bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
I nudge myself: Exploring ‘self‐nudging’ strategies to drive sustainable consumption behaviour
Authors: Torma Gabriele , Aschemann‐Witzel Jessica , Thøgersen John 
Published: October 2017

AbstractFailure to translate intentions into actual behaviour is known in many areas of human action. The intention to consume more sustainable is no exception and often fails to be translated into behaviour. Behavioural research emphasized the use of nudges as one of the remedies to ensure that most of the people's daily choices on what to buy or what to eat end up being in their best interest. The behavioural economics literature usually focusses on interventions supporting automatic and unconscious processes, mostly being the result of cognitive shortcuts produced by System 1 (e.g., by setting better default options or making existing contexts more intuitive and easy to handle). However, this begs the question, what consumers themselves can do to ensure a consumption behaviour that is more in line with their pro‐environmental intentions? This article explores a possible ‘self‐nudging’ strategy of consumers signing up for an organic box scheme subscription, whereby they change a large number of small daily choices to a larger decision on exclusively getting organic groceries delivered to their doorstep. It does so based on qualitative in‐depth interviews with 10 customers of such an organic box scheme. The analysis reveals that signing up for the subscription scheme indeed means that low‐involvement decisions in regular supermarkets are replaced by a high‐involvement decision on subscribing to an organic box scheme. In this context of the organic box scheme, the self‐nudging phenomenon is in fact the active choice of consumers to set their default consumption option to ‘organic’ in the long run.
Double emulsions (W/O/W): physical characteristics and perceived intensity of salty taste
Authors: Paula Daniele de Almeida , de Oliveira Eduardo Basílio , de Carvalho Teixeira Alvaro Vianna Novaes , Soares Ariana de Souza , Ramos Afonso Mota 
Published: October 2017

SummaryThis study addressed the correlation between physical characteristics of double emulsions and sensory perception, as the microstructure of these systems may provide the mechanism to understanding the initial cause of the altered salty taste. Thus, double emulsions (W/O/W) were prepared using different volumes of the internal aqueous phase while maintaining the same fat and sodium contents in the evaluated systems. Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and tween 80 were used as hydrophobic and hydrophilic emulsifiers, respectively. After preparation, the samples were stored at 25 °C for 4 days and submitted to analysis of optical microscopy, distribution and polydispersity of the oil droplets size, electrical conductivity, rheological behaviour and sensorial analysis. It was found that the use of different emulsifier concentrations (PGPR) did not influence the physical characteristics of the emulsions with the same formulation, but emulsions with different internal aqueous phase concentrations presented different results. These distinct characteristics may have influenced sensorial perception, as the emulsion with higher internal phase concentration was considered saltier. Thus, it can be concluded that structural differences of the double emulsions can be used to decrease the sodium contents without perceivable changes in salty taste.
How to routinely assess transition, adhesion and survival of probiotics into the gut: a case study on propionibacteria
Authors: Campaniello Daniela , Speranza Barbara , Petruzzi Leonardo , Bevilacqua Antonio , Corbo Maria Rosaria 
Published: October 2017

SummaryTwo commercial promising probiotic strains (Propionibacterium jensenii and Propionibacterium freudenreichii) were studied to evaluate two basic probiotic requisites (adhesion and survival during the transit into the gut); two commercial starter cultures (Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus) were used as references. As an additional goal, the technological robustness was evaluated as growth as a function of pH, temperature and salt. Adhesion was studied as biofilm formation and hydrophobicity, whereas a simplified protocol was used to simulate the transit into the gut, along with the assessment of survival at pH 2.5 and in the presence of 0.3% bile salts. Propionibacteria were hydrophobic and form biofilm on glass slides, thus confirming the correlation of these properties and with the ability to adhere. None of the strains survived after the simulation of the transit into the gut, but this property could be induced in propionibacteria using a simple protocol of adaptive evolution. This paper suggests the possibility of using hydrophobicity as a screening tool to assess adhesion in propionibacteria and highlights the necessity of using a complete protocol of simulation of the gut to study the resistance to the conditions of stomach and intestine to avoid false‐positive results.
Comparative analysis of murine T‐cell receptor repertoires
Authors: Izraelson Mark , Nakonechnaya Tatiana O. , Moltedo Bruno , Egorov Evgeniy S. , Kasatskaya Sofya A. , Putintseva Ekaterina V. , Mamedov Ilgar Z. , Staroverov Dmitriy B. , Shemiakina Irina I. , Zakharova Maria Y. , Davydov Alexey N. , Bolotin Dmitriy A. , Shugay Mikhail , Chudakov Dmitriy M. , Rudensky Alexander Y. , Britanova Olga V. 
Published: October 2017

