bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The corporate responsibility to respect human rights: a status review
Authors: Methven O'Brien Claire , Dhanarajan Sumithra 
Published: May 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to discuss a wide range of significant developments that have emerged in the wake of the UNs endorsement of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (GPs) in June 2011. In particular, the paper offers a preliminary assessment of how the GPs’ corporate responsibility to respect human rights has been interpreted and to what extent it has been operationalised through government action, business behaviour and the praxis of other social actors.Design/methodology/approach– The paper provides a comprehensive assessment of a number of key developments related to Pillar 2 of the GPs – concerned with the corporate responsibility to respect human rights. More specifically, the paper considers a range of elements relating to corporate human rights due diligence, including: establishing a corporate human rights policy; the undertaking of human rights impact assessment; integrating findings of impact assessment, and; corporate human rights reporting.Findings– Based on the assessment of recent developments and initiatives, the paper suggests that the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, as expressed in Pillar 2 of the GPs, embodies the culmination of significant progress in the sphere of corporate accountability. In doing so, the paper documents a plethora of innovations in regulation and praxis, led by actors in government and the corporate sector, civil society organisations, labour unions and others, in the areas of human rights due diligence, impact assessment and reporting. Yet overall, change is slow and partial and the results achieved are still unsatisfactory. Severe business-related human rights abuses remain endemic in many industry sectors and in many countries.Research limitations/implications– The implementation of the GPs is at a key stage of development, with a multitude of initiatives and actors attempting to develop and influence new forms of corporate governance. This paper provides an overview and assessment of these key developments.Originality/value– This paper provides an important assessment and synthesis of key developments related to corporate responsibility for human rights.
Corporate respect for human rights: meaning, scope, and the shifting order of discourse
Authors: McPhail Ken , Adams Carol A 
Published: May 2016

Purpose– Drawing on Fairclough (1989, 2005), the purpose of this paper is to explore how respect for human rights is emerging and being operationalized in the discourse of 30 Fortune 500 companies in the mining, pharmaceutical and chemical industries at two key points in the recent evolution of the UN’s business and human rights agenda. Specifically the paper explores the scope of rights for which corporations are accountable and, more specifically, the degree of responsibility a company assumes for enacting these rights.Design/methodology/approach– The authors draw on Fairclough (1992) and Mashaw (2007) in a critical discourse analysis of corporate human rights disclosures of ten companies in each of the chemical, mining and pharmaceutical industries at two points in time coinciding with: first, the publication in 2008 of the Protect, Respect, Remedy policy framework; and second, the endorsement by the UN in 2011, of a set of Guiding Principles designed to implement this framework.Findings– The study finds four grammars of respect and three different scopes of rights within specific corporate accountably disclosures on their responsibility to respect rights. Corporate constructions of human rights are broad: from labour rights, through social and political rights, to the right to health and a clean environment. The corporate discourse is one of promoting, realizing and upholding rights that construct the corporation as an autonomous source of power beyond the state.Practical implications– The paper contends that the structuring of this emerging discourse is important, not only because the meaning and scope of corporate respect for rights affects the lived experience of some of the most vulnerable in society, but also because it reflects a shifting the relationship between the state, business and society (Muchlinski 2012).Originality/value– The authors develop a way of conceptualizing business human rights responsibilities and contend that the corporate human rights discourse of respect reflects a significant reconfiguration of political power.
Underestimation of ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria abundance by amplification bias in amoA‐targeted qPCR
Authors: Dechesne Arnaud , Musovic Sanin , Palomo Alejandro , Diwan Vaibhav , Smets Barth F. 
Published: May 2016

SummaryMolecular methods to investigate functional groups in microbial communities rely on the specificity and selectivity of the primer set towards the target. Here, using rapid sand filters for drinking water production as model environment, we investigated the consistency of two commonly used quantitative PCR methods to enumerate ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB): one targeting the phylogenetic gene 16S rRNA and the other, the functional gene amoA. Cloning‐sequencing with both primer sets on DNA from two waterworks revealed contrasting images of AOB diversity. The amoA‐based approach preferentially recovered sequences belonging to Nitrosomonas Cluster 7 over Cluster 6A ones, while the 16S rRNA one yielded more diverse sequences belonging to three AOB clusters, but also a few non‐AOB sequences, suggesting broader, but partly unspecific, primer coverage. This was confirmed by an in silico coverage analysis against sequences of AOB (both isolates and high‐quality environmental sequences). The difference in primer coverage significantly impacted the estimation of AOB abundance at the waterworks with high Cluster 6A prevalence, with estimates up to 50‐fold smaller for amoA than for 16S rRNA. In contrast, both approaches performed very similarly at waterworks with high Cluster 7 prevalence. Our results highlight that caution is warranted when comparing AOB abundances obtained using different qPCR primer sets.
Adherence to Biobehavioral Recommendations in Pediatric Migraine as Measured by Electronic Monitoring: The Adherence in Migraine (AIM) Study
Authors: Kroon Van Diest Ashley M. , Ramsey Rachelle , Aylward Brandon , Kroner John W. , Sullivan Stephanie M. , Nause Katie , Allen Janelle R. , Chamberlin Leigh A. , Slater Shalonda , Hommel Kevin , LeCates Susan L. , Kabbouche Marielle A. , O'Brien Hope L. , Kacperski Joanne , Hershey Andrew D. , Powers Scott W. 
Published: May 2016

