bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Utilization and factors of non-utilization of export incentives: a cross sectional empirical study of Indian exporters
Authors: Pandey Shivendra , Wali OP , Chandra Rajan 
Published: October 2017

PurposeThe current study aims to evaluate the utilization of export incentives of the Indian Government. A model conceptualizing the relationships between incentive’s awareness, utilization, perception of utilization on export increase and overall performance was tested.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 107 Indian exporters from the ten major exporting sectors of the Indian economy were chosen. The exporters within the sectors were chosen on the basis of the quota sampling technique. The top-most executive of the exporting house was interviewed using both structured questionnaire and in-depth method.FindingsResults indicated that awareness impacted availing of incentives which led to the perception of enhanced export sales. Enhanced export sales led to the perception of an enhanced overall performance of the firm. Smaller firms believed more as compared to larger firms in the effect of export incentives on export sales growth. Recommendations have been provided to remove lacunae in various incentive schemes and improve utilizations.Research limitations/implicationsThe inability to extract firm-level financial data of the value of various schemes availed, exports sales increase, overall performance indicators is a limitation of the study.Practical implicationsThe lack of awareness seemed to be the biggest roadblock for the Indian Government to make export incentive schemes successful. The Indian Government needs to customize the offerings of incentive schemes by incorporating the general perceptions of experts/users. Some less-used schemes can be done away with and some new schemes with less paperwork will be more useful.Originality/valueThere is scant literature in the Indian context on the study of export incentive schemes. There is even less empirical primary evidence available. This study is one of the first to provide a model for the utilization of export schemes and has great practical relevance for exporters and Indian Government alike.
Work interrupted: a closer look at work boundary permeability
Authors: Kim Sungdoo , Hollensbe Elaine 
Published: October 2017

PurposeGiven the prevalence of work interrupted by home-related matters, this paper aims to increase knowledge of the antecedents of work boundary permeability by investigating both individual and situational factors; and to better understand the consequences of work boundary permeability by examining both negative and positive effects using a finer-grained measure.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained using two surveys from 308 full-time employees from an information technology firm in the Midwestern USA. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses.FindingsIndividual differences in segmentation preferences (whether one prefers to keep work and home separated or integrated) and situational factors such as workload and home demands were found to predict work boundary permeability. Further, the results showed that maintaining a highly permeable work boundary may be detrimental rather than beneficial. High work boundary permeability led to greater time- and strain-based home-to-work conflict, but not to affective and instrumental positive spillover.Originality/valueUnlike much previous work–home research focusing on how work intrudes on time outside of work, this study focuses exclusively on how the work domain is affected by intrusions from the home domain. The findings deepen the knowledge about today’s workplace that is subject to continual interruptions and spillover from home-related matters.
Do host‐associated gut microbiota mediate the effect of an herbicide on disease risk in frogs?
Authors: Knutie Sarah A. , Gabor Caitlin R. , Kohl Kevin D. , Rohr Jason R. 
Published: October 2017

Abstract

Environmental stressors, such as pollutants, can increase disease risk in wildlife. For example, the herbicide atrazine affects host defences (e.g. resistance and tolerance) of the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), but the mechanisms for these associations are not entirely clear. Given that pollutants can alter the gut microbiota of hosts, which in turn can affect their health and immune systems, one potential mechanism by which pollutants could increase infection risk is by influencing host‐associated microbiota.

Here, we test whether early‐life exposure to the estimated environmental concentration (EEC; 200 μg/L) of atrazine affects the gut bacterial composition of Cuban tree frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) tadpoles and adults and whether any atrazine‐induced change in community composition might affect host defences against Bd. We also determine whether early‐life changes in the stress hormone corticosterone affect gut microbiota by experimentally inhibiting corticosterone synthesis with metyrapone.

With the exception of changing the relative abundances of two bacterial genera in adulthood, atrazine did not affect gut bacterial diversity or community composition of tadpoles (in vivo or in vitro) or adults. Metyrapone did not significantly affect bacterial diversity of tadpoles, but significantly increased bacterial diversity of adults.