SummaryFor understanding the rules and laws of adaptive immunity, high‐throughput profiling of T‐cell receptor (TCR) repertoires becomes a powerful tool. The structure of TCR repertoires is instructive even before the antigen specificity of each particular receptor becomes available. It embodies information about the thymic and peripheral selection of T cells; the readiness of an adaptive immunity to withstand new challenges; the character, magnitude and memory of immune responses; and the aetiological and functional proximity of T‐cell subsets. Here, we describe our current analytical approaches for the comparative analysis of murine TCR repertoires, and show several examples of how these approaches can be applied for particular experimental settings. We analyse the efficiency of different metrics used for estimation of repertoire diversity, repertoire overlap, V‐gene and J‐gene segments usage similarity, and amino acid composition of CDR3. We discuss basic differences of these metrics and their advantages and limitations in different experimental models, and we provide guidelines for choosing an efficient way to lead a comparative analysis of TCR repertoires. Applied to the various known and newly developed mouse models, such analysis should allow us to disentangle multiple sophisticated puzzles in adaptive immunity.
Enhanced and stable strain memory in Mn‐doped Pb(Mn1/3Sb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramics realized by sesquipolar loading
Authors: Chen Caiyun , Zhou Zhiyong , Liu Zhen , Liang Ruihong , Zhang Wenbin , Dong Xianlin 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe negative electric field, field cycling and frequency dependence of strain memory effect in poled and aged Mn‐doped Pb(Mn1/3Sb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PMS–PZT) piezoceramics under sesquipolar loading were investigated. The strain memory effect of Mn‐doped PMS–PZT is especially sensitive to the applied negative electric field. Maximum strain memory of 0.32% is achieved when the negative electric field is around negative coercive field of ~2.1 kV/mm, which can be ascribed to the partially depoled state with randomized domains. And this strain memory shows very good cycling stability, varying less than 5% up to 104 cycles, while almost 40% degradation is found under bipolar signal. In addition, due to the stabilized defect dipoles, the strain memory exhibits stable characteristic over a broad frequency range from 0.01 Hz to 20 Hz. The results may shed new insights into designing the novel strain memory actuators where stable strain state could be realized after the removal of electric field.
Continuous flash sintering
Authors: Sortino Emanuele , Lebrun Jean‐Marie , Sansone Andrea , Raj Rishi 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe develop an algorithm that relates the incubation time for flash initiation to the workpiece velocity as it is pulled through stationary electrodes in a continuous flash sintering experiment. Experiments with a whiteware green body that is sintered in this way are compared with the model. A processing map when the workpiece is drawn at a constant velocity is developed. The parameter space for the map is given by the speed and the current flowing through the workpiece. It distinguishes between the regimes for uniform and inhomogeneous sintering. All experiments were carried out at a furnace temperature of 900°C. The study shows the viability of continuous flash sintering of ceramics at speeds of up to 3 mm s−1 with electrodes that form a line contact with the workpiece. Remarkably, higher velocities and higher currents yield better sintering.
The Evolving Shareholder Activist Landscape (How Companies Can Prepare for It)
Authors: Khorana Ajay , Shivdasani Anil , Sigurdsson Gustav 
Published: October 2017

Shareholder activists remain an important force in the boardroom. More than 60 activist campaigns were initiated against S&P 1500 companies in 2016. And although activist hedge funds have under‐performed the broad market since 2013, activists’ assets under management are still nearly double their level of four years ago, and announcements of their campaigns continue to be met with increases in the target companies’ stock prices.At the same time, shareholder activism continues to evolve in constructive ways. Most important is the growing support of mainstream investors, as reflected in the increased backing of activist proposals by traditional institutional asset managers and the falling number of openly confrontational campaigns. Activists have also had continued success in gaining board representation, particularly at the largest target companies. And more board seats are being gained by activists in early settlements, which have also been associated with higher stock returns than those campaigns that resulted in later settlements or ended in a proxy contest.During the period 2006–2016, over 40% of activist campaigns made public demands for specific strategic actions, such as selling assets, spinning off divisions, or seeking buyers for the companies. And activist investors have been remarkably effective in accomplishing such changes in that those activist targets urged to seek buyers were four times more likely to be acquired than the average company.At the same time, a growing number of campaigns have focused on operating efficiency, capital allocation, business strategy, and other changes that often require longterm engagement. Perhaps because of their longer‐term focus, such campaigns have also more been likely to result in board seats for the activists.The authors' findings contain a number of messages for corporate managements and boards: listen to your shareholders, and assess your strengths and vulnerabilities through an activist's eyes; build an effective board; articulate your strategy clearly; consider the possibility of activist intervention when planning M&A transactions; and engage early when approached by an activist.
Improving the Health of Healthcare Companies
Authors: Milano Gregory V. , Karame Marwaan R. , Theriault Joseph G. 
Published: October 2017