ObjectiveThe purpose of this investigation was to examine treatment adherence to medication and lifestyle recommendations among pediatric migraine patients using electronic monitoring systems.BackgroundNonadherence to medical treatment is a significant public health concern, and can result in poorer treatment outcomes, decreased cost‐effectiveness of medical care, and increased morbidity. No studies have systematically examined adherence to medication and lifestyle recommendations in adolescents with migraine outside of a clinical trial.MethodsParticipants included 56 adolescents ages 11‐17 who were presenting for clinical care. All were diagnosed with migraine with or without aura or chronic migraine and had at least 4 headache days per month. Medication adherence was objectively measured using electronic monitoring systems (Medication Event Monitoring Systems technology) and daily, prospective self‐report via personal electronic devices. Adherence to lifestyle recommendations of regular exercise, eating, and fluid intake were also assessed using daily self‐report on personal electronic devices.ResultsElectronic monitoring indicates that adolescents adhere to their medication 75% of the time, which was significantly higher than self‐reported rates of medication adherence (64%). Use of electronic monitoring of medication detected rates of adherence that were significantly higher for participants taking once daily medication (85%) versus participants taking twice daily medication (59%). Average reported adherence to lifestyle recommendations of consistent noncaffeinated fluid intake (M = 5 cups per day) was below recommended levels of a minimum of 8 cups per day. Participants on average also reported skipping 1 meal per week despite recommendations of consistently eating three meals per day.ConclusionsResults suggest that intervention focused on adherence to preventive treatments (such as medication) and lifestyle recommendations may provide more optimal outcomes for children and adolescents with migraine and their families. Once daily dosing of medication may be preferred to twice daily medication for increased medication adherence among children and adolescents.
Skill gaps in the workplace: measurement, determinants and impacts
Authors: McGuinness Seamus , Ortiz Luis 
Published: May 2016

AbstractOptimal training decisions require employers to have accurate information about their workers’ training needs. However, little is known with regard to the key factors determining the accurate transmission of worker training requirements. Using one of the few linked employer–employee surveys in the world, the 2006 Irish National Employment Survey, this article identifies the key factors determining the correct identification of skill gaps within firms. The impact of skill gaps on average training expenditures and labour costs is also measured. The research finds that both HRM and collective bargaining arrangements are important factors in facilitating the accurate identification of skill gaps within firms. The analysis confirms that skill gaps are a key determinant of training expenditures and tend to raise average labour costs. Finally, the evidence suggests that employee perceptions of skill gaps may be prone to higher levels of subjective bias relative to those based on the employers’ views.
Groups for Parents with Intellectual Disabilities: A Qualitative Analysis of Experiences
Authors: Gustavsson Marie , Starke Mikaela 
Published: May 2016

BackgroundParents with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are often socially isolated and need support.Materials and MethodsThis qualitative study is based on participant observations of a group for parents with with intellectual disabilities. Data were categorized and interpreted in the framework of social capital and symbolic interactionism.ResultsBeing a part of the parent group provided parents with a social network, which had the potential to be supportive in everyday life. The social workers in the group were seen as allies, and parents appeared to trust them and felt they could seek advice and tell them about their personal problems. The parents sometimes asked for advice about how to handle contacts with other professionals in their everyday life. The parents valued the social contact with the other parents.ConclusionsThe group provided the parents with the opportunity to meet both other parents and two social workers. The group gave a greater number of social relations, adding to the parents' social capital and helping to reduce social isolation.
Nutritional supplementation to reduce child aggression: a randomized, stratified, single‐blind, factorial trial
Authors: Raine Adrian , Cheney Rose A. , Ho Ringo , Portnoy Jill , Liu Jianghong , Soyfer Liana , Hibbeln Joseph , Richmond Therese S. 
Published: May 2016

