bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Electronic identity (eID) and electronic signature (eSig) for eGovernment services – a comparative legal study
Authors: Lentner Gabriel M. , Parycek Peter 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
This paper aims at providing an overview of different approaches toward identity management pertaining to citizen to government (C2G) eGovernment applications.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a comparative law methodology. It asks how different legal systems deal with the same problem. The different legal frameworks of Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and the Swiss Canton of Zug are analyzed and compared pertaining to identification and authentication. The process of comparison involves three phases: the descriptive phase (describing and analyzing the legislation to be compared), the identification phase (identifying the differences and similarities between the systems compared) and the explanatory phase (attempting to explain the resemblances and similarities between the systems).

Findings
Each of the four countries adopted different legal solutions. This is due to the different legal culture and the existing legal framework in which the legislator, in most cases, seeks to fit in the respective eGovernment solution, rather than adopting a completely new solution.

Originality/value
This study reveals different possibilities for legislatures to regulate electronic C2G procedures, ranging from a combination of electronic identity (eID) and electronic signature to pragmatic eID models in combination with further electronic authentication functionalities. The focus of the study is the legal framework and not the technical solution.
Development of a simple and rapid diagnosis method for swine edema disease to specifically detect Stx2e protein by immunochromatographic test
Authors: Arimitsu Hideyuki , Sasaki Keiko , Tsuji Takao 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTEdema disease in piglets is caused by Shiga toxin 2e (Stx2e)‐producing Escherichia coli. However, there is currently no available Stx2e‐specific immunochromatographic test strip to differentiate Stx2e from other types of Shiga toxin 2. In the present study, to develop an Stx2e‐specific immunochromatographic test strip, we isolated nine different monoclonal antibody‐producing hybridoma clones from Stx2e toxoid‐immunized mice and confirmed that six antibodies were A subunit‐specific whereas three antibodies were B subunit‐specific. Only one A subunit‐specific monoclonal antibody (45B2) was cross‐reactive with prototype Stx2 (Stx2a) at the same sensitivity, but the remaining eight monoclonal antibodies were not. In immunochromatographic tests using the highly sensitive antibodies, test strips using some combinations of gold colloid‐conjugated monoclonal antibody with the B subunit‐specific monoclonal antibody on the membrane detected Stx2e, but not other types of Shiga toxin 2. These test strips had the ability to detect Stx2e in the culture supernatant of clinically isolated Stx2e gene‐positive strains, but not in those of Stx2e gene‐negative strains. These results indicate that our test strip is practical for the specific detection of Stx2e to diagnose swine edema disease.
Evidence of the phenotypic expression of a lethal recessive allele under inbreeding in a wild population of conservation concern
Authors: Trask Amanda E. , Bignal Eric M. , McCracken Davy I. , Monaghan Pat , Piertney Stuart B. , Reid Jane M. 
Published: March 2016

Summary

Deleterious recessive alleles that are masked in outbred populations are predicted to be expressed in small, inbred populations, reducing both individual fitness and population viability. However, there are few definitive examples of phenotypic expression of lethal recessive alleles under inbreeding conditions in wild populations. Studies that demonstrate the action of such alleles, and infer their distribution and dynamics, are required to understand their potential impact on population viability and inform management responses.

The Scottish population of red‐billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), which currently totals <60 breeding pairs and is of major conservation concern, has recently been affected by lethal blindness in nestlings. We used family data to show that the pattern of occurrence of blindness within and across affected families that produced blind nestlings was exactly 0·25, matching that expected given a single‐locus autosomal lethal recessive allele. Furthermore, the observed distribution of blind nestlings within affected families did not differ from that expected given Mendelian inheritance of such an allele.

Relatedness estimates showed that individuals from affected families were not more closely related to each other than they were to individuals from unaffected families that did not produce blind nestlings. Blind individuals tended to be less heterozygous than non‐blind individuals, as expected if blindness was caused by the expression of a recessive allele under inbreeding. However, there was no difference in the variance in heterozygosity estimates, suggesting that some blind individuals were relatively outbred. These results suggest carriers of the blindness allele may be widely distributed across contemporary families rather than restricted to a single family lineage, implying that the allele has persisted across multiple generations.

