bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Regionalization and risk
Authors: Seno-Alday Sandra 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to examine the nature of regional macroeconomic risk by examining the trade networks formed by regional multinational enterprise (MNE) activity at the aggregate level, and exploring the subsequent implications on the vulnerability of those networks to economic shocks.Design/methodology/approach– The study draws on contemporary developments in graph theory to revisit the nature and dynamics of complex trade networks in the Southeast Asian region from 1990 to 2012.Findings– Findings indicate that the topology of the regional trade network has changed significantly in the period examined, in that it has become denser, more connected and more clustered. Analysis further indicates that disruptions to the trade network during periods of shock have exhibited decreasing levels of magnitude, pointing to greater robustness over time.Research limitations/implications– The results show that intra-regional MNE activity has the effect of reducing risk in the region. If MNEs aim to reduce their risk exposure, they must first deepen their commitment to the regional market.Originality/value– This paper enriches current understanding of the changing nature of regional risk, and represents one of the first efforts to examine international trade networks in light of recent developments in the understanding of networks beyond the conventional random graph.
Fund manager trust and information complexity
Authors: Henningsson Johan , Johanson Ulf , Almqvist Roland 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– This study aims to explore fund manager use of trust to reduce information complexity concerning corporate intangible resources and sustainability and what consequences this have for corporates as providers of information. Analytically, fund managers are considered part of a system with social meaning.Design/methodology/approach– A qualitative research approach is used. Data are obtained from two focus group discussions that occurred on two separate occasions. The first discussion was between four communications executives at leading Swedish companies. The second discussion was between four experienced fund managers in the Swedish financial market.Findings– The results suggest that fund managers oscillate between exhibiting trust and distrust when reducing the complexity of information on intangible resources and sustainability. Fund managers tend to trust the stable context of company information and strive to trust top management. Communicative dilemmas emerge when fund managers oscillate between trust and distrust. The fund manager disinterest in details emerges because of a reliance on a stable information context and company management. The representation dilemma emerges when narratives are used in corporate reporting.Research limitations/implications– This study contributes empirically to the knowledge concerning the social complexity of fund management.Practical implications– The paper increases the understanding of communicative difficulties for corporates to communicate with actors on the financial markets through narratives on intangible resources and sustainability.Originality/value– By focusing on the social meaning in the communication between companies and financial markets, we have contrasted the dominant view of financial economics of financial market actors as rational agents and the individualistic mode of theorizing in accordance with rational choice theory.
Recombination patterns reveal information about centromere location on linkage maps
Authors: Limborg Morten T. , McKinney Garrett J. , Seeb Lisa W. , Seeb James E. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractLinkage mapping is often used to identify genes associated with phenotypic traits and for aiding genome assemblies. Still, many emerging maps do not locate centromeres – an essential component of the genomic landscape. Here, we demonstrate that for genomes with strong chiasma interference, approximate centromere placement is possible by phasing the same data used to generate linkage maps. Assuming one obligate crossover per chromosome arm, information about centromere location can be revealed by tracking the accumulated recombination frequency along linkage groups, similar to half‐tetrad analyses. We validate the method on a linkage map for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) with known centromeric regions. Further tests suggest that the method will work well in other salmonids and other eukaryotes. However, the method performed weakly when applied to a male linkage map (rainbow trout; O. mykiss) characterized by low and unevenly distributed recombination – a general feature of male meiosis in many species. Further, a high frequency of double crossovers along chromosome arms in barley reduced resolution for locating centromeric regions on most linkage groups. Despite these limitations, our method should work well for high‐density maps in species with strong recombination interference and will enrich many existing and future mapping resources.
Inbreeding and purging at the genomic Level: the Chillingham cattle reveal extensive, non‐random SNP heterozygosity
Authors: Williams J. L. , Hall S. J.G. , Del Corvo M. , Ballingall K. T. , Colli L. , Ajmone Marsan P. , Biscarini F. 
Published: November 2015

