bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An external perspective on CSR: What matters and what does not?
Authors: Vashchenko Marina 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe paper aims at investigating external factors influencing organizational corporate social responsibility (CSR)‐related decision making. Two theoretical perspectives—stakeholder theory and institutional theory—have been applied to compile a list of external factors that might affect a company's CSR choices. As a result, a framework built on the government‐related, society‐related, and business‐related groups of external factors is being suggested. This framework is used in the paper to answer (a) to what extent do different external factors influence CSR‐related decisions in large Danish companies and (b) how has that influence changed over the years. The research takes a qualitative approach and is designed as a multiple‐case study. Empirically, the paper relies on data collected from semi‐structured interviews with CSR specialists and managers and presents a dynamic perspective on the pressure exercised by the external factors on CSR decisions and choices.
Protein astrogliopathies in human neurodegenerative diseases and aging
Authors: Kovacs Gabor G. , Lee Virginia M. , Trojanowski John Q. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractNeurodegenerative diseases are characterized by progressive dysfunction and loss of neurons associated with depositions of pathologically altered proteins showing hierarchical involvement of brain regions. The role of astrocytes in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases is explored as contributors to neuronal degeneration or neuroprotection pathways, and also as potential mediators of the transcellular spreading of disease‐associated proteins. Protein astrogliopathy (PAG), including deposition of amyloid‐β, prion protein, tau, α‐synuclein, and very rarely transactive response DNA‐binding protein 43 (TDP‐43) is not unprecedented or unusual in neurodegenerative diseases. Morphological characterization of PAG is considered, however, only for the neuropathological diagnosis and classification of tauopathies. Astrocytic tau pathology is seen in primary frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) associated with tau pathologies (FTLD‐Tau), and also in the form of aging‐related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG). Importantly, ARTAG shares common features with primary FTLD‐Tau as well as with the astroglial tau pathologies that are thought to be hallmarks of a brain injury‐related tauopathy known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Supported by experimental observations, the morphological variability of PAG might reflect distinct pathogenic involvement of different astrocytic populations. PAG might indicate astrocytic contribution to spreading or clearance of disease‐associated proteins, however, this might lead to astrocytic dysfunction and eventually contribute to the degeneration of neurons. Here, we review recent advances in understanding ARTAG and other related forms of PAG.
Stratification of astrocytes in healthy and diseased brain
Authors: Verkhratsky Alexei , Zorec Robert , Parpura Vladimir 
Published: August 2017

AbstractAstrocytes, a subtype of glial cells, come in variety of forms and functions. However, overarching role of these cell is in the homeostasis of the brain, be that regulation of ions, neurotransmitters, metabolism or neuronal synaptic networks. Loss of homeostasis represents the underlying cause of all brain disorders. Thus, astrocytes are likely involved in most if not all of the brain pathologies. We tabulate astroglial homeostatic functions along with pathological condition that arise from dysfunction of these glial cells. Classification of astrocytes is presented with the emphasis on evolutionary trails, morphological appearance and numerical preponderance. We note that, even though astrocytes from a variety of mammalian species share some common features, human astrocytes appear to be the largest and most complex of all astrocytes studied thus far. It is then an imperative to develop humanized models to study the role of astrocytes in brain pathologies, which is perhaps most abundantly clear in the case of glioblastoma multiforme.