Gut bacterial diversity during Bd exposure did not predict host tolerance or resistance to Bd intensity in tadpoles or adults. However, early‐life bacterial diversity negatively predicted Bd intensity as adult frogs. Specifically, Bd intensity as adults was associated negatively with the relative abundance of phylum Fusobacteria in the guts of tadpoles.

Our results suggest that the effect of atrazine on Bd infection risk is not mediated by host‐associated microbiota because atrazine does not affect microbiota of tadpoles or adults. However, host‐associated microbes seem important in host resistance to Bd because the early‐life microbiota, during immune system development, predicted later‐life infection risk with Bd. Overall, our study suggests that increasing gut bacterial diversity and relative abundances of Fusobacteria might have lasting positive effects on amphibian health.
Inadequate safety reporting in pre‐eclampsia trials: a systematic evaluation
Authors: Duffy JMN , Hirsch M , Pealing L , Showell M , Khan KS , Ziebland S , McManus RJ ,   the International Collaboration to Harmonise Outcomes in Pre‐eclampsia (iHOPE)
Published: October 2017

BackgroundRandomised trials and their syntheses in meta‐analyses offer a unique opportunity to assess the frequency and severity of adverse reactions.ObjectiveTo assess safety reporting in pre‐eclampsia trials.Search strategySystematic search using bibliographic databases, including Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and MEDLINE, from inception to August 2017.Selection criteriaRandomised trials evaluating anticonvulsant or antihypertensive medication for pre‐eclampsia.Data collection and analysisDescriptive statistics appraising the adequacy of adverse reaction and toxicity reporting.Main resultsWe included 60 randomised trials. Six trials (10%) were registered with the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, two registry records referred to adverse reactions, stating ‘safety and toleration’ and ‘possible side effects’ would be collected. Twenty‐six trials (43%) stated the frequency of withdrawals within each study arm, and five trials (8%) adequately reported these withdrawals. Adverse reactions were inconsistently reported across eligible trials: 24 (40%) reported no serious adverse reactions and 36 (60%) reported no mild adverse reactions. The methods of definition or measurement of adverse reactions were infrequently reported within published trial reports.ConclusionsPre‐eclampsia trials regularly omit critical information related to safety. Despite the paucity of reporting, randomised trials collect an enormous amount of safety data. Developing and implementing a minimum data set could help to improve safety reporting, permitting a more balanced assessment of interventions by considering the trade‐off between the benefits and harms.FundingNational Institute for Health Research (DRF‐2014‐07‐051), UK; Maternity Forum, Royal Society of Medicine, UK.Tweetable abstractDeveloping @coreoutcomes could help to improve safety reporting in #preeclampsia trials. @NIHR_DC
Fighting Tax Evasion by Discouraging the Use of Cash?
Authors: Immordino Giovanni , Russo Francesco Flaviano 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe propose a bargaining model of tax evasion with a seller that offers a price discount to a buyer in exchange for a cash payment without a receipt, which allows tax evasion. We study the effect on evasion and government revenue of two policy instruments: a tax on cash withdrawals (TCW), which imposes a cost on the buyers who pay cash, and a tax rebate conditional on having the receipt. The tax rebate reduces evasion but it is costly if tax evasion is low. The TCW reduces evasion only if it is set at a sufficiently high rate, which must be higher the larger is the mass of cash users. We also show that the implementation of a TCW, which poses several challenges, is easier if the cost of cash hoarding is high.
Lessons from the past? Cultural memory in Dutch integration policy
Authors: BATTEAU JESSEKA , PRINCEN SEBASTIAAN , RIGNEY ANN 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThis article explores the contribution that cultural memory studies can make to the debate about the role of ideas and the dynamics of ideational change in policy making. Cultural memory studies engage with the cultural dimensions of remembering, and analyse how shared images of the past are mediated and transferred across distance and time. Such research shows how the past may continue to influence the present by informing the frameworks through which groups and individuals interpret and give meaning to events and phenomena. Since policy makers operate within a cultural context, shared memories are likely also to affect the way they think about the nature and roots of policy issues and the appropriateness and feasibility of policy options. In this article, policy memory (the memory shared by policy makers about earlier policies) is identified as a subcategory of cultural memory. The role of cultural memory among policy makers is studied with reference to Dutch integration policies in two periods: the mid‐1990s and the early 2000s. On the basis of an in‐depth analysis of policy reports and parliamentary debates, references to the past and the role they play in the policy debate are identified. Different modes of dealing with the past are found in the two periods studied, reflecting the different political contexts in which the debates took place. In the 1990s, the memory of earlier policy was invoked in the mode of continuity – that is, policy change was legitimised (conceived) as part of a positive tradition. In the 2000s, memory was invoked in the mode of discontinuity. The same policies were reinterpreted in more negative terms and policy change legitimised by the perceived need to break with the past. Arguably, this reinterpretation of the past was a precondition for the shift in policy beliefs that took place around that time.
The New Paradigm for Lipid Oxidation and Insights to Microencapsulation of Omega‐3 Fatty Acids
Authors: Ghnimi Sami , Budilarto Elisabeth , Kamal‐Eldin Afaf 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe consumption of omega‐3 fatty acids provides a wide range of health benefits. However, the incorporation of these fatty acids in foods is limited because of their high oxidative instability. A new paradigm has emerged to better explain the oxidation mechanism of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which will be discussed here with reference to bulk lipids considered a special case of water in oil microemulsion. This paradigm suggests that lipid oxidation reactions are initiated by heterogeneous catalysis by metal oxides followed by the formation of micelles containing initial hydroperoxides, water, and other amphiphilic compounds. The induction period comes to the end when the formed micelles reach a critical micelle concentration and start to decompose opening the way to intense free radical reactions. Antioxidants and synergists extend the induction period not only by scavenging free radicals but also by stabilizing the micelles. With better understanding of the lipid oxidation mechanism, a tailored choice of antioxidants and synergistic combinations, and efficient encapsulation methods may be optimized to provide stable encapsulates containing highly n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Smart processing and encapsulation technologies utilizing properly stabilized oils as well as optimized packaging parameters aiming to enhance n‐3 fatty acid stability by smart selection/design of antioxidants, control of the interfacial physics and chemistry, and elimination of surface oil are needed for this purpose.
Depuration of Cadmium from Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) by Protein Hydrolysate–Fe2+ Complex: The Role of Metallothionein
Authors: Zhang Bin , Fang Chuan‐dong , Xu Jun‐hui , Cao Hui‐juan 
Published: October 2017

