bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does Foreign Venture Capital Provide More Value‐added Services to Initial Public Offering Companies in China?
Authors: He Yin , Li Bin , Tian Yunhua , Wang Lijun 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThis paper uses all 1404 initial public offerings (IPO) undertaken between 2002 and 2012 in China to analyze whether venture capital (VC) investment, especially foreign VC investment, brings more or less value‐added services to the invested companies during the 3 years following the IPO. The results show that venture capitalists choose to invest in companies with higher value potential, and, in turn, the value of the companies increases after the IPO is undertaken; foreign VC adds more value to companies than domestic venture capital. However, the profitability of VC‐backed and non VC‐backed companies after IPO does not differ significantly. Nevertheless, it is shown that VC plays an active role in China.
Asymmetric Fluctuating Behavior of China's Housing Prices
Authors: Lin Wen‐Yuan , Tsai I‐Chun 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe present study explains the reasons for the imbalanced development of the Chinese housing market. Using the quantile autoregression unit‐root test, we examine housing prices in China's five major cities. The results show that the rising and falling of housing prices in these cities exhibits asymmetric reversion. When housing prices fall, market capital is highly sensitive to housing prices, and housing prices resist the pressure to fall further. However, when housing prices rise, the housing market becomes imbalanced, with housing prices tending to overreact in an upturn. The results of this study indicate that when housing prices rise irrationally, the government should intervene in the housing market promptly to prevent housing bubbles.
Exposure to multiple languages enhances communication skills in infancy
Authors: Liberman Zoe , Woodward Amanda L. , Keysar Boaz , Kinzler Katherine D. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractEarly exposure to multiple languages can enhance children's communication skills, even when children are effectively monolingual (Fan, Liberman, Keysar & Kinzler, ). Here we report evidence that the social benefits of multilingual exposure emerge in infancy. Sixteen‐month‐old infants participated in a communication task that required taking a speaker's perspective to understand her intended meaning. Infants were presented with two identical toys, such as two cars. One toy was mutually visible to both the infant and the speaker, but the other was visible only to the infant and was blocked from the speaker's view by an opaque barrier. The speaker requested the mutually visible toy and we evaluated whether infants understood the speaker's request. Whereas monolingual infants were at chance in choosing between the two toys, infants with multilingual exposure reliably chose the toy the speaker requested. Successful performance was not related to the degree of exposure to other languages, suggesting that even minimal multilingual exposure may enhance communication skills.
Lifestyle and clinical determinants of skin autofluorescence in a population‐based cohort study
Authors: van Waateringe Robert P. , Slagter Sandra N. , van der Klauw Melanie M. , van Vliet‐Ostaptchouk Jana V. , Graaff Reindert , Paterson Andrew D. , Lutgers Helen L. , Wolffenbuttel Bruce H. R. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackgroundSkin autofluorescence (SAF) is a noninvasive marker of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In diabetes, higher SAF levels have been positively associated with long‐term complications, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Because little is known about the factors that influence SAF in nondiabetic individuals, we assessed the association of clinical and lifestyle parameters with SAF as well as their interactions in a large‐scale, nondiabetic population and performed the same analysis in a type 2 diabetic subgroup.MethodsIn a cross‐sectional study in participants from the LifeLines Cohort Study, extensive clinical and biochemical phenotyping, including SAF measurement, was assessed in 9009 subjects of whom 314 (3·5%) subjects with type 2 diabetes.ResultsMean SAF was 2·04 ± 0·44 arbitrary units (AU) in nondiabetic individuals and 2·44 ± 0·55 AU in type 2 diabetic subjects (P < 0·0001). Multivariate backward regression analysis showed that in the nondiabetic population, SAF was significantly and independently associated with age, BMI, HbA1c, creatinine clearance, genetic polymorphism in NAT2 (rs4921914), current smoking, pack‐years of smoking and coffee consumption. In the type 2 diabetic group, a similar set of factors was associated with SAF, except for coffee consumption.ConclusionsIn addition to the established literature on type 2 diabetes, we have demonstrated that SAF levels are associated with several clinical and lifestyle factors in the nondiabetic population. These parameters should be taken into consideration when using SAF as a screening or prediction tool for populations at risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Ergonomics in dentistry: experiences of the practice by dental students
