bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The education of children in care and children in need: Who falls behind and when?
Authors: Sinclair Ian , Luke Nikki , Fletcher John , O'Higgins Aoife , Strand Steve , Berridge David , Sebba Judy , Thomas Sally 
Published: January 2020

AbstractWe seek to explain the development of the educational gap between children in “out‐of‐home care” (CLA), children deemed in social need (CIN), and other pupils. A cohort of 642,805 pupils aged 16 in 2013 was used to chart the educational progress of the full cohort, the CLA (n = 6,236), the CIN in 2012 or 2013 but not CLA (n = 20,384), and a sample individually matched with the CLA (n = 11,084). At age 7, attainment of the CLA and CIN was approximately 1 standard deviation lower than the cohort average and predicted attainment at 16. At this point, the persistent “CIN” (those with earlier and persistent needs) had the lowest attainment relative to others, and this declined further during secondary school. Those entering care before or during primary school had very low attainment at age 7, but their relative attainment did not decline. Attainment of CLA and CIN at age 16 likely reflects early environment, special educational needs, and poor relationships with secondary school. Policy, research, and intervention should focus on CIN as well as CLA, do so before entry to care, and take account of the onset of, and probable reasons for, educational difficulties.
Long‐term functional results and quality of life after redo rectal surgery: delayed versus immediate colo‐anal anastomosis
Authors: Boullenois H. , Lefevre J. H. , Creavin B. , Voron T. , Debove C. , Chafai N. , Parc Y. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAimTo compare the functional results and quality of life after delayed colo‐anal anastomosis (DCAA) or immediate colo‐anal anastomosis (ICAA) following redo rectal surgery.MethodTwenty‐six patients with DCAA between 2014 and 2018 were studied retrospectively (group A). Two control groups were used: 26 ICAA after redo surgery (group B) and 52 colo‐anal anastomosis (CAA) after anterior resection (group C). Control groups were matched for age, sex, pelvic radiotherapy and time to surgery. Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) and Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) scores were used to assess function and quality of life.ResultsThe indications for surgery were comparable for groups A and B: anastomotic failure with chronic sepsis (38% vs 50%, P = 0.40), vaginal fistula (42% vs 42%, P = 1) and urinary fistula (20% vs 8%, P = 0.22) as well as the number of previous abdominal operations (1.3 ± 0.9 vs 1.1 ± 0.6, P = 0.19). The median LARS score in the first 2 years was 30 [interquartile range (IQR) 14–41] for group A, 23 (IQR 0–41) for group B and 22 (IQR 11–37) for group C. After 2 years, the median LARS score improved in each group [A, 21 (IQR 11–35); B, 18 (IQR 5–26); C, 13 (IQR 9–20)], but was still high in group A. There was a tendency toward more major LARS in group A than in group B (46% vs 27%; P = 0.149). There was no difference in the mean GIQLI score between groups A and B (120 ± 16 vs 117 ± 19; P = 0.53) at the end of the follow‐up period. Time after stoma closure (< 2 years) and previous radiotherapy were risk factors for major LARS in all populations.ConclusionICAA should be the procedure of choice where possible in redo surgery as it has better functional outcomes.
Effect of different Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans strains on dual‐species biofilms formed with Porphyromonas gingivalis or Dialister pneumosintes
Authors: Sha Qiong , Chen Casey 
Published: January 2020

There are five evolutionarily divergent clades of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, with possible differences in phenotype and virulence potential among strains. This study examined the formation of biofilm by each of 11 distinct strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans, alone or after coculture with two species of oral bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC33277 or Dialister pneumosintes ATCC33048). Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and electron microscopy were used to characterize the dual‐species biofilms of interest. A reduction in dual‐species A. actinomycetemcomitans–P. gingivalis biofilms was observed for A. actinomycetemcomitans RHAA1, suggesting an antagonistic relationship. The amounts of dual‐species A. actinomycetemcomitans–D. pneumosintes biofilms were either increased or decreased in some – but not all – strains, indicative of strain‐specific phenotypes. The CLSM analyses confirmed the existence of an antagonistic relationship between A. actinomycetemcomitans D7S‐1 and P. gingivalis ATCC33277, and a synergistic relationship between A. actinomycetemcomitans D7S‐1 and D. pneumosintes ATCC33048. The electron microscopy analyses revealed distinct morphological features of A. actinomycetemcomitans D7S‐1 and D. pneumosintes ATCC33048 dual‐species biofilms. The results indicate that the relationship between A. actinomycetemcomitans and oral bacteria may vary among strains, which could lead to distinct strain‐specific patterns of niche sharing in subgingival microbiota.
