bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Buy‐Side Analysts and Earnings Conference Calls
Authors: JUNG MICHAEL J. , WONG M. H. FRANCO , ZHANG X. FRANK 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTCompanies’ earnings conference calls are perceived to be venues for sell‐side equity analysts to ask management questions. In this study, we examine another important conference call participant—the buy‐side analyst—that has been underexplored in the literature due to data limitations. Using a large sample of transcripts, we identify 3,834 buy‐side analysts from 701 institutional investment firms who participated (i.e., asked a question) in 13,332 conference calls to examine the determinants and implications of their participation. Buy‐side analysts are more likely to participate when sell‐side analyst coverage is low and dispersion in sell‐side earnings forecasts is high, consistent with buy‐side analysts participating when a company's information environment is poor. Institutional investors trade more of a company's stock in the quarters in which their buy‐side analysts participate in the call. Finally, we find evidence that buy‐side analyst participation is associated with company‐level absolute changes in future stock price, trading volume, institutional ownership, and short interest.
Efficacy and safety of pregabalin for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a population of Chinese patients: A randomized placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Mu Yiming , Liu Xiaomin , Li Quanmin , Chen Kangning , Liu Yu , Lv Xiaofeng , Xu Xiangjin , Fan Dongsheng , Shang Ningxiu , Yang Ruoyong , Pauer Lynne , Pan Changyu 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBackgroundLimited information exists regarding the efficacy of pregabalin in Chinese patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN).MethodsAn 11‐week double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial was performed in Chinese pDPN patients randomized (1 : 1) to 300 mg/day pregabalin or placebo. The primary outcome was change from baseline to endpoint in mean pain score (MPS; 0, no pain; 10, worst possible pain; using the mean of the last seven daily pain scores). Secondary outcomes included weekly MPS and responder status (MPS reduced by ≥30% or ≥50% vs baseline). Subgroup analysis assessed patients with severe (≥7) baseline MPS. Adverse events (AEs) were reported.ResultsIn all, 620 patients were randomized (pregabalin,n= 313; placebo,n= 307). Improvement in MPS with pregabalin versus placebo was not significant (P= 0.0559). Post hoc sensitivity analyses, excluding one patient/site due to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) non‐compliance, showed pregabalin significantly improved MPS when excluding the patient (P= 0.0448) or site (P= 0.0142). Pregabalin significantly improved weekly MPS (P= 0.0164) and ≥50% responders at endpoint (P= 0.0384). Improvement in proportion of ≥30% responders, impression of change, pain intensity, and sleep did not differ significantly between the treatment groups. In the severe pDPN subpopulation, pregabalin significantly improved MPS versus placebo (P= 0.0040). The most commonly reported AE was dizziness (9.6% vs 3.9% with placebo).ConclusionsPregabalin did not significantly improve the primary measure of pain in the trial. Significant reductions in MPS were observed when excluding the GCP non‐compliant patient/site and in the severe pDPN subpopulation. Pregabalin was well tolerated in Chinese pDPN patients.
Habitat selection and range use of little owls in relation to habitat patterns at three spatial scales
Authors: Apolloni N. , Grüebler M. U. , Arlettaz R. , Gottschalk T. K. , Naef‐Daenzer B. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractUnderstanding the rules of habitat selection and the individual behavioural routines in the home‐range is crucial for developing evidence‐based conservation action. We investigated habitat selection and range use of adult little owls Athene noctua in relation to landscape configuration, habitat structure and resource distribution. We determined the preference of habitat structures by VHF‐telemetry. Large‐ and fine‐scale distribution patterns of voles – the main prey during the breeding season – were assessed by transect counts of signs of vole presence. An experiment using artificial perches was carried out to determine the fine‐scale adjustment of the owls' range use in relation to prey abundance and vegetation height. Habitat selection and resource exploitation by little owls were structured at all spatial levels: (1) at the landscape scale, orchards were highly preferred over other areas. This accords with the patchy large‐scale occurrence of voles, which were absent in cropland, but abundant in orchards and grassland; (2) within home‐ranges, the spatial distribution of voles was highly inhomogeneous and structures with high prey abundance were used over‐proportionally; (3) at the scale of foraging sites, little owls preferred patches with low vegetation over those with high prey abundance, establishing that prey availability is the crux. The results suggest that all levels of habitat selection and range use were related to farming practices and affected by current cultivation. Conservation measures should focus on the conservation and restoration of orchards on the landscape level and habitat management measures should focus on grasslands – the main food providers – by creating a mosaic of patches with short grass and tall grass. Together with other habitat structures providing food resources such as field edges, wildflower areas and structures facilitating access to prey, the quality of habitat patches in terms of food availability may be highly improved.
Laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal approach for umbilical hernia with rectus diastasis
Authors: Capitano Sante 
Published: July 2017

AbstractIntroductionRectus diastasis, when coexistent with umbilical hernia, can benefit from mesh‐based repair of the midline. Laparoscopic correction of an umbilical hernia involves the placement of a mesh in the peritoneal cavity, but this comes with the risk of bowel complications. However, newly developed dual‐sided composite meshes have helped to reduce this risk.Materials and Surgical TechniqueFour men and three women with umbilical hernia and rectus diastasis were treated with laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal repair. Composite mesh with a hydrophilic 3‐D polyester textile on the parietal side and an absorbable collagen barrier on the peritoneal side were placed in the preperitoneal pocket after hernial sac reduction. Mean hernia size was 2.5 cm, and no recurrences were observed during the mean follow‐up period of 9.2 months.DiscussionThe laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal approach for umbilical hernia and rectus diastasis may be a safe surgical option when trying to avoid potential complications related to intra‐abdominal mesh positioning.
How do seasonality, substrate, and management history influence macrofungal fruiting assemblages in a central Amazonian Forest?
Authors: Komura Dirce L. , Moncalvo Jean‐Marc , Dambros Cristian S. , Bento Larissa S. , Neves Maria A. , Zartman Charles E. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractWorldwide, fungal richness peaks in tropical forest biomes where they are the primary drivers of decomposition. Understanding how environmental and anthropogenic factors influence tropical macrofungal fruiting patterns should provide insight as to how, for example, climate change and deforestation may impact their long‐term demographic stability and evolutionary potential. However, in Amazonia no studies have yet to disentangle the effects of substrate, seasonality and forest history on phenology. Here, we quantitate spatial and temporal variation in community structure of fruiting macrofungi in relation to these factors at a long‐term forest management research site in central Amazonia: the Biomass and Nutrients of Tropical Rain Forest (BIONTE's). Basidiome surveys of four substrate classes (leaves, soil, branches and trunks) were conducted along 250 m2 transects in primary and secondary (managed) forests, between 2012–13. From the 669 basidiomes collected, 290 taxa were identified of which 44 percent were restricted to primary and 36 percent to secondary forests. Although species‐accumulation curves did not asymptote, rarefaction analyses and Fisher's alpha indicate contrasting differences in richness among forests in relation to substrate type. For example, leaf litter basidiome richness was higher in secondary forests, whereas the contrary was observed for soil communities, suggesting that variation in fruiting patterns in relation to disturbance is substrate‐dependent possibly due to differences in necromass quality and/or understory micro‐climates. Furthermore, secondary forests harbored significantly lower basidiome richness and abundance in dry months, suggesting synergistic impacts of seasonality and management history on fruiting regimes.
Nulliparity is associated with subtle adverse metabolic outcomes in overweight/obese mothers and their offspring
Authors: Seneviratne Sumudu N. , Derraik José G.B. , Jiang Yannan , McCowan Lesley M.E. , Gusso Silmara , Biggs Janene B. , Parry Graham K. , Chiavaroli Valentina , Cutfield Wayne S. , Hofman Paul L. 