AbstractMetallothionein (MT) plays a major role in the detoxification of toxic metal ions in mussel. This study served to investigate the effects of prepared protein hydrolysate–Fe2+ (PH–Fe2+) on depuration of cadmium salt (Cd2+) from blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). The results indicated that Cd2+ concentrations in control ranged from 46.1 to 47.1 μg/g during 15 d of depuration. While, 40 mg/L PH–Fe2+ feed mussels exhibited obvious changes in Cd2+ concentration variables, which decreased by 22.8 μg/g after 15 d of depuration, making them significantly lower than the values of the control. Our assumption was that Cd2+ could be dissociated effectively from the complex of MT–Cd2+ in mussels affected by the incorporation of PH–Fe2+ during the feeding period. Further results of homology modeling and molecular dynamics (MD) confirmed that the combined power between MT and Cd2+ weakened significantly by PH–Fe2+. This condition affected the charge density and/or the loop flexibility of MT and decreased the interaction energy within MT–Cd2+ complex and resulted in the release of Cd2+ from the complex, thereby exhibiting excretion detoxification. Finally, by comparing the experimental results to MD results, significant positive correlations were observed between PH–Fe2+ and the depuration of Cd2+ from MT–Cd2+ complex. Overall, the findings of this study may help better understand the depuration mechanisms of Cd2+ combined with MT, and the PH–Fe2+ can be recommended as a depuration agent to decrease Cd2+ concentrations in mussels.Practical ApplicationMetallothionein (MT) is a low‐molecular‐weight protein with high metal–ion affinity. If the intracellular concentrations of metals are too high or if toxic metals are present within the cell, then the synthesis of MTs is induced and generated. In our previous work, it was found that the prepared hydrolysate‐metal element complex showed obvious depuration activity of heavy metals (Cd2+) from blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). This study provided further the depuration mechanisms of Cd2+ from mussel (M. edulis), in particular to the role of MT and its chelate during the depuration process.
Effects of interruptions of external beam radiation therapy on outcomes in patients with prostate cancer
Authors: Dong Yanqun , Zaorsky Nicholas G , Li Tianyu , Churilla Thomas M , Viterbo Rosalia , Sobczak Mark L , Smaldone Marc C , Chen David YT , Uzzo Robert G , Hallman Mark A , Horwitz Eric M 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIntroductionTo evaluate if interruptions of external beam radiation therapy impact outcomes in men with localized prostate cancer (PCa).MethodsWe included men with localized PCa treated with three‐dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D‐CRT) or intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) of escalated dose (≥74 Gy in 1.8 or 2 Gy fractions) between 1992 and 2013 at an NCI‐designated cancer centre. Men receiving androgen deprivation therapy were excluded. The non‐treatment day ratio (NTDR) was defined as the number of non‐treatment days divided by the total elapsed days of therapy. NTDR was analysed for each National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk group.ResultsThere were 1728 men included (839 low‐risk, 776 intermediate‐risk and 113 high‐risk), with a median follow up of 53.5 months (range 12–185.8). The median NTDR was 31% (range 23–71%), translating to approximately 2 breaks (each break represents a missed treatment that will be made up) for 8 weeks of RT with 5 treatments per week. The 75 percentile of NTDR was 33%, translating to approximately 4 breaks, which was used as the cutoff for analysis. There were no significant differences in freedom from biochemical failure, freedom from distant metastasis, cancer specific survival, or overall survival for men with NTDR ≥33% compared to NTDR<33% for each risk group. Multivariable analyses including NTDR, age, race, Gleason score, T stage, and PSA were performed using the proportional hazards regression procedure. NTDR≥33% was not significantly associated with increased hazard ratio for outcomes in each risk group compared to NTDR<33%.ConclusionUnintentional treatment breaks during dose escalated external beam radiation therapy for PCa did not cause a significant difference in outcomes, although duration of follow up limits the strength of this conclusion.
Mollusc shells as metagenomic archives: The true treasure is the chest itself
Authors: Coutellec Marie‐Agnès 
Published: October 2017