Model vs. playback experiments: The impact of sensory mode on predator‐specific escape responses in saki monkeys
Authors: Adams Dara B. , Kitchen Dawn M. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAlthough experimentally simulating predator presence helps improve sample sizes in studies of free‐ranging animals, few studies have examined whether auditory playbacks and visual models produce similar results. Additionally, it is unclear if anti‐predator strategies are specific to predator hunting styles in understudied Neotropical pitheciid primates, limiting what we can generalize about this phenomenon across this taxonomic order. We conducted predator simulation experiments to assess whether wild Rylands' bald‐faced saki monkeys (Pithecia rylandsi) recognize predators based solely on acoustic cues, exhibit predator‐specific responses to different predator types, and vary responses to presentations in different sensory modes. In our playback experiments, sakis had weak responses to non‐predator control vocalizations compared to jaguar growls and harpy eagle shrieks. In most predator playbacks, subjects' first glance corresponded to the direction from which simulated predators would typically attack (above vs. below). However, although sakis exhibited appropriate movement responses to harpy playbacks (i.e., descending canopy), they exhibited no clear movement patterns when presented with jaguar playbacks. In contrast, jaguar model experiments consistently elicited fast approaches, mobbing‐style responses, and long alarm calling bouts. Thus, if we had relied on playbacks alone, we might have concluded that sakis have only generalized responses to terrestrial ambush predators. In fact, in all variables measured (e.g., latency, number of calls, and response duration), models of both predator species elicited stronger reactions than playbacks. Results indicate that bald‐faced sakis can identify predators based solely on vocalizations, but do not exhibit predator‐specific escape responses to terrestrial predators based on acoustic cues alone. The differential response to playbacks and models calls into question the reliability of using acoustic‐only stimuli to assess the specificity of anti‐predator behavior to predator hunting styles in some primate species.
Patterns of environmental variance across environments and traits in domestic cattle
Authors: Schou Mads F. , Kristensen Torsten N. , Hoffmann Ary A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe variance in phenotypic trait values is a product of environmental and genetic variation. The sensitivity of traits to environmental variation has a genetic component and is likely to be under selection. However, there are few studies investigating the evolution of this sensitivity, in part due to the challenges of estimating the environmental variance. The livestock literature provides a wealth of studies that accurately partition components of phenotypic variance, including the environmental variance, in well‐defined environments. These studies involve breeds that have been under strong selection on mean phenotype in optimal environments for many generations, and therefore represent an opportunity to study the potential evolution of trait sensitivity to environmental conditions. Here, we use literature on domestic cattle to examine the evolution of micro‐environmental variance (CVR—the coefficient of residual variance) by testing for differences in expression of CVR in animals from the same breed reared in different environments. Traits that have been under strong selection did not follow a null expectation of an increase in CVR in heterogenous environments (e.g., grazing), a pattern that may reflect evolution of increased uniformity in heterogeneous environments. When comparing CVR across environments of different levels of optimality, here measured by trait mean, we found a reduction in CVR in the more optimal environments for both life history and growth traits. Selection aimed at increasing trait means in livestock breeds typically occurs in the more optimal environments, and we therefore suspect that the decreased CVR is a consequence of evolution of the expression of micro‐environmental variance in this environment. Our results highlight the heterogeneity in micro‐environmental variance across environments and point to possible connections to the intensity of selection on trait means.
The development of safe and effective rehabilitation protocols for horses
Authors: Haussler K. K. , King M. R. , Peck K. , Adair H. S. 
Published: January 2020

SummaryRehabilitation has become an important aspect of equine practice. Unfortunately, there is limited knowledge or awareness of the general principles and methods used to develop safe and effective rehabilitation programmes. By following a few basic principles, appropriate rehabilitation programmes can be developed for individual horses with a wide range of injuries and sources of musculoskeletal pain or dysfunction. This article provides an outline of general guidelines to help practitioners interested in developing rehabilitation programmes or working with sports medicine and rehabilitation experts to provide the best possible treatment for individual horses with injuries at different stages of healing.
The relative importance of biotic and abiotic determinants of temporal occupancy for avian species in North America
Authors: Snell Taylor Sara , Umbanhowar James , Hurlbert Allen H. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAimWe examined the relative importance of competitor abundance and environmental variables in determining the species distributions of 175 bird species across North America. Unlike previous studies, which tend to model distributions in terms of presence and absence, we take advantage of a geographically extensive dataset of community time series to model the temporal occupancy of species at sites throughout their expected range.LocationNorth America.Time period2001–2015.Major taxa studiedOne hundred and seventy‐five bird species.MethodsWe calculated variation in temporal occupancy across species’ geographic ranges and used variance partitioning and Bayesian hierarchical models to evaluate the relative importance of (a) the abundance of potential competitors and (b) the environment (elevation, temperature, precipitation, vegetation index) for determining temporal occupancy. We also created a null model to test whether designated competitor species predicted variation in temporal occupancy better than non‐competitor species.ResultsOn average, the environment explained more variance in temporal occupancy than competitor abundance, but this varied by species. For certain species, competitor abundance explained more variance than the environment. Migrant species with smaller range sizes and greater range overlap with competitors had a higher proportion of variance explained by competitor abundance than the environment. The abundance of competitor species had a stronger effect on focal species temporal occupancy than non‐competitor species in the null model.Main conclusionsTemporal occupancy represents an underutilized method for describing species distributions that is complementary to presence/absence or abundance. Geographic variation in temporal occupancy was explained by both biotic and abiotic drivers, and abiotic drivers explained more variation in temporal occupancy than abundance on average. Species traits also play a role in determining whether variation in temporal occupancy is best explained by biotic or abiotic drivers. The results of our study can improve species distribution models, particularly by accounting for competitive interactions.
