bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soil microbial communities responded to biochar application in temperate soils and slowly metabolized 13C‐labelled biochar as revealed by 13C PLFA analyses: results from a short‐term incubation and pot experiment
Authors: Watzinger A. , Feichtmair S. , Kitzler B. , Zehetner F. , Kloss S. , Wimmer B. , Zechmeister‐Boltenstern S. , Soja G. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryThis study investigates (i) the effect of biochar amendments on soil microbial communities in temperate agricultural soils, (ii) the involvement of microorganisms (MOs) in degradation of biochar and (iii) techniques to quantify degradation of biochar in short‐term experiments. The study involved an incubation experiment and a pot experiment with two arable soils (a sandy acidic Planosol and a calcareous loamy Chernozem) amended with 13C‐depleted biochar from wheat husk and willow plants. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), 13C‐PLFA, CO2, 13C‐CO2, soil organic carbon (Corg) and 13C‐Corg were monitored for 100 days. Effects of biochar application on the soil microorganisms (MOs) were generally minor. In the incubation experiment, microbial biomass was elevated by wheat husk biochar, especially in the Planosol. The increase in PLFAs was attributed to Gram‐negative bacteria and actinomycetes. Fungi and Gram‐positive bacteria were less affected. In the pot experiment, MOs did not respond to the addition of willow biochar. The effects of biochar were mainly attributed to an increase in the pH of the Planosol. Additionally, MOs were probably less responsive to inorganic fertilizer in biochar‐amended soil. In the incubation, only the actinomycetal PLFA 10Me18:0 incorporated biochar C, while in the pot experiment, Gram‐negative bacterial PLFAs (16:1ω7c, 16:1ω5c, 18:1ω7c) and Me16:0 & i17:1ω8 and i17:0 indicated degradation of biochar after 5 weeks. Uptake of around 20% biochar C in these PLFAs was monitored, which accounts for 2% biochar C in the total microbial biomass. From the PLFA data the mean residence time of biochar carbon was estimated in time‐scales of centuries to millennia. The CO2 concentration decreased after biochar addition until its production was masked by root respiration. The use of 13C‐CO2 labelling to estimate degradation was complicated by the interference with an initial negative priming effect and the dissolution/precipitation of carbonate. In conclusion, soil MOs were not particularly affected by addition of biochar, and the effects recorded were mainly attributed to changing environmental conditions after biochar addition. Nonetheless, uptake of 13C label into microbial PLFAs was successfully used to estimate microbial degradation of biochar in short‐term experiments.
Does life history mediate changing disease risk when communities disassemble?
Authors: Joseph Maxwell B. , Mihaljevic Joseph R. , Orlofske Sarah A. , Paull Sara H. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBiodiversity loss sometimes increases disease risk or parasite transmission in humans, wildlife and plants. Some have suggested that this pattern can emerge when host species that persist throughout community disassembly show high host competence – the ability to acquire and transmit infections. Here, we briefly assess the current empirical evidence for covariance between host competence and extirpation risk, and evaluate the consequences for disease dynamics in host communities undergoing disassembly. We find evidence for such covariance, but the mechanisms for and variability around this relationship have received limited consideration. This deficit could lead to spurious assumptions about how and why disease dynamics respond to community disassembly. Using a stochastic simulation model, we demonstrate that weak covariance between competence and extirpation risk may account for inconsistent effects of host diversity on disease risk that have been observed empirically. This model highlights the predictive utility of understanding the degree to which host competence relates to extirpation risk, and the need for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying such relationships.
National and regional socio‐economic dependence on the fishery sector in mainland China
Authors: Li R. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis article examines national and regional dependence on fisheries in mainland China. In 2010, the fishing industry in mainland China contributed 1.5% to annual national GDP and represented 9.3% of value added by all primary production sectors. The annual value of fishery exports accounted for about 30% of the national food export value. It provided an average of more than 40 kg yr−1 of animal protein for every Chinese person, contributing greatly to national food security. Moreover, fisheries have created employment for approximately 14.0 million persons, and a source of income and livelihood for 20.8 million people in 5.2 million households. Fisheries are mainly concentrated in the provinces along the coast and those in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Furthermore, the primary fisheries sector is a basic industry in more regions than the secondary and tertiary sectors.
Opposite latitudinal gradients in projected ocean acidification and bleaching impacts on coral reefs
Authors: van Hooidonk Ruben , Maynard Jeffrey Allen , Manzello Derek , Planes Serge 
Published: October 2013