BackgroundWhile some studies suggest that nutritional supplementation may reduce aggressive behavior in children, they have not examined whether its efficacy may be enhanced in conjunction with other treatment approaches. This study tests the hypothesis that a nutritional supplementation of omega‐3, multivitamins, and minerals over 3 months, combined with cognitive behavior therapy, will reduce childhood aggression.MethodsIn this randomized, single‐blind, stratified, factorial trial, a high‐risk community sample of 290 children aged 11–12 years were randomized into Nutrition only, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) only, Nutrition + CBT, and Control groups. The primary outcome measures of child‐ and parent‐reported aggressive and antisocial behavior were collected at 0 months (baseline), 3 months (end of treatment), 6 months (3 months posttreatment), and 12 months (9 months posttreatment). The trial (‘Healthy Brains & Behavior: Understanding and Treating Youth Aggression (HBB)’ was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00842439ResultsFor child self‐reports, children in the Nutrition only group showed reduced externalizing behavior compared to Controls at 3 months. At 6 months, the Nutrition + CBT group scored lower on externalizing behavior compared to both CBT only and Control groups. Findings were more in evidence for an Aggressive‐Reactive form of antisocial behavior than for a Callous‐Proactive form. Effect sizes were in the small‐to‐medium range (d = −.33 to −.37). Group differences were not sustained 9 months posttreatment, and no other effects were significant.ConclusionsFindings provide some limited support for the efficacy of omega‐3, vitamin, and mineral supplementation in reducing aggressive behavior in children, and represent the first evaluation of nutritional supplements in conjunction with CBT.
Environmental Pressures Embodied in the French Cereals Supply Chain
Authors: Courtonne Jean‐Yves , Longaretti Pierre‐Yves , Alapetite Julien , Dupré Denis 
Published: May 2016

SummaryFrance is the second largest exporter of cereals in the world. Although the cereal supply chain is an asset to the country's economy and employment, it is at the same time responsible for a number of pressures on the local and global environment including greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and stresses on water quality and quantity. This article aims at evaluating this situation from an environmental point of view by linking production occurring in French regions with consumption occurring in France and abroad. Based on previous work on material flow analysis, we use an absorbing Markov chain model to study the fate of French cereals and link worldwide consumption to environmental pressures along the supply chain, that is, induced by production, transformation, or transport. The model is based on physical supply and use tables and distinguishes between 21 industries, 22 products, 38 regions of various spatial resolution (22 French regions, ten countries, six continents), and four modes of transport. Energy use, GHG emissions, land use, use of pesticides, and blue water footprint are studied. Illustrative examples are given in order to demonstrate the versatility of the results produced, for instance: Where and in what form does local production end up? How do regions compare relative to their production and consumption footprints? These results are designed to be a first step toward scenario analysis for decision‐aiding that would also include socio‐economic indicators. Examples of such scenarios are discussed in the conclusion.
AnAGAMOUSintron‐driven cytotoxin leads to flowerless tobacco and produces no detrimental effects on vegetative growth of either tobacco or poplar
Authors: Li Wei , Hu Wei , Fang Chu , Chen Longzheng , Zhuang Weibing , Katin‐Grazzini Lorenzo , McAvoy Richard J. , Guillard Karl , Li Yi 
Published: May 2016

SummaryFlowerless trait is highly desirable for poplar because it can prevent pollen‐ and seed‐mediated transgene flow. We have isolated the second intron ofPTAG2, anAGAMOUS(AG) orthologue fromPopulus trichocarpa. By fusing this intron sequence to a minimal35Spromoter sequence, we created two artificial promoters,fPTAG2I(forward orientation of thePTAG2intron sequence) andrPTAG2I(reverse orientation of thePTAG2intron sequence). In tobacco, expression of the β‐glucuronidase gene (uidA) demonstrates that thefPTAG2Ipromoter is non‐floral‐specific,while therPTAG2Ipromoter is active in floral buds but with no detectable vegetative activity. Under glasshouse conditions, transgenic tobacco plants expressing theDiphtheria toxin A(DT‐A) gene driven by therPTAG2Ipromoter produced three floral ablation phenotypes: flowerless, neuter (stamenless and carpel‐less) and carpel‐less. Further, the vegetative growth of these transgenic lines was similar to that of the wild‐type plants. In field trials during 2014 and 2015, the flowerless transgenic tobacco stably maintained its flowerless phenotype, and also produced more shoot and root biomass when compared to wild‐type plants. In poplar, therPTAG2I::GUSgene exhibited no detectable activity in vegetative organs. Under field conditions over two growing seasons (2014 to the end of 2015), vegetative growth of therPTAG2I::DT‐Atransgenic poplar plants was similar to that of the wild‐type plants. Our results demonstrate that therPTAG2Iartificial promoter has no detectable activities in vegetative tissues and organs, and therPTAG2I::DT‐Agene may be useful for producing flowerless poplar that retains normal vegetative growth.
Retracted: Influence of Glutamine Supplementation on Motility and Fertilization Success of Frozen–Thawed Persian Sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) Sperm
Authors: Aramli MS , Golshahi K , Nazari RM , Golpour A , Aramli S 
Published: May 2016

