bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Corporate Governance, Tax Avoidance, and Financial Constraints
Authors: Bayar Onur , Huseynov Fariz , Sardarli Sabuhi 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWe examine how corporate governance affects the relationship between corporate tax avoidance and financial constraints. Conditional on having poor governance, tax avoidance is associated with greater financial constraints and a greater likelihood of financial distress. In firms with strong governance, however, we find that tax avoidance does not have a negative impact on financial constraints. Our results suggest that tax avoidance is a less useful source of financing for constrained firms when they are plagued with potential agency problems and opaque information environments. Stronger governance mechanisms can help firms mitigate the negative consequences of tax avoidance.
Intra‐annual patterns of coastal larval fish assemblages along environmental gradients in the northeastern Mediterranean
Authors: Mavruk Sinan , Bengil Fethi , Yüksek Ahsen , Özyurt Caner Enver , Kiyağa Volkan Barış , Avşar Dursun 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTo date, little is known about the larval‐fish assemblages (LFAs) in the eastern Mediterranean. The purpose of this study is to investigate the intra‐annual variations of LFAs with an emphasis on the effects of physical, chemical, biological and meteorological conditions in the gulf of Iskenderun, which is a shallow (100 m maximum depth), semi‐enclosed bay located in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean. The gulf is under the influence of offshore waters throughout the year. The study was based on an ichthyoplankton survey program performed at 28 stations over 12 months, between November 2009 and October 2010. During the study, a total of 11,411 larval individuals belonging to 177 taxa were sampled. The jackknife estimate of maximum species richness was 225 ± 19 for the study area. The maximum larval richness (84 species) and abundance (827 larvae/10 m2) values coincided with spring bloom in April. Gobiids dominated the ichthyoplankton of Iskenderun Bay by constituting 9% of species richness and 42% of total individuals. Four LFAs were identified which were in early winter (November to January), late winter (February and March), spring (April to June) and summer (July to October). The intra‐annual variations of richness, abundance and composition of ichthyoplankton were significantly correlated with the temperature and mesozooplankton biomass. The wind conditions and thermal stratification were also significantly correlated with the composition of LFAs. In conclusion, phenology of LFAs were formed under the influence of physical and tropho‐dynamic conditions in Iskenderun Bay, Northeastern Mediterranean.
Projections of nutrient supply to a wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) seaweed farm on the Sanriku Coast of Japan
Authors: Kakehi Shigeho , Naiki Kimiaki , Kodama Takuya , Wagawa Taku , Kuroda Hiroshi , Ito Shin‐Ichi 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWakame (Undaria pinnatifida) aquaculture is one of the major fishery industries on the Sanriku Coast of Japan. Low concentrations of nutrients in the autumn, when the germinated wakame sporophytes are installed at aquaculture facilities, induce defective growth, resulting in withering. To determine the characteristics of the nutrient variations in this region, we conducted hydrographic measurements off the coast of Iwate Prefecture. The measured results showed that in the autumn, vertical mixing pumped nutrients from the deeper layers to the mixed layer, where nutrients had been depleted during the summer. Based on these results, we developed a one‐dimensional model incorporating vertical mixing by atmospheric cooling to project the vertical distribution of the nutrient concentrations. By conducting ensemble calculations, we created a probability projection calendar for the nutrient supply up to 50 days ahead. This information was provided to wakame farmers before they installed the germinated sporophytes. The projected probability calculated from the initial conditions on 11 October 2016 was 0% until 25 October and gradually increased to 85% on 30 November. The nitrate concentration detected by an ultraviolet nitrate sensor moored at a wakame farm revealed that the nutrient concentrations reached a critical threshold on 18 November. The projected probability on that date was 75%; therefore, the projection was successful. The observed temporal evolution of the temperature, salinity, and nutrient concentrations was well reproduced by our model. The information obtained using this model is expected to reduce the risk of wakame withering and improve the efficiency of wakame production.