Authors: Garcia P. P. N. S. , Gottardello A. C. A. , Wajngarten D. , Presoto C. D. , Campos J. A. D. B. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the experiences of students enrolled in the last year of dentistry school with ergonomic practice.MethodsThis is a qualitative, observational and cross‐sectional study, with a non‐probabilistic sample design. The sample comprised students enrolled in the last year of dentistry in Araraquara–UNESP (n = 29). The data were collected by means of open semi‐structured and individual interviews, captured by a digital voice recorder. The students were interviewed in their own university at a time that was previously scheduled, and care was taken to provide a private and welcoming environment to carry out the interviews. A script containing questions related to practices in ergonomics was prepared at the university. Data analysis was carried out using the qualitative–quantitative Collective Subject Discourse technique with the aid of Qualiquantisoft® software program.ResultsIt was found that more than half of the students (58.6%) believe that adopting an ergonomic posture is important to prevent future problems, pain and occupational diseases, and 62.1% of the students confirm having difficulties in adopting ergonomic postures due to the types of treatment required and the regions of the mouth being treated. The main reasons stated for the fact that their colleagues do not adopt ergonomic postures are lack of attention, practice and forgetfulness (44.8%) and difficulty in visualising the operatory field or the procedure performed (27.6%).ConclusionIt is possible to conclude that the students interviewed know ergonomic principles and their importance in occupational health. However, they found it difficult to put these principles into practice.
Loss of the calcium channel β4 subunit impairs parallel fibre volley and Purkinje cell firing in cerebellum of adult ataxic mice
Authors: Benedetti Bruno , Benedetti Ariane , Flucher Bernhard E. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe auxiliary voltage‐gated calcium channel subunit β4 supports targeting of calcium channels to the cell membrane, modulates ionic currents and promotes synaptic release in the central nervous system. β4 is abundant in cerebellum and its loss causes ataxia. However, the type of calcium channels and cerebellar functions affected by the loss of β4 are currently unknown. We therefore studied the structure and function of Purkinje cells in acute cerebellar slices of the β4−/− ataxic (lethargic) mouse, finding that loss of β4 affected Purkinje cell input, morphology and pacemaker activity. In adult lethargic cerebellum evoked postsynaptic currents from parallel fibres were depressed, while paired‐pulse facilitation and spontaneous synaptic currents were unaffected. Because climbing fibre input was spared, the parallel fibre/climbing fibre input ratio was reduced. The dendritic arbor of adult lethargic Purkinje cells displayed fewer and shorter dendrites, but a normal spine density. Accordingly, the width of the molecular and granular layers was reduced. These defects recapitulate the impaired cerebellar maturation observed upon Cav2.1 ataxic mutations. However, unlike Cav2.1 mutations, lethargic Purkinje cells also displayed a striking decrease in pacemaker firing frequency, without loss of firing regularity. All these deficiencies appear in late development, indicating the importance of β4 for the normal differentiation and function of mature Purkinje cells networks. The observed reduction of the parallel fibre input, the altered parallel fibre/climbing fibre ratio and the reduced Purkinje cell output can contribute to the severe motor impairment caused by the loss of the calcium channel β4 subunit in lethargic mice.
Vitamin D, HLA‐DRB1 and Epstein–Barr virus antibody levels in a prospective cohort of multiple sclerosis patients
Authors: Wergeland S. , Myhr K.‐M. , Løken‐Amsrud K. I. , Beiske A. G. , Bjerve K. S. , Hovdal H. , Midgard R. , Kvistad S. S. , Holmøy T. , Riise T. , Torkildsen Ø. 