Suppression of acute and anticipatory nausea by peripherally restricted fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor in animal models: role of PPARα and CB1 receptors
Authors: Rock Erin M , Moreno‐Sanz Guillermo , Limebeer Cheryl L , Petrie Gavin N , Angelini Roberto , Piomelli Daniele , Parker Linda A 
Published: August 2017

Background and PurposeEffective treatments of nausea are limited. In this study we evaluated the ability of the peripherally restricted fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor, URB937, to suppress acute and anticipatory nausea in rats and examined the pharmacological mechanism of this effect.Experimental ApproachWe investigated the potential of URB937 (administered i.p.) to reduce the establishment of lithium chloride‐induced conditioned gaping (model of acute nausea) and to reduce the expression of contextually‐elicited conditioned gaping (model of anticipatory nausea) in rats. The role of CB1 receptors, CB2 receptors and PPARα in the anti‐nausea effect of URB937 was examined. The potential of URB937 to suppress FAAH activity in tissue collected from the area postrema (AP), prefrontal cortex (PFC), liver and duodenum and to elevate levels of FAAH substrates – anandamide (AEA), N‐oleoylethanolamide (OEO) and N‐palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) – in the AP was also evaluated.Key ResultsURB937 reduced acute nausea by a PPARα‐dependent mechanism and reduced anticipatory nausea by a CB1 receptor‐dependent mechanism. The PPARα agonist, GW7647, similarly attenuated acute nausea. URB937 reduced FAAH activity in the liver and the duodenum but not in the PFC. In addition, URB937 reduced FAAH activity and elevated levels of fatty‐acid ethanolamides in the AP, a brain region that is not protected by the blood–brain barrier.Conclusions and ImplicationsThe anti‐nausea action of URB937 may occur in the AP and may involve PPARα to suppress acute nausea and CB1 receptors to suppress anticipatory nausea.
Adjoint Map Representation for Shape Analysis and Matching
Authors: Huang Ruqi , Ovsjanikov Maks 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIn this paper, we propose to consider the adjoint operators of functional maps, and demonstrate their utility in several tasks in geometry processing. Unlike a functional map, which represents a correspondence simply using the pull‐back of function values, the adjoint operator reflects both the map and its distortion with respect to given inner products. We argue that this property of adjoint operators and especially their relation to the map inverse under the choice of different inner products, can be useful in applications including bi‐directional shape matching, shape exploration, and pointwise map recovery among others. In particular, in this paper, we show that the adjoint operators can be used within the cycle‐consistency framework to encode and reveal the presence or lack of consistency between distortions in a collection, in a way that is complementary to the previously used purely map‐based consistency measures. We also show how the adjoint can be used for matching pairs of shapes, by accounting for maps in both directions, can help in recovering point‐to‐point maps from their functional counterparts, and describe how it can shed light on the role of functional basis selection.
Fast Planar Harmonic Deformations with Alternating Tangential Projections
Authors: Hefetz Eden Fedida , Chien Edward , Weber Ofir 
Published: August 2017

AbstractWe present a planar harmonic cage‐based deformation method with local injectivity and bounded distortion guarantees, that is significantly faster than state‐of‐the‐art methods with similar guarantees, and allows for real‐time interaction. With a convex proxy for a near‐convex characterization of the bounded distortion harmonic mapping space from [LW16], we utilize a modified alternating projection method (referred to as ATP) to project to this proxy. ATP draws inspiration from [KABL15] and restricts every other projection to lie in a tangential hyperplane. In contrast to [KABL15], our convex setting allows us to show that ATP is provably convergent (and is locally injective). Compared to the standard alternating projection method, it demonstrates superior convergence in fewer iterations, and it is also embarrassingly parallel, allowing for straightforward GPU implementation. Both of these factors combine to result in unprecedented speed. The convergence proof generalizes to arbitrary pairs of intersecting convex sets, suggesting potential use in other applications. Additional theoretical results sharpen the near‐convex characterization that we use and demonstrate that it is homeomorphic to the bounded distortion harmonic mapping space (instead of merely being bijective).
