bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does It Pay to Bet Against Beta? On the Conditional Performance of the Beta Anomaly
Authors: CEDERBURG SCOTT , O'DOHERTY MICHAEL S. 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACTPrior studies find that a strategy that buys high‐beta stocks and sells low‐beta stocks has a significantly negative unconditional capital asset pricing model (CAPM) alpha, such that it appears to pay to “bet against beta.” We show, however, that the conditional beta for the high‐minus‐low beta portfolio covaries negatively with the equity premium and positively with market volatility. As a result, the unconditional alpha is a downward‐biased estimate of the true alpha. We model the conditional market risk for beta‐sorted portfolios using instrumental variables methods and find that the conditional CAPM resolves the beta anomaly.
Access to Sweden's Legal System of Crime Victims With Intellectual Disability Involved in Prostitution Activities
Authors: Kuosmanen Jari , Starke Mikaela 
Published: December 2015

AbstractArticles 12 and 13 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities encourage modifications to member‐country justice systems to ensure equal access to justice for people with disabilities. The article explores Swedish professionals’ perceptions and experiences of the accessibility of the country's justice system to individuals with intellectual disability (ID) who are involved in prostitution and prostitution‐like activities and have become victims of crime. Barriers to this accessibility, as well as the use of advocacy by, and cooperation between, professionals as ways to overcome them, are investigated. Thirteen open‐themed, face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with 21 participants working for the police, public prosecutor's office, social services, and habilitation services. Participants described shortcomings in the implementation, and even lack, of access to the justice system for these individuals, including lack of clear policies and legislation that would take ID into account. Crime victims with ID, according to them, were frequently not considered as credible witnesses by the justice system and there was a need for alternative communication tools in court. Also, lack of knowledge about people with ID among other professionals was identified as a problem. The use of advocacy function and successful collaboration among relevant professionals were suggested as ways to improve accessibility. The findings indicate that the laws and directives to promote the access of people with ID to the Swedish justice system are poorly implemented in practice. To improve this access, better collaboration among professionals and more systematic use of them in an advocacy role to help and support persons with ID throughout the entire justice process are likely to be helpful.
Home Sharing and People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Qualitative Exploration
Authors: Hole Rachelle , Robinson Carole A. , Stainton Tim , Lige Sara , Crawford Cameron 
Published: December 2015

AbstractHome sharing is a fast‐growing residential option in British Columbia (BC), Canada; yet little empirical research exists specific to home sharing. In BC, home sharing is defined as a living situation when one or more adults with an intellectual disability share a home with another person or unrelated family who is paid to provide residential and, at times, additional support as needed. The authors report the findings of a qualitative study exploring home sharing and the factors that contribute to quality home sharing. Guided by interpretive description, a qualitative method, individual interviews exploring participants’ experiences of home sharing were conducted with 68 individuals (22 individuals with ID, 33 home share providers, and 13 family members). Constant comparison was used to analyze the data. Key factors to perceived instances of successful home sharing included (1) finding a good match between the individual with ID and the provider, (2) engaging in proactive planning, (3) ensuring effective supports to maintain the sustainability of the home share that promotes balancing the independence of and support for the individual, and (4) being attuned to the relational dynamics among all stakeholders. The findings have implications for implementing policies and practices pertaining home sharing. The authors conclude that emphasis should be put on flexible and appropriate residential supports that address the person's changing needs where the home share relationship facilitates the individual's healthy lifestyle, well‐being, independence, valued social roles, and social inclusion. Additionally, a clearly articulated system of monitoring to ensure safety should be part of all home share arrangements subject to the wishes of the individual with ID.
Context‐Dependency of Mobility in Children and Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy: Optimal and Natural Environments
Authors: Kleiner Ana F. R. , Galli Manuela , Albertini Giorgio , Batistela Rosangela A. , Sánchez‐Arias Mónica R. , Mancini Marisa C. , Gobbi Lilian T. B. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAccording to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the mobility of individuals with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) is influenced by the interaction between their health and the personal and environmental contexts in which they conduct their lives. In accord with the ICF, this observational study aimed to analyze and compare the functional mobility of children and adolescents with SCP in both natural environments (places typically encountered in their daily routine) and optimized environments (flat surfaces). The observed effects of the environment suggest that the functional mobility of individuals with cerebral palsy depends on the environmental context. The characteristics of the natural and optimized environments may act as barriers and/or facilitators to covering short and long distances among individuals of different ages with cerebral palsy.
Use of Liposomal Gentamicin for Treatment of 5 Foals with Experimentally Induced Rhodococcus equi Pneumonia
Authors: Cohen N.D. , Giguère S. , Burton A.J. , Rocha J.N. , Berghaus L.J. , Brake C.N. , Bordin A.I. , Coleman M.C. 
Published: December 2015