Published: March 2016

Background and purposeOur objective was to study the association between serum levels of anti Epstein–Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA‐1) antibody and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in a prospective cohort of patients with relapsing−remitting multiple sclerosis.MethodThe study comprised 90 patients with relapsing−remitting multiple sclerosis, all participants in a randomized clinical trial of ω‐3 fatty acids (the OFAMS study). Repeated, paired measurements of serum 25(OH)D and serum EBNA‐1 immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels were obtained at baseline and every 6 months for 24 months. The association between serum EBNA‐1 IgG and serum 25(OH)D levels was analysed using generalized linear models for hierarchical data.ResultsThere was a significant variation in EBNA‐1 IgG antibody level between sampling months (Fdf 11 = 1.8, P = 0.043, one‐way anova). There was a negative association between EBNA‐1 IgG and 25(OH)D [B = −0.230, 95% confidence interval (CI) (−0.440, −0.023), P = 0.030] and a positive association between EBNA‐1 IgG and HLA‐DRB1*15 positive status [B = 94.7, 95% CI (2.423, 186.9), P = 0.044]. The association between 25(OH)D and EBNA‐1 IgG remained significant after adjusting for the patient's age, gender, HLA‐DRB1*15, retinol levels and interferon β‐1a treatment.ConclusionOur study demonstrates monthly differences in EBNA‐1 IgG levels and an association between EBNA‐1 IgG, 25(OH)D levels and HLA‐DRB1*15. These results indicate that EBNA‐1 IgG serum levels are affected by genetic and environmental factors that also modulate multiple sclerosis risk.
Melanin fate in the human epidermis: a reassessment of how best to detect and analyse histologically
Authors: Joly‐Tonetti Nicolas , Wibawa Judata I. D. , Bell Mike , Tobin Desmond 
Published: March 2016

AbstractMelanin is the predominant pigment responsible for skin colour and is synthesized by the melanocyte in the basal layer of the epidermis and then transferred to surrounding keratinocytes. Despite its optical properties, melanin is barely detectable in unstained sections of human epidermis. However, identification and localization of melanin is of importance for the study of skin pigmentation in health and disease. Current methods for the histologic quantification of melanin are suboptimal and are associated with significant risk of misinterpretation. The aim of this study was to reassess the existing literature and to develop a more effective histological method of melanin quantification in human skin. Moreover, we confirm that Warthin‐Starry (WS) stain provides a much more sensitive and more specific melanin detection method than the commonplace Fontana‐Masson (FM) stain. For example, WS staining sensitivity allowed the visualization of melanin even in very pale Caucasian skin that was missed by FM or Von Kossa (VK) stains. From our reassessment of the histology‐related literature, we conclude that so‐called melanin dust is most likely an artifact of discoloration due to non‐specific silver deposition in the stratum corneum. Unlike FM and VK, WS was not associated with this non‐specific stratum corneum darkening, misinterpreted previously as ‘degraded’ melanin. Finally, WS melanin particle counts were largely similar to previously reported manual counts by transmission electron microscopy, in contrast to both FM and VK. Together these findings allow us to propose a new histology/Image J‐informed method for the accurate and precise quantification of epidermal melanin in skin.
Family Relations, Stress, and Vulnerability: Biobehavioral Implications for Prevention and Practice
Authors: Ha Thao , Granger Douglas A. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractDevelopmental psychobiology research supports the hypothesis that individual differences in biological stress systems that are sensitive to environmental experiences are associated with individual adjustment problems. Negative social experiences, especially in family contexts, contribute to the dysregulation of set‐points and thresholds of biological stress reactivity that affects long‐term adaptation and adjustment. The goal of this review is to discuss the current findings on how negative parent–child relationships affect the biological stress system. The authors also highlight the importance of family‐based prevention and intervention to decouple links between the psychobiology of the stress response and adjustment problems. They discuss how including indicators of the biological stress system, such as cortisol and salivary alpha amylase, can be useful for family practitioners and researchers.
Potential Evolutionary, Neurophysiological, and Developmental Origins of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Inconsolable Crying (Colic): Is It About Controlling Breath?
