novel treatment option with alpelisib, a PIK3CA inhibitor. Further targetable mutations include NTRK3 in rare cases of secretory breast carcinoma and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Recent data support the importance of the analysis of circulating tumor cells and cell-free DNA. These “liquid biopsies” open novel possibilities of molecular profiling. However, clinical benefit of such analyses remains to be confirmed.