BackgroundAdverse effects of, and bacterial resistance to, macrolides used to treat Rhodococcus equi infections have prompted search for clinically effective alternative antimicrobials. Liposomal gentamicin (LG) is effective against R. equi in vitro and decreases tissue concentrations of R. equi in experimentally infected mice. Effectiveness of LG treatment of foals with R. equi pneumonia, however, has not been described.HypothesisLiposomal gentamicin is safe and effective for treating foals with R. equi pneumonia.AnimalsTen foals with experimentally induced R. equi pneumonia.MethodsPilot treatment trial. Foals with pneumonia induced by intrabronchial instillation of R. equi were randomly allocated to receive either clarithromycin combined with rifampin (CLR + RIF) PO or LG IV, and followed by daily physical examinations and weekly thoracic ultrasonography and serum creatinine concentration determinations until the resolution of clinical signs. Treatment success was defined as the resolution of clinical signs and ultrasonographically identified pulmonary abscesses.ResultsAll 10 foals were successfully treated. Two of 5 foals treated with LG developed azotemia within 1 week; LG was discontinued and treatment switched to CLR + RIF for these foals. None of the CLR + RIF treated foals developed azotemia.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceLiposomal gentamicin IV can be effective for treatment of R. equi pneumonia, but nephrotoxicity indicates that an alternative dosing interval or route (such as nebulization) will be needed before LG is adequately safe for clinical use. Larger comparative trials will be needed to evaluate the relative efficacy of a safer LG dosage regimen.
Hierarchical analysis of the population genetic structure in Concholepas concholepas, a marine mollusk with a long‐lived dispersive larva
Authors: Cárdenas Leyla , Castilla Juan Carlos , Viard Frédérique 
Published: December 2015

AbstractFor most marine invertebrate species, dispersal is achieved mainly or exclusively by pelagic larvae. When the duration of the pelagic larval stage is long, genetic homogeneity over large geographic scales is expected. However, genetic structure has often been reported over small spatial scales, suggesting that more complex processes occur than a simple positive relationship between pelagic larval duration and gene flow. Concholepas concholepas has a larval stage that can last up to 3 months in the water column with a wide distributional range covering from 6°S to 56°S. We used a hierarchical sampling technique to test if the genetic homogeneity of this highly dispersive species is maintained throughout its total geographic range in spite of environmental heterogeneity. In the three studied regions (Antofagasta Bay, Valdivia and Patagonia), a spatial pattern of isolation by distance in conjunction with a spatial genetic structure was observed. Within each region, different spatial genetic patterns were detected. In Antofagasta Bay and Valdivia there was evidence of substantial gene flow among populations, whereas in Patagonia, populations showed genetic structure and a unique, genetically isolated location was identified. These results revealed the existence of spatial differences in the genetic patterns among regions with different coastal topographies in C. concholepas, and give us new insights into the inter‐relationships of larval dispersal potential, actual larval dispersal and physical processes. Regarding the sustainable management of C. concholepas, two important issues are derived from this study: (i) to highlight the need for a regional context in the management of C. concholepas, (ii) to determine the distinctiveness of the most austral population and to focus on the conservation efforts due to the relevance of this area.
Model misspecification confounds the estimation of rates and exaggerates their time dependency
Authors: Emerson Brent C. , Alvarado‐Serrano Diego F. , Hickerson Michael J. 
Published: December 2015