Published: July 2017

SummaryBackgroundWe aimed to evaluate metabolic outcomes in overweight/obese nulliparous and multiparous women and their offspring.Study designSeventy‐two overweight and obese women who participated in a randomized controlled trial of exercise in pregnancy were included in the study, comparing 18 nulliparous and 54 multiparous women and their singleton offspring. Women were assessed at 19 and 36 weeks of gestation. Fetal growth was measured using standard obstetric ultrasound techniques. Cord blood was collected at birth. Maternal and offspring body composition was assessed using DXA ~2 weeks after delivery.ResultsNulliparous women had higher HbA1c in the third trimester of pregnancy than multiparous women (5.48% vs 5.29%; P=.002) and were more insulin‐resistant based on the surrogate marker sex hormone‐binding globulin (354 vs 408 nmol/L; P=.047). Nulliparous women also had higher levels of the inflammatory marker tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (4.74 vs 3.62 pg/mL; P=.025). At birth, the offspring of nulliparous women were on average 340 g (P=.013) and 0.69 standard deviation scores (P=.026) lighter than those born of multiparous women. Cord blood data showed lower insulin‐like growth factor‐II (P=.026) and higher IGF binding protein‐1 (P=.002) levels in the offspring of nulliparous women. In addition, a less favourable metabolic profile was observed in the offspring of nulliparous women, as indicated by higher triglyceride (P<.001) and interleukin‐6 (P=.039) concentrations.ConclusionsInfants born of nulliparous overweight and obese women appear to be exposed to a less favourable metabolic environment in utero, with evidence of subtle adverse metabolic outcomes at birth compared to infants of overweight/obese multiparous women.
Leveraging a Clinical Phase Ib Proof‐of‐Concept Study for the GPR40 Agonist MK‐8666 in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes for Model‐Informed Phase II Dose Selection
Authors: Krug AW , Vaddady P , Railkar RA , Musser BJ , Cote J , Ederveen AGH , Krefetz DG , DeNoia E , Free AL , Morrow L , Chakravarthy MV , Kauh E , Tatosian DA , Kothare PA 
Published: July 2017

AbstractGPR40 mediates free fatty acid–induced insulin secretion in beta cells. We investigated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and glucose response of MK‐8666, a partial GPR40 agonist, after once‐daily multiple dosing in type 2 diabetes patients. This double‐blind, multisite, parallel‐group study randomized 63 patients (placebo, n = 18; 50 mg, n = 9; 150 mg, n = 18; 500 mg, n = 18) for 14‐day treatment. The results showed no serious adverse effects or treatment‐related hypoglycemia. One patient (150‐mg group) showed mild‐to‐moderate transaminitis at the end of dosing. Median MK‐8666 Tmax was 2.0–2.5 h and mean apparent terminal half‐life was 22–32 h. On Day 15, MK‐8666 reduced fasting plasma glucose by 54.1 mg/dL (500 mg), 36.0 mg/dL (150 mg), and 30.8 mg/dL (50 mg) more than placebo, consistent with translational pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model predictions. Maximal efficacy for longer‐term assessment is projected at 500 mg based on exposure–response analysis. In conclusion, MK‐8666 was generally well tolerated with robust glucose‐lowering efficacy.
Melanic mutation causes a fitness decline in bean beetles infected by Wolbachia
Authors: Numajiri Yuko , Kondo Natsuko I. , Toquenaga Yukihiko 
Published: July 2017

AbstractWolbachia cannot live outside a host, which is thought to be the reason for host‐Wolbachia coevolution toward benign parasitism, especially because the fitness of Wolbachia is traded against its host's fitness. Insect melanism has been reported to have a positive effect on pathogen resistance, but melanic mutants of Callosobruchus analis (Fabricius) and Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) are infected with Wolbachia. Callosobruchus chinensis is infected with CI‐inducing Wolbachia, and melanic mutants exhibit fitness decline. Interestingly, this decline is not observed in C. analis melanic mutants that are infected with CI‐free Wolbachia. Our research question is whether the infection of CI‐inducing Wolbachia causes fitness decline of melanic hosts in C. analis. We examined fecundity, fertility, and longevity of C. analis melanic mutants and compared them between uninfected and infected hosts with CI‐inducing Wolbachia. Infected melanic mutants of C. analis exhibited fitness decline leading to reduced hatch rates even when parental combinations were compatible. Wolbachia can invade a host population by causing CI to decrease the fraction of uninfected hosts, but melanic mutant hosts decrease the number of infected hosts through fitness decline. Nevertheless, the melanism in hosts is not able to stop Wolbachia invasion in C. analis.
