bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gambogic acid inhibits osteoclast formation and ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis by suppressing the JNK, p38 and Akt signalling pathways
Authors: Ma Jianjun , Ma Yan , Liu Xuqiang , Chen Shuai , Liu Chao , Qin An , Fan Shunwu 
Published: July 2015

Excessive osteoclast formation and bone resorption are key causes of osteoporosis. Natural compounds can serve as alternative therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and some natural compounds may have advantages over traditional drugs. In the present paper, we report that the natural compound GBA (gambogic acid), which is bioavailable, effective and less toxic, inhibits osteoclast formation, thereby attenuating osteoclastic bone resorption in vitro. Further in vivo studies demonstrated that GBA prevented ovariectomy-induced bone loss in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, we demonstrated that GBA suppressed RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand)-induced JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase), p38 and Akt phosphorylation. Taken together, our results demonstrate that GBA inhibits osteoclast formation in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that it is of potential value in the treatment of osteoclast-related diseases.
Bilateral frame rate upconversion algorithm based on image texture complexity compensation
Authors: Lee Kangjun , Jeong Jechang 
Published: July 2015

A new bilateral frame rate upconversion algorithm using the image texture complexity characteristic is proposed. In the proposed algorithm, as the cost function is adjusted according to the image texture complexity, the accuracy of motion estimation (ME) is improved. In the experimental results, the proposed algorithm outperforms the conventional bilateral ME process by 0.32 dB.
A Randomized Comparison of Anthropomorphic Changes With Preferred and Alternative Efavirenz-Based Antiretroviral Regimens in Diverse Multinational Settings
Authors: Erlandson Kristine M. , Taejaroenkul Sineenart , Smeaton Laura , Gupta Amita , Singini Isaac L. , Lama Javier R. , Mngqibisa Rosie , Firnhaber Cynthia , Cardoso Sandra Wagner , Kanyama Cecilia , Machado da Silva Andre L. , Hakim James G. , Kumarasamy Nagalingeswaran , Campbell Thomas B. , Hughes Michael D. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBackground.  Existing data on anthropomorphic changes in resource-limited settings primarily come from observational or cross-sectional studies. Data from randomized clinical trials are needed to inform treatment decisions in these areas of the world.Methods.  The AIDS Clinical Trials Group Prospective Evaluation of Antiretrovirals in Resource-Limited Settings (PEARLS) study was a prospective, randomized evaluation of the efficacy of emtricitabine/tenofovir + efavirenz (FTC/TDF + EFV) vs lamivudine/zidovudine + efavirenz (3TC/ZDV + EFV) for the initial treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected individuals from resource-diverse settings. Changes in anthropomorphic measures were analyzed using mixed-effect models for repeated measurements, using all available measurements at weeks 48, 96, and 144. Intent-to-treat results are presented; as-treated results were similar.Results.  Five hundred twenty-six participants were randomized to FTC/TDF + EFV, and 519 participants were randomized to 3TC/ZDV + EFV. Significantly greater increases from baseline to week 144 were seen among those randomized to FTC/TDF + EFV vs 3TC/ZDV + EFV in all measures except waist-to-hip ratio, with the following mean changes: weight, 4.8 vs 3.0 kg; body mass index, 1.8 vs 1.1 kg/m2; mid-arm, 1.7 vs 0.7 cm; waist, 5.2 vs 4.3 cm; hip, 3.8 vs 1.4 cm; and mid-thigh circumference, 3.1 vs 0.9 cm. There were 7 clinical diagnoses of lipoatrophy in the 3TC/ZDV + EFV arm compared with none in the FTC/TDF + EFV arm. The proportion of overweight or obese participants increased from 25% (week 0) to 42% (week 144) for FTC/TDF + EFV and from 26% to 38% for 3TC/ZDV + EFV.Conclusions.  Our findings support first-line use of FTC/TDF + EFV in resource-limited settings and emphasize the need for interventions to limit weight gain among overweight or obese HIV-infected participants in all settings.
Large-scale analysis of genome and transcriptome alterations in multiple tumors unveils novel cancer-relevant splicing networks
Authors: Sebestyén Endre , Singh Babita , Miñana Belén , Pagès Amadís , Mateo Francesca , Pujana Miguel Angel , Valcárcel Juan , Eyras Eduardo 
Published: July 2015