The healthcare sector has been extremely effective in improving human health while at the same time delivering outstanding returns to shareholders, at least on average. But averages can hide a lot of poor performance, and careful examination of the sector shows a sizable disparity between the long‐run productivity and value added of the top companies and the rest. To better understand the reasons for this disparity, the authors undertook a comprehensive study of how differences in capital deployment strategies, financial policies, and measures of corporate operating performance such as sales growth and return on capital are associated with returns to shareholders.Perhaps the most striking finding is the strong positive correlation in the healthcare industry between higher rates of reinvestment, especially in the form of spending on R&D and acquisitions, and stock price performance. And given the importance of such reinvestment, it is not surprising that maintaining financial flexibility by paying down net debt and otherwise limiting corporate leverage—and even issuing significant equity—are all associated with higher stock returns. When it comes to operating performance, moreover, it's not enough just to be good; it takes growth and improvement in cash flow and earnings to drive share prices higher. Measures of changes in performance such as increases in EBIT and ROIC, and high rates of growth in sales, all show consistently strong and positive relationships with stock returns while measures of levels of performance, especially EBIT margins and EBITDA margins, demonstrate relationships that are weak and in some cases even negative.Last, and consistent with the findings reported above, despite often vocal investor demands to pay dividends and buy back shares, in the case of healthcare as a whole such distributions have a clearly inverse relationship with share price performance. That is to say, the larger the payouts to shareholders, the lower the shareholder returns.
University of Texas Roundtable on The State of the U.S. Private Equity Market
Authors: Jhawar Andy , Kosch Tiffany , Long Austin , Carpenter Will 
Published: October 2017

In this discussion that took place at the 2017 University of Texas Private Equity conference, the moderator began by noting that since 2000, the fraction of the U.S. GDP produced by companies that are owned or controlled by global private equity firms has increased from 7% to 15%. What's more, today's PE firms have raised an estimated $1.5 trillion of capital that is now available for investing. And thanks in part to this abundance of capital, the prices of PE transactions have increased sharply, with EBITDA pricing multiples rising from about 8.8X in 2012 to 11.5X at the beginning of 2017. Partly as a consequence of such abundant capital and high transaction prices, the aggregate returns to U.S. private equity funds during this four‐year period have fallen below the returns to the stockholders of U.S. public companies.Nevertheless, the good news for private equity investors is that the best‐performing PE firms have continued their long history of outperforming the market. And the consistency of their performance goes a long way toward explaining why the overwhelming majority of the capital contributed by limited partners continues to be allocated to funds put together by these top‐tier PE firms.In this roundtable, a representative of one of these top‐tier firms joins the founder of a relatively new firm with a middle‐market focus in discussing the core competencies and approaches that have enabled the best PE firms to increase the productivity and value of their portfolio companies. Effective financial management—the ability to manage leveraged capital structures and the process of readying their companies for sale to potential strategic or financial investors—is clearly part of the story. But more fundamental and critical to their success has been their ability to find undervalued or undermanaged assets—and either retain or recruit operating managements that, when effectively monitored and motivated, are able to realize the potential value of those assets through changes in strategy and increases in operating efficiency.
University of Texas Roundtable on The Role of Private Equity in the Financing and Restructuring of Oil and Gas Companies
Authors: Sheffield Bryan , Montgomery Bill , Hackett Jim , Manning Chris 
Published: October 2017

