bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does corporate social responsibility disclosure improve firm investment efficiency?
Authors: Zhong Ma , Gao Lucia 
Published: July 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure on firm-level investment efficiency.Design/methodology/approachAn econometric model is used to estimate the impact of CSR reporting on investment efficiency on a sample of listed Chinese firms during the period from 2010 to 2013. Financial reporting quality is included in the model as a control variable. Investment efficiency is estimated based on existing models. Two scenarios are identified: under-investment and over-investment.FindingsThe results provide evidence of a higher level of investment efficiency for CSR reporting firms than for non-reporting firms. This relationship is, however, more pronounced in the over-investment scenario than in the under-investment scenario. In addition, the association between CSR disclosure and investment efficiency is stronger for firms with lower financial reporting quality (FRQ). These findings support the hypothesis that CSR disclosure provides effective incremental information that contributes to reduce information asymmetry and promote investment efficiency.Originality/valueThis is the first paper that directly tests the association between CSR disclosure and firm-level investment efficiency. The results suggest that firms and investors should consider the effect of CSR disclosure on information asymmetry and its impact on the availability and cost of capital. This work also contributes to the understanding of the economic impacts of CSR disclosure and provides arguments for regulatory entities to enforce CSR disclosure.
Managerial opportunism and real activities manipulation: evidence from option backdating firms
Authors: Amoah Nana Y. , Anderson Anthony , Bonaparte Isaac , Muzorewa Susan 
Published: July 2017

Purpose
This study aims to examine the use of real activities manipulation by firms implicated in the stock option backdating scandal.

Design/methodology/approach
The real activity manipulation measures are as follows: abnormal R&D expense, abnormal SG&A expense, abnormal production cost and abnormal cash flow from operations. Using a sample of firms alleged to have backdated options during the period 1998-2006 and non-backdating one-on-one matched firms, a separate regression is run for each of the real activity manipulation measures (dependent variables) on backdating and other variables.

Findings
The authors report unusually low R&D and unusually low SG&A expenses among the backdating firms. They also find evidence of unusually high production costs among backdating firms compared to the matched firms.

Research limitations/implications
The findings imply that backdating firms are more aggressive in the use of real activities to manipulate earnings and the use of real activities appears to be opportunistic.

Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature by providing evidence of the use of real activities manipulation by firms under investigation for fraud. The authors also add to the debate on whether the use of stock options as part of compensation aligns the interest of management with the interest of shareholders.
The evaluation of non‐invasive multi‐slice spiral computed tomography‐based indices for the diagnosis and prognosis prediction of liver cirrhosis
Authors: Feng Ling Mei , Lei Shu Juan , Zeng Xin , Wang Pei Qin , Chen Ru Tan , Wang Jian , Sheng Xia , Shi Pei Mei , Yuan Zong Li , Xie Wei Fen 
Published: July 2017

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to evaluate easily available computed tomography (CT)‐based parameters for assessing the presence and severity of cirrhosis and predicting complications in Chinese patients with cirrhosis.METHODSCT‐based morphological indices were determined in 167 patients with cirrhosis and 244 healthy volunteers. The correlation of morphological indices with Child–Pugh score and cirrhotic complications was analyzed using Spearman's correlation analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to analyze the diagnostic performance of the indices. Sensitivity and specificity were determined.RESULTSPatients with cirrhosis had a lower total liver volume (TLV) and a larger total splenic volume (SV) than healthy individuals. There was a significant difference in the portal venous diameter, splenic venous diameter and portal venous cross‐sectional area between the two groups. A low TLV/SV ratio was strongly associated with liver cirrhosis; with a cut‐off value of 4.27 for the diagnosis of cirrhosis TLV/SV had a sensitivity of 87.7% and a specificity of 84.9%, and AUROC of 0.921. Further analysis showed that TLV/SV was accurate in discriminating between mild and moderate/severe cirrhosis and could be used for predicting complications of cirrhosis.CONCLUSIONThe easily available parameters of CT can accurately evaluate the severity of cirrhosis in Chinese patients.
CXCL12 and CXCR7 are relevant targets to reverse cell adhesion‐mediated drug resistance in multiple myeloma
Authors: Waldschmidt Johannes M. , Simon Anna , Wider Dagmar , Müller Stefan J. , Follo Marie , Ihorst Gabriele , Decker Sarah , Lorenz Joschka , Chatterjee Manik , Azab Abdel K. , Duyster Justus , Wäsch Ralph , Engelhardt Monika 
Published: July 2017