Allergic contact dermatitis caused by isobornyl acrylate in Freestyle® Libre, a newly introduced glucose sensor
Authors: Herman Anne , Aerts Olivier , Baeck Marie , Bruze Magnus , De Block Christophe , Goossens An , Hamnerius Nils , Huygens Sara , Maiter Dominique , Tennstedt Dominique , Vandeleene Bernard , Mowitz Martin 
Published: August 2017

SUMMARYBackgroundGlucose sensors, such as FreeStyle® Libre, are innovative medical devices developed for diabetes patients as a replacement for classic glucose meters, ensuring continuous glucose monitoring without the disadvantage of regular skin finger pricks.ObjectivesTo report several cases of allergic contact dermatitis caused by FreeStyle® Libre, and to report on isobornyl acrylate as a culprit allergen.Patients and MethodsFifteen patients presented with allergic contact dermatitis caused by FreeStyle® Libre. All but 1 were patch tested with a baseline series, and with pieces and/or ultrasonic bath extracts of (the adhesive part of) the glucose sensor. Isobornyl acrylate was patch tested, in various concentrations and vehicles, in 13 patients. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) of the sensors was performed.ResultsAll patients reacted to the adhesive part of the sensor, and 12 patients were shown to be sensitized to isobornyl acrylate. Simultaneous reactions to other allergens were rarely observed. GC‐MS showed the presence of isobornyl acrylate in the sensors.ConclusionsCases of allergic contact dermatitis caused by FreeStyle® Libre are increasingly being observed, and isobornyl acrylate is a relevant culprit allergen. Cross‐reactivity to other acrylates was infrequently observed, but other, hitherto unidentified, contact allergens may still be present in the device.
Pregnancy outcomes and impact of pregnancy on graft function in women after kidney transplantation
Authors: Mohammadi F.A. , Borg M. , Gulyani A. , McDonald S.P. , Jesudason S. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractBackgroundKidney transplantation facilitates pregnancy in women with end‐stage kidney disease; however, the impact of pregnancy on short and longer‐term graft function is uncertain.MethodsObstetric, fetal, and graft outcomes for pregnancies from a large Australian transplant unit (1976‐2015) were reviewed.ResultsThere were 56 pregnancies in 35 women with mean age at conception 30.4 ± 0.6 years and mean transplant‐pregnancy interval 5.5 ± 0.5 years. The live birth rate was 78.9%. Preterm birth (<37 weeks) occurred in 56.5%. Hypertensive disorders affected 76% of women (pre‐eclampsia in 30%). Median prepregnancy serum creatinine (SCr) was 100 μmol/L (interquartile range (IQR), 80, 114 μmol/L). One‐third had deterioration in graft dysfunction during pregnancy; of these, 63.2% did not return to baseline. At 2 years post‐partum, median SCr was 96.4 μmol/L (IQR, 81.5‐124.3). Women with prepregnancy SCr > 110 μmol/L had increased risk of pre‐eclampsia (OR 4.4; 95% CI 1.2‐16.8; P = .03), but not preterm birth (OR 5.4; 95% CI 0.5‐53; P = .04) or low birth‐weight babies (OR 1.2; 95% CI 0.5‐2.9; P = .04). Women with SCr > 140 μmol/L preconception had worst SCr trajectory, including higher rates of graft loss.ConclusionsKidney transplantation pregnancies remain at high risk of obstetric complications, particularly pre‐eclampsia. Prepregnancy graft function can be used to predict risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and deterioration in graft function during and after delivery.
Assessing the application of knowledge in clinical problem‐solving: The structured professional reasoning exercise
Authors: Escudier M. P. , Woolford M. J. , Tricio J. A. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIntroductionClinical reasoning is a fundamental and core clinical competence of healthcare professionals. The study aimed to investigate the utility of the Structured Professional Reasoning Exercise (SPRE), a new competence assessment method designed to measure dental students’ clinical reasoning in simulated scenarios, covering the clinical areas of Oral Disease, Primary Dental Care and Restorative Dentistry, Child Dental Health and Dental Practice and Clinical Governance.Materials and MethodsA total of 313 year‐5 students sat for the assessment. Students spent 45 minutes assimilating the scenarios, before rotating through four pairs of 39 trained examiners who each independently assessed a single scenario over a ten‐minute period, using a structured marking sheet. After the assessment, all students and examiners were invited to complete an anonymous perception questionnaire of the exercise. These questionnaires and the examination scores were statistically analysed.Results and DiscussionOral Disease showed the lowest scores; Dental Practice and Governance the highest. The overall Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was 0.770, whilst examiner training helped to increase the ICC from 0.716 in 2013 to 0.835 in 2014. Exploratory factor analysis revealed one major factor with an eigenvalue of 2.75 (68.8% of total variance). The Generalizability coefficient was consistent at 0.806. A total of 295 students and 32 examiners completed the perception questionnaire. Students’ lowest examination perceptions were an “Unpleasant” and “Unenjoyable” experience, whilst the highest were “Interesting”, “Valuable” and “Important”. The majority of students and examiners reported the assessment as acceptable, fair and valid.ConclusionThe SPRE offers a reliable, valid and acceptable assessment method, provided it comprises at least four scenarios with two independently marking and trained assessors. 3.