Evolutionary constraints and adaptation shape the size and colour of rain forest fruits and flowers at continental scale
Authors: Delmas Chloé E. L. , Kooyman Robert M. , Rossetto Maurizio 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAimLarge‐scale patterns in flower and fruit traits provide crucial insights into selection processes and the evolutionary history of plant lineages. To isolate and identify the role of selective pressures, including different plant–animal interactions and the factors driving trait evolution, we investigated the convergence and divergence between flower and fruit traits in shared environments.LocationAustralia to Southeast Asia.Time periodEocene (c. 45 Ma) to present.Major taxa studiedWoody angiosperm rain forest species (2,248 species, 133 families).MethodsUsing a continental‐scale data set for all woody angiosperm species in the Australian rain forest (1,816 free‐standing and 432 climbing species), we compared the colour and size of fleshy fruits and flowers in relationship to life‐form (trees/shrubs and vines), species biogeographical histories and origins (Sunda versus Sahul) and bioregional distributions.ResultsFleshy fruits in the Australian rain forest are mostly small, with a diversity of colours (<30 mm; 81%), and the flowers are mostly small (<10 mm; 65%) and whitish (c. 80%). Compared with trees and shrubs, climbing species showed a higher proportion of red fleshy fruits and large coloured flowers. Small whitish flowers were dominant across lineages from different biogeographical origins (Sunda and Sahul) and geographical regions, and both small and large fleshy fruits retained a range of disperser‐attractant colours.Main conclusionsContinental‐scale size and colour characteristics of flowers and fleshy fruits differed despite sharing environments with similar abiotic selective pressures through time. Plant–animal interactions, including pollination and dispersal, are likely to mediate different evolutionary outcomes for plant traits and reflect both adaptation and evolutionary constraints.
Association of long‐term care needs, approaching death and age with medical and long‐term care expenditures in the last year of life: An analysis of insurance claims data
Authors: Mori Hiroko , Ishizaki Tatsuro , Takahashi Ryutaro 
Published: January 2020

AimThis study aimed to examine whether long‐term care needs, approaching death and age were associated with the use of medical and long‐term care resources (care/service use and expenditures) in the last year of life among older Japanese individuals.MethodsUsing data on insurance claims and death certificates, we described the use of medical and long‐term care resources in the last year of life by residents of Soma City in Japan aged ≥65 years who died between September 2006 and October 2009. Using a generalized estimating equation, we examined whether long‐term care needs, approaching death and age were associated with resource use during each 3‐month period in the last year of life.ResultsResource use in medical and long‐term care among 882 non‐survivors and 8504 survivors were analyzed. Analyses for the non‐survivors showed statistically significant associations between: (i) severe long‐term care needs and greater service use in outpatient care, higher expenditures for outpatient care and higher expenditures for in‐home/facility services; (ii) approaching death and greater use in both inpatient care and facility services; and (iii) being aged 65–74 years and greater service use in outpatient/in‐hospital care and in‐home/facility services, higher expenditures in outpatient/inpatient care, and lower expenditures for in‐home/facility services.ConclusionsThe present study showed that severe long‐term care needs and approaching death, rather than advancing age, were significantly and independently associated with greater use of resources in both medical and long‐term care services. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 277–284.
Nurturing female leadership skills through peer mentoring role: A study among undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Baroudi Sandra , David Solomon Arulraj 
Published: January 2020

AbstractNurturing students’ leadership is a crucial element in the twenty‐first century due to its effects on their personal growth, well‐being and self‐awareness. Peer mentoring programmes promoted students’ confidence levels and provided leadership development opportunities for them. The majority of peer mentoring studies often looked into the positive outcomes of mentoring on mentees rather than on mentors. Through semi‐structured interviews, this study sought to explore the impact of peer mentoring role on female mentors’ personal development and leadership practices in one university in the United Arab Emirates. Most participants viewed the mentoring role as the driving force behind their improved academic, personal development and career‐related skills. The peer mentoring experience offered a great personal and psychosocial support to female mentors. Involvement in peer mentoring enhanced mentors’ well‐being and their attachment to their learning environment. Mentors’ professionalism and sense of responsibility grew, and they gained experiences and skills that may help them in their future career. This study aimed to inspire female students to be future leaders who can positively contribute to their communities. It strengthened arguments for implementing peer mentoring programmes in universities.
