bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A meta‐analysis of plasma corticosterone and heterophil : lymphocyte ratios – is there conservation of physiological stress responses over time?
Authors: Goessling Jeffrey M. , Kennedy Heather , Mendonça Mary T. , Wilson Alan E. 
Published: March 2015

Summary

There is growing need for reliable biomarkers of the physiological stress response in basic ecological investigations and conservation‐specific applications. One effect of stress hormone secretion is the alteration of circulating leucocytes, specifically an increase in the heterophil : lymphocyte ratio (HLR). There have been numerous studies and reviews of the relationship between the stress response and HLR, yet the data have not been systematically analysed across studies.

Here, we performed meta‐analyses of studies in which paired values of plasma corticosterone (CORT) and HLR were available to investigate the relationship between these parameters. Specifically, we analysed CORT and HLR as baseline measures between treatment (or ‘stressed’ populations) and control (or ‘reference’ populations). Additionally, we investigated the relationship within CORT and HLR to identify temporal patterns of the response as a result of the duration of the stressor.

Across studies, we identified that CORT and HLR are significantly elevated in populations subjected to environmentally stressful conditions. While not significantly different, CORT tended to be more elevated than HLR in the stressed populations.

We found that there is a significant, negative relationship between CORT and the temporal duration of environmental stress. Additionally, we found a significant break point in this response at 85 days of stress duration, above which there is not a clear relationship between CORT and duration. This indicates that the CORT response to environmental stress attenuates.

We found a small but positive significant relationship between HLR and temporal duration of environmental stress. This suggests that the elevation of HLR in response to environmental stress does not decrease over time.

Our data identified that data gaps of wild populations of species exist and that more studies pairing physiological stress responses will further our understanding of how populations respond to environmental challenges. We found that CORT and HLR responded differently to stress, depending on captivity status, whether the study population was the domestic chicken, and the sex of the study population.
Effects of diurnal temperature variation on microbial community and petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation in contaminated soils from a sub‐Arctic site
Authors: Akbari Ali , Ghoshal Subhasis 
Published: March 2015

SummaryContaminated soils are subject to diurnal and seasonal temperature variations during on‐site ex‐situ bioremediation processes. We assessed how diurnal temperature variations similar to that in summer at the site from which petroleum hydrocarbon‐contaminated soil was collected affect the soil microbial community and the extent of biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons compared with constant temperature regimes. Microbial community analyses for 16S rRNA and alkB genes by pyrosequencing indicated that the microbial community for soils incubated under diurnal temperature variation from 5°C to 15°C (VART5‐15) evolved similarly to that for soils incubated at constant temperature of 15°C (CST15). In contrast, under a constant temperature of 5°C (CST5), the community evolved significantly different. The extent of biodegradation of C10–C16 hydrocarbons in the VART5‐15 systems was 48%, comparable with the 41% biodegradation in CST15 systems, but significantly higher than CST5 systems at 11%. The enrichment of Gammaproteobacteria was observed in the alkB gene‐harbouring communities in VART5‐15 and CST15 but not in CST5 systems. However, the Actinobacteria was abundant at all temperature regimes. The results suggest that changes in microbial community composition as a result of diurnal temperature variations can significantly influence petroleum hydrocarbon bioremediation performance in cold regions.
The Concept of ‘Merit’ in Australia, China and Taiwan
Authors: Podger Andrew , Chan Hon 
Published: March 2015