Temperature‐driven selection on metabolic traits increases the strength of an algal–grazer interaction in naturally warmed streams
Authors: Schaum C. Elisa ,   Student Research Team, ffrench‐Constant Richard , Lowe Chris , Ólafsson Jón S. , Padfield Daniel , Yvon‐Durocher Gabriel 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTrophic interactions are important determinants of the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Because the metabolism and consumption rates of ectotherms increase sharply with temperature, there are major concerns that global warming will increase the strength of trophic interactions, destabilizing food webs, and altering ecosystem structure and function. We used geothermally warmed streams that span an 11°C temperature gradient to investigate the interplay between temperature‐driven selection on traits related to metabolism and resource acquisition, and the interaction strength between the keystone gastropod grazer, Radix balthica, and a common algal resource. Populations from a warm stream (~28°C) had higher maximal metabolic rates and optimal temperatures than their counterparts from a cold stream (~17°C). We found that metabolic rates of the population originating from the warmer stream were higher across all measurement temperatures. A reciprocal transplant experiment demonstrated that the interaction strengths between the grazer and its algal resource were highest for both populations when transplanted into the warm stream. In line with the thermal dependence of respiration, interaction strengths involving grazers from the warm stream were always higher than those with grazers from the cold stream. These results imply that increases in metabolism and resource consumption mediated by the direct, thermodynamic effects of higher temperatures on physiological rates are not mitigated by metabolic compensation in the long term, and suggest that warming could increase the strength of algal–grazer interactions with likely knock‐on effects for the biodiversity and productivity of aquatic ecosystems.
Treatment‐related changes after short‐term exposure of SD rats to Aloe vera whole‐leaf freeze‐dried powder
Authors: Chen Tao , Wang Li , Hu Chunyan 
Published: December 2017

SummaryAloe vera is a widely used natural herb from which many sorts of commercial products have been derived using different preparation technologies. Aloe whole‐leaf powder is one of the most popular subtypes. The long‐term impact of aloe products has already been reported; however, there have been few studies about short‐term exposure, and especially about the relative impact of Aloe vera whole‐leaf freeze‐dried powder (AWFP). To provide more toxicological data and to document the early changes induced by AWFP, in this study 120 SD rats were divided into four groups (control and 400/1200/2000 mg/kg treatment groups) and were administered AWFP once daily by oral gavage for 28 consecutive days, followed by a two week recovery phase. The results showed that AWFP could induce soft/loose changes in faeces. Significantly decreased white blood cell (WBC) counts, associated with reduced lymphocyte counts were also noted. The relative organ weight, including both organ‐to‐body weight ratio and organ‐to‐brain weight ratio of kidneys, was significantly increased in 2000 mg/kg compared with that in controls. Histopathologically, pigmentation in the kidneys and increased mucosal thickness in colon were also noted in a dose response groups. Other changes observed in the study were not considered to be treatment related, and 400 mg/kg was considered as the no‐observed‐adverse‐effect level. The study provided clear evidence of treatment‐related changes with a short‐term exposure to AWFP. This is also the first report of the early colon morphologic changes associated with stool changes noted previously in‐life phase, providing additional toxicity data which will contribute to our understanding about the short‐term usage of AWFP as a remedy.
Lip service: Public mental health services and the care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Authors: Molloy Luke , Lakeman Richard , Walker Kim , Lees David 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe failure of public mental services in Australia to provide care deemed culturally safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has persisted despite several national reports and policies that have attempted to promote positive service change. Nurses represent the largest professional group practising within these services. This article reports on a multisited ethnography of mental health nursing practice as it relates to this group of mental health service users. It explores the beliefs and ideas that nurses identified about public mental health services and the services they provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. During the fieldwork, mental health nurses described the constricting effect of the biomedical paradigm of mental illness on their abilities to provide authentic holistic care focused on social and emotional well‐being. Despite being the most numerous professional group in mental health services, the speciality of mental health nursing appears unable to change this situation and in many cases maintain this status quo to the potential detriment of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service users.
Therapeutic relationships, risk, and mental health practice
Authors: Felton Anne , Repper Julie , Avis Mark 
Published: December 2017

AbstractDespite significant changes to mental health services, nurses remain the professional group most likely to be in close contact with people who experience mental health problems. A core part of the contemporary identity of the mental health nurse is one who is able to provide acceptance and support for an individual's recovery through the therapeutic relationship. Yet there have always been some tensions with the mental health nursing role that can appear to challenge this relational focus. An increasing prominence of risk management in mental health care can position mental health nurses as responsible for enacting restrictions and has reignited interest in the role of mental health professionals in social control. This paper reports on one part of a multiple case study, which aimed to explore mental health professionals’ experiences of such tensions in the context of decision‐making. Interviews and observations were undertaken in acute ward and assertive outreach settings. Findings suggested that risk dominated decision‐making to such an extent it defined the way service users were understood and treated. A distant relationship between professionals and service users helped to create and maintain this situation. There needs to be a greater focus on service users’ subjective experiences in the decision‐making process to challenge the definition of people with mental health problems as risky.