While welcoming the comment of Ho et al. (), we find little that undermines the strength of our criticism, and it would appear they have misunderstood our central argument. Here we respond with the purpose of reiterating that we are (i) generally critical of much of the evidence presented in support of the time‐dependent molecular rate (TDMR) hypothesis and (ii) specifically critical of estimates of μ derived from tip‐dated sequences that exaggerate the importance of purifying selection as an explanation for TDMR over extended timescales. In response to assertions put forward by Ho et al. (), we use panmictic coalescent simulations of temporal data to explore a fundamental assumption for tip‐dated tree shape and associated mutation rate estimates, and the appropriateness and utility of the date randomization test. The results reveal problems for the joint estimation of tree topology, effective population size and μ with tip‐dated sequences using beast. Given the simulations, beast consistently obtains incorrect topological tree structures that are consistent with the substantial overestimation of μ and underestimation of effective population size. Data generated from lower effective population sizes were less likely to fail the date randomization test yet still resulted in substantially upwardly biased estimates of rates, bringing previous estimates of μ from temporally sampled DNA sequences into question. We find that our general criticisms of both the hypothesis of time‐dependent molecular evolution and Bayesian methods to estimate μ from temporally sampled DNA sequences are further reinforced.
Military Expenditures and Profit Rates: Evidence from OECD Countries
Authors: Elveren Adem Y. , Hsu* Sara 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThis article provides evidence of the effect of military expenditures on the rate of profits for 24 OECD countries for the period of 1963–2008 by employing a panel autoregressive distributed lag model within a Marxist framework for the first time. Findings show that while for the whole period there is positive linkage between military expenditures and profit rates, in the post‐1980 era the impact of military expenditures is negative. Findings suggest weak evidence that there is positive linkage between military expenditures and profit rates for arms‐exporting countries and negative linkage for non‐arms‐exporting countries.
The burden of serious human fungal infections in Brazil
Authors: Giacomazzi Juliana , Baethgen Ludmila , Carneiro Lilian C. , Millington Maria Adelaide , Denning David W. , Colombo Arnaldo L. , Pasqualotto Alessandro C. ,   in association with the LIFE program
Published: December 2015

SummaryIn Brazil, human fungal infections are prevalent, however, these conditions are not officially reportable diseases. To estimate the burden of serious fungal diseases in 1 year in Brazil, based on available data and published literature. Historical official data from fungal diseases were collected from Brazilian Unified Health System Informatics Department (DATASUS). For fungal diseases for which no official data were available, assumptions of frequencies were made by estimating based on published literature. The incidence (/1000) of hospital admissions for coccidioidomycosis was 7.12; for histoplasmosis, 2.19; and for paracoccidioidomycosis, 7.99. The estimated number of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis cases was 6832. Also, there were 4115 cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia in AIDS patients per year, 1 010 465 aspergillosis and 2 981 416 cases of serious Candida infections, including invasive and non‐invasive diseases. In this study, we demonstrate that more than 3.8 million individuals in Brazil may be suffering from serious fungal infections, mostly patients with malignant cancers, transplant recipients, asthma, previous tuberculosis, HIV infection and those living in endemic areas for truly pathogenic fungi. The scientific community and the governmental agencies should work in close collaboration in order to reduce the burden of such complex, difficult‐to‐diagnose and hard to treat diseases.
Thiamine antivitamins – an opportunity of therapy of fungal infections caused by Malassezia pachydermatis and Candida albicans
Authors: Siemieniuk Magdalena , Czyzewska Urszula , Strumilo Slawomir , Tylicki Adam 
Published: December 2015