SummaryCell adhesion‐mediated drug resistance (CAM‐DR) by the bone marrow (BM) is fundamental to multiple myeloma (MM) propagation and survival. Targeting BM protection to increase the efficacy of current anti‐myeloma treatment has not been extensively pursued. To extend the understanding of CAM‐DR, we hypothesized that the cytotoxic effects of novel anti‐myeloma agents may be abrogated by the presence of BM stroma cells (BMSCs) and restored by addition of the CXCL12 antagonist NOX‐A12 or the CXCR4 inhibitor plerixafor. Following this hypothesis, we evaluated different anti‐myeloma agents alone, with BMSCs and when combined with plerixafor or NOX‐A12. We verified CXCR4, CD49d (also termed ITGA4) and CD44 as essential mediators of BM adhesion on MM cells. Additionally, we show that CXCR7, the second receptor of stromal‐derived‐factor‐1 (CXCL12), is highly expressed in active MM. Co‐culture proved that co‐treatment with plerixafor or NOX‐A12, the latter inhibiting CXCR4 and CXCR7, functionally interfered with MM chemotaxis to the BM. This led to the resensitization of MM cells to the anti‐myeloma agents vorinostat and pomalidomide and both proteasome inhibitors bortezomib and carfilzomib. Within a multicentre phase I/II study, NOX‐A12 was tested in combination with bortezomib‐dexamethasone, underlining the feasibility of NOX‐A12 as an active add‐on agent to antagonize myeloma CAM‐DR.
Comparative assessment of the efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA and oral therapies (anticholinergics and mirabegron) for overactive bladder: a systematic review and network meta‐analysis
Authors: Drake Marcus J. , Nitti Victor W. , Ginsberg David A. , Brucker Benjamin M. , Hepp Zsolt , McCool Rachael , Glanville Julie M. , Fleetwood Kelly , James Daniel , Chapple Christopher R. 
Published: July 2017

ObjectivesTo compare the efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA, mirabegron, and anticholinergics in adults with idiopathic overactive bladder (OAB) using network meta‐analysis (NMA).Patients and MethodsInformation sources were searched for blinded randomised controlled trials (RCTs), of ≥2 weeks duration, comparing any dose of onabotulinumtoxinA, eligible oral/transdermal anticholinergics, or mirabegron, with each other or placebo, in adults with OAB. Bayesian random‐effects models were used to synthesise the results at week 12: NMA for responder analyses and network meta‐regression (NMR) for change from baseline analyses. The NMR was used to adjust for differences in baseline severity between studies. Sensitivity analysis, excluding studies considered to be at a high risk of methodological bias, was conducted.ResultsIn all, 56 RCTs were included in the networks. For each outcome, results are reported for all licensed treatment doses. For each NMR, results are based on patients with an average number of episodes of the outcome at baseline. After 12 weeks, all treatments were more efficacious than placebo. Patients who received onabotulinumtoxinA (100 U) had, on average, the greatest reductions in urinary incontinence episodes (UIE), urgency episodes, and micturition frequency, and the highest odds of achieving decreases of 100% and ≥50% from baseline in UIE/day. When comparing onabotulinumtoxinA with other pharmacotherapies, mean differences favoured onabotulinumtoxinA 100 U over all comparators for UIE and urgency episodes (credible intervals excluded zero) and all but two of the comparators for micturition frequency. OnabotulinumtoxinA 100 U was also associated with higher odds of achieving a 100% and ≥50% decrease in UIE/day than most other licensed treatments in the network. The exclusion of studies with a high risk of bias had little impact on the conclusions.ConclusionThe results indicate that, after 12 weeks, onabotulinumtoxinA 100 U provides greater relief of OAB symptoms compared with most other licensed doses of other pharmacotherapies in the network.
Robotic radical perineal cystectomy and extended pelvic lymphadenectomy: initial investigation using a purpose‐built single‐port robotic system
Authors: Maurice Matthew J. , Kaouk Jihad H. 
Published: July 2017

ObjectivesTo assess the feasibility of radical perineal cystoprostatectomy using the latest generation purpose‐built single‐port robotic surgical system.Materials and MethodsIn two male cadavers the da Vinci® SP1098 Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) was used to perform radical perineal cystoprostatectomy and bilateral extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND). New features in this model include enhanced high‐definition three‐dimensional optics, improved instrument manoeuvrability, and a real‐time instrument tracking and guidance system. The surgery was accomplished through a 3‐cm perineal incision via a novel robotic single‐port system, which accommodates three double‐jointed articulating robotic instruments, an articulating camera, and an accessory laparoscopic instrument. The primary outcomes were technical feasibility, intraoperative complications, and total robotic operative time.ResultsThe cases were completed successfully without conversion. There were no accidental punctures or lacerations. The robotic operative times were 197 and 202 min.ConclusionsIn this preclinical model, robotic radical perineal cystoprostatectomy and ePLND was feasible using the SP1098 robotic platform. Further investigation is needed to assess the feasibility of urinary diversion using this novel approach and new technology.
Does sex matter? Gender‐specific responses to forest fragmentation in Neotropical bats
Authors: Rocha Ricardo , Ferreira Diogo F. , López‐Baucells Adrià , Farneda Fábio Z. , Carreiras João M. B. , Palmeirim Jorge M. , Meyer Christoph F. J. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractUnderstanding the consequences of habitat modification on wildlife communities is central to the development of conservation strategies. However, albeit male and female individuals of numerous species are known to exhibit differences in habitat use, sex‐specific responses to habitat modification remain little explored. Here, we used a landscape‐scale fragmentation experiment to assess, separately for males and females, the effects of fragmentation on the abundance of Carollia perspicillata and Rhinophylla pumilio, two widespread Neotropical frugivorous bats. We predicted that sex‐specific responses would arise from higher energetic requirements from pregnancy and lactation in females. Analyses were conducted independently for each season, and we further investigated the joint responses to local and landscape‐scale metrics of habitat quality, composition, and configuration. Although males and females responded similarly to a fragmentation gradient composed by continuous forest, fragment interiors, edges, and matrix habitats, we found marked differences between sexes in habitat use for at least one of the seasons. Whereas the sex ratio varied little in continuous forest and fragment interiors, females were found to be more abundant than males in edge and matrix habitats. This difference was more prominent in the dry season, the reproductive season of both species. For both species, abundance responses to local‐ and landscape‐scale predictors differed between sexes and again, differences were more pronounced in the dry season. The results suggest considerable sex‐mediated responses to forest disruption and degradation in tropical bats and complement our understanding of the impacts of fragmentation on tropical forest vertebrate communities.
Dental caries clusters among adolescents
Authors: Warren John J. , Van Buren John M. , Levy Steven M. , Marshall Teresa A. , Cavanaugh Joseph E. , Curtis Alexandra M. , Kolker Justine L. , Weber‐Gasparoni Karin 
Published: July 2017

AbstractObjectivesThere have been very few longitudinal studies of dental caries in adolescents, and little study of the caries risk factors in this age group. The purpose of this study was to describe different caries trajectories and associated risk factors among members of the Iowa Fluoride Study (IFS) cohort.MethodsThe IFS recruited a birth cohort from 1992 to 1995, and has gathered dietary, fluoride and behavioural data at least twice yearly since recruitment. Examinations for dental caries were completed when participants were ages 5, 9, 13 and 17 years. For this study, only participants with decayed and filled surface (DFS) caries data at ages 9, 13 and 17 were included (N=396). The individual DFS counts at age 13 and the DFS increment from 13 to 17 were used to identify distinct caries trajectories using Ward's hierarchical clustering algorithm. A number of multinomial logistic regression models were developed to predict trajectory membership, using longitudinal dietary, fluoride and demographic/behavioural data from 9 to 17 years. Model selection was based on the akaike information criterion (AIC).ResultsSeveral different trajectory schemes were considered, and a three‐trajectory scheme—no DFS at age 17 (n=142), low DFS (n=145) and high DFS (n=109)—was chosen to balance sample sizes and interpretability. The model selection process resulted in use of an arithmetic average for dietary variables across the period from 9 to 17 years. The multinomial logistic regression model with the best fit included the variables maternal education level, 100% juice consumption, brushing frequency and sex. Other favoured models also included water and milk consumption and home water fluoride concentration. The high caries cluster was most consistently associated with lower maternal education level, lower 100% juice consumption, lower brushing frequency and being female.ConclusionsThe use of a clustering algorithm and use of Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) to determine the best representation of the data were useful means in presenting longitudinal caries data. Findings suggest that high caries incidence in adolescence is associated with lower maternal educational level, less frequent tooth brushing, lower 100% juice consumption and being female.
‘Blue bubble’ technique: an ab interno approach for Descemet separation in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty using trypan blue stained viscoelastic device
Authors: Livny Eitan , Bahar Irit , Hammel Naama , Nahum Yoav 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBackgroundIn this study, we examined a novel variant of ‘big‐bubble’ deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty using trypan‐blue‐stained viscoelastic device for the creation of a pre‐descemetic bubble.MethodsTen corneoscleral rims were mounted on an artificial anterior chamber (AC). The AC was filled with air through a limbal paracentesis. A Melles' triangulated spatula was inserted through the paracentesis, with its tip penetrating the AC, was then slightly retracted and pushed into the deep stroma above the roof of the paracentesis. A mixture of trypan blue and viscoelastic device (Healon, Abbott Medical Optics, Abbott Park, Illinois) was injected into this intra‐stromal pocket using a 27‐G cannula to create a pre‐descemetic separation bubble. Bubble type and visualization of dyed viscoelastic device were noted. The method was later employed in three cases.ResultsIn all 10 corneoscleral rims, the technique successfully created a visible pre‐descemetic (type 1) bubble that could be expanded up to the predicted diameter of trephination. Subsequent trephination and the removal of corneal stroma were uneventful. In two out of four clinical cases, a type 1 bubble was created, while in two others, visco‐dissection failed and dyed viscoelastic was seen in the AC.ConclusionsThe presented technique holds promise of being a relatively easy to perform, predictable and well‐controlled alternative for achieving a type 1 bubble during deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty surgery. The trypan‐blue‐stained viscoelastic device facilitates proper visualization and control of the separation bubble and assists in identifying the penetrance to the separation bubble prior to removal of the stromal cap.
To shame or not to shame—that is the sanitation question
Authors: Bateman Myles , Engel Susan 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe Community‐Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programme aims to end open defecation through facilitating activities that evoke a sense of shame, shock and disgust. The programme's initial success and low‐cost design has seen it become hegemonic in donor‐supported rural sanitation. However, the theoretical basis of the use of shame has not been critically evaluated. Supporters claim that shame helps form and maintain social relationships, yet contemporary psychosocial literature highlights that it is a volatile and often harmful emotion, particularly in conditions of poverty. Using a case study of Cambodia, which rejected the coercive elements of shame in CLTS, we explore the problems of shame and limits of local ownership of development.
Seasonal and individual predictors of diet in a free‐ranging population of mandrills
Authors: Nsi Akoue Gontran , Mbading‐Mbading Wilfried , Willaume Eric , Souza Alain , Mbatchi Bertrand , Charpentier Marie J. E. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDeciphering the dietary habits of a species is central to understanding its ecology, resource requirements, and the evolution of its life history traits. Detailed information on how primates use their environment to address their nutritional needs is available for many primate species. Such basic, but necessary data are, however, fragmented for secretive primates, especially regarding direct behavioral observations of individuals. In this study, we evaluated the impact of seasonality and demographic characteristics on diet and feeding habits in the only free‐ranging population of habituated mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), a forest‐dwelling species inhabiting the dense humid forests of Central Africa. We collected fine‐grained quantitative data on feeding behavior of 57 individually‐recognized animals of both sexes and different age classes during a 17‐month period. We identified most consumed plant species and determined their abundance in the habitat of the studied mandrills. We showed that diet in this species was extremely diverse and included approximately 150 different plant species, but also mushrooms, invertebrates, and vertebrates. This omnivorous and highly diverse diet presented, however, a clear frugivorous tendency. While we identified three food items largely consumed throughout the year, we also found a strong seasonal signature on diet that was partly, but not only, related to food availability. Age and sex also influenced feeding habits with some feeding specializations according to the individual categories considered and their associated nutritional needs. Our quantitative data provide a basis for future studies examining the nutritional and mineral content of food items, which will further elucidate important aspects of the ecology of this little studied forest primate.
What the past tells us about the future of Pacific salmon research
Authors: Beamish Richard J 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe Larkin lectures are held every two years at the University of British Columbia in recognition of Dr. Peter Larkin's contributions to fisheries science. The lecture I presented in November 2015 coincided with an announcement that the Institute of Fisheries that Peter Larkin founded in the 1960s would be restructured as the “Institute for Oceans and Fisheries” with an emphasis on fisheries and oceans issues important to British Columbia as well as the rest of the world. I decided to look back at research issues that Peter Larkin thought would be important for Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the future and see what has happened as a way of identifying the complexity that the Institute for Oceans and Fisheries in particular and the science community in general will face. I chose five themes from Peter Larkin's talks: 1 understanding marine survival, 2 ocean carrying capacity, 3 aquaculture, 4 climate, Pacific salmon and climate change and 5 informing the public, and then added my opinion about research priorities for the future. Peter Larkin recognized the future relevance of these examples, but he probably could not have imagined how these and related issues will challenge his renamed institute and the rest of the research community over the next 50 years.
Functional response to food limitation can reduce the impact of global change in the deep‐sea benthos
Authors: Gambi Cristina , Corinaldesi Cinzia , Dell'Anno Antonio , Pusceddu Antonio , D'Onghia Gianfranco , Covazzi‐Harriague Anabella , Danovaro Roberto 
Published: July 2017

AbstractAimA key paradigm of deep‐sea ecology is that the ocean interior is a food‐limited environment, which limits the faunal growth. Here, we estimated the efficiency of deep‐sea fauna in exploiting resources to assess the potential response of deep‐sea organisms to changes in the food inputs expected with global change.LocationMediterranean Sea.Time period1989–2010.Major taxa studiedViruses, prokaryotes, meiofauna, macrofauna and megafauna.MethodsUsing the largest data set spanning from microbes to megafauna produced synoptically so far, we investigated patterns of abundance, biomass and ecosystem efficiency across depth‐related and longitudinal gradients of food availability in both Western and Eastern Basins of the Mediterranean Sea.ResultsOur results revealed that prokaryotes dominated benthic biomass at depths > 2,000 m. Contrary to what has been reported at a global scale, meiofaunal biomass decreased with increasing water depth more rapidly than macrofauna and megafauna. Meiofauna showed a significant negative log‐linear relationship with increasing water depth in the whole Mediterranean Sea, whereas the other benthic components, from viruses to megafauna, did not decrease significantly, decreased or even increased (e.g., prokaryotes) with increasing water depth. Taking all components together, the efficiency of benthic ecosystems in exploiting organic carbon (OC) inputs increased with increasing depth, in both mesotrophic and ultra‐oligotrophic conditions of the deep Mediterranean Sea.Main conclusionsChanges in ecological efficiency in exploiting the energy available in food‐limited conditions suggest that deep‐sea ecosystems can show a responsive adaptation to changes in OC inputs from the photic zone. Our results contribute to explaining the high efficiency of resource exploitation by consumers in limited trophic conditions and allow us to hypothesize that the consequences of a potential reduction of food supply in deep‐sea ecosystems induced by global changes could be less severe than expected.