In this second of two University of Texas roundtables, four highly successful veterans of the U.S. energy industry, with considerable experience running both public and private companies, discuss recent developments in this rapidly evolving industry. Among the most remarkable—and a major focus of this discussion—is the dramatic expansion of the output and productivity of the Permian Basin of West Texas, and the role of private equity in accomplishing it.Although the Permian has been a major source of oil and gas since 1920, the combination of massive horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has contributed to a tripling of production volumes from about 800,000 barrels per day to 2.5 million during the past ten years. In fact, the productivity gains are said to be so great that, even with the huge run‐up in the cost of acquiring acreage (to as high as $40,000 per acre), today's producers are projecting annual operating returns of 20% even if oil prices fail to rise above their current level of about $50 a barrel.What's more, there appears to have been a fairly clear division of labor between private and public companies in this recent development of the Permian. With most of the high‐priced acreage now being acquired by larger public companies, the primary role of private equity has been to identify and make good on opportunities to increase the productivity and value of smaller operations that can then be sold to public companies—companies that have the size and access to capital to benefit from the economies of scale produced by combining them with their other operations.Thanks to their earlier position in the value chain, investments by private equity groups have generally not only produced higher payoffs, on average, but involved larger operating and financial risks. And this difference in risk profile is reflected in a notable difference in hedging practices between public and private equity‐controlled companies. This difference was summed up as follows by a private equity partner who has also run several public oil and gas companies:To a much greater extent in private equity than in public companies, we think of our projects and companies as delivering value that is largely independent of changes in oil prices. Hedging is our way of saying we don't want to take oil price risk if we don't have to. We do not count on price increases to make our required returns. The returns come from operating the company successfully without the help of commodity prices.
Investor Protection and Governance in the Valuation of Emerging Markets Investments
Authors: Atwi Leila , Safieddine Assem , Titman Sheridan 
Published: October 2017

The combination of ineffective corporate governance at the company level and an uncertain legal and regulatory environment can significantly reduce the prices investors are willing to pay when investing in companies in emerging markets. The authors report the findings of their recent survey that asks investment professionals to compare the value of a hypothetical Australian company with that of its identical counterparts located in five emerging markets: Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Iran.The responding investors said they would value the emerging markets investments at discounts from the value of the Australian company that ranged from a low of 13.5% for its Malaysian counterpart to 51.2% for the Iranian company. Moreover, they indicated they would require costs of equity for these investments that were consistent with even larger valuation discounts.The investors' responses to the survey also suggest that corporate governance is especially important in countries with weaker investor protection. Well‐governed companies located in these countries enjoy significant value premiums that can partly offset the negative effect of the poor institutional environments, which suggests there may be a significant payoff for investors that succeed in improving the governance of the companies they invest in.
Shareholder coordination and stock price informativeness
Authors: Kim Incheol , Pantzalis Christos , Wang Bin 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe show that firm‐specific information is more likely to be incorporated into stock prices when firms have stronger shareholder coordination. The premise of our work is that geographic proximity reduces communication costs among shareholders, thereby leading to better coordination. The positive coordination‐informativeness relation is driven mainly by shareholder coordination among dedicated and independent institutions. We further show that the positive effect is more pronounced for firms with weaker governance mechanisms, suggesting that shareholder coordination could serve as a substitute conduit of price discovery. Lastly, we propose that shareholder coordination improves stock price informativeness through the channel of enhanced voluntary disclosure quality.
Curcumin attenuates high glucose‐induced inflammatory injury through the reactive oxygen species–phosphoinositide 3‐kinase/protein kinase B–nuclear factor‐κB signaling pathway in rat thoracic aorta endothelial cells
Authors: Zhang Zhen , Li Keming 
Published: October 2017

AbstractAims/IntroductionEndothelial cell inflammatory injury is likely required for barrier dysfunction under hyperglycemic conditions. Curcumin (CUR) is well known for its anti‐inflammatory effect. However, there have been few reports about the anti‐inflammatory effect of CUR induced by high glucose in endothelial cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inflammatory effect of high glucose and the anti‐inflammatory effect of CUR induced by high glucose in rat thoracic aorta endothelial cells (TAECs).Materials and MethodsWell characterized TAECs were established and cell viability was assayed by the cell counting kit‐8 method, messenger ribonucleic acid and protein expression were identified by real‐time polymerase chain reaction, western blot or enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The production of reactive oxygen species was observed by a fluorescence microscope.ResultsHigh glucose (30 mmol/L) significantly decreased the cell viability of TAECs after being co‐cultivated for 12 h and showed a time‐dependent manner, and increased interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α secretion in TAECs. The injury effect of high glucose was involved in the reactive oxygen species–phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)–nuclear factor (NF)‐κB signaling pathway. Anti‐oxidant N‐acetylcysteine, PI3K and NF‐κB‐specific pathway inhibitors can abolish the secretion of these inflammatory factors; pretreatment with anti‐oxidant N‐acetylcysteine significantly decreased PI3K expression, the level of phosphorylated AKT and nuclear NF‐κB; pretreatment of LY294002 can significantly decrease the NF‐κB level in nuclei. After treatment with CUR for 12 h, IL‐1β, IL‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α secretion were markedly decreased, and PI3K expression, the phosphorylation of AKT and nuclear NF‐κB level were also decreased.ConclusionCurcumin attenuates high glucose‐induced inflammatory injury through the reactive oxygen species–PI3K/AKT–NF‐κB signaling pathway in rat thoracic aorta endothelial cells.