SummarySevere skin diseases and systemic fungaemia are caused by Malassezia pachydermatis and Candida albicans respectively. Antifungal therapies are less effective because of chronic character of infections and high percentage of relapses. Therefore, there is a great need to develop new strategies of antifungal therapies. We previously found that oxythiamine decreases proliferation of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), therefore we suggest that thiamine antivitamins can be considered as antifungal agents. The aim of this study was the comparison of thiamine antivitamins (oxythiamine, amprolium, thiochrome, tetrahydrothiamine and tetrahydrooxythiamine) inhibitory effect on the growth rate and energetic metabolism efficiency in non‐pathogenic S. cerevisiae and two potentially pathogenic species M. pachydermatis and C. albicans. Investigated species were cultured on a Sabouraud medium supplemented with trace elements in the presence (40 mg l−1) or absence of each tested antivitamins to estimate their influence on growth rate, enzyme activity and kinetic parameters of pyruvate decarboxylase and malate dehydrogenase of each tested species. Oxythiamine was the only antivitamin with antifungal potential. M. pachydermatis and S. cerevisiae were the most sensitive, whereas C. albicans was the least sensitive to oxythiamine action. Oxythiamine can be considered as supportive agent in superficial mycoses treatment, especially those caused by species from the genus Malassezia.
Invasive pulmonary mycosis due to Chaetomium globosum with false‐positive galactomannan test: a case report and literature review
Authors: Capoor Malini R. , Agarwal Poojan , Goel Manoj , Jain Sarika , Shivaprakash Mandya Rudramurthy , Honnavar Prasanna , Gupta Sunita , Chakrabarti Arunaloke 
Published: December 2015

SummaryIn this case, the authors report Chaetomium globosum as a cause of invasive pulmonary infection in a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis. Fungal hyphae (KOH and Calcofluor) were seen on direct microscopy of lung biopsy sample and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sample. C. globosum isolated on culture clinched the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary infection by Chaetomium spp. A positive galactomannan of serum and BAL was repeatedly seen and was utilised for follow‐up and as prognostic marker in patient management. The patient was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin B followed by voriconazole. All the Chaetomium infections reported till date since 1980 are reviewed. Chaetomium spp. with its unique ecology has a hidden clinical potential to cause invasive mould infections.
Dermatophytosis in northern Africa
Authors: Nweze E. I. , Eke I. 
Published: December 2015

SummaryInfections caused by dermatophytes are a global problem and a major public health burden in the world today. In Africa, especially in the northern geographical zone, dermatophytic infections are being reported at an alarming rate. This is mostly because of some local but unique cultural practices, socioeconomic and environmental conditions, lack of reliable diagnostic personnel and facilities and ineffective treatment. Interestingly, the pathogen spectrum and the clinical manifestation are most times different from what is seen in other continents. Several epidemiological studies have been performed on the incidence and aetiology of dermatophytoses in northern Africa. However, there is currently no review article with up‐to‐date information on the relevant findings reported so far in this region. This information is necessary for clinicians who treat dermatophytic infections all over the world since agents of dermatophytes are no longer restricted because of the rapid mobility of humans from one part of the world to another. Moreover, the epidemiology of dermatophytoses is known to change over time, thus requiring the update of information from time to time. A review of relevant studies published on dermatophytoses in northern Africa is presented. This covers all of old Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco.
Carbon dynamics in aboveground biomass of co‐dominant plant species in a temperate grassland ecosystem: same or different?
Authors: Ostler Ulrike , Schleip Inga , Lattanzi Fernando A. , Schnyder Hans 
Published: December 2015

Summary

Understanding the role of individual organisms in whole‐ecosystem carbon (C) fluxes is probably the biggest current challenge in C cycle research. Thus, it is unknown whether different plant community members share the same or different residence times in metabolic (τmetab) and nonmetabolic (i.e. structural) (τnonmetab) C pools of aboveground biomass and the fraction of fixed C allocated to aboveground nonmetabolic biomass (Anonmetab).