Blindness occurred at low frequency (affecting 1·6% of observed nestlings since 1981). However, affected families had larger initial brood sizes than unaffected families. Such high fecundity of carriers of a lethal recessive allele might reflect overdominance, potentially reducing purging and increasing allele persistence probability.

We thereby demonstrate the phenotypic expression of a lethal recessive allele in a wild population of conservation concern, and provide a general framework for inferring allele distribution and persistence and informing management responses.
Emergency department ‘undercrowding’ is associated with decreased waiting times
Authors: Aldridge Emogene S , Rogers Ian R , Bailey Paul M , Rogers Jeremy R 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of a sudden and sustained decrease in patient presentations on waiting times and other measures of workload and flow following the opening of a large, greenfields ED adjacent to our own.MethodA descriptive study involving all patients presenting to a private urban district hospital ED for two 60 day periods, immediately before and after the opening of the tertiary hospital ED. Changes in median waiting time, case‐mix distribution, method of arrival, total admissions and total waiting time were compared pre‐opening and post‐opening. Non‐normally distributed variables were analysed using Mann–Whitney U‐tests. Categorical variables were compared using χ2 analyses.ResultsPatient presentations decreased by 28% with a parallel decline in median waiting time of 15 min (from 26 to 11 min) (P < 0.001). Total waiting time was approximately 29 h less per day in the post‐opening period. Patient urgency by triage category did not change significantly (P = 0.316), whereas the proportion of presentations by ambulance decreased 15.9% (P = 0.048) and admission rate increased from 29.1% to 32.6% (P = 0.002).ConclusionsPatient presentation numbers are strongly associated with and likely impact on median waiting time. Understanding that controlling demand can lead to significant benefits in patient processing, flow and overall patient perceived level of care and satisfaction is relevant to any discussion on ED overcrowding and the deleterious effects of access block.
Could biodiversity loss have increased Australia's bushfire threat?
Authors: Hayward M. W. , Ward‐Fear G. , L'Hotellier F. , Herman K. , Kabat A. P. , Gibbons J. P. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractEcosystem engineers directly or indirectly affect the availability of resources through changing the physical state of biotic and/or abiotic materials. Fossorial ecosystem engineers have been hypothesized as affecting fire behaviour through altering litter accumulation and breakdown, however, little evidence of this has been shown to date. Fire is one of the major ecological processes affecting biodiversity globally. Australia has seen the extinction of 29 of 315 terrestrial mammal species in the last 200 years and several of these species were ecosystem engineers whose fossorial actions may increase the rate of leaf litter breakdown. Thus, their extinction may have altered the rate of litter accumulation and therefore fire ignition potential and rate of spread. We tested whether a reduction in leaf litter was associated with sites where mammalian ecosystem engineers had been reintroduced using a pair‐wise, cross‐fence comparison at sites spanning the Australian continent. At Scotia (New South Wales), Karakamia (Western Australia) and Yookamurra (South Australia) sanctuaries, leaf litter mass (−24%) and percentage cover of leaf litter (−3%) were significantly lower where reintroduced ecosystem engineers occurred compared to where they were absent, and fire behaviour modelling illustrated this has substantial impacts on flame height and rate of spread. This result has major implications for fire behaviour and management globally wherever ecosystem engineers are now absent as the reduced leaf litter volumes where they occur will lead to decreased flame height and rate of fire spread. This illustrates the need to restore the full suite of biodiversity globally.
Evaluating the Contributions of Individual Variables to a Quadratic Form
Authors: Garthwaite Paul H. , Koch Inge 
Published: March 2016

