bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Insurance and financial stability
Authors: Kobayashi Shinya 
Published: February 2017

Purpose
This paper aims to consider implications of the IMF Global Financial Stability Report (April 2016 edition) for the regulation and supervision of insurers.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper first summarises the IMF Report and then discusses possible implications, examining the underlying hypothesis on which the “Tsunami view” has been formulated.

Findings
This paper finds that the Report provides some important implications for the regulation and supervision of insurers, although no commonalities in life insurers’ asset composition, which is the underlying hypothesis of the Tsunami view expressed in the Report, have been observed at a global level. One of the key implications is the importance of monitoring insurers’ exposures at granular levels in a more intensive manner from the perspective of macro-prudential supervision.

Originality/value
This is one of the first papers that try to challenge the findings and recommendations of the IMF Report and, at the same time, consider what implications can be taken for enhanced regulation and supervision of insurers.
Thermally expandable microspheres of poly (acrylonitrile/ethyl methacrylate/methacrylic acid) with fast thermal response property
Authors: Ji Li Jun , Jiang Ya Shuai , Liang Ge , Liu Zhu Qing , Zhu Jian , Huang Kai , Zhu Ai Ping 
Published: February 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to synthesise a thermally expandable microsphere (TEMS) with fast thermal response property and small expansion temperature range, and investigate the factors affecting the expansion properties of the microspheres.Design/methodology/approachA new kind of TEMS with fast thermal response property was synthesised by suspension polymerisation method, using acrylonitrile, ethyl methacrylate and methacrylic acid as the main monomers; Mg(OH)2as the main dispersing agent; and isooctane orn-hexane orn-pentane as the blowing agent.FindingsThe TEMS possessed the best expansion capacity when encapsulated isooctane andn-hexane were about 18.5 Wt.%. The expansion process of the TEMS could be finished by raising the temperature to 18°C from the expansion onset, much less than the reported 30-50°C. The morphology of the TEMS turned from sphere to irregular concave shape following the content increase of the blowing agent.Originality/valueA new kind of TEMS composed of acrylonitrile/ethyl methacrylate/methacrylic acid as the polymer shell was synthesised. These TEMS showed the fastest thermal response speed reported.
Accuracy of Dental Age in Nonadults: A Comparison of Two Methods for Age Estimation Using Radiographs of Developing Teeth
Authors: Santana Sierra A. , Bethard Jonathan D. , Moore Tara L. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis research tests the accuracy of two methods for age estimation, Cameriere's European formula and AlQahtani's London Atlas, on a multi‐population American sample. Digitized radiographs of 360 European American, Hispanic, and American Indian children aged 6–17 years were analyzed. The accuracy of these methods was assessed using the mean and absolute mean difference of the residuals. Results indicate that Cameriere's European formula underestimated age for both sexes, with a mean difference of −1.19 years for girls and −1.32 years for boys, prompting the first author to create an American‐specific formula. The London Atlas underestimated age with a mean difference of −0.18 years for girls and −0.16 years for boys. Sex and ancestry had no significant affect on accuracy. The results indicate that both methods can be used for age estimation in an American population.
Effect of Salt and Ethanol Addition on Zein–Starch Dough and Bread Quality
Authors: Smith Brennan M. , Bean Scott R. , Selling Gordon , Sessa David , Aramouni Fadi M. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractDevelopment of viscoelastic doughs from non‐wheat proteins allows for a wider range of gluten‐free products. Little work has been completed to describe mechanisms of zein functionality in food systems. To identify factors responsible for dough development in zein–starch mixtures and their influence on zein bread quality, a mixture of 20% zein–80% maize starch was mixed with water and various reagents. Salts, NaSCN, NaCl, and Na2SO4 were evaluated at concentrations from 0 to 2M for their influence on the properties of zein–starch dough systems. NaSCN at low concentrations produced softer dough. Ethanol treatments produced softer more workable dough in the absence of salts. Increasing concentrations of NaCl and Na2SO4 resulted in coalescing of the proteins and no dough formation. The addition of β‐ME had minimal softening effects on zein–starch dough. Specific volumes of zein–starch bread increased with decreasing NaCl addition in bread formulations. Likewise, including 5% ethanol (v/v) in the bread formula increased bread quality.
Time course and reasons for 90‐day mortality in fast‐track hip and knee arthroplasty
Authors: Jørgensen C. C. , Kehlet H. ,   the Lundbeck Foundation Centre for Fast‐track Hip and Knee Replacement Collaborative group
Published: February 2017

