bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of folic acid supplementation in pregnancy on reducing the risk of small‐for‐gestational age neonates: a population study, systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Hodgetts VA , Morris RK , Francis A , Gardosi J , Ismail KM 
Published: November 2014

ObjectivesTo assess the effect of timing of folic acid (FA) supplementation during pregnancy on the risk of the neonate being small for gestational age (SGA).DesignA population database study and a systematic review with meta‐analysis including the results of this population study.Setting and data sourcesA UK regional database was used for the population study and an electronic literature search (from inception until August 2013) for the systematic review.Participants and included studiesSingleton live births with no known congenital anomalies; 111 736 in population study and 188 796 in systematic review.Outcome measures, data extraction and analysisThe main outcome was SGA based on customised birthweight centile. Associations are presented as odds ratios (OR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR), adjusted for maternal and pregnancy‐related characteristics.ResultsOf 108 525 pregnancies with information about FA supplementation, 92 133 (84.9%) had taken FA during pregnancy. Time of commencement of supplementation was recorded in 39 416 pregnancies, of which FA was commenced before conception in 10 036, (25.5%) cases. Preconception commencement of FA supplementation was associated with reduced risk of SGA <10th centile (aOR 0.80, 95% CI 0.71–0.90, P < 0.01) and SGA <5th centile (aOR 0.78, 95% CI 0.66–0.91, P < 0.01). This result was reproduced when the data were pooled with other studies in the systematic review, showing a significant reduction in SGA (<5th centile) births with preconception commencement of FA (aOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.61–0.92, P < 0.006). In contrast, postconception folate had no significant effect on SGA rates.ConclusionSupplementation with FA significantly reduces the risk of SGA at birth but only if commenced preconceptually independent of other risk factors.Systematic review registrationThis systematic review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO number CRD42013004895.
Absent yet popular? Explaining news visibility of Members of the European Parliament
Authors: Gattermann Katjana , Vasilopoulou Sofia 
Published: November 2014

AbstractMembers of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent their citizens in European Union policy making, having the power to approve, amend or reject the near majority of legislation. The media inform EU citizens about their representatives and are able to hold them publicly accountable. However, we know little about whether, and to what extent, MEPs are visible in the news. This study investigates the visibility of MEPs in national broadsheets in Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. It seeks to explain individual‐level variation by employing an original dataset of news visibility of 302 MEPs over a period of 25 months (September 2009–September 2011) and tests the applicability of the news values and mirror theories in the context of supranational politics. The results show that political office, length of tenure and domestic party leadership have a positive effect. Legislative activities have a mixed effect on MEP news visibility. Attendance negatively affects news visibility, while non‐attached MEPs receive more news coverage. In short, despite the core supranational nature of EP legislative politics, MEP news visibility primarily depends on journalists’ domestic considerations. This informs both our understanding of MEP parliamentary behaviour and journalism studies in the context of the EU.
The Shield of Heracles: Multiple streams and the emotional endowment effect
Authors: Zahariadis Nikolaos 
Published: November 2014

AbstractWhat factors explain the persistence of emotion in public policy? Applying the multiple streams framework, it is hypothesised in this article that the more intense the fear and the longer it persists under high salience, task unfamiliarity and complexity, and inconsistent preferences, the less likely it is for policy to change. The study examines the Greek attempt to block international recognition of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1990–1993) and finds the power to build coalitions through emotional arousal that in the short run helps reframe losses and paradoxically undermines political support in the long run. Illuminating the emotional endowment effect within the logic of appropriateness, the article concludes that policy is made under certain conditions on the basis of validating emotions.
Why a nudge is not enough: A social identity critique of governance by stealth
Authors: Mols Frank , Haslam S. Alexander , Jetten Jolanda , Steffens Niklas K. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPolicy makers can use four different modes of governance: ‘hierarchy’, ‘markets’, ‘networks’ and ‘persuasion’. In this article, it is argued that ‘nudging’ represents a distinct (fifth) mode of governance. The effectiveness of nudging as a means of bringing about lasting behaviour change is questioned and it is argued that evidence for its success ignores the facts that many successful nudges are not in fact nudges; that there are instances when nudges backfire; and that there may be ethical concerns associated with nudges. Instead, and in contrast to nudging, behaviour change is more likely to be enduring where it involves social identity change and norm internalisation. The article concludes by urging public policy scholars to engage with the social identity literature on ‘social influence’, and the idea that those promoting lasting behaviour change need to engage with people not as individual cognitive misers, but as members of groups whose norms they internalise and enact.
Molecular cloning and functional characterisation of chicken Atonal homologue 1: A comparison with human Atoh1
Authors: Mulvaney Joanna F. , Amemiya Yutaka , Freeman Stephen D. , Ladher Raj K. , Dabdoub Alain 
Published: November 2014