SummaryLocal breeds of livestock are of conservation significance as components of global biodiversity and as reservoirs of genetic variation relevant to the future sustainability of agriculture. One such rare historic breed, the Chillingham cattle of northern England, has a 350‐year history of isolation and inbreeding yet shows no diminution of viability or fertility. The Chillingham cattle have not been subjected to selective breeding. It has been suggested previously that the herd has minimal genetic variation. In this study, high‐density SNP genotyping with the 777K SNP chip showed that 9.1% of loci on the chip are polymorphic in the herd, compared with 62–90% seen in commercial cattle breeds. Instead of being homogeneously distributed along the genome, these loci are clustered at specific chromosomal locations. A high proportion of the Chillingham individuals examined were heterozygous at many of these polymorphic loci, suggesting that some loci are under balancing selection. Some of these frequently heterozygous loci have been implicated as sites of recessive lethal mutations in cattle. Linkage disequilibrium equal or close to 100% was found to span up to 1350 kb, and LD was above r2 = 0.25 up to more than 5000 kb. This strong LD is consistent with the lack of polymorphic loci in the herd. The heterozygous regions in the Chillingham cattle may be the locations of genes relevant to fitness or survival, which may help elucidate the biology of local adaptation in traditional breeds and facilitate selection for such traits in commercial cattle.
The growth of a skin emergency teledermatology service from 2008 to 2014
Authors: Finnane Anna , Siller Gregory , Mujcic Redzo , Soyer H. Peter 
Published: November 2015

AbstractObjectiveTo conduct an audit of the Skin Emergency Telemedicine Service at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane from January to December 2014, and determine whether there has been any change in the number, type and location of referrals.MethodsRetrospective analyses of referrals to the teledermatology service were conducted and compared with the 2012 audit. Main outcomes assessed included the number of referrals, referral site location, telediagnosis categories, image characteristics and response times.ResultsIn 2014, 318 cases were referred to the teledermatology service. The highest number of cases (n = 140) were referred from Princess Alexandra Hospital and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital emergency departments. However, referrals to the teledermatology service came from as far as 1600 km distant from Brisbane. The most common provisional telediagnoses were dermatitis or eczema, skin infection or drug eruption. Over half of all referrals (62%) received a response within 3 h and a further 20% were responded to within 3–6 h. Almost half all referring doctors (48%) attached very large image files (> 500 kb) to their referral.ConclusionsThe Skin Emergency Telemedicine Service has proved to be a successful, sustainable and valuable addition to the specialist dermatology services provided across Queensland. With adequate funding and resources and appropriate attention to ethical and legal considerations, our service could significantly change the management of Queenslanders with acute skin conditions.
The effect of fibreoptic bronchoscopy in acute respiratory distress syndrome: experimental evidence from a lung model
Authors: Nay M.‐A. , Mankikian J. , Auvet A. , Dequin P.‐F. , Guillon A. 
Published: November 2015

SummaryFlexible bronchoscopy is essential for appropriate care during mechanical ventilation, but can significantly affect mechanical ventilation of the lungs, particularly for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. We aimed to describe the consequences of bronchoscopy during lung‐protective ventilation in a bench study, and thereby to determine the optimal diameter of the bronchoscope for avoiding disruption of the protective‐ventilation strategy during the procedure. Immediately following the insertion of the bronchoscope into the tracheal tube, either minute ventilation decreased significantly, or positive end‐expiratory pressure increased substantially, according to the setting of the inspiratory pressure limit. The increase in end‐expiratory pressure led to an equivalent increase in the plateau pressure, and lung‐protective ventilation was significantly altered during the procedure. We showed that a bronchoscope with an external diameter of 4 mm (or less) would allow safer bronchoscopic interventions in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Longitudinal assessment of hepatitis C fibrosis progression by collagen and smooth muscle actin morphometry in comparison to serum markers
Authors: Patel K. , Tillmann H. L. , Matta B. , Sheridan M. J. , Gardner S. D. , Shackel N. A. , McHutchison J. G. , Goodman Z. D. 
Published: November 2015