AbstractAlternative splicing is regulated by multiple RNA-binding proteins and influences the expression of most eukaryotic genes. However, the role of this process in human disease, and particularly in cancer, is only starting to be unveiled. We systematically analyzed mutation, copy number and gene expression patterns of 1348 RNA-binding protein (RBP) genes in 11 solid tumor types, together with alternative splicing changes in these tumors and the enrichment of binding motifs in the alternatively spliced sequences. Our comprehensive study reveals widespread alterations in the expression of RBP genes, as well as novel mutations and copy number variations in association with multiple alternative splicing changes in cancer drivers and oncogenic pathways. Remarkably, the altered splicing patterns in several tumor types recapitulate those of undifferentiated cells. These patterns are predicted to be mainly controlled byMBNL1and involve multiple cancer drivers, including the mitotic geneNUMA1. We show thatNUMA1alternative splicing induces enhanced cell proliferation and centrosome amplification in non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial cells. Our study uncovers novel splicing networks that potentially contribute to cancer development and progression.
How organisation theory supports corporate governance scholarship
Authors: Andersen Jon Aarum 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to show how organisation theory can be used to understand the controversy between the shareholder and the stakeholder perspectives. Rationalistic and open system theories may enhance research on corporate governance by offering well-defined concepts and by specifying core relationships.Design/methodology/approach– This paper applies descriptions of the two perspectives in organisation theory as a “method” for illustrating how they are linked to and support the shareholder versus the stakeholder perspectives.Findings– The controversy stems from the fact that the shareholder and the stakeholder perspectives address different relationships. The shareholder perspective captures two relationships that accord with rationalistic organisation theory: shareholders are managing the managers and the organisation, and managers are managing the corporation on behalf of the owners. The stakeholder perspective focuses on three relationships that are not concordant with system theory: managers are managing the shareholders (i.e. the symbolic management of stockholders), managers are managing the corporation (i.e. general management theory) and managers are managing the stakeholders.Research limitations/implications– Organisation theory provides suggestions for more fruitful definitions of the often-used concepts of direction, control, administration and influence. These terms may be substituted with the well-defined concepts of management, power and control.Practical implications– Proponents of organisation theory find it theoretically difficult to deal with the topic of corporate governance, if they do at all. When they do, they do it only perfunctorily.Originality/value– Organisation theory may strengthen research on corporate governance if we insist on both theoretical clarifications of major relationships and on the use of more strictly defined concepts.
The linkages among intellectual capital, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility
Authors: Altuner Dogan , Çelik Saban , Güleç Tuna Can 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The purpose of present study is to explore the linkages among Intellectual Capital (IC), Corporate Governance (CG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through direct and indirect empirical inquiry.Design/methodology/approach– The main setting is designed for exploring the relationship among IC, CG and CSR. Therefore, these three constructs are examined directly in which their statistical relation is evaluated among themselves and indirectly in which their possible effects are examined onto firms’ unsystematic factors such as cash flow, short-term solvency, long-term solvency, profitability and asset utilization.Findings– Empirical investigation is conducted on manufacturing firms listed in Istanbul Stock Exchange from 2007 to 2011. Empirical results do support a positive relationship among these important constructs.Research limitations/implications– The empirical research is carried out in manufacturing firms only.Originality/value– IC, CG and CSR are three demanding research areas to study. This is the first attempt here to examine their possible linkages based on so-called direct and indirect empirical inquiries. The primary reason behind this attempt is that these concepts are assumed to be important for all stakeholders.
An analysis of withdrawn shareholder proposals
Authors: Foley Maggie , Cebula Richard , Jun Chulhee , Boylan Robert 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– This study aims to analyze withdrawn shareholder proposals to gain insight into the role of shareholder proposals in the governance of public corporations.

Design/methodology/approach
– A cursory look at the data suggests that unions are the most likely group to withdraw proposals. The authors focus on the behavior of unions and find that unions often resubmit a shareholder proposal which had garnered significant support in the previous year, only to withdraw the proposal in the second year.

Findings
– The contention is that the proposals were withdrawn in Year 2 because the issue was settled in a manner agreeable to the union. Furthermore, this research suggests that unions are more likely to withdraw proposals when the prior years’ appeal is higher, when firms have a record of poor performance, lower insider ownership or relatively independent boards. This phenomenon suggests that unions submit and withdraw shareholder proposals strategically. The authors contend that unions use shareholder proposals and the withdrawal of proposals to improve conditions for union workers at the expense of shareholder value.

Practical implications
– This study suggests that unions submit and withdraw shareholder proposals strategically. The authors contend that unions use shareholder proposals and the withdrawal of proposals to improve conditions for union workers at the expense of shareholder value.
Prioritization technique for learning cloud services
Authors: Singjai Apitchaka , Sureephong Pradorn 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to propose a combined technique of cumulative voting and numerical assignment to prioritize the services of the learning cloud service.

Design/methodology/approach
– The approach starts with requirement elicitation, then analyses of the requirements in terms of prioritization and finally classifies the priority of services into groups.

Findings
– As a result of the case study the requirements of the College of Art Media and Technology students has been classified into three service groups.