The chemical basis of mate recognition in two parasitoid wasp species of the genus Nasonia
Authors: Mair Magdalena M. , Kmezic Violeta , Huber Stephanie , Pannebakker Bart A. , Ruther Joachim 
Published: July 2017

AbstractTo recognize one's mate is essential for all sexually reproducing animals. In insects, mate recognition is often based on chemical cues such as hydrocarbons which are distributed over the insect's cuticle. In the parasitoid wasp genus Nasonia (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), interspecific mating possibly occurs in microsympatry between Nasonia vitripennis Walker and Nasonia giraulti Darling despite post‐zygotic isolation mechanisms preventing hybridization. Males of N. vitripennis are known to equally court con‐ and heterospecific females, which they recognize by means of cuticular hydrocarbons. A recent study surprisingly showed that this might not be the case in N. giraulti, leaving open how males of this species achieve the recognition of mating partners. In this study, we investigated chemical mate recognition in N. giraulti in more detail and compared observed behaviors with behaviors of N. vitripennis by conducting experiments with both species concurrently and under the same experimental conditions. We disentangled the role of female‐derived non‐polar cuticular lipids – i.e., cuticular hydrocarbons – and more polar cuticular lipids in the ability of males to recognize con‐ and heterospecific females. In addition, we tested whether females of the two species discriminate similarly between con‐ and heterospecific males. We demonstrate that, in contrast to N. vitripennis, males of N. giraulti prefer live conspecific females over heterospecific ones. Furthermore, in contrast to N. vitripennis, mate recognition in N. giraulti males is not based on cuticular hydrocarbons, but rather involves other chemical messengers, presumably more polar cuticular lipids. In both species, discrimination against heterospecific males decreases with female age.
Evidence for sex pheromones and inbreeding avoidance in select North American yellowjacket species
Authors: Derstine Nathan T. , Ohler Bonnie , Jimenez Sebastian Ibarra , Landolt Peter , Gries Gerhard 
Published: July 2017

AbstractLittle is known about the roles of sex pheromones in mate‐finding behavior of social wasps (Vespidae). Working with the aerial yellowjacket, Dolichovespula arenaria (Fabricius), baldfaced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata (L.), western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica (Saussure), southern yellowjacket, Vespula squamosa (Drury), and Vespula alascensisPackard, we tested the hypotheses (1) that gynes produce an airborne sex pheromone attractive to males, and (2) that males are more strongly attracted to non‐sibling gynes based on olfactory cues. A field experiment provided the first definitive evidence that D. arenaria gynes attract males. Surprisingly, we did not find such evidence in similar field experiments for sexual attractiveness of gynes of V. squamosa, V. pensylvanica, V. alascensis, or D. maculata. In Y‐tube olfactometer experiments with three of these species (D. arenaria, D. maculata, V. pensylvanica), only D. maculata gynes attracted males, provided they were non‐siblings, implying an olfactory‐based mechanism of nestmate recognition and inbreeding avoidance. Lack of sex attraction responses for V. pensylvanica, V. alascensis, and V. squamosa in this study does not rule out pheromone‐mediated sexual communication. Instead, it highlights the possibility that pheromonal signaling may be dependent on the presence of appropriate contextual cues.
Limited protection of the parasitoid Pachycrepoideus vindemiae from Drosophila suzukii host‐directed spinosad suppression
Authors: Cossentine J.E. , Ayyanath M.‐M. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractLaboratory trials were conducted to determine whether the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), puparium can provide an effective physical barrier to protect immature stages of the pupal parasitoid Pachycrepoideus vindemiae (Rondani) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) from spinosad treatments. Spinosad insecticides are currently an important suppression strategy for D. suzukii in organically managed fruit orchards although they are well known to cause mortality in hymenopteran parasitoids. High adult P. vindemiae female mortality (83%) occurred within 24 h of exposure to D. suzukii pupae treated with 10 mg a.i. l−1 spinosad and female parasitoids did not avoid the pupae treated with similar low levels of spinosad in choice tests that included untreated pupae. Pachycrepoideus vindemiae develops as an idiobiont ectoparasitoid on host fly pupa within the sclerotized host puparium. Significant P. vindemiae survival and emergence was recorded when parasitized D. suzukii puparia were exposed to field treatment levels of spinosad; however, the parasitoid survival was dependent on the time of the spinosad treatment of the host post‐parasitization. Significant parasitoid survival occurred when the host puparia were treated at 2 weeks when the parasitoid was in the pupal stage but did not occur when the host puparia were treated at 1 week post‐parasitization, when the parasitoids were still in a larval stage. The parasitoid adults consumed or otherwise came in contact with residual degrading spinosad when they exited the treated host, and consequently high and low adult parasitoid mortality occurred when the adults emerged from puparia treated at 2 and 1 week(s), respectively. Our study indicates that generally the integration of P. vindemiae parasitism into a sustainable D. suzukii management program is not compatible with spinosad treatments, although P. vindemiae in the pupal stage inside sclerotized host puparia appear to be minimally impacted by spinosad treatments, provided that the spinosad degrades before parasitoid emergence.