The article provides a description of Australian approaches to ‘merit’ and an overview of the other symposium articles on the application of merit in China and Taiwan. The term ‘merit’ is commonly used in Australia, China, and Taiwan as an important attribute of good government service, but it means different things in different countries, reflecting both different institutional arrangements and differences in culture.Australia's current application of the merit principle is described in some detail. The principle and its application have been subject to debate throughout the last century and continue today. The debates reflect social attitudes at the time and developments in the role of government and the skills government requires, and changes in the Australian labour market. Key debates include the role of women, treatment of ex‐servicemen, importance of graduate recruitment, equal employment opportunity, and staff perceptions of fairness and the application of merit in employment decisions.China has a long tradition of autocracy and a long history of competitive examinations for joining government service. It faces the challenge of whether it is possible to embrace a merit principle where politics and administration are not distinguished. Merit is also applied within a culture that gives considerable emphasis to personal relations (guanxi).Taiwan also draws on China's long experience with examinations. A key challenge now is whether it gives too much emphasis to equality and fair access to public sector employment opportunities and too little to the skills and experience different government agencies require. These different approaches and different challenges reflect differences in the three countries relating in particular to the role of government, the relationship between politics and administration and culture.
Inequality, marketisation and the left: Schools policy in England and Sweden
Authors: Hicks Timothy 
Published: March 2015

AbstractIt is argued in this article that the marketisation of schools policy has a tendency to produce twin effects: an increase in educational inequality, and an increase in general satisfaction with the schooling system. However, the effect on educational inequality is very much stronger where prevailing societal inequality is higher. The result is that cross‐party political agreement on the desirability of such reforms is much more likely where societal inequality is lower (as the inequality effects are also lower). Counterintuitively, then, countries that are more egalitarian – and so typically thought of as being more left‐wing – will have a higher likelihood of adopting marketisation than more unequal countries. Evidence is drawn from a paired comparison of English and Swedish schools policies from the 1980s to the present. Both the policy history and elite interviews lend considerable support for the theory in terms of both outcomes and mechanisms.
Valence and satisfaction with democracy: A cross‐national analysis of nineWesternEuropean democracies
Authors: Leiter Debra , Clark Michael 
Published: March 2015

AbstractIn recent studies, scholars have highlighted factors that influence citizen satisfaction with democracy, with particular emphasis on the role played by the institutional features of political systems, and ideology. This article presents the first empirical study of whether changes in important party characteristics can affect individuals' satisfaction with democracy. Using a measure of parties'character‐valencederived from content analysis of news reports, evidence is presented that when governing parties' images decline with respect to important valence‐related attributes such as competence, unity and integrity, then citizen satisfaction with democracy similarly declines. However, this relationship is conditional on the performance of opposition parties. These findings are relevant to studies of regime support, political representation, democratic accountability and voter behaviour.
Dialysis Withdrawal: Impact and Evaluation of a Multidisciplinary Deliberation Within an Ethics Committee as a Shared‐Decision‐Making Model
Authors: Maurizi Balzan Jocelyne , Cartier Jean Charles , Calvino‐Gunther Silvia , Carron Pierre Louis , Baro Patrice , Palacin Pedro , Vialtel Paul 
Published: March 2015

AbstractSince dialysis withdrawal in maintenance dialysis patients with limited life expectancy results always in short‐term death, nephrologists need a referenced process to make their decision. This study reviews 8 years of operation of an Ethics Committee in Nephrology (ECN). The ECN, within a multidisciplinary team, once a month explores cases reported by caregivers when maintaining dialysis seems not to be in the patient's best interest. Discussion is required when the vital prognosis is engaged by the evolution of the chronic kidney disease (CKD) or the occurrence of an acute medical event. Data are analyzed using a discussion guide. The informed decision is completed with an appropriated palliative care project involving the patient, and recorded in their file. Since 2006, the ECN has deliberated yearly for 10 sessions on 6–18 cases, concerning 380 identified maintenance dialysis patients. Characteristics of the population, cases, sessions and proposals are recorded and analyzed. The only variable associated with dialysis withdrawal was having at least one new comorbid condition. End of life is supported with the help of the palliative care team in the hospital or exceptionally at home. The ECN, through a multidisciplinary deliberation and resolution process, proposes an ethical shared‐decision‐making model ensuring that dialysis withdrawal follows professional guidelines, and is registered as a method for evaluating professional practice (EPP). Annual activity reports are submitted to the Hospital's Medical Evaluation and Quality Unit. Benefits are individual and collective for patients, relatives and caregivers. Prospects for reducing non‐implemented decisions and identifying cases earlier would improve the Committee effectiveness.
Isolation and Characterization of Collagen from the Body Wall of Sea Cucumber Stichopus monotuberculatus
Authors: Zhong Ming , Chen Ting , Hu Chaoqun , Ren Chunhua 
Published: March 2015