AbstractCoral reefs and the services they provide are seriously threatened by ocean acidification and climate change impacts like coral bleaching. Here, we present updated global projections for these key threats to coral reefs based on ensembles of IPCC AR5 climate models using the new Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) experiments. For all tropical reef locations, we project absolute and percentage changes in aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) for the period between 2006 and the onset of annual severe bleaching (thermal stress >8 degree heating weeks); a point at which it is difficult to believe reefs can persist as we know them. Severe annual bleaching is projected to start 10–15 years later at high‐latitude reefs than for reefs in low latitudes under RCP8.5. In these 10–15 years, Ωarag keeps declining and thus any benefits for high‐latitude reefs of later onset of annual bleaching may be negated by the effects of acidification. There are no long‐term refugia from the effects of both acidification and bleaching. Of all reef locations, 90% are projected to experience severe bleaching annually by 2055. Furthermore, 5% declines in calcification are projected for all reef locations by 2034 under RCP8.5, assuming a 15% decline in calcification per unit of Ωarag. Drastic emissions cuts, such as those represented by RCP6.0, result in an average year for the onset of annual severe bleaching that is ~20 years later (2062 vs. 2044). However, global emissions are tracking above the current worst‐case scenario devised by the scientific community, as has happened in previous generations of emission scenarios. The projections here for conditions on coral reefs are dire, but provide the most up‐to‐date assessment of what the changing climate and ocean acidification mean for the persistence of coral reefs.
Has the IASB Been Successful in Making Accounting Earnings More Useful for Prediction and Valuation? UK Evidence
Authors: Choi Young‐Soo , Peasnell Ken , Toniato Joao 
Published: October 2013

AbstractWhen producing International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), one of the main goals of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was to create a set of standards which were more useful to investors as a predictive tool. We assess the success of the IASB in achieving this goal by investigating the effects of the introduction of IFRS on the relative information content of reported earnings and forecasted earnings under UK generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP) and IFRS. Results indicate that the value relevance of forecasted earnings is significantly lower under IFRS while the value relevance of reported earnings is significantly larger. These findings suggest that IFRS substitutes price‐relevant information previously provided to the market in the form of analyst forecasts with information encoded by companies in their reported earnings. This implies that the IASB was indeed successful in its stated goal and points towards IFRS forecasts being more accurate and less dispersed than UK GAAP forecasts. This, in turn, implies that analysts are able to provide more informative forecasts under IFRS than under pre‐IFRS regimes and that the aforementioned substitution effect is not a consequence of any decrease in the quality of forecasts under the new regime.
Institutional Investors’ Reaction to SEC Concerns about IFRS and US GAAP Reporting
Authors: Gietzmann Miles B. , Isidro Helena 
Published: October 2013