Parasitoid phorid flies of leaf‐cutting ants are negatively affected by loss of forest cover
Authors: Barrera C.A. , Becker E.L. , Elizalde L. , Queiroz J.M. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractHabitat fragmentation can have a high impact on parasitoid–ant interactions. Phorid flies are among the most important groups of natural enemies of leaf‐cutting ants. We studied the effects of loss in forest cover upon phorids of the leaf‐cutting ant Acromyrmex nigerSmith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini) in a fragmented area in the Southeastern Atlantic Forest, Brazil. We sampled 10 forest fragments, five large (>75 ha) and five small (<20 ha), as well as three areas of continuous forest (>1 000 ha). We marked 1–5 colonies of A. niger in the interior of each forest location. At each nest, we collected all of the phorids in interaction with the worker ants for a period of 15 min. We then collected ca. 200 worker ants, which we maintained in the laboratory for rearing phorids from them. We identified three phorid genera – Apocephalus, Myrmosicarius, and Neodohrniphora – which we both observed in the field and reared in the laboratory. The abundance and parasitism percentage were significantly greater in continuous forest sites than in forest fragments, whereas there were no significant differences between fragments of different sizes. These results provide further evidence for the effects of habitat size on the phorid‐Acromyrmex system in a tropical rain forest, based on the abundance of parasitoids both as adults in the field and as reared immature phorids in the laboratory.
Should mothers provision their offspring equally? A manipulative field test
Authors: Cameron Hayley , Monro Keyne , Marshall Dustin J. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractWithin‐brood variation in offspring size is universal, but its causes are unclear. Theoretical explanations for within‐brood variation commonly invoke bet‐hedging, although alternatives consider the role of sibling competition. Despite abundant theory, empirical manipulations of within‐brood variation in offspring size are rare. Using a field experiment, we investigate the consequences of unequal maternal provisioning for both maternal and offspring fitness in a marine invertebrate. We create experimental broods of siblings with identical mean, but different variance, in offspring size, and different sibling densities. Overall, more‐variable broods had higher mean performance than less‐variable broods, suggesting benefits of unequal provisioning that arise independently of bet‐hedging. Complementarity effects drove these benefits, apparently because offspring‐size variation promotes resource partitioning. We suggest that when siblings compete for the same resources, and offspring size affects niche usage, the production of more‐variable broods can provide greater fitness returns given the same maternal investment; a process unanticipated by the current theory.
An Investigation of Undefined Cut Scores With the Hofstee Standard‐Setting Method
Authors: Wyse Adam E. , Babcock Ben 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis article provides an overview of the Hofstee standard‐setting method and illustrates several situations where the Hofstee method will produce undefined cut scores. The situations where the cut scores will be undefined involve cases where the line segment derived from the Hofstee ratings does not intersect the score distribution curve based on actual exam performance data. Data from 15 standard settings performed by a credentialing organization are used to investigate how common undefined cut scores are with the Hofstee method and to compare cut scores derived from the Hofstee method with those from the Beuk method. Results suggest that when Hofstee cut scores exist that the Hofstee and Beuk methods often yield fairly similar results. However, it is shown that undefined Hofstee cut scores did occur in a few situations. When Hofstee cut scores are undefined, it is suggested that one extend the Hofstee line segment so that it intersects the score distribution curve to estimate cut scores. Analyses show that extending the line segment to estimate cut scores often yields similar results to the Beuk method. The article concludes with a discussion of what these results may imply for people who want to employ the Hofstee method.