Effect of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on the structure and antioxidant activity of bovine serum albumin (BSA)
Authors: Liu Zhi‐Wei , Manzoor Muhammad Faisal , Tan Yi‐Cheng , Inam‐ur‐Raheem Muhammad , Aadil Rana Muhammad 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis study was aimed to determine the influence of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma with a plasma intensity (20 and 40 kV) and treatment times (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 min) on the physicochemical, structural and antioxidant properties of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution. In results, the free sulphydryl content, pH and free amino group contents, while carbonyl groups and surface hydrophobicity were increased after the plasma treatment. After plasma treatment, there is also an increase in the DPPH and FRAP assay that was associated with the changes in the structure of the peptides chain. The complementary techniques were employed to identify the protein structural modifications by plasma treatment. These changes were more severe at the most extended treatment duration and plasma intensity. The high energetic and oxidising species carried by plasma may have significant associations on the structural and physical properties of BSA.
Corporate investment and financing with uncertain growth opportunities
Authors: Chen Biao , Yang Jinqiang , Zhang Chuanqian 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper develops a continuous‐time model of a firm's sequential investments. The firm has an option to expand revenue after the initial investment. However, the timing of exercising the growth option depends not only on the underlying cash flows but also on the uncertainty of the growth opportunity. We show that the uncertainty of growth opportunity has a positive effect on the initial investment. In particular, the investment threshold has a nonmonotonic (U‐shaped) relation with the arrival rate of the growth opportunity, in that it starts to decrease and then increase with the arrival rate. The outcome is driven by the tradeoff between benefit and cost of the prospective expansion, and the magnitude of that rests on the level of arrival rate. For optimally levered firm, the financial leverage ratio displays a U‐shaped relation with the arrival rate. It is caused by the interaction between future growth uncertainty and debt overhang problem. Furthermore, we show that the optimal leverage, depending on the level of growth uncertainty, may or may not display inverse relation with the growth size. Our results shed valuable light on the empirical implication of testing the existence of debt overhang.
Comparative analysis on the effect of Z‐plasty versus conventional simple excision for the treatment of sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus: A retrospective randomised clinical study
Authors: Yang Yong‐Ping , Yu Ling‐Yun , Wang Yi‐zhuo , Shi Jian , Li Jian‐Nan , Shang Feng‐Jia , Wu Jiao , Liu Tong‐Jun 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus is one of common diseases in general department. However, it is characterised, for surgeons, by high post‐surgical recurrence and high incidence of post‐surgical wound complications. Due to that fact, this retrospective randomised clinical study was designed to evaluate the surgical procedure effect of Z‐plasty (ZP), compared with convention simple excision (SE). A total of 67 patients from May 2015 to May 2019 in our department were studied into two groups randomly, the group of ZP and the group of SE. The patients' characteristics, surgical data, hospital length of stay (LOS), and post‐surgery complications were recorded. Statistical approaches were proceed with P‐value analysis. The results are as follows. No significant differences were found between these two groups of the ages, gender distribution, Body Mass Index (BMI), smoking history, diabetes mellitus, and blood hypertension. The estimated blood loss, specimen volume, distance to anus, and drain output on the first day of post‐surgery between the two groups were not statistically significant, either. However, surgical time in the ZP group was longer than that in the SE group (P < .0001). LOS in the ZP group was obviously shorter than that in the SE group (P = .0051). Furthermore, the patients of the ZP group were tending to suffer from fewer post‐surgical complications than the ones of the SE group. In a conclusion, we hold the point view that the surgical procedure of ZP can lead a better outcome than SE because it demonstrated shortened LOS and fewer post‐surgical complications.
Does executive compensation reflect corporate productivity?
Authors: Choi Yoon K. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractRecent literature has given attention to the effect of CEO‐specific productivity on the structure of CEO compensation. Our paper instead focuses on the effect of a different productivity factor—which we call “corporate productivity”—on CEO compensation. In particular, we show that corporate productivity affects the trade‐off between incentive and risk in a non‐monotonic fashion, which the literature has not yet recognized. Using various empirical proxies for corporate productivity, we show that our results are consistent with the non‐monotonic relation and thus contribute to the debates in the incentive‐risk trade‐off literature. Second, our findings also contribute to the internal capital market literature by exploring the relation between the structure of CEO compensation and excess value.