Authors: McKenna James J. , Middlemiss Wendy , Tarsha Mary S. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe authors develop a conceptual, testable model suggesting lack of developmental synchrony between cortical and subcortical neural tracts necessary for breathing control underlying human vocalization (speech breathing), potentially leaving infants vulnerable to inconsolable crying. They propose that this lack of developmental synchrony also helps explain the human susceptibility to sudden infant death syndrome. Beginning around 1 month, during sleep and awake periods, infants gradually learn to shift between volitional and autonomic breathing control based on developing functional interconnections between cortical and subcortical neural networks. The existence of sudden infant death syndrome and inconsolable crying may reflect adaptive failures exacerbated by prolonged parent–infant separation, whether night or day, due to one or the other subsystem of neural networks and/or their functioning nuclei not being equally mature or able to sufficiently send, detect, or respond to signals provided by the other. Implications of these proposed models for family practice and family science research are examined.
The Influence of Family Characteristics on Problem Behaviors in a Sample of High‐Risk Caribbean Adolescents
Authors: Maguire Edward R. , Fishbein Diana H. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractDrawing on the social development model, the authors examine family risk and protective factors thought to influence problem behaviors among adolescents. They estimate the impact of family risk and protective factors on a variety of antisocial and health risk behaviors. Data are drawn from a sample of nearly 2,500 adolescents attending high‐risk schools in Trinidad and Tobago, a developing nation in the eastern Caribbean. The findings show that certain family risk factors play a more consistent role in shaping adolescent problem behaviors than others. In particular, adult history of antisocial behavior and parental attitudes favorable toward antisocial behavior and substance use emerge as the most robust risk factors. In accordance with previous research, family protective factors exerted only a minimal influence on behavioral outcomes. This finding confirms the need for additional theory and research on the protective factors that help reduce problem behavior among adolescents, particularly in developing nations.
Stress and Pediatric Obesity: Neurobiology and Behavior
Authors: Pervanidou Panagiota , Chrousos George P. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractPediatric and adolescent obesity commonly coexist with stress‐related symptoms and disorders. Stress, the state of threatened homeostasis, is associated with the acute activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. However, the chronic activation of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and sympathetic nervous system axes during chronic or intense stress can lead to a variety of psychopathological and physical conditions. Behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms link chronic stress with pediatric obesity, in a bidirectional relation. Chronically stressed individuals are characterized by low adherence to a healthy lifestyle and by disturbed eating behaviors, whereas alterations in the secretion of stress hormones might also contribute to obesity and obesity‐related complications. Obesity could lead to increased social distress, low self‐esteem, and anxiety, thereby contributing to a vicious cycle between distress and obesity and increasing further the risk of cardiometabolic morbidity. This review article summarizes recent research findings and discusses mechanisms linking stress with pediatric obesity.
Child Care and Cortisol Across Infancy and Toddlerhood: Poverty, Peers, and Developmental Timing
Authors: Berry Daniel , Blair Clancy , Granger Douglas A. ,   The Family Life Project Key Investigators
Published: March 2016

AbstractEvidence suggests that relations between child care and children's development—behaviorally and physiologically—likely differ between children from high‐ versus low‐risk contexts. Using data from the Family Life Project (N = 1,155), the authors tested (a) whether within‐ and between‐child differences in children's child care experiences (i.e., quantity, type, caregiver responsivity, and peer exposure) were predictive of their cortisol levels across infancy and toddlerhood and (b) whether these relations differed for children experiencing different levels of environmental risk. They found some evidence of such interactive effects. For children from high‐risk contexts, within‐child increases in child care hours were predictive of cortisol decreases. The inverse was evident for children from low‐risk contexts. This relation grew across toddlerhood. Whereas a history of greater center‐based child care was predictive of heightened cortisol levels for low‐risk families, this was not the case for children from high‐risk families. Irrespective of risk, greater peer exposure (between children) was associated with lower cortisol levels.