BackgroundPost‐operative mortality is an important adverse outcome, including in total hip (THA) and knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, whether mortality is due to anaesthetic/surgical complications, surgically induced organ dysfunction or unrelated to surgery is rarely considered.MethodsProspective observational study in 13,775 consecutive THA/TKAs with similar fast‐track protocols and a median length of stay of 2 days. Complete 90‐days follow‐up through national registries, followed by review of medical records and death certificates. Relation between mortality and surgically induced organ dysfunction were classified as certain, probable, possible or unlikely.ResultsOf a total of 44 deaths (0.3%), 28 (0.2%) were found to have certain or probably relation with surgery and were considered as surgery‐related. Surgery‐related deaths were more common after THA than TKA (0.3% vs. 0.1% P = 0.044), occurred after median 14 days and 19 of 28 were between day 0–30. Of the remaining 16 deaths (0.1%), nine were found to be possible and seven to be unlikely related to surgery, and occurred a median of 42 and 61 days after surgery. The most common initial organ dysfunction for surgery‐related deaths was pulmonary (6/28) and gastrointestinal (6/28), while the most common reported cause of death were pulmonary (9/28) and cardiac events (6/28). In five of the seven unlikely related deaths mortality was attributed to underlying cancer.ConclusionNinety‐days mortality was 0.3% in THA and TKA, but only 28 of 44 deaths (64%) were found to be surgery‐related. Reporting total mortality rate or cause of death without considerations on surgery induced organ dysfunction, may be insufficient for future aims to reduce post‐operative mortality.
Severity of alcohol dependence is associated with the fatty acid amide hydrolase Pro129Thr missense variant
Authors: Sloan Matthew E. , Gowin Joshua L. , Yan Jia , Schwandt Melanie L. , Spagnolo Primavera A. , Sun Hui , Hodgkinson Colin A. , Goldman David , Ramchandani Vijay A. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe endocannabinoid system plays an important role in reward and addiction. One of the two main endocannabinoid neurotransmitters, anandamide, is metabolized by fatty acid amide hydrolase, an enzyme with a functional genetic polymorphism (FAAH Pro129Thr, rs324420). The Thr129 allele has been linked to problem drug and alcohol use, but the association has not been widely replicated and may be stronger for clinical measures of severity rather than categorical diagnosis. In the present study, we sought to determine whether the Thr129 allele was associated with both alcohol dependence (AD) diagnosis and severity in a sample of 1434 European American and African American individuals, 952 of whom were diagnosed with lifetime AD. Participants were genotyped for FAAH rs324420, and ancestry was determined via a genome‐wide panel of ancestry informative markers. Subjects participated in Structured Clinical Interviews for psychiatric disorders and 90‐day Timeline Followback interviews to assess recent alcohol use. European American participants with current AD had a higher Thr129 allele frequency than non‐dependent controls. In European Americans with lifetime AD, there were significantly different distributions of drinking days and binge drinking days between the two genotype groups, with Thr129 carriers reporting a median of 10 fewer abstinent days and 13 more binge drinking days than Pro129/Pro129 homozygotes. In African American participants, there were no significant differences between Thr129 allele frequency in cases and controls and no significant differences in measures of AD severity by genotype. These findings provide evidence that the Pro129Thr missense variant is associated with AD severity in European Americans.
Exacerbation of spontaneous autoimmune nephritis following regulatory T cell depletion in B cell lymphoma 2-interacting mediator knock-out mice
Authors: Wang Y M , Zhang G Y , Wang Y , Hu M , Zhou J J , Sawyer A , Cao Q , Wang Y , Zheng G , Lee V W S , Harris D C H , Alexander S I 
Published: February 2017