AbstractTo exploit a new collagen resource from the body wall of tropical sea cucumber, pepsin‐solubilized collagen of Stichopus monotuberculatus (PSC‐Sm) was isolated and characterized with UV‐vis spectra, sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE), amino acid composition, enzyme‐digested peptide maps, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), maximum transition temperature (Tm), and solubilities. The maximum absorbance of PSC‐Sm was exhibited at 218 nm in UV‐vis spectra. The triple helical structure and activity of PSC‐Sm could be indicated by FTIR. SDS‐PAGE showed that the triple helix of PSC‐Sm was formed as (α1)3 by 3 α1 chain homologous with molecular weight of 137 kDa. The Tm of PSC‐Sm and calf skin collagen (CSC) were 30.2 and 35.0 ºC, respectively, which consistent with the result of FTIR that CSC contained more stable triple‐helix than PSC‐Sm. Peptide maps were different between PSC‐Sm and CSC, indicating the differences in their amino acid compositions and sequences. The maximum and minimum solubilities of PSC‐Sm were observed at pH 2.0 and 4.0, respectively. A sharp decrease in solubility appeared when NaCl concentration was between 3% and 5%. These results showed that collagen from S. monotuberculatus had the type I collagen characteristics and good thermal stability, and therefore, it could be used as an alternative resource of collagen.
Physiochemical Properties, Microstructure, and Probiotic Survivability of Nonfat Goats’ Milk Yogurt Using Heat‐Treated Whey Protein Concentrate as Fat Replacer
Authors: Zhang Tiehua , McCarthy James , Wang Guorong , Liu Yanyan , Guo Mingruo 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThere is a market demand for nonfat fermented goats’ milk products. A nonfat goats’ milk yogurt containing probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium spp.) was developed using heat‐treated whey protein concentrate (HWPC) as a fat replacer and pectin as a thickening agent. Yogurts containing untreated whey protein concentrate (WPC) and pectin, and the one with only pectin were also prepared. Skim cows’ milk yogurt with pectin was also made as a control. The yogurts were analyzed for chemical composition, water holding capacity (syneresis), microstructure, changes in pH and viscosity, mold, yeast and coliform counts, and probiotic survivability during storage at 4 °C for 10 wk. The results showed that the nonfat goats’ milk yogurt made with 1.2% HWPC (WPC solution heated at 85 °C for 30 min at pH 8.5) and 0.35% pectin had significantly higher viscosity (P < 0.01) than any of the other yogurts and lower syneresis than the goats’ yogurt with only pectin (P < 0.01). Viscosity and pH of all the yogurt samples did not change much throughout storage. Bifidobacterium spp. remained stable and was above 106CFU g‐1 during the 10‐wk storage. However, the population of Lactobacillus acidophilus dropped to below 106CFU g‐1 after 2 wk of storage. Microstructure analysis of the nonfat goats’ milk yogurt by scanning electron microscopy revealed that HWPC interacted with casein micelles to form a relatively compact network in the yogurt gel. The results indicated that HWPC could be used as a fat replacer for improving the consistency of nonfat goats’ milk yogurt and other similar products.
Antioxidant Activity and Sensory Evaluation of a Rosmarinic Acid‐Enriched Extract of Salvia officinalis
Authors: Bakota Erica L. , Winkler‐Moser Jill K. , Berhow Mark A. , Eller Fred J. , Vaughn Steven F. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractAn extract of Salvia officinalis (garden sage) was prepared using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC‐CO2) extraction, followed by hot water extraction. The resulting extract was enriched in polyphenols, including rosmarinic acid (RA), which has shown promising health benefits in animals. The extract contained RA at a concentration of 28.4 mg/g, representing a significant enrichment from the RA content in sage leaves. This extract was incorporated into oil‐in‐water emulsions as a source of lipid antioxidants and compared to emulsions containing pure rosmarinic acid. Both treatments were effective in suppressing lipid oxidation. The extract was evaluated by a trained sensory panel in a tea formulation. While the panel could discriminate among extract‐treated and control samples, panelists demonstrated high acceptability of the sage extract in a tea.
Double‐digest RAD sequencing using Ion Proton semiconductor platform (ddRADseq‐ion) with nonmodel organisms
Authors: Recknagel Hans , Jacobs Arne , Herzyk Pawel , Elmer Kathryn R. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractResearch in evolutionary biology involving nonmodel organisms is rapidly shifting from using traditional molecular markers such as mtDNA and microsatellites to higher throughput SNP genotyping methodologies to address questions in population genetics, phylogenetics and genetic mapping. Restriction site associated DNA sequencing (RAD sequencing or RADseq) has become an established method for SNP genotyping on Illumina sequencing platforms. Here, we developed a protocol and adapters for double‐digest RAD sequencing for Ion Torrent (Life Technologies; Ion Proton, Ion PGM) semiconductor sequencing. We sequenced thirteen genomic libraries of three different nonmodel vertebrate species on Ion Proton with PI chips: Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus, European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus and common lizard Zootoca vivipara. This resulted in ~962 million single‐end reads overall and a mean of ~74 million reads per library. We filtered the genomic data using Stacks, a bioinformatic tool to process RAD sequencing data. On average, we obtained ~11 000 polymorphic loci per library of 6–30 individuals. We validate our new method by technical and biological replication, by reconstructing phylogenetic relationships, and using a hybrid genetic cross to track genomic variants. Finally, we discuss the differences between using the different sequencing platforms in the context of RAD sequencing, assessing possible advantages and disadvantages. We show that our protocol can be used for Ion semiconductor sequencing platforms for the rapid and cost‐effective generation of variable and reproducible genetic markers.
The High‐Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development: Orchestration by Default and Design
Authors: Abbott Kenneth W. , Bernstein Steven 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe High‐Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development is a central element in the emerging governance architecture for sustainable development. Established at the 2012 United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development, the HLPF has a dauntingly expansive mandate – including setting the sustainable development agenda; enhancing integration, coordination and coherence across the UN system; and following up all sustainable development goals and commitments. Yet it has been granted limited authority and few material resources. In these circumstances, the HLPF must rely on the governance strategy of ‘orchestration’: working indirectly through intermediary organizations, and using soft modes of influence to support and guide their actions. The forum's design suggests that states intended it to pursue this approach. We identify potential intermediaries and techniques of orchestration, and assess whether the HLPF can successfully act as an orchestrator.
Financial Statement Complexity and Meeting Analysts’ Expectations
Authors: Filzen Joshua J. , Peterson Kyle 
Published: March 2015