Mollusc shells, beyond the treasure of information inherently conveyed through their morphology and chemical composition also have the capacity to preserve DNA sequences over the long term in their inner structure. This has been clearly demonstrated for the first time in the study published in this issue of Molecular Ecology Resources by Der Sarkissian et al. (). With a methodology specifically dedicated to ancient DNA and solid matrices, the authors were able to successfully extract and amplify DNA from marine shells spanning the last 7,000 years. Furthermore, using metagenomic analyses, they could identify important factors affecting DNA recovery. Using reference genomes and sequences in a targeted approach to assign high‐throughput sequencing reads, the authors revealed both the presence of endogenous mollusc DNA and a potent pathogen of Manilla clam. Collectively, the results presented in this study open extremely promising research avenues, from palaeogenomics and evolutionary biology to ecological genomics at population and community levels, as well as the opportunity to fine‐tune diagnostic tools for conservation and aquaculture purposes. Last but not least, this study also offers exciting perspectives in epigenomics and the evolution of regulatory processes in the context of adaptation to global change. It can be easily expected that the approach developed by Der Sarkissian et al. () will be pursued and extensively investigated in the near future by the scientific community interested in these issues.
Dopamine Transporter Gene Methylation is Associated with Nucleus Accumbens Activation During Reward Processing in Healthy but not Alcohol‐Dependent Individuals
Authors: Muench Christine , Wiers Corinde E. , Cortes Carlos R. , Momenan Reza , Lohoff Falk W. 
Published: October 2017