AbstractFor the period of 2006 to 2008, we collect Comment Letters issued by the SEC that question the application of US GAAP by US firms or the application of IFRS by European firms registered with the SEC. We investigate whether institutional investors react to the letters by changing their holdings and whether their responses vary for US registrants and European registrants. We do this via a treatment‐effects model in which we test the hypothesis that institutional investors rebalance their portfolio holdings because they view Comment Letters as informative public signals. We find that institutional investors reduce their equity holdings when firms receive SEC Comment Letters, and their negative reactions are most marked for low turnover institutional investors, who we use to represent those informed investors most prepared to incur costs to closely monitor firms. Next, while noting that the number of Letters questioning application of IFRS are smaller in number relative to those questioning application of US GAAP, we investigate whether there are different reactions to Comment Letters questioning different standards. We show that there is a higher probability of the SEC questioning the application of IFRS as compared to US GAAP. After controlling for firm‐specific conditions that impact the issuance of a Comment Letter, we show that this higher probability has economic significance because institutional investors’ react more negatively to Comment Letters that question the application of IFRS as compared to US GAAP. A content analysis confirms the economic importance of the Comment Letters. We find that in almost half of all IFRS cases the Comment Letters request amendments to financial statements.
Earnings Announcements, Differences of Opinion and Management Guidance
Authors: Keskek Sami , Rees Lynn , Thomas Wayne B. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBerkman, Dimitrov, Jain, Koch, and Tice (2009) document a negative relationship between differences of opinion and earnings announcement returns, and this relationship is more pronounced when short‐sale constraints are likely to be high. These findings are interpreted as support for the theory in Miller (1977) that binding short sale constraints cause pessimists to be underrepresented in price formation. We conjecture that accounting information (i.e., earnings news) is likely to play a role in this returns pattern. After controlling for the level of earnings news, we find that the relationship between differences of opinion and stock returns is either eliminated or opposite from what is predicted by Miller's theory. Further, we present evidence that suggests the confounding effect of earnings news can be explained by (pessimistic) management earnings guidance. Our findings offer an alternative explanation for why low differences of opinion stocks earn greater abnormal returns around earnings announcements.
Private Equity, Buy‐outs and Insolvency Risk
Authors: Wilson Nick , Wright Mike 
Published: October 2013

AbstractPrivate equity restructuring using debt has been criticized for increasing financial distress and bankruptcy especially following the financial crisis. We build a unique dataset comprising the population of over 9 million firm‐year observations and 153,000 insolvencies during the period 1995–2010. We compare the insolvency hazard of the spectrum of buy‐out types within the corporate population over time and investigate the risk profile of the companies pre‐buy‐out. Controlling for size, age, sector and macro‐economic conditions, private‐equity backed buy‐outs are no more prone to insolvency than non‐buy‐outs or other types of management buy‐ins. Moreover, leverage is not the characteristic that distinguishes failed buy‐outs from those surviving.
Impact of polyunsaturated vegetable oils on adiponectin levels, glycaemia and blood lipids in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised, double‐blind intervention study
Authors: Müllner E. , Plasser E. , Brath H. , Waldschütz W. , Forster E. , Kundi M. , Wagner K.‐H. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundLow adiponectin levels are discussed as risk factor for cardiovascular events. This is of special importance in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) because they are at higher risk for cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of two plant oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), with different content of omega‐3 fatty acids, on adiponectin levels, glucose and lipid metabolism in T2DM individuals treated either with insulin or oral anti‐diabetics (OAD).MethodsNinety‐two subjects with T2DM [34 treated with insulin (T2DM‐Ins) and 58 treated with OAD (T2DM‐OAD)] participated in this randomised, double‐blind, parallel intervention study. Individuals received either 9 g of nut oil (n‐3:n‐6 ratio: 1.3 : 6.1) or mixed oil (n‐3:n‐6 ratio: 0.6 : 5.7) per day for 10 weeks. The fatty acid profile, tocopherol, adiponectin levels and parameters regarding glucose and lipid metabolism were assessed at baseline, during and after the intervention.ResultsCompliance was confirmed by significant increases in γ‐tocopherol and PUFA in both oil groups. An increase in adiponectin levels in T2DM‐Ins participants (+6.84% in nut oil and +4.47% in mixed oil group after 10 weeks compared to baseline) was observed, albeit not significantly different from T2DM‐OAD individuals (P = 0.051). Lipid and glucose metabolism were not affected by the intervention.ConclusionsThe present study provides evidence that a small and easy change in dietary behaviour towards better fat quality moderately increases adiponectin levels in T2DM‐Ins subjects, independently of the administered plant oil.
Acrolein involvement in sensory and behavioral hypersensitivity following spinal cord injury in the rat
Authors: Due Michael R. , Park Jonghyuck , Zheng Lingxing , Walls Michael , Allette Yohance M. , White Fletcher A. , Shi Riyi 
Published: October 2013