Originality/value
– This combined prioritized techniques can involve learners in the decision making process about learning cloud services utilization in the organizations.
Perceived efficacy of sustainability strategies in the US, Italian, and Spanish wine industries
Authors: Gilinsky, Jr Armand , Newton Sandra K. , Atkin Thomas S. , Santini Cristina , Cavicchi Alessio , Casas Augusti Romeo , Huertas Ruben 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– This purpose of this investigation is to compare the perceptions of competitive advantage through cost leadership and differentiation with sustainable practices of wineries from the USA, Italy and Spain.Design/methodology/approach– Data are collected via self-report web-based surveys in California, Tuscany and Catalonia in 2010-2011 during a severe economic downturn in the wine industry.Findings– Of the 260 respondents among the three country samples, over 75 per cent are family-owned and family-managed. Respondents indicate who has implemented a clear business case for an Environmental Management System (EMS) and who has not. Benefits and challenges of implementing sustainability practices are also addressed.Practical implications– A comparable percentage of respondents across the three countries indicated a “clear business case for EMS”. Wineries in all three countries perceive that they have competitive advantage through implementation of EMS and commitment to sustainable practices. Top perceived benefits for respondents from the USA and Italy are focused on cost reduction strategies, while top perceived benefits for Spanish respondents are focused on differentiation strategies.Originality/value– Activities that create competitive advantages for wine businesses in different countries are understudied; this research bridges that gap.
View of autism spectrum conditions held by staff working within a high secure psychiatric hospital
Authors: Murphy David , McMorrow Karen 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– Individuals with an autism spectrum condition (ASC) represent a small proportion of patients detained in high-secure psychiatric care (HSPC) with specific difficulties and needs. To date there has been little exploration of how these needs are viewed by staff or if staff have unmet needs with regard to working with ASCs. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach
– A questionnaire examining specific views (on vulnerability, benefits from therapy and making adjustments to practise), knowledge and training needs linked to ASC was distributed to staff who directly worked with patients.

Findings
– In total, 206 questionnaires were returned (approximately 60 per cent distributed). Most staff reported making adjustments in their practise and believed patients with an ASC were more vulnerable than other patient groups. Half of staff expressed the view, that whilst patients with an ASC benefited from therapies, they were unaware if an individual’s difficulties were considered in their care. Half of staff believed individuals with an ASC should be managed in a different way. Most staff reported not having adequate skills to work with ASC, a wish for more training and that such training should be mandatory. Other than psychiatrists most staff were unaware of the Autism Act (2009). The need for a specialist ASC ward within HSPC was also highlighted by several staff.

Practical implications
– The survey highlights differences in staff experiences of patients with an ASC and view that autism training should be mandatory.

Originality/value
– Whilst progress has been made with implementing the government’s Autism Strategy (2010) within HSPC, more awareness training is required in promoting staff confidence to work with this group of patients.
Working with transgendered sex offenders: prison staff experiences
Authors: Marlow Katie , Winder Belinda , Elliott Helen Jane 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the experiences of staff working with transgendered sex offenders in a prison setting.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study utilised a qualitative approach, with semi-structured interviews used to explore the experiences of staff working with transgendered sexual offenders (n=6). Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings
– Three themes were identified in the data. The first relates to how staff become educated on transgender issues and the content of this information. The second describes situations in which boundaries are overstepped by both transgender offenders and others in the prison. The third relates to the ways in which staff manage change, such as tailoring treatment to specific needs and being mindful of what adaptations may be required.

Research limitations/implications
– The main drawback of this research was the limited sample; female prison staff. Future research should expand this sample to encompass male staff and staff working in alternate category prisons.

Practical implications
– The research illustrates the utility of staff collaboration with transgendered sex offenders on transgender issues but also suggests some additional guidance is required when it comes to determining the boundaries. Staff may also benefit from more education on the possible ways in which a transgendered identity can impact on criminogenic needs.

Originality/value
– The present research offers insight into the current state of care and management of transgendered offenders in custody and the nature of interactions between staff and this minority group. At present, there is limited research in this area.
Identity, self-story and desistance from crime
Authors: O'Sullivan Kevin , Kemp Richard , Bright David 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to lay the groundwork for a narrative study of desistance that is both qualitative and quantitative.

Design/methodology/approach
– The review traces the strands of research that have made self-story an important theme in the study of desistance with particular reference to work since 2001.

Findings
– The importance of an agentic self-story in the process of desistance from crime came to prominence in the work of Shadd Maruna (1997, 2001). Since then authors have attempted to formulate: first, an integrated theoretical view of desistance incorporating agency; and second, a clinically useful understanding of how self-story is important. The clinical studies have almost always been qualitative, relying on extensive life history interviews which yield great richness of detail but few, if any, testable hypotheses. To date, such studies have not provided the empirical foundation on which to develop policy in correctional environments.