SummaryBackgroundAssessment of fibrosis progression in chronic liver disease relies upon non‐invasive tools and changes in semi‐quantitative histopathology scores that may not be reliable.AimTo assess the diagnostic performance of the FibroSURE (FS) index and collagen/alpha smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) morphometry in relation to longitudinal changes in fibrosis on paired biopsies.MethodsThe study cohort included 201 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) nonresponders enrolled in a prior phase II anti‐fibrotic study. Serum FS and paired biopsies, with both collagen and α‐SMA morphometry, were evaluated at baseline and week 52.ResultsStudy patients were mostly male (67%) and Caucasian (77%), with Ishak stages 2 (n = 79), 3 (n = 88) and 4 (n = 30), excluded (n = 4 stage 1 or 5). Mean biopsy length was 22.9 mm. For baseline Ishak 2/3 vs. 4, there were no significant differences in AUROCs for collagen (0.71), SMA (0.66) or FS (0.70). At week 52, 62% of patients had no change in Ishak stage, but collagen/α‐SMA increased by 34–51% (P < 0.0001), and FS decreased by 5% (P = 0.008). Among the 33% of patients with +/−1 Ishak stage change, FS changes were not significant, but α‐SMA increased 29–72%, and collagen increased by 12–38% (P = 0.01 for +1 only).ConclusionsLongitudinal changes in collagen and α‐SMA morphometry are apparent prior to change in histological stage or FibroSURE in CHC nonresponders with intermediate fibrosis. This likely reflects quantitative morphological differences that are not detected by routine histological staging or serum markers such as FibroSURE.
Ruminal degradability and intestinal digestibility of individual amino acids in mixed diets with different crude protein levels measured by the modified in vitro three‐step and mobile nylon bag technique
Authors: Gao Wei , Zhang Bowen , Lv Bo , Liu Chenli , Chen Daofu 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe ruminal degradability and intestinal digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in three total mixed rations with different CP levels were estimated using the modified in vitro three‐step procedure (TSP) and mobile nylon bag (MNB) technique on growing lambs. The ruminal effective degradability of DM and CP did not respond with increasing dietary CP level. However, the intestinal digestibility of DM was significantly increased with increasing dietary CP level estimated by TSP (P < 0.05) or MNB method (P < 0.01). Intestinal digestibility coefficients of CP determined by TSP were lower than those of the MNB method. Histidine was extensively degraded by rumen micro‐organisms, while tyrosine was the most anti‐degradable AA among the samples. The ruminal AA degradability exhibited no significant differences except for threonine, tryptophan, alanine, aspartic acid and proline for the three diets. Similarly, only a few AAs (i.e. histidine, methionine, tryptophan, aspartic acid and cysteine in TSP; histidine, tryptophan, aspartic acid and serine in MNB) had significant differences in their intestinal digestibility; in addition, values of MNB were lower than that of the TSP method, indicating that intestinal digestibility of DM seems to be overestimated in TSP, while that of CP might be overestimated in the MNB method.
Current status of chimeric antigen receptor therapy for haematological malignancies
Authors: Maude Shannon , Barrett David M. 
Published: November 2015

SummaryThe field of adoptive cell transfer includes chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineered T cells, constructs that emerged from basic research into principles of immunology and have transformed into clinically effective therapies for haematological malignancies. T cells engineered to express these artificial receptors hold great promise, but also carry significant risk. While permanent genetic modification of mature T cells appears safe, modulating their in vivo function is difficult, partly because the robust response can trigger other arms of the immune system. Suicide systems and toxicity management with cytokine blockade or signal transduction modulators have emerged as a new frontier in this field, a far cry from early problems getting CAR T cells to work at all. Currently, clinical trials in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell malignancies treated with CD19‐specific CAR T cells have induced durable remissions in adults and children. Results from these trials indicate that more work needs to be done to understand biomarkers of efficacy, the role of T cell persistence and how to integrate this care into standard practice. Cell therapy will not be a ‘one size fits all’ class of medicine, and here we will discuss the development of this therapy and important questions for its future.
Wage setting in the Colombian manufacturing industry
Authors: Agudelo Sonia A. , Sala Hector 
Published: November 2015

AbstractWe show that wage setting in the Colombian manufacturing industry is not fundamentally driven by labour productivity in contrast to the standard theoretical prediction. On the contrary, internal institutional arrangements – payroll taxation, the minimum wage or the price wedge between manufacturing and consumption prices – together with a higher exposure to international trade – connected to the increasing globalization of the Colombian economy – appear as the crucial drivers. These findings lead us to question the political strategy followed to attain cost competitiveness in a context of growing exposure to international trade. Implementation of a true wage bargaining system is suggested as a critical policy target to prevent the disruptive economic consequences of the current wage‐setting mechanism and help rebalance the trade deficit.
Limits of Participatory Democracy in European Governance
Authors: Kutay Acar 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe Lisbon Treaty (Article 11) recognises the provision on participatory democracy as a democratic principle of the European Union (EU), thus constitutionally legitimising the involvement of civil society in European governance. However, at least three issues relating to the democratic dimension of this practice remain unresolved. First, it is not possible to specify precisely how the participation of civil society relates to democracy. Second, having established representative democracy as the founding democratic principle of the EU (Article 10), the Lisbon Treaty does not allow assessing the provision on participatory democracy as an independent source for democracy. Third, the putative democratising potential of participation would not be construed independently, not only because representative democracy is defined as the founding principle of the EU but also because participation cannot be thought of as independent from the form of the consultation regime, the constitutional framework and the managerial and technocratic styles of policy‐making.
Evaluation of poor performance in competition horses: A musculoskeletal perspective. Part 2: Further investigation
Authors: Dyson S. 
Published: November 2015