AbstractWe examine whether firms with greater financial statement complexity are more likely to meet or beat analysts’ earnings expectations. We proxy for financial statement complexity using the firm's industry and year adjusted accounting policy disclosure length. Firms with more complex financial statements are more likely to just beat expectations than just miss expectations. Firms with complex financial statements appear to use expectations management to beat expectations, but do not use earnings management. Corroborating these findings, we find analysts rely more on management guidance for more complex firms. Firms with complex financial statements are also more likely to have analysts exclude items from actual “street earnings,” but tests suggest this strategy is not specifically used by complex firms to beat expectations. The effect we document is specific to analyst forecasts and not to other alternative benchmarks.
External Corporate Governance and Misreporting
Authors: Baber William R. , Kang Sok‐Hyon , Liang Lihong , Zhu Zinan 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis study investigates how external corporate governance provisions, specifically statutory and corporate charter provisions that limit direct shareholder participation in the governance process, affect the likelihood of an accounting restatement. The analysis indicates that strong external governance (fewer restrictions on shareholder participation) is associated with a relatively low incidence of accounting restatements. The effect of external governance is incremental to that of internal governance, which is considered as provisions that foster effective board oversight of management. Such evidence supports the premise that shareholder participation improves financial reporting quality.
Outside Blockholders' Monitoring of Management and Debt Financing
Authors: Liao Scott 
Published: March 2015