Practical implications
– If it is found that a measure of self-belief correlates with desistance from crime, it may be possible to devise psychological interventions to enhance and change self-belief.

Originality/value
– The paper proposes adding a quantitative approach to the measurement of self-concept in order to estimate the likelihood of desistance.
In search of miracles: pilgrimage to the miraculous places
Authors: Liutikas Darius 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to discuss various aspects of the development of the places of apparitions and miraculous images, motives and behavioral characteristics of pilgrims coming to the miraculous places of the Virgin Mary in Lithuania.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper reviews literature about miraculous events and presents miraculous places in Lithuania (apparition places of the Virgin Mary and sites of miraculous images). Various classifications are applied. Pilgrims
'
motivation and behavioral aspects are analyzed based on the quantitative survey.

Findings
– The research showed that the main motives of religious pilgrims visiting miraculous places were asking for God’s grace, health, expressing gratitude to Jesus or Virgin Mary as well as spiritual quest and renewal. These places attract pilgrims who want to solve different problems in their life or to recover from illnesses. Religious pilgrimage has different forms and rituals, and constitutes different models of the specific behavior. During the journey, pilgrims perform various religious practices such as praying, singing hymns, kissing the relics, etc. The grouping of devotional rituals performed during the pilgrimage and at the destination place is presented.

Originality/value
– The paper is important to the researchers of pilgrimage and religious tourism. For the first time, miraculous places of Lithuania are analyzed in the broader international context. Classifications of the miraculous sites indicate various aspects of the development of these places. Motives and behavioral characteristics of pilgrims enable to better understand the multidimensional reality of religious pilgrimage.
Religious tourism and religious tolerance: insights from pilgrimage sites in India
Authors: Shinde Kiran A 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to explore the ways in which religious tourism in India fosters religious tolerance.Design/methodology/approach– The paper uses a conceptual apparatus derived from the basic structure of religious tourism comprising motivation, journey and destination, to understand various aspects of tolerance. Tolerance, with the implicit meaning of diversity and pluralism, is examined at two levels – intra-religion and inter-religion – using field investigations from three Hindu pilgrimage sites, namely, Vrindavan, Tuljapur, Shegaon and review of one Muslim site called Ajmer Sharif. These sites exhibit a range of combinations, sectarian traditions within Hindu and their interactions with others, including Muslims and foreigners.Findings– Each of the sites provides different sets of opportunities for the “others” to get exposed to religious and cultural aspects. It is found that tolerance within the Hindu sects and with non-Hindus from other religious faiths is a function of their engagement with cultural performances and participation in the religious tourism economy in a pilgrimage site.Originality/value– On a broader level, this paper argues that conceptualising tolerance within a social and cultural sphere helps in a better understanding of tolerance and identifying areas within religious tourism where it can be promoted. A conscious effort to promote tolerance through religious tourism will add value to religious tourism and help it thrive.
Soil acidification exerts a greater control on soil respiration than soil nitrogen availability in grasslands subjected to long‐term nitrogen enrichment
Authors: Chen Dima , Li Jianjun , Lan Zhichun , Hu Shuijin , Bai Yongfei 
Published: July 2015

Summary

Terrestrial ecosystems worldwide are receiving increasing amounts of biologically reactive nitrogen (N) as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. This intended or unintended fertilization can have a wide‐range of impacts on biotic communities and hence on soil respiration.

Reduction in below‐ground carbon (C) allocation induced by high N availability has been assumed to be a major mechanism determining the effects of N enrichment on soil respiration. In addition to increasing available N, however, N enrichment causes soil acidification, which may also affect root and microbial activities. The relative importance of increased N availability vs. soil acidification on soil respiration in natural ecosystems experiencing N enrichment is unclear.

We conducted a 12‐year N enrichment experiment and a 4‐year complementary acid addition experiment in a semi‐arid Inner Mongolian grassland. We found that N enrichment had contrasting effects on root and microbial respiration. N enrichment significantly increased root biomass, root N content and specific root respiration, thereby promoting root respiration. In contrast, N enrichment significantly suppressed microbial respiration likely by reducing total microbial biomass and changing the microbial community composition.

The effect on root activities was due to both soil acidity and increased available N, while the effect on microbes primarily stemmed from soil acidity, which was further confirmed by results from the acid addition experiment. Our results indicate that soil acidification exerts a greater control than soil N availability on soil respiration in grasslands experiencing long‐term N enrichment.

These findings suggest that N‐induced soil acidification should be included in predicting terrestrial ecosystem C balance under future N deposition scenarios.