Background informationThe vertebrate basic helix‐loop‐helix transcription factor Atoh1 is essential for maturation and survival of mechanosensory hair cells of the inner ear, neurogenesis, differentiation of the intestine, homeostasis of the colon and is implicated in cancer progression. Given that mutations in Atoh1 are detected in malignant tumours, study of functionally different Atoh1 alleles and homologues might yield useful avenues for investigation. The predicted sequence of chicken Atoh1 (cAtoh1) has large regions of dissimilarity to that of mammalian Atoh1 homologues. We hypothesise that cAtoh1 might have intrinsic functional differences to mammalian Atoh1.ResultsIn this study, we cloned and sequenced the full open reading frame of cAtoh1. In overexpression experiments, we show that this sequence is sufficient to generate a cAtoh1 protein capable of inducing hair cell markers when expressed in nonsensory regions of the developing inner ear, and that morpholino‐mediated knock‐down using a section of the sequence 5′ to the start codon inhibits differentiation of hair cells in the chicken basilar papilla. Furthermore, we compare the behaviour of cAtoh1 and human Atoh1 (hAtoh1) in embryonic mouse cochlear explants, showing that cAtoh1 is a potent inducer of hair cell differentiation and that it can overcome Sox2‐mediated repression of hair cell differentiation more effectively than hAtoh1.ConclusionscAtoh1 is both necessary and sufficient for avian mechanosensory hair cell differentiation. The non‐conserved regions of the cAtoh1 coding region have functional consequences on its behaviour.
Challenges in ‘Translating’ Human Rights: Perceptions and Practices of Civil Society Actors in Western India
Authors: Unnithan Maya , Heitmeyer Carolyn 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTRights‐based approaches have become prevalent in development rhetoric and programmes in countries such as India, yet little is known about their impact on development practice on the ground. There is limited understanding of how rights work is carried out in India, a country that has a long history of indigenous rights discourse and a strong tradition of civil society activism on rights issues. In this article, we examine the multiple ways in which members of civil society organizations (CSOs) working on rights issues in the state of Rajasthan understand and operationalize rights in their development programmes. As a result of diverse ‘translations’ of rights, local development actors are required to bridge the gaps between the rhetoric of policy and the reality of access to healthcare on the ground. This article illustrates that drawing on community‐near traditions of activism and mobilization, such ‘translation work’ is most effective when it responds to local exigencies and needs in ways that the universal language of human rights and state development discourse leave unmet and unacknowledged. In the process, civil society actors use rights‐based development frameworks instrumentally as well as normatively to deepen community awareness and participation on the one hand, and to fix the state in its role as duty bearer of health rights, on the other hand. In their engagement with rights, CSO members work to reinforce but also challenge neoliberal modes of health governance.
Evidence of Reciprocal Allonursing in Reindeer, Rangifer tarandus
Authors: Engelhardt Sacha C. , Weladji Robert B. , Holand Øystein , Røed Knut H. , Nieminen Mauri 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe nursing of non‐offspring is referred to as allonursing. Reciprocity is a hypothesized cause of allonursing, but previous studies have not strongly supported or found no evidence in support for this hypothesis. Biological market theory was applied to 25 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) does and their calves to investigate allonursing reciprocity across bouts and within dyads and assess the diversity of allonursing partners. We also investigated whether variation in allonursing would be associated to relatedness within dyads. We recorded both the occurrence and the duration of 1027 successful allonursing solicitations. All does allonursed, and only three of the 25 calves were not observed being allonursed. Throughout the study, 234 allonursing dyadic pairs were observed. Does allonursed the calves of several does, but allonursing was not distributed evenly among all potential partners. Twenty does were members of at least 1 dyad with a high degree of reciprocity based on the number of allonursing bouts exchanged within the dyad. We found evidence of both relative and absolute allonursing reciprocity at the group level. Across bouts and within dyads, the reciprocal allonursing indexes varied greatly both for frequency and for duration, with an average tendency towards unidirectionality. Evidence of strong reciprocity within dyads was found in 32 dyads for number of allonursing bouts and in 25 dyads for duration of allonursing bouts. Across bouts and within dyads, the number of allonursing bouts received was not influenced by relatedness, allonursing bouts given or absolute rank difference. Allonursing was not interchanged for rank‐related benefits. Our results provide evidence of reciprocal allonursing at the group level, across bouts and within dyads, and reciprocal allonursing among chosen partners. Our results point to the usefulness of applying the biological market theory to allonursing and of considering allonursing as a tradable commodity, traded for itself, among chosen partners.
Assessing the competitiveness of insurance corporations using fuzzy correlation analysis and improved fuzzy modified TOPSIS
Authors: Chen Shang‐Yu , Lu Chung‐Cheng 
Published: November 2014