Summary
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been recognized as central mediators for maintaining peripheral tolerance and limiting autoimmune diseases. The loss of Tregs or their function has been associated with exacerbation of autoimmune disease. However, the temporary loss of Tregs in the chronic spontaneous disease model has not been investigated. In this study, we evaluated the role of Tregs in a novel chronic spontaneous glomerulonephritis model of B cell lymphoma 2-interacting mediator (Bim) knock-out mice by transient depleting Tregs. Bim is a pro-apoptotic member of the B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family. Bim knock-out (Bim–/–) mice fail to delete autoreactive T cells in thymus, leading to chronic spontaneous autoimmune kidney disease. We found that Treg depletion in Bim–/– mice exacerbated the kidney injury with increased proteinuria, impaired kidney function, weight loss and greater histological injury compared with wild-type mice. There was a significant increase in interstitial infiltrate of inflammatory cells, antibody deposition and tubular damage. Furthermore, the serum levels of cytokines interleukin (IL)−2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17α, interferon (IFN)-γ and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α were increased significantly after Treg depletion in Bim–/– mice. This study demonstrates that transient depletion of Tregs leads to enhanced self-reactive T effector cell function followed by exacerbation of kidney disease in the chronic spontaneous kidney disease model of Bim-deficient mice.
Aeroconservation for the Fragmented Skies
Authors: Davy Christina M. , Ford Adam T. , Fraser Kevin C. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractFrom birds to bacteria, airborne organisms face substantial anthropogenic impacts. The airspace provides essential habitat for thousands of species, some of which spend most of their lives airborne. Despite recent calls to protect the airspace, it continues to be treated as secondary to terrestrial and aquatic habitats in policy and research. Aeroconservation integrates recent advances in aeroecology and habitat connectivity, and recognizes aerial habitats and threats as analogous to their terrestrial and aquatic counterparts. Aerial habitats are poorly represented in the ecological literature and are largely absent from environmental policy, hindering protection of aerial biodiversity. Here, we provide a framework for defining aerial habitats to advance the study of aeroconservation and the protection of the airspace in environmental policy. We illustrate how current habitat definitions explicitly disadvantage aerial species relative to non‐aerial species, and review key areas of conflict between aeroconservation and human use of the airspace. Finally, we identify opportunities for research to fill critical knowledge gaps for aeroconservation. For example, aerial habitat fragmentation may impact biodiversity and ecosystem function similarly to terrestrial habitat fragmentation, and we illustrate how this can be investigated by extending existing methods and paradigms from terrestrial conservation biology up into the airspace.
Climatic Disequilibrium Threatens Conservation Priority Forests
Authors: Huntley Brian , Allen Judy R.M. , Bennie Jonathan , Collingham Yvonne C. , Miller Paul A. , Suggitt Andrew J. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractWe test the hypothesis that climatic changes since 1800 have resulted in unrealized potential vegetation changes that represent a “climatic debt” for many ecosystems. Caledonian pinewoods, an EU priority forest type, are used as a model system to explore potential impacts of two centuries of climatic change upon sites of conservation importance and surrounding landscapes. Using methods that estimate topographic microclimate, current and preindustrial climates were estimated for 50 m grid cells and simulations made using a dynamic vegetation model. Core Caledonian pinewood areas are now less suitable for growth of pine and more favorable for oak than in 1800, whereas landscapes as a whole are on average more favorable for both. The most favorable areas for pine are now mainly outside areas designated to conserve historical pinewoods. A paradigm shift is needed in formulating conservation strategies to avoid catastrophic losses of this habitat, and of many others globally with trees or other long‐lived perennials as keystone species.
A New Scale of Poverty: How the Officially Recorded Poor People in Turkey Perceive Themselves
Authors: Yakışık Harun , Dölarslan Emre Şahin , Zülfikar Berna Şafak 
Published: February 2017

AbstractGovernments adopt policies to prevent and address the socioeconomic problem of poverty. This article examines how officially recorded poor people perceive themselves and the causes of their poverty. It is based on a sample of 531 officially recorded poor people living in the Turkish province of Çankiri. A questionnaire was administered comprising 69 characteristics of poverty. The findings suggest that there are four main causal explanations for poverty attributions: fatalism, discrimination, moral deficiencies and personal deficiencies. The measure developed for this research can be tested and applied to different cultural groups with a high level of validity and reliability.
Relative influences of environmental and spatial factors on stream fish assemblages in Brazilian Atlantic rainforest
Authors: Cetra M. , Petrere Júnior M. , Barrella W. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractUnderstanding the role of local and spatial factors in the structuring of aquatic communities is a goal in ecology. The hierarchical structure of stream systems provides opportunities to test the hypothesis that fish assemblages that are more isolated in headwaters are structured by local and/or regional variables. Fishes and abiotic data were collected in 18 stream reaches from two hydrographic basins in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. The variance of species composition was partitioned into fractions explained by environmental and spatial factors. The pure environmental fraction explained ≈17% of variance and was represented by regional, habitat availability/heterogeneity and perturbation gradient. The pure spatial fraction explained ≈15% of the individual fraction. Environmental data revealed a species sorting process, and the spatial effect might be a result of different dispersal routes that fish performed during the formation of the hydrographic basins, actual land use and water resources management. The importance of maintaining connectivity in these systems was emphasised because it cannot be guaranteed that the dispersion ability of species is still occurring under current land use change.
Diagnostic performance of contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of complex renal cysts: A prospective study
Authors: Defortescu Guillaume , Cornu Jean‐Nicolas , Béjar Sofiane , Giwerc Anthony , Gobet Françoise , Werquin Claire , Pfister Christian , Nouhaud François‐Xavier 
Published: February 2017