Climatic factors shape plastic trade‐offs in the polyphenic black scavenger fly Sepsis thoracica (Diptera: Sepsidae)
Authors: Busso Juan Pablo , Blanckenhorn Wolf U. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAimTrade‐offs allow individuals to optimize their fitness by tailoring the investment into different traits to variable environmental conditions, such as along geographical gradients. Trade‐offs thus can help in adjusting to changing thermal and insolation profiles, especially in small ectotherms, whose body temperature typically follows environmental temperatures closely. Two traits usually involved in latitudinal adaptation are body size and melanism. Since both traits are costly, individuals need to optimize investment into each trait. Here, we studied how environmental factors influence this trade‐off in the short and long‐term.LocationEurope.MethodsWe raised flies from 15 latitudinal populations at three constant temperatures in a laboratory common garden to differentiate plastic and evolutionary responses to temperature. We further analysed how the different insolation components of the populations’ habitats influenced the evolution of the trade‐off.ResultsMale Sepsis thoracica (Diptera: Sepsidae) feature a sigmoid relationship between melanism and body size, defining two strikingly different male morphs: obsidian (small and black) and amber (large and orange). This relationship was altered by the developmental temperature, documenting its plasticity. The relationship further evolved across populations in response to the environmental characteristics of their habitat, notably temperature, insolation and UV radiation, suggesting that plasticity also has an underlying genetic basis. Nevertheless, melanism, but not body size, merely slightly increased with latitude.Main conclusionsAs the plastic and evolutionary responses of the relationship to temperature differed, plasticity does not necessarily follow the direction of evolution of this trade‐off, but rather adds to it. Our study evinces the role of several environmental factors in shaping the evolution of a plastic melanism—body size relationship defining a rare male polymorphism in temperate sepsid flies.
Inefficient NGO labels: Strategic proliferation and fragmentation in the market for certification
Authors: Heyes Anthony , Martin Steve 
Published: December 2017

AbstractNongovernmental organization (NGO) certification is a prerequisite for corporate engagement in enhanced social behaviors in many settings. Labels with broad scope (like “sustainability”) coexist with niche competitors much narrower in scope (like “bird‐friendliness”). When NGOs compete for adoptions, the wrong suite of schemes emerges, providing a rationale for regulation. An incumbent NGO may strategically narrow the breadth of its label to deter entry of competing schemes, reducing welfare. Even when entry is accommodated, welfare is compromised. Modeling multi‐issue competition between NGOs allows us to be the first to analyze label fragmentation and provide a novel perspective on proliferation that has frustrated practitioners.
Bioinformatics analysis to identify possible mechanisms of action of curcumin against tea geometrid
Authors: Zhang L. L. , Song X. Q. , Wang L. , Lee Y. M. , Yuan H. Y. , Jing Sh. L. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractCurcumin, a bright yellow chemical produced from curcuma longa root, is an effective insecticide, but how it works against pests such as tea geometrid (E. obliqua) is unclear. Here possible protein targets of curcumin were identified in the PubChem database, and possible targets in tea geometrid were identified using RNA sequencing; then, both sets of candidate targets were subjected to Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. The results predict that curcumin may affect several signalling proteins in tea geometrid, including TOP2B, TP53, MDM4, YWHAB, TOP2A, MDM2 and EP300; these proteins are involved in key biological processes including the cell cycle; DNA replication, recombination and repair; cellular assembly and organization; and cell death and survival. These results illustrate the power of integrative informatics and chemical fragment analysis for focusing mechanistic studies of botanical insecticides.
Complex systems thinking in emergency medicine: A novel paradigm for a rapidly changing and interconnected health care landscape
Authors: Widmer Matthew A. , Swanson R. Chad , Zink Brian J. , Pines Jesse M. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntroductionThe specialty of emergency medicine is experiencing the convergence of a number of transformational forces in the United States, including health care reform, technological advancements, and societal shifts. These bring both opportunity and uncertainty.21st Century ChallengesPersistent challenges such as the opioid epidemic, rising health care costs, misaligned incentives, patients with multiple chronic diseases, and emergency department crowding continue to plague the acute, unscheduled care system.Reductionism and Complex Systems ThinkingThe traditional approach to health care practice and improvement–reductionism–is not adequate for the complexity of the twenty‐first century. Reductionist thinking will likely continue to produce unintended consequences and suboptimal outcomes. Complex systems thinking provides a perspective and set of tools better suited for the challenges and opportunities facing public health in general, and emergency medicine more specifically.Implications for Emergency MedicineThis article introduces complex systems thinking and argues for its application in the context of emergency medicine by drawing on the history of the circumstances surrounding the formation of the specialty and by providing examples of its application to several practice challenges.
