bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