AbstractCorporate governance mechanisms designed to alleviate manager‐shareholder agency conflicts can worsen shareholder‐bondholder conflicts. This study examines how one such corporate governance mechanism, monitoring by large outside shareholders, influences the choice between public and private debt. I conjecture and find that firms with higher outside blockholdings are inclined to choose bank loans over public debt when they borrow, consistent with the notion that banks are better monitors than public debt markets. I also find that bank loans carry less price protection than corporate bonds against increased agency risk associated with outside blocks. Corroborating the monitoring story, I document that bank loans contain more accounting‐based covenants and dividend restriction provisions for firms with higher outside blockholdings than for those with lower blockholdings. I find no such relation for public debt covenants. This supports that banks' monitoring of their loans counters the agency risk caused by blockholders. This study extends prior research that associates governance mechanisms with agency costs of debt, by incorporating lenders' differential monitoring mechanisms in the overall corporate governance system.
Comparison of the accuracy and consistency of likelihood‐based estimation routines for genetic stock identification
Authors: Brenden Travis O. , Bence James R. , Liu Weihai , Tsehaye Iyob , Scribner Kim T. 
Published: March 2015

Summary

Genetic stock identification (GSI) frequently is used to assess spawning/breeding population contributions to mixtures of individuals. Although multiple estimation routines are available for conducting GSI, their performance may vary depending on characteristics of assessed source populations and mixtures and of employed genetic markers.

We conducted simulations to compare performance of several likelihood‐based GSI estimation routines. Estimation routines were implemented in SPAM, ONCOR and AD Model Builder (ADMB). Two ADMB routines were evaluated, one based on conditional maximum likelihood estimation (ADMB‐MLE), similar to SPAM and ONCOR, and one based on conditional penalized maximum likelihood estimation (ADMB‐PMLE). The simulations examined how performance varied by number of source populations, population divergence levels, number of evaluated loci, and source population and mixture sample sizes. Evaluations included scenarios with many loci with low levels of polymorphism for assessing performance when single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are incorporated in analyses.

Mixture sample size and source population genetic divergence accounted for most of the explained variability in simulation results. Overall, routines based on conditional maximum likelihood estimation (SPAM, ONCOR and ADMB‐MLE) had similar levels of accuracy, including scenarios mimicking SNP markers, with SPAM having slightly better accuracy than ONCOR and ADMB‐MLE. The accuracy of the ADMB‐PMLE routine in many scenarios was noticeably poorer than the other routines, although in some instances accuracy of the ADMB‐PMLE estimates approached the other routines with large mixture sample sizes. SPAM, ONCOR and ADMB‐MLE also generally had similar levels of performance with respect to consistency, whereas ADMB‐PMLE varied widely in consistency due in part to poor accuracy.

Because SPAM and ONCOR typically performed better than the ADMB‐MLE routine, there appears to be little need for users to program their own likelihood‐based estimation routines for standard GSI analyses, although for specialized applications (e.g. modelling contributions as functions of ecological or demographic features), it may be necessary for users to program their own routines. Given the performance of the ADMB‐PMLE routine, additional research is needed to determine an appropriate configuration (e.g. penalty, optimization algorithm) for a penalized maximum likelihood GSI estimator.