Lacosamide in the treatment of patients with epilepsy and intellectual disabilities: A long‐term study of 136 patients
Authors: Böttcher Stefan , Lutz Martin T. , Mayer Thomas 
Published: August 2017

SummaryObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze the retention rate of lacosamide (LCM) in patients with epilepsy and intellectual disabilities (IDs), to identify factors influencing retention rate, and to investigate the LCM retention rate with and without concomitant sodium channel blocker (SCB). We hypothesized that the retention rate of LCM with concomitant SCB would be lower than without SCB.MethodsUsing the Kaplan‐Meier estimator, we conducted a monocentric, retrospective, observational, open‐label study to evaluate LCM retention rates in patients with IDs and drug‐resistant epilepsy. In addition, the impact of therapy‐related variables on the long‐term retention of LCM was evaluated.ResultsOne hundred thirty‐six subjects with IDs and drug‐resistant epilepsy were included (age 2–66 years); most patients had focal epilepsy. Long‐term retention rates were 62.0% at 1 year, 43.7% at 2 years, and 29.1% at 3 and 4 years. Reasons for LCM discontinuation included insufficient therapeutic benefits (69%), adverse events (11%), or a combination of both factors (8%). The LCM retention rate was influenced by the number of background antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). An additional and independent influence of concomitant therapy with SCB on retention rate could not be confirmed.SignificanceOne of the major challenges in medically caring for patients with epilepsy and IDs is the high rate of drug resistance. However, there is a lack of evidence‐based information about the efficacy and tolerability of AEDs in this population. It has been shown that concomitant SCB use is a key factor in increasing the risk of LCM failure in children with epilepsy. This finding has not been replicated in our predominantly adult sample of patients with IDs.
Detecting the “invisible fraction” bias in resurrection experiments
Authors: Weis Arthur E. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe resurrection approach is a powerful tool for estimating phenotypic evolution in response to global change. Ancestral generations, revived from dormant propagules, are grown side by side with descendent generations in the same environment. Phenotypic differences between the generations can be attributed to genetic change over time. Project Baseline was established to capitalize on this potential in flowering plants. Project participants collected, froze, and stored seed from 10 or more natural populations of 61 North American plant species. These will be made available in the future for resurrection experiments. One problem with this approach can arise if nonrandom mortality during storage biases the estimate of ancestral mean phenotype, which in turn would bias the estimate of evolutionary change. This bias—known as the “invisible fraction” problem—can arise if seed traits that affect survival during storage and revival are genetically correlated to postemergence traits of interest. The bias is trivial if seed survival is high. Here, I show that with low seed survival, bias can be either trivial or catastrophic. Serious bias arises when (i) most seeds deaths are selective with regard to the seed traits, and (ii) the genetic correlations between the seed and postemergence traits are strong. An invisible fraction bias can be diagnosed in seed collections that are family structured. A correlation between the family mean survival rate and the family mean of a focal postemergence trait indicates that seed mortality was not random with respect to genes affecting the focal trait, biasing the sample mean. Fortunately, family structure was incorporated into the sampling scheme for the Project Baseline collection, which will allow bias detection. New and developing statistical procedures that can incorporate genealogical information into the analysis of resurrection experiments may enable bias correction.
Dermatographism in a horse, responsive to cetirizine treatment
Authors: van den Brom‐Spierenburg A. J. , Theelen M. J. P. , Sloet van Oldruitenborgh‐Oosterbaan M. M. 