AbstractTo obtain greater profit, insurance firms not only need to provide attractive insurance products but also effectively promote their products. A growing number of insurance companies have thus heavily invested in marketing. Therefore, the proposed assessment framework integrates the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and the improved fuzzy modified technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (improved fuzzy modified TOPSIS) to acquire the efficiency scores of the alternatives (i.e. insurance companies) being evaluated. The improved fuzzy modified TOPSIS computes efficiency scores of insurance companies based on the Mahalanobis distances, taking into account the fuzzy correlations between the indicators and the weighted distance of fuzzy modified TOPSIS. The advantage of calculating the Mahalanobis distances over the Euclidean distances, which are typically used in the literature, is that the undulation of efficiency scores can be decreased. The assessment criteria have high correlations with each other. This assessment framework is applied to appraise the marketing performance of four major insurance companies in Taiwan. The assessment and comparison results are proved to be consistent with those published by an independent business survey institute.
Fracture assessment of graphite V‐notched and U‐notched specimens by using the cohesive crack model
Authors: Cendón D. A. , Torabi A. R. , Elices M. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThis article explores the capability of the Cohesive Zone Model in predicting the critical load of blunt notched specimens made of coarse‐grained polycrystalline graphite, a brittle material that has gained the attention of researchers because of its favourable properties for protection against thermal loads. To that aim, 39 different tests on U‐notched and V‐notched specimens made of this material, with loading modes raging from mode I to mixed mode I/II, have been modelled by using the Cohesive Zone Model. The model has been implemented through the embedded crack approach, avoiding thus the necessity of defining the crack trajectory prior to the simulation because it is automatically generated once the maximum principal stress overcomes the tensile strength of the material. The numerical predictions obtained show good agreement with the experimental results.
Effect of a school‐based oral health education programme on use of recommended oral self‐care for reducing the risk of caries by children in Nigeria
Authors: Esan Ayodeji , Folayan Morenike Oluwatoyin , Egbetade Grace O , Oyedele Titus Ayodeji 
Published: November 2014

ObjectiveCaries is a major oral health problem children with efforts focused on promoting use of caries prevention methods. The aim of the study is to assess the effect of a school‐based oral health education programme on use of oral self‐care measures for reducing caries.MethodsA structured school‐based oral health education programme was implemented in six schools in Ile‐Ife, Nigeria for 4 years. At the end of the project, information was sought from school children in their last year and final 2 years of studies on the use of fluoridated toothpaste, consumption of sugar‐containing snacks more than once a day, frequency of tooth brushing and flossing, and time of the last dental check‐up. Predictors of the use of preventive oral health practices for caries were determined.ResultsSchool children who received the intervention were more likely to report frequent use of fluoride‐containing toothpastes (P < 0.001), more likely to brush twice a day (P = 0.03), less likely to consuming sugar‐containing snacks less than once a day (P = 0.03) and less likely to use dental floss once a day (P < 0.001) when compared to the control group.ConclusionThis long term school based educational programme was able to increase school children's use of fluoride‐containing toothpaste and twice daily tooth brushing, which are critical tools for reducing the risk of caries.
Proposed Nomenclature for Salt Intake and for Reductions in Dietary Salt
Authors: Campbell Norm R.C. , Correa‐Rotter Ricardo , Cappuccio Francesco P. , Webster Jacqui , Lackland Daniel T. , Neal Bruce , MacGregor Graham A. 
Published: November 2014