AbstractGrowing evidence suggests that oxidative stress, as associated with spinal cord injury (SCI), may play a critical role in both neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain conditions. The production of the endogenous aldehyde acrolein, following lipid peroxidation during the inflammatory response, may contribute to peripheral sensitization and hyperreflexia following SCI via the TRPA1‐dependent mechanism. Here, we report that there are enhanced levels of acrolein and increased neuronal sensitivity to the aldehyde for at least 14 days after SCI. Concurrent with injury‐induced increases in acrolein concentration is an increased expression of TRPA1 in the lumbar (L3–L6) sensory ganglia. As proof of the potential pronociceptive role for acrolein, intrathecal injections of acrolein revealed enhanced sensitivity to both tactile and thermal stimuli for up to 10 days, supporting the compound's pro‐nociceptive functionality. Treatment of SCI animals with the acrolein scavenger hydralazine produced moderate improvement in tactile responses as well as robust changes in thermal sensitivity for up to 49 days. Taken together, these data suggest that acrolein directly modulates SCI‐associated pain behavior, making it a novel therapeutic target for preclinical and clinical SCI as an analgesic.
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Following spinal cord injury (SCI), acrolein involvement in neuropathic pain is likely through direct activation and elevated levels of pro‐nociceptive channel TRPA1. While acrolein elevation correlates with neuropathic pain, suppression of this aldehyde by hydralazine leads to an analgesic effect. Acrolein may serve as a novel therapeutic target for preclinical and clinical SCI to relieve both acute and chronic post‐SCI neuropathic pain.
Rotational Atherectomy as Endovascular Haute Couture: A Road Map of Tools and Techniques for the Interventional Management of Burr Entrapment
Authors: DAHDOUH ZIAD , ABDEL‐MASSIH TONY , ROULE VINCENT , SARKIS ANTOINE , GROLLIER GILLES 
Published: October 2013

AbstractObjectives and BackgroundRotational atherectomy (RA) is used as a debulking technique prior to stenting in some specialized cardiac centers for calcified coronary lesions amenable to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A specific possible complication, burr entrapment, is unusual but carries serious risks and may sometimes necessitate surgery as a rescue procedure. However, different modalities using a percutaneous approach were proposed as a bail‐out. We aim to propose a framework for possible management for trapped RA burr.Methods and ResultsA literature review of the most relevant cases of entrapped burr during PCI was performed. Twelve cases were reported and different solutions were discussed. Surgery was needed in only 1 patient to retrieve the trapped burr, and in all the other cases, different percutaneous solutions were successful to retract the trapped device.ConclusionsThese cases illustrate that burr entrapment during RA, albeit rare, may occur and may transform a relatively simple PCI to a procedure failure. Although prevention is better than treatment, the operators should be aware of such serious complication and they should keep in mind that various possible percutaneous solutions may be successful to retrieve the burr and to avoid surgery.
The effect of surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion on sleep architecture: an exploratory risk study in healthy young adults
Authors: Bach N. , Tuomilehto H. , Gauthier C. , Papadakis A. , Remise C. , Lavigne F. , Lavigne G. J. , Huynh N. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryMaxillary transverse deficiencies (MTD) cause malocclusions. Rapid maxillary expansion treatment is commonly used treatment for correcting such deficiencies and has been found to be effective in improving respiration and sleep architecture in children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). However, thus far, the effect of surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) treatment on sleep architecture and breathing of normal subjects has not been assessed. We hypothesised that sleep quality will improve after maxillary expansion treatment. The objective of this study is to access the effect of maxillary expansion treatment on sleep structure and respiratory functions in healthy young adults with severe MTD. This is a prospective and exploratory clinical study. Twenty‐eight consecutive young adult patients (15 males and 13 females, mean age 20·6 ± 5·8 years) presenting with severe MTD at the orthodontic examination were recruited into the study. All the participants underwent a standardised SARME procedure (mean expansion 6·5 ± 1·8 and 8·2 ± 1·8 mm, intercanine and intermolar distance, respectively) to correct malocclusion caused by MTD. An overnight in‐laboratory polysomnography, before and after the treatment, was performed. The mean follow‐up time was 9 months. The main outcome parameters were the changes in sleep architecture, including sleep stages, arousals, slow‐wave activity (SWA) and respiratory variables. Before surgery, young adult patients with MTD presented no evidence of sleep breathing problems. At baseline sleep recording, 7 of 28 (25%) had apnoea‐hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥ 5 events per hour. No negative effect of the SARME was observed in questionnaires or sleep laboratory parameters. In the patients with a higher baseline AHI (AHI ≥ 5 h of sleep), we observed a reduction in AHI after surgical treatment (P = 0·028). SARME did not have a negative effect on any sleep or respiration parameters in healthy young individuals with MTD. It normalised the breathing index in the patients with a mild AHI index.
Levamisole and low‐dose prednisolone in the treatment of reccurent aphthous stomatitis
Authors: Sharda Neelkamal , Shashikanth M.C. , Kant Priyanka , Jain Manika 
Published: October 2013

ContextRecurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common oral mucosal disease. However, the available therapies for RAS only relieve symptoms and do not provide a cure.AimsThis study assessed the response to treatment with levamisole and low‐dose prednisolone drug combination in patients with RAS.Methods and MaterialFifty RAS subjects were enrolled in the single‐blind randomized placebo‐controlled trial. Study medications were administered thrice daily for 3 consecutive days/week for 3 consecutive weeks. Patients in Group 1 received placebo, Group 2 received levamisole (50 mg) and Group 3 received levamisole (50 mg) and low‐dose prednisolone (5 mg). Patients were followed up for 60 days after treatment. Response to treatment was assessed using the following clinical parameters: pain due to ulcers, number of ulcers/episode, size of ulcers, duration of ulcers, and frequency of ulcers (episodes/month). Statistical analysis used: Mann–Whitney U‐test.ResultsA statistically significant improvement was noted in all parameters except for the size of ulcers in patients treated with levamisole alone and with combination of levamisole and low‐dose prednisolone. There was no statistically significant improvement in the placebo group. Both active groups had significantly better improvement when compared to placebo group, while there was no significant difference between the two active groups.ConclusionsLevamisole alone and combination of levamisole and low‐dose prednisolone are effective modes of therapy for RAS.
STAG2 loss of expression is rare in aneuploid malignant salivary gland neoplasms
Authors: Gomes Carolina Cavaliéri , Bernardes Vanessa Fátima , Odell Edward William , Gomez Ricardo Santiago 
Published: October 2013

BackgroundSTAG2 depletion leads to loss of centromere cohesion in vitro, and some human neoplasms have been shown to lose expression of this protein. As a result, STAG2 loss has been shown to cause chromosomal instability and aneuploidy in human cancer cell lines.MethodsWe tested the hypothesis that aneuploid salivary gland tumours lose immunoexpression of STAG2 compared with diploid tumours using image cytometry to determine DNA ploidy and immunohistochemistry to assess STAG2 protein expression in 30 malignant salivary gland neoplasms.ResultsThere was no difference in the immunoexpression of STAG2 between aneuploid (n = 9) and diploid (n = 21) samples. In all but two samples, more than 50% of cells stained for STAG2.ConclusionAneuploidy in human salivary gland carcinomas is not driven by loss of expression of STAG2.
ARE IMMIGRANTS MORE MOBILE THAN NATIVES? EVIDENCE FROM GERMANY
Authors: Schündeln Matthias 
Published: October 2013

ABSTRACTLow rates of internal migration in many European countries contribute to the persistence of significant regional labor market differences. I use the Mikrozensus, a large annual sample of households living in Germany, to further our understanding of the underlying reasons. This paper makes two main contributions: first, the paper quantifies the disutility of migrating. To this end, I estimate conditional logit models of the migration decision across the German federal states. Second, I then focus on the differences between immigrants and natives. I find significantly higher responsiveness to labor market differentials in the immigrant population than in the native population. Unobserved moving costs for immigrants are estimated to be only about 31 percent of this same cost for natives. The findings bear on the assessment of the economic impact of immigration, and the paper contributes to the current immigration‐related policy debates that feature prominently in many European countries, and that likely will continue to be important in light of the ongoing EU expansion and the resulting east–west migration.