SummaryQuadratic forms capture multivariate information in a single number, making them useful, for example, in hypothesis testing. When a quadratic form is large and hence interesting, it might be informative to partition the quadratic form into contributions of individual variables. In this paper it is argued that meaningful partitions can be formed, though the precise partition that is determined will depend on the criterion used to select it. An intuitively reasonable criterion is proposed and the partition to which it leads is determined. The partition is based on a transformation that maximises the sum of the correlations between individual variables and the variables to which they transform under a constraint. Properties of the partition, including optimality properties, are examined. The contributions of individual variables to a quadratic form are less clear‐cut when variables are collinear, and forming new variables through rotation can lead to greater transparency. The transformation is adapted so that it has an invariance property under such rotation, whereby the assessed contributions are unchanged for variables that the rotation does not affect directly. Application of the partition to Hotelling's one‐ and two‐sample test statistics, Mahalanobis distance and discriminant analysis is described and illustrated through examples. It is shown that bootstrap confidence intervals for the contributions of individual variables to a partition are readily obtained.
Cobalt allergy: suitable test concentration, and concomitant reactivity to nickel and chromium
Authors: Lidén Carola , Andersson Niklas , Julander Anneli , Matura Mihály 
Published: March 2016

SummaryBackgroundCobalt allergy is frequent, but knowledge about exposure is limited. The patch test concentration and relevance of positive reactions are sometimes questioned.ObjectivesTo assess the suitability of cobalt 1% versus 0.5% for patch testing, and to analyse the co‐occurrence of allergy to cobalt, chromium, and nickel.Materials and methodsConsecutive dermatitis patients (n = 656) were patch tested with cobalt chloride 0.5% and 1%, potassium dichromate 0.5%, and nickel sulfate 5%, all in petrolatum. Reactions were assessed on day (D)3, and on D6 or D7, and the reactivity and development of reactions were analysed.ResultsAllergy to any metal was shown in 31% of patients, allergy to cobalt in 14%, allergy to chromium in 7%, and allergy to nickel in 20%. A significant proportion (37%) of cobalt allergy cases were missed by cobalt 0.5% versus 1%, whereas the reactivity profiles were similar. Cobalt allergy was solitary, without concomitant allergy to chromium or nickel, in 50% of patients.ConclusionsCobalt chloride 1% pet. is more suitable for patch testing than 0.5%. Solitary cobalt allergy is as frequent as concomitant allergy to cobalt and nickel or chromium. Sources of skin exposure to metals need to be identified for prevention of contact allergy. This is, owing to large knowledge gaps, particularly demanding for cobalt.
Divergence before the host shift? Prezygotic reproductive isolation among three varieties of a specialist fly on a single host plant
Authors: HIPPEE ALAINE C. , ELNES MAREN E. , ARMENTA JAROD S. , CONDON MARTY A. , FORBES ANDREW A. 
Published: March 2016

1. Although divergence via host‐plant shifting is a common theme in the speciation of some phytophagous insects, it is not clear whether host shifts are typically initiators of speciation or if they instead contribute to divergence events already in progress. While host shifts appear to be generally associated with speciation events for flies in the genus Strauzia, three sympatric varieties of the sunflower fly [Strauzia longipennis (Wiedemann)] co‐occur on the same host plant in the Midwestern United States and may have evolved reproductive barriers without a host shift.2. The strength of two prezygotic reproductive barriers was compared among the three S. longipennis varieties: one barrier that is often associated with divergent ecological selection (allochronic isolation), and another that is more likely to be independent of ecological selection (pre‐copulatory sexual isolation). The presence and relative strength of each barrier between fly varieties were evaluated using microsatellites, no choice mating experiments, studies of allochronic isolation, and field collection data.3. Evidence for both allochronic isolation and pre‐copulatory sexual isolation was detected between the three varieties of S. longipennis. The measure of isolation calculated for each barrier between the three varieties was lower than measures calculated between different species of Strauzia found on different hosts, suggesting that subsequent host shifts may increase the degree of reproductive isolation. For Strauzia and other specialist insects, some reproductive isolation may evolve prior to, and indeed may facilitate, host shifts.
Prostaglandin E2 inhibits collagen synthesis in dermal fibroblasts and prevents hypertrophic scar formation in vivo
Authors: Zhao Jingling , Shu Bin , Chen Lei , Tang Jinming , Zhang Lijun , Xie Julin , Liu Xusheng , Xu Yingbin , Qi Shaohai 
Published: March 2016