Published: August 2017

SummaryDermatographism is a common condition in man that occurs when pressure is applied to the skin and mast cells are triggered to release histamine, causing local urticarial lesions. This case report concerns a 4‐year‐old Quarter Horse gelding that was presented with pressure induced urticaria. Moderate pressure on the skin induced nonpruritic urticaria‐like swelling after approximately 3–5 min, which lasted for approximately 2–3 h. Initial treatment with cyproheptadine gave an incomplete response and unacceptable sedation as a side effect. On the second generation antihistamine cetirizine (0.2 mg/kg bwt twice daily), dermatographism was no longer present and no side effects occurred. Treatment was continued for 4 months, with at least three attempts to discontinue therapy resulting in recurrence of lesions within 24 h. Lesions resolved each time within 24 h of recommencing therapy. Dermatographism did not recur after the horse was moved to another location despite discontinuation of therapy. This report describes a case of equine dermatographism responsive to cetirizine.
Improving predictions of tropical forest response to climate change through integration of field studies and ecosystem modeling
Authors: Feng Xiaohui , Uriarte María , González Grizelle , Reed Sasha , Thompson Jill , Zimmerman Jess K. , Murphy Lora 
Published: August 2017

AbstractTropical forests play a critical role in carbon and water cycles at a global scale. Rapid climate change is anticipated in tropical regions over the coming decades and, under a warmer and drier climate, tropical forests are likely to be net sources of carbon rather than sinks. However, our understanding of tropical forest response and feedback to climate change is very limited. Efforts to model climate change impacts on carbon fluxes in tropical forests have not reached a consensus. Here, we use the Ecosystem Demography model (ED2) to predict carbon fluxes of a Puerto Rican tropical forest under realistic climate change scenarios. We parameterized ED2 with species‐specific tree physiological data using the Predictive Ecosystem Analyzer workflow and projected the fate of this ecosystem under five future climate scenarios. The model successfully captured interannual variability in the dynamics of this tropical forest. Model predictions closely followed observed values across a wide range of metrics including aboveground biomass, tree diameter growth, tree size class distributions, and leaf area index. Under a future warming and drying climate scenario, the model predicted reductions in carbon storage and tree growth, together with large shifts in forest community composition and structure. Such rapid changes in climate led the forest to transition from a sink to a source of carbon. Growth respiration and root allocation parameters were responsible for the highest fraction of predictive uncertainty in modeled biomass, highlighting the need to target these processes in future data collection. Our study is the first effort to rely on Bayesian model calibration and synthesis to elucidate the key physiological parameters that drive uncertainty in tropical forests responses to climatic change. We propose a new path forward for model‐data synthesis that can substantially reduce uncertainty in our ability to model tropical forest responses to future climate.
Suburban commuting and activity spaces: using smartphone tracking data to understand the spatial extent of travel behaviour
Authors: Vich Guillem , Marquet Oriol , Miralles‐Guasch Carme 
Published: August 2017

This study explores the spatial extent of daily mobility by analysing the activity spaces of suburban commuters. It deepens knowledge of the transport‐related consequences of functionally segregated areas within metropolitan regions, detecting the most significant factors (personal and environmental) affecting the size of activity spaces of people with a suburban commute. Additionally, a comparison between new and traditional calculation methods of activity spaces has been carried out. To enable this, an app was developed for smartphones enabled with a global positioning system (GPS) in order to obtain accurate tracking data for 233 members of the Autonomous University of Barcelona in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, Spain. Results show that spatio‐temporal factors together with socioeconomic factors, such as the professional role, are strong determinants of the size of activity spaces. Moreover, differences between public and private transport modes of commuting were minimal, proving the potential of public transport as a non‐restricting means of transport even in suburban environments. Finally, the comparative analysis between calculation methods highlight that new methods produce more realistic representations of the spatial extent of everyday life, and different sets of explanatory factors emerge for activity spaces measured in different ways.