Cyclic loading of an idealized clay‐filled fault: comparing hydraulic flow in two clay gouges
Authors: Cuss R. J. , Graham C. C. , Wiseall A. C. , Harrington J. F. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe flow of water along discontinuities, such as fractures or faults, is of paramount importance in understanding the hydrogeology of many geological settings. An experimental study was undertaken comprising two experiments on a 30° slip‐plane filled with kaolinite or Ball Clay gouge using a bespoke Angled Shear Rig (ASR). The gouge was initially loaded in equal step changes in vertical stress, followed by unloading of the sample in similar equal steps. This was followed by reloading to a new maximum stress, followed by unloading; the test history was therefore load‐unload‐reload‐unload (LURU). The transmissivity of the kaolinite and Ball Clay gouge showed a power‐law relationship with vertical stress. The LURU history showed considerable hysteresis, with flow effectively unchanged during unloading, even when vertical stress was close to zero. Reloading resulted in flow similar to that seen during unloading suggesting that the unloading‐reloading path is similar to the rebound‐reconsolidation line in classic soil mechanics. These observations show the importance of stress history on fracture flow; consideration of just the current stress acting upon a fracture may result in inaccuracies of predicted hydraulic flow. Once a new stress maximum was achieved the transmissivity of the fracture continued to reduce. No significant variation was seen in the flow response of kaolinite and Ball Clay gouge suggesting that the inclusion of illite and quartz did not have a significant influence on the form of the relationship between stress and flow, i.e. both described by a power‐law.
SLUG expression is an indicator of tumour recurrence in high‐grade endometrial carcinomas
Authors: Kihara Atsushi , Wakana Kimio , Kubota Toshiro , Kitagawa Masanobu 
Published: March 2016

AimsTo investigate how SNAIL and SLUG were involved in the nature of high‐grade endometrial carcinomas (grade 3 endometrioid carcinoma, serous carcinoma and clear cell carcinoma), we analysed the correlation of their expression status with clinicopathological characteristics and evaluated their prognostic significance.Methods and resultsWe performed immunohistochemical staining in 52 high‐grade endometrial carcinomas. Expression status of SNAIL and SLUG was classified into a high expression (positive in more than 50% of the tumour cells) and a low expression. Thirteen cases (25%) showed a high expression of SLUG, whereas all 52 cases showed a low expression of SNAIL. High expression of SLUG was correlated significantly with tumour recurrence (P = 0.0203) and aberrant p53 expression (P = 0.000559). Overall survival was worse in patients with high SLUG expression at all stages (P = 0.0327) and in those who underwent adjuvant therapy (P = 0.00963). Among the patients with complete tumour resection, high SLUG expression was associated with worse recurrence‐free survival (RFS) in the patients at all stages (P = 0.00264), at stages III/IV (P = 0.0146), and who underwent adjuvant therapy (P = 0.000743). SLUG expression was identified as an independent factor of RFS by multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 5.938, 95% confidence interval 1.251–28.18, P = 0.025).ConclusionsSLUG expression could be correlated with TP53 mutational status and could be involved in therapeutic resistance resulting in tumour recurrence. A high expression level of SLUG can be an indicator of recurrence and a therapeutic target for long‐term remission in high‐grade endometrial carcinomas.
Suboptimal identification of patient‐specific risk factors for poor wound healing can be improved by simple interventions
Authors: Harris Lauren S , Luck Joshua E , Atherton Rachel R 
Published: March 2016

AbstractPoor wound healing is an important surgical complication. At‐risk wounds must be identified early and monitored appropriately. Wound surveillance is frequently inadequate, leading to increased rates of surgical site infections (SSIs). Although the literature demonstrates that risk factor identification reduces SSI rates, no studies have focused on wound management at a junior level. Our study assesses documentation rates of patient‐specific risk factors for poor wound healing at a large district general hospital in the UK. It critically evaluates the efficacy of interventions designed to promote surveillance of high‐risk wounds. We conducted a full‐cycle clinical audit examining medical records of patients undergoing elective surgery over 5 days. Interventions included education of the multidisciplinary team and addition of a Wound Healing Risk Assessment (WHRA) checklist to surgical admissions booklets. This checklist provided a simple stratification tool for at‐risk wounds and recommendations for escalation. Prior to interventions, the documentation of patient‐specific risk factors ranged from 0·0% to 91·7% (mean 42·6%). Following interventions, this increased to 86·4–95·5% (mean 92·5%), a statistically significant increase of 117·1% (P < 0·01). This study demonstrates that documentation of patient‐specific risk factors for poor wound healing is inadequate. We have shown the benefit of introducing interventions to increase risk factor awareness.