There is considerable confusion about what ranges of dietary saltacould be considered low, normal, or high and also what ranges of reduction in dietary salt are small or large. The World Hypertension League with other organizations involved in dietary salt reduction have proposed a standardized nomenclature based on normal ancestral levels of salt intake and also on ranges of reduction in salt intake in clinical and population interventions. Low daily salt (sodium) intake where harm due to deficiency would be expected to occur is recommended to remain undefined because of inadequate research but likely <0.25 g (100 mg), normal (physiological) intake <2.5 g (1000 mg), recommended intake <5.0 g (2000 mg), high ≥5.0 g (2000 mg), very high >10 to 15 g (4000–6000 mg), and extremely high >15 g (6000 mg). Reductions in daily salt (sodium) intake are recommended to be called small if <2.5 g (1000 mg), moderate if 2.5 to 5.0 g (1000–2000 mg) and large if >5.0 g (2000 mg). Use of this nomenclature is likely to result in less confusion about salt intake and interventions to reduce dietary sodium.
Low‐fluence Q‐switched Nd: YAG 1064‐nm laser and intense pulsed light for the treatment of melasma
Authors: Vachiramon V. , Sirithanabadeekul P. , Sahawatwong S. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractBackgroundLow‐fluence Q‐switched Nd:YAG 1064 nm laser (LFQS) and intense pulsed light (IPL) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of melasma. LFQS can target deeper pigment, while IPL can target a wide range of cutaneous structures. However, there is limited information on efficacy and side‐effects of the combined treatment.ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy and safety of combined LFQS and IPL therapy with LFQS monotherapy in the treatment of melasma.MethodsTwenty female patients with mixed‐type melasma on both cheeks were treated with LFQS on full face for five sessions at 1‐week intervals. One side of the face was randomly assigned to receive additional three sessions of IPL treatments at 2‐week intervals. Patients were evaluated 12 weeks after the last treatment. Outcome measures include the assessment by colorimeter and calculated as relative lightness index (R*LI), modified Melasma Area and Severity Index (mMASI), patient satisfaction and adverse effects.ResultsEighteen patients completed the study. Both sides of the face showed significant improvement of R*LI and mMASI. A more rapid improvement of R*LI and mMASI was observed on combined side. At the end of treatment, 55% improvement and 37% improvement of R*LI was observed on combined side and monotherapy side respectively. The overall patients' satisfaction was in favour of the combined side. Recurrence occurred on both sides but there was still a significant decrease compared to baseline. No serious side effect was noted.ConclusionThe combination of LFQS and IPL results in faster clearance of melasma and is more effective than LFQS alone for melasma treatment. However, recurrence is still inevitable.
Hierarchical behaviour, habitat use and species size differences shape evolutionary outcomes of hybridization in a coral reef fish
Authors: Gainsford A. , van Herwerden L. , Jones G. P. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractHybridization is an important evolutionary process, with ecological and behavioural factors influencing gene exchange between hybrids and parent species. Patterns of hybridization in anemonefishes may result from living in highly specialized habitats and breeding status regulated by size‐based hierarchal social groups. Here, morphological, ecological and genetic analyses in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, examine the hybrid status ofAmphiprion leucokranos, a nominal species and presumed hybrid betweenAmphiprion sandaracinosandAmphiprion chrysopterus. We test the hypothesis that habitat use and relative size differences of the parent species and hybrids determine the patterns of gene exchange. There is strong evidence thatA. leucokranosis a hybrid of smallerA. sandaracinosand largerA. chrysopterus, whereA. chrysopterusis exclusively the mother to each hybrid, based on mtDNA cytochromeband multiplenDNAmicrosatellite loci. Overlap in habitat, depth and host anemone use was found, with hybrids intermediate to parents and cohabitation in over 25% of anemones sampled. Hybrids, intermediate in body size, colour and pattern, were classified 55% of the time as morphologically first‐generation hybrids relative to parents, whereas 45% of hybrids were moreA. sandaracinos‐like, suggesting backcrossing. Unidirectional introgression ofA. chrysopterusmtDNA intoA. sandaracinosvia hybrid backcrosses was found, with larger female hybrids and small maleA. sandaracinosmating. PotentialnDNAintrogression was also evident through distinct intermediate hybrid genotypes penetrating both parent species. Findings support the hypothesis that anemonefish hierarchical behaviour, habitat use and species‐specific size differences determine how hybrids form and the evolutionary consequences of hybridization.
The expression of selected genes linked to metabolic homeostasis in obese pansteatitis‐suffering Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters)
Authors: Truter J C , van Wyk J H , Oberholster P J , Botha A‐M , Luus‐Powell W J 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters) population inhabiting Lake Loskop, South Africa, is characterized by a high incidence of obesity and pansteatitis. We investigated potential links between the impaired health of Lake Loskop O. mossambicus and the endocrine system by assessing the expression of selected genes associated with the thyroid and adrenal endocrine axes as well as peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (pparg). Moreover, contaminant‐induced thyroid and/or metabolic modulation in Lake Loskop water was evaluated using juvenile O. mossambicus in laboratory exposures. The expression of thyroid hormone receptor alpha (thra) and type 2 deiodinase (dio2) was higher in Lake Loskop O. mossambicus than fish from another population, suggesting a degree of thyroid disruption. The altered gene expression may be a consequence, rather than cause of obesity. Expression of dio2 and pparg was higher in juvenile O. mossambicus exposed to unfiltered compared to filtered lake water, and our data suggest fasting as causative factor. Micro‐organism abundance can therefore be a confounding factor in studies applying molecular markers to test for thyroid modulation by environmental waters. Pansteatitis was not a significant source of variance in the expression of any of the genes investigated, suggesting that the disease is not associated with disrupted endocrine signalling.