ContentsAmino acids have an important biological role for the prevention of cell damage during cryopreservation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of glutamine on post‐thaw sperm motility and fertilization success in the Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus). Sperm collected from six fish was cryopreserved in extenders containing different glutamine concentrations (2.5, 5 and 10 mm). Sperm samples diluted at the ratio of 1 : 1 using the extenders were subjected to cryopreservation. After dilution, the sperm suspensions were sucked into 250‐μl straws; the straws were placed on the tray, frozen in nitrogen vapour and plunged into liquid nitrogen. Then, sperm were thawed in a water bath at 40°C for 5 s and used for analysis. Our results revealed that an increase in the concentration of glutamine caused a significant increase in the motility percentage, curvilinear velocity (VCL) and also fertilization success in the Persian sturgeon (p < 0.05). Comparing all concentrations of glutamine, the best concentration for sperm motility and fertilization rate was 10 mm. In addition, higher post‐thaw motility percentage, VCL, and fertilization and hatching rates were obtained with the extender at the concentration of 10 mm (p < 0.05). The findings of this study showed that glutamine was of greater benefit to Persian sturgeon sperm motility during frozen–thawed process.
Bioavailability and biochemical effects of diclofenac sodium 0.1% ophthalmic solution in the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
Authors: Griggs Angela N. , Yaw Taylor J. , Haynes Joseph S. , Ben‐Shlomo Gil , Tofflemire Kyle L. , Allbaugh Rachel A. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo determine if topical ophthalmic diclofenac sodium 0.1% solution alters renal parameters in the domestic chicken, and to determine if the drug is detectable in plasma after topical ophthalmic administration.AnimalsThirty healthy domestic chickens.ProceduresOver 7 days, six birds were treated unilaterally with one drop of artificial tear solution (group 1), 12 birds were treated unilaterally (group 2) and 12 bilaterally (group 3) with diclofenac sodium 0.1% ophthalmic solution. Treatments were provided every 12 h in all groups. Pre‐ and post‐treatment plasma samples from all birds were evaluated for changes in albumin, total protein, and uric acid. Post‐treatment samples of all birds, collected 15 min post‐administration, were analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry for diclofenac sodium detection. A randomly selected renal sample from each group was submitted for histopathologic review.ResultsChanges in pre‐ and post‐treatment plasma albumin were significant (P < 0.05) in groups 2 and 3, but not for group 1. Pre‐ and post‐treatment changes in total protein and uric acid were not significant for any group. Diclofenac sodium was not detectable (limit of detection = 0.10 ng/mL) in plasma samples from birds in group 1. Post‐treatment concentration of diclofenac in group 3 was statistically greater than group 2 (P = 0.0008). Histopathologic changes did not identify diclofenac‐induced acute renal tubular necrosis.ConclusionsOphthalmic diclofenac sodium 0.1% administered topically every 12 h in one or both eyes for 7 days is detectable in systemic circulation in the domestic chicken, but does not cause overt significant changes in plasma uric acid or total protein.
Functional and structural properties of ion channels at the nerve terminal depends on compact myelin
Authors: Berret Emmanuelle , Kim Sei Eun , Lee Seul Yi , Kushmerick Christopher , Kim Jun Hee 
Published: May 2016

Key points
In the present study, we document the role of compact myelin in regulating the structural and functional properties of ion channels at the nerve terminals, using electrophysiology, dynamic Na+ imaging and immunohistochemistry.
The subcellular segregation of Na+ channel expression and intracellular Na+ dynamics at the heminode and terminal was lost in the dysmyelinated axon from Long–Evans shaker rats, which lack compact myelin.
In Long–Evans shaker rats, loss of the Navβ4 subunit specifically at the heminode reduced resurgent and persistent Na+ currents, whereas K+ channel expression and currents were increased.
The results of the present study suggest that there is a specific role for compact myelin in dictating protein expression and function at the axon heminode and in regulating excitability of the nerve terminal.
AbstractAxon myelination increases the conduction velocity and precision of action potential propagation. Although the negative effects of demyelination are generally attributed to conduction failure, accumulating evidence suggests that myelination also regulates the structural properties and molecular composition of the axonal membrane. In the present study, we investigated how myelination affects ion channel expression and function, particularly at the last axon heminode before the nerve terminal, which regulates the presynaptic excitability of the nerve terminal. We compared the structure and physiology of normal axons and those of the Long–Evans shaker (LES) rat, which lacks compact myelin. The normal segregation of Na+ channel expression and dynamics at the heminode and terminal was lost in the LES rat. Specifically, NaV‐α subunits were dispersed and NaVβ4 subunit was absent, whereas the density of K+ channels was increased at the heminode. Correspondingly, resurgent and persistent Na+ currents were reduced and K+ current was increased. Taken together, these data suggest a specific role for compact myelin in the orchestration of ion channel expression and function at the axon heminode and in regulating excitability of the nerve terminal.