We assessed τmetab, τnonmetab and Anonmetab of co‐dominant species from different functional groups (two bunchgrasses, a stoloniferous legume and a rosette dicot) in a temperate grassland community. Continuous, 14–16‐d‐long 13C‐labeling experiments were performed in September 2006, May 2007 and September 2007.

A two‐pool compartmental system, with a well‐mixed metabolic and a nonmixed nonmetabolic pool, was the simplest biologically meaningful model that fitted the 13C tracer kinetics in the whole‐shoot biomass of all species. In all experimental periods, the species had similar τmetab (5–8 d), whereas τnonmetab ranged from 20 to 58 d (except for one outlier) and Anonmetab from 7 to 45%.

Variations in τnonmetab and Anonmetab were not systematically associated with species or experimental periods, but exhibited relationships with leaf life span, particularly in the grasses. Similar pool kinetics of species suggested similar kinetics at the community level.
Strategies for the prevention of contact lens‐related Acanthamoeba keratitis: a review
Authors: Carnt Nicole , Stapleton Fiona 
Published: December 2015

AbstractPurposeAcanthamoeba keratitis is a severe, often sight threatening, corneal infection which in Western countries is predominantly seen in daily wear of contact lenses. This review aims to summarise the pathobiology and epidemiology of contact lens‐related Acanthamoeba keratitis, and to present strategies for prevention, particularly with respect to modifiable risk factors in contact lens wear.Recent FindingsThe virulence of Acanthamoeba and resistance to treatment in keratitis appears to be linked with the production of a low molecular weight protease MIP133 by the organism, in response to binding to corneal epithelial cells through a mannose binding protein, and to the ability of the organism to convert from the trophozoite to the resistant cyst form. Recent epidemiological studies in contact lens relate disease have confirmed the link between solution topping up and Acanthamoeba keratitis and have reinforced the importance of avoidance of tap water, either as part of the care for the contact lens or storage case, handling lenses with wet hands or showering while wearing lenses. In the most recent analysis from the USA, there were no strong effects for solution type, water source or water disinfection process. Wearer age, lens wear time and history to appear to be linked with Acanthamoeba keratitis. Daily disposable contact lens use would be expected to reduce the prevalence of Acanthamoeba disease although this is unproven.SummaryWhile Acanthamoeba keratitis remains challenging to diagnose and manage, strategies to limit the disease severity in contact lens wearers should include attention to recently identified risk factors, particularly those related to water contact. Public health awareness measures, the use of daily disposable contact lenses, a better understanding of the contribution of the host immunity and the development of standardised methods for culture of amoeba and testing of contact lens care systems against Acanthamoeba in the licensing process may be of value. Alternative treatments for the future may include those which target the mannose binding protein or the genes which control conversion to the cyst form.
Early‐stage screening for heat tolerance in cotton
Authors: Demİrel Ufuk , Çopur Osman , Gür Atİlla 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe study aimed to identify early‐stage traits of cotton for heat tolerance using multitrait approach reflecting field yield performance. Seedling growth and physiological response of 16 cultivars to high temperature were investigated at three different developmental stages and four heat stress conditions in a climate chamber. Some traits such as hypocotyl dry weight, leaf pigment contents and cellular respiration were significantly correlated with previously known yield of ten cultivars grown in the hot field conditions. Sixteen cotton cultivars were classified for their heat tolerance by principle component analysis (PCA) using yield‐correlated physiological traits. As a result, we showed that heat tolerance classification of cultivars based on PCA significantly coincided with the yield results of cultivars grown in hot field. As a conclusion, yield‐correlated physiological traits determined in the study may facilitate selection of heat‐tolerant cotton genotypes at early stage. In addition, yield‐correlated early‐stage traits can be used in phenotyping for QTL and association mapping studies to develop selection markers for heat tolerance.