BackgroundAlcohol's reinforcement is mediated by dopamine signaling in the ventral striatum, which is modulated by the dopamine transporter (DAT). We hypothesized that methylomic variation in the DAT gene (DAT1/SLC6A3) affects DAT expression, thus contributing to differences in brain reward circuitry in individuals with alcohol dependence (ALC).MethodsBlood from 45 recently detoxified ALC and 45 healthy control (HC) individuals was used to assess DNA methylation across 5 functional regions of SLC6A3. Participants completed the monetary incentive delay task in a 3‐Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Employing regression models, we examined effects of SLC6A3 methylation on nucleus accumbens (NAc) blood‐oxygen‐level dependent (BOLD) responses during anticipation of high/low reward/loss.ResultsResults showed that decreased methylation of the promoter region of SLC6A3 predicted NAc activation during high loss anticipation (p = 0.028) and low loss anticipation (at trend‐level; p = 0.057) in HC but not in individuals with ALC. Specifically, percentage of methylation at 2 CpG sites, located −1,001 and −993 base pairs from the transcription start site, accounted for significant variability in NAc activation in the HC group during high (ps ≤ 0.010) and low (ps ≤ 0.006) loss anticipation. There was no effect on reward anticipation. Furthermore, promoter methylation was positively associated with age, which replicates previous findings.ConclusionsOur data suggest that methylation in the promoter region of SLC6A3 predicts NAc activation during the anticipation of monetary loss in HCs. However, this effect was not present in the ALC group, suggesting that epigenetic regulation of striatal DAT expression might be disrupted in ALC, which may contribute to previously reported differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment in this population. Alternatively, it is possible that a similar relationship in the ALC group remained undetected possibly due to methodological limitations inherent in functional MRI (e.g., poor spatial resolution, low signal‐to‐noise ratio) that generally restrict interpretations regarding mechanisms of epigenetic factors involved in group differences in BOLD responses. Future neuroimaging studies are needed to further elucidate the relationship between SLC6A3 methylation and NAc activation in ALC.
The prognostic significance of early and late right precordial lead (V4R) ST‐segment elevation in patients with acute anterior myocardial infarction
Authors: Keskin Muhammed , Uzun Ahmet Okan , Börklü Edibe Betül , Hayıroğlu Mert İlker , Türkkan Ceyhan , Tekkeşin Ahmet İlker , Kozan Ömer 
Published: October 2017

BackgroundThe predictive significance of ST‐segment elevation (STE) in lead V4R in patients with anterior ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been well‐understood. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of early and late STE in lead V4R in patients with anterior STEMI.MethodsA total 451 patients with anterior STEMI who treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients were classified according to presence of STE (>1 mm) in lead V4R at admission and/or 60 min after PPCI. Based on this classification, all patients were divided into three subgroups as no V4R STE (Group 1), early but not late V4R STE (Group 2) and late V4R STE (Group 3).ResultsIn‐hospital mortality had higher rates at group 2 and 3 and that had 2.1 and 4.1‐times higher mortality than group 1. Late V4R STE remained as an independent risk factor for cardiogenic shock (odds ratio [OR] 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9–4.3; p < .001) and in‐hospital mortality (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.8–4.1; p < .001). The 12‐month overall survival for group 1, 2, and 3 were 91.1%, 82.4%, and 71.4% respectively. However, the long‐term mortality also had the higher rate at group 3; late V4R STE did not remain as an independent risk factor for long‐term mortality (OR 1.5; 95% CI 0.8–4.1; p: .159).ConclusionLate V4R STE in patients with anterior STEMI is strongly associated with poor prognosis. The record of late V4R in patients with anterior STEMI has an important prognostic value.