AbstractHypertrophic scarring is a common dermal fibroproliferative disorder characterized by excessive collagen deposition. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), an important inflammatory product synthesized via the arachidonic acid cascade, has been shown to act as a fibroblast modulator and to possess antifibroblastic activity. However, the mechanism underlying the antifibrotic effect of PGE2 remains unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of PGE2 on TGF‐β1‐treated dermal fibroblasts in terms of collagen production and to determine the regulatory pathways involved, as well as understand the antiscarring function of PGE2 in vivo. We found that PGE2 inhibited TGF‐β1‐induced collagen synthesis by regulating the balance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP). It did so by upregulating cAMP through the E prostanoid (EP)2 receptor. We determined that inhibition of the TGF‐β1/Smad pathway by PGE2 is associated with its ability to inhibit collagen synthesis. An in vivo study further confirmed that PGE2 inhibits hypertrophic scar formation by decreasing collagen production. Our results demonstrate that the novel anti‐scarring function of PGE2 is achieved by balancing MMPs/TIMP expression and decreasing collagen production.
Irregular Immigration, Labour Market and Enforcement at the US‐Mexico Border. Evidence from a Time‐Series Analysis (1963–2014)
Authors: Costantino Fabrizio 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThis article provides evidence on irregular immigration to the US from Mexico in the years 1963–2014. It aims to answer to two questions. The first is: how much is irregular immigration responsive to changes in the US labour market? Compared with legal immigration, irregular immigration seems to be more sensitive to short‐run economic cycles as it is not directly regulated by the policies of the destination country. Second, what effect does border enforcement have on irregular immigration? One of the proposals of the recent bill is the construction of a double layer fence on the Southern border. We do not know, however, to what extent a further increase in border security will prevent irregular immigration and at which economic cost. The contribution of this article is dual: first, it provides empirical evidence on irregular immigration to the US Second, it provides evidence about the effect of US border policies on irregular immigration.
Treatment outcomes and validation of the stopping rule for response to peginterferon in chronic hepatitis B: A Thai nationwide cohort study
Authors: Charatcharoenwitthaya Phunchai , Sukeepaisarnjaroen Wattana , Piratvisuth Teerha , Thongsawat Satawat , Sanpajit Theeranun , Chonprasertsuk Soonthorn , Jeamsripong Woramon , Sripariwuth Ekawee , Komolmit Piyawat , Patcharatrakul Tanisa , Boonsirichan Rattana , Bunchorntavakul Chalermrat , Tuntipanichteerakul Supoj , Tanwandee Tawesak ,   for the Thai Association for the Study of the Liver on Chronic Hepatitis B
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackground and AimsPeginterferon has demonstrated effectiveness in clinical trials in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, its efficacy in real‐life settings remains unclear. We investigated the efficacy of peginterferon for CHB and validated the performance of previously identified response predictors in clinical practice.MethodsWe analyzed prospectively collected data from a Thai nationwide cohort of CHB patients treated with peginterferon alfa‐2a (180 µg/week, 48 weeks).ResultsAmong a total of 233 patients, mostly with genotype B or C, sustained response was observed in 23% of 135 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive patients (HBeAg seroconversion with hepatitis B virus [HBV] DNA < 2000 IU/mL) and 42% of 98 HBeAg‐negative patients (HBV DNA < 2000 IU/mL with aminotransferase normalization) at 24 weeks after treatment. Age, sex, presence of cirrhosis, genotype, and pretreatment levels of aminotransferase, HBV DNA, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were not identified as significant predictors of sustained response. In HBeAg‐positive patients, HBsAg > 20 000 IU/mL at week 12 provided a good stopping rule, with a negative predictive value of 96%. In HBeAg‐negative patients, the performance of 12‐week stopping rules of no decline in HBsAg with a < 2log10 decline in HBV DNA and a < 10% log10 decline in HBsAg showed modest negative predictive values of 80% and 66%, respectively, for achieving sustained response.ConclusionOutcomes in CHB patients treated with peginterferon in a clinical setting are similar to those demonstrated in clinical trials. Application of the early stopping rule based on HBsAg quantification may allow individualization of therapy, particularly in HBeAg‐positive patients.
Exhaled gases online measurements for esophageal cancer patients and healthy people by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry
Authors: Zou Xue , Zhou Wenzhao , Lu Yan , Shen Chengyin , Hu Zongtao , Wang Hongzhi , Jiang Haihe , Chu Yannan 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackgroundEsophageal cancer is a prevalent malignancy. There is a considerable demand for developing a fast and noninvasive method to screen out the suspect esophageal cancer patients who may undergo further clinical diagnosis.MethodsThe exhaled breathes from 29 esophageal cancer patients and 57 healthy people were directly measured using our home‐made proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR‐MS). Mann‐Whitney U test and stepwise discriminant analysis were applied to identify the ions in the breath mass spectral data which can distinguish cancer cohort from healthy group. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was also performed.ResultsSeven kinds of ions in the breath mass spectrum, viz., m/z 136, m/z 34, m/z 63, m/z 27, m/z 95, m/z 107 and m/z 45, have been found to distinguish between the esophageal cancer patients and healthy people with a sensitivity of 86.2% and a specificity of 89.5%, respectively. Compared with that from the healthy people, the breath mass spectra from esophageal cancer patients show that the mediant intensities of five kinds of ions were decrease and the rest two kinds of ions were increase. ROC analysis gave the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.943.ConclusionsThis pilot study shows that the ionic characteristics of exhaled VOCs detected by PTR‐MS may be used to differentiate between the esophageal cancer patients and the healthy people. Although the breath tests for more patients are needed to confirm such results, the present work indicates that the PTR‐MS may be a promising method in the esophageal cancer screening.
Hypoglycin A Concentrations in Maple Tree Species in the Netherlands and the Occurrence of Atypical Myopathy in Horses
Authors: Westermann C.M. , van Leeuwen R. , van Raamsdonk L.W.D. , Mol H.G.J. 
Published: March 2016