ObjectivesTo compare the diagnostic performance of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and contrast enhanced ultrasonography for the assessment of complex renal cysts.MethodsWe carried out a prospective single‐center study from January 2012 to December 2013. We included patients with Bosniak category 2F or 3 renal cysts found on computed tomography and reviewed by two expert radiologists. Magnetic resonance imaging and contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography were then carried out. Patients with a Bosniak ≥3 cyst on magnetic resonance imaging, as well as those upgraded as appearing malignant on contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography, were surgically managed. Imaging results were compared with histological data. For patients without surgery, imaging examinations were compared with follow‐up data. For each imaging examination, diagnostic performance and Cohen's kappa coefficient were assessed.ResultsA total of 47 patients were included. The median follow up was 36 months (range 17–48 months). At initial computed tomography, cysts were classified as Bosniak 2F and Bosniak ≥3 in 34 and 13 patients, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging found 13 Bosniak ≥3 cysts, and contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography upgraded six more patients with cysts that appeared malignant. A total of 19 patients had surgery. Histological analysis reported 14 malignant tumors. No tumor progression was found in followed‐up patients. Computed tomography showed poor sensitivity (36%) and specificity (76%; κ = 0.11). Magnetic resonance imaging showed 71% sensitivity and 91% specificity (κ = 0.64). Contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography showed high sensitivity (100%) and specificity (97%), and a negative predictive value at 100% (κ = 0.95).ConclusionsThe present results suggested that contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography could be useful in improving the assessment of complex renal cysts. Indeed, computed tomography accuracy might be limited in this indication requiring further investigations to determine the best treatment strategy.
Indian nurses in Italy: a qualitative study of their professional and social integration
Authors: Stievano Alessandro , Olsen Douglas , Tolentino Diaz Ymelda , Sabatino Laura , Rocco Gennaro 
Published: February 2017

Aims and objectivesTo investigate the lived subjective experiences of immigrant Indian nurses in Italy and specifically their professional and social integration.BackgroundTo study the worldwide, nursing flux is a health priority in the globalised world. The growth in migration trends among nurses, not only from Philippines or India, has proliferated in recent years. The research on nurses’ mobility for Southern European countries is underexplored, and in Italy, the out‐migration flows of Indian nurses were never analysed.DesignQualitative methodological approach.MethodsSemi‐structured interviews (n = 20) were completed with Indian clinical nurses working in Italy for more than one year mainly in private organisations. A purposive sampling technique was used for recruitment. The data were then content‐analysed using an inductive method.ResultsThe findings were categorised into four themes: (1) aspects of professional integration and working experience, (2) intra‐ and interprofessional relationships and perceptions of the IPASVI Regulatory Nursing Board, (3) initial nursing education and continuous professional development and (4) perceptions of social integration.ConclusionThe results show that for Indian nurses in Italy emigration is important to gain opportunities to expand economic and social privileges as well as escape from historical assumptions of stigma associated with nursing work, especially for women. However, these conclusions have to be seen in wider socio‐cultural complexities that are at the basis of transnational fluxes (Prescott & Nichter ).Relevance to clinical practiceThe research offers an insight into the complicated reasons for Indian nurses out‐migration to Italy. Without comprehending the interwoven textures of the political and social relations that are continually constructed and re‐constructed among different nations, it is difficult to understand nurses out‐migration and consequently have a better and safer collaborative teamwork in the host countries.
Correlation between umbilical resistance index and fetal growth: Pilot study
Authors: Kehila Mehdi , Touhami Omar , Hmid Rim Ben , Abouda Hassine Saber , Abdeljelil Khlifi , Ayachi Amira , Mourali Mechaal , Khairi Hédi , Chanoufi Mohamed Badis 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAimTo investigate normal pregnancies to determine whether there is a relationship between umbilical resistance and fetal growth.MethodsThis prospective study was conducted in three academic departments. Third trimester routine prenatal ultrasonography was used to estimate fetal weight and measure umbilical resistance index (RI). After delivery the birthweight was noted, along with the time interval between the ultrasound and the delivery, and then the weekly weight gain was calculated. These data were then used to determine the relationship between fetal growth and umbilical artery RI.ResultsMean patient age was 32 ± 4.8 years; mean RI was 0.62 ± 0.07, and mean weight gain was 186.4 ± 63.9 g/week. Mean percentage weight gain relative to the estimated weight on third trimester ultrasound was 8.86 ± 3.8% per week. There was an inverse linear relationship between umbilical artery RI and fetal growth: percentage of weight gained per week relative to the estimated weight during third trimester ultrasound (%/week) = [31.3 – (36.1 × RI)] × 100.ConclusionIn normal pregnancies there seems to be a linear relationship between umbilical RI measured at 31–34 weeks of gestation and average fetal growth in the third trimester. The greater the resistance index, the lower the weight gain.