Effect of high‐pressure homogenization on the flow properties of citrus peel fibers
Authors: Zhu Xindi , Lundberg Brock , Cheng Yanling , Shan Lei , Xing Junjie , Peng Peng , Chen Paul , Huang Xiangzhong , Li Dong , Ruan Roger 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIn this study, high‐pressure homogenization process with two different pressures (90 MPa/13,000 psi and 160 Mpa/23,000 psi) was used to pretreat the citrus peels fiber. Soybean oil was added to the citrus peels fiber before high‐pressure homogenization process, and the effect of four different percentages (0, 50%, 150%, and 300%) of oil to fiber on behaviors and physical properties were measured. Shear cell technique was used to measure the flowability index and powder cohesion of these powder samples. The physical properties, including particle size in suspension liquid, bulk density and scanning electron microscopy images of powder were also measured to ascertain the relationship between the structural changes and the flow property variation. The results show that the high‐pressure homogenization process can change the granular structures and produce large quantities of tiny pores on the surface of the citrus fiber. Meanwhile, the particle size in suspension liquid and bulk density of powder decreased after this treatment. With the increase of the ratios of oil to fiber, the flowability index decreased and the powder cohesion increased. For the physical properties, the bulk density improved and the particle size in suspension liquid decreased; simultaneously, the number of pores on the surface of the fiber increased. Altering pressure for the high‐pressure homogenization process also change the microstructure and flow properties which presented lower particle size in suspension liquid and higher bulk density.Practical applicationsThis simple and low cost process can efficiently and effectively improve the physical, chemical, and functional properties of various fibrous materials, including surface area, water holding capacity, texture, viscosity, etc. Therefore, this process can be used to develop new value‐added products and ingredients from various agricultural fibrous byproducts, such as fruit peers or pulps, seed coats, straws and leaves, etc. In addition, these new value‐added ingredients can still be classified into the clean label category that is highly significant to the quality and healthy food market.
G5G2.5 core‐shell tecto‐dendrimer specifically targets reactive glia in brain ischemia
Authors: Murta Veronica , Schilrreff Priscila , Rosciszewski Gerardo , Morilla Maria Jose , Ramos Alberto Javier 
Published: December 2017

AbstractSecondary neuronal death is a serious stroke complication. This process is facilitated by the conversion of glial cells to the reactive pro‐inflammatory phenotype that induces neurodegeneration. Therefore, regulation of glial activation is a compelling strategy to reduce brain damage after stroke. However, drugs have difficulties to access theCNS, and to specifically target glial cells. In the present work, we explored the use core‐shell polyamidoamine tecto‐dendrimer (G5G2.5PAMAM) and studied its ability to target distinct populations of stroke‐activated glial cells. We found that G5G2.5 tecto‐dendrimer is actively engulfed by primary glial cells in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner showing high cellular selectivity and lysosomal localization. In addition, oxygen‐glucose deprivation or lipopolysaccharides exposurein vitroand brain ischemiain vivoincrease glial G5G2.5 uptake; not being incorporated by neurons or other cell types. We conclude that G5G2.5 tecto‐dendrimer is a highly suitable carrier for targeted drug delivery to reactive glial cellsin vitroandin vivoafter brain ischemia.image
The origins of the circumventricular organs
Authors: Kiecker Clemens 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe circumventricular organs (CVOs) are specialised neuroepithelial structures found in the midline of the brain, grouped around the third and fourth ventricles. They mediate the communication between the brain and the periphery by performing sensory and secretory roles, facilitated by increased vascularisation and the absence of a blood‐brain barrier. Surprisingly little is known about the origins of the CVOs (both developmental and evolutionary), but their functional and organisational similarities raise the question of the extent of their relationship. Here, I review our current knowledge of the embryonic development of the seven major CVOs (area postrema, median eminence, neurohypophysis, organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis, pineal organ, subcommissural organ, subfornical organ) in embryos of different vertebrate species. Although there are conspicuous similarities between subsets of CVOs, no unifying feature characteristic of their development has been identified. Cross‐species comparisons suggest that CVOs also display a high degree of evolutionary flexibility. Thus, the term ‘CVO’ is merely a functional definition, and features shared by multiple CVOs may be the result of homoplasy rather than ontogenetic or phylogenetic relationships.