SummaryThere is not a right and a wrong way of investigating musculoskeletal causes of poor performance in sports horses and the methods of investigation are, in part, determined by the clinical signs. Measurement of serum muscle enzyme concentrations before and after exercise is essential for recognition of primary muscle pathology. Many horses with multilimb lameness have a secondary reduced range of motion of the thoracolumbosacral region mimicking primary thoracolumbar pain. Radiographic examination of the thoracolumbar vertebrae may be confusing unless combined with diagnostic analgesia because many clinically normal horses have radiological abnormalities. Nuclear scintigraphy offers a method of evaluating a large proportion of the horse, but there are many false positive and false negative results. Diagnostic analgesia is the most reliable method of investigation but requires experience and skill in interpretation and is time consuming in a horse with multilimb lameness.
Non‐congruent fossil and phylogenetic evidence on the evolution of climatic niche in the Gondwana genus Nothofagus
Authors: Hinojosa Luis Felipe , Gaxiola Aurora , Pérez María Fernanda , Carvajal Francy , Campano María Francisca , Quattrocchio Mirta , Nishida Harufumi , Uemura Kazuhiko , Yabe Atsushi , Bustamante Ramiro , Arroyo Mary T. K. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAimWe used fossil and phylogenetic evidence to reconstruct climatic niche evolution in Nothofagus, a Gondwana genus distributed in tropical and temperate latitudes. To assess whether the modern distribution of the genus can be explained by the tropical conservatism hypothesis, we tested three predictions: (1) species from all Nothofagus subgenera coexisted under mesothermal climates during the early Eocene; (2) tolerance to microthermal climates evolved during the Eocene–Oligocene cooling from an ancestor that grew under mesothermal conditions; and (3) the climatic niche in Nothofagus is phylogenetically conserved.LocationAustralia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Papua‐New Guinea and South America.MethodsWe estimated the palaeoclimate of the Early Eocene, fossil‐bearing Ligorio Marquez Formation (LMF, Chile), using coexistence and leaf physiognomic analysis. We reconstructed ancestral climatic niches of Nothofagus using extant species distributions and a time‐calibrated phylogeny. Finally, we used the morphological disparity index and phylogenetic generalized least squares to assess whether climatic variables follow a Brownian motion (BM) or an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) model of evolution.ResultsOur palaeoclimatic estimates suggest mesothermal conditions for the LMF, where macrofossils associated with subgenera Lophozonia and possibly Fuscospora, and fossil pollen of Brassospora and Fuscospora/Nothofagus were recorded. These results are not supported by our phylogenetic analysis, which instead suggests that the ancestor of Nothofagus lived under microthermal to marginally mesothermal conditions, with tolerance to mesothermal conditions evolving only in the subgenus Brassospora. Precipitation and temperature dimensions of the realized climatic niche fit with a gradual BM or constrained OU model of evolution.Main ConclusionsOur results suggest that the use of phylogenetic reconstruction methods based only on present distributions of extant taxa to infer ancestral climatic niches is likely to lead to erroneous results when climatic requirements of ancestors differ from their extant descendants, or when much extinction has occurred.
Winter is coming: hibernation reverses the outcome of sperm competition in a fly
Authors: Giraldo‐Perez P. , Herrera P. , Campbell A. , Taylor M. L. , Skeats A. , Aggio R. , Wedell N. , Price T. A. R. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractSperm commonly compete within females to fertilize ova, but research has focused on short‐term sperm storage: sperm that are maintained in a female for only a few days or weeks before use. In nature, females of many species store sperm for months or years, often during periods of environmental stress, such as cold winters. Here we examine the outcome of sperm competition in the fruit fly Drosophila pseudoobscura, simulating the conditions in which females survive winter. We mated females to two males and then stored the female for up to 120 days at 4°C. We found that the outcome of sperm competition was consistent when sperm from two males was stored for 0, 1 or 30 days, with the last male to mate fathering most of the offspring. However, when females were stored in the cold for 120 days, the last male to mate fathered less than 5% of the offspring. Moreover, when sperm were stored long term the first male fathered almost all offspring even when he carried a meiotic driving sex chromosome that drastically reduces sperm competitive success under short‐term storage conditions. This suggests that long‐term sperm storage can radically alter the outcome of sperm competition.