BackgroundAtypical myopathy (AM) in horses is caused by the plant toxin hypoglycin A, which in Europe typically is found in the sycamore maple tree (Acer pseudoplatanus). Owners are concerned about whether their horses are in danger if they graze near maple trees.Hypothesis/ObjectivesTo measure hypoglycin A in the most common maple tree species in the Netherlands, and to determine whether concentration of toxin is a predictor of AM in horses.MethodsA total of 278 samples of maple tree leaves, sprouts, and seeds were classified by species. Mean concentrations of hypoglycin A were compared for the type of sample, the season and the occurrence of AM in the pasture (non‐AM versus AM). Statistical analysis was performed using generalized a linear model (SPPS22).ResultsAlmost all Acer pseudoplatanus samples contained hypoglycin A, with concentrations differing significantly among sources (P < .001). Concentrations were significantly higher in seeds from the AM group than in seeds from the non‐AM group (856 ± 677 and 456 ± 358 mg/kg, respectively; P = .039). In sprouts and leaves this was not the case. Acer platanoides and Acer campestre samples did not contain detectable concentrations of hypoglycin A.Conclusions and clinical importanceAcer platanoides and campestre seem to be safe around paddocks and pastures, whereas almost all Acer pseudoplatanus samples contained hypoglycin A. In all AM cases, Acer pseudoplatanus was found. Despite significantly higher concentration of hypoglycin A in seeds of pastures where AM has occurred, individual prediction of AM cannot be made by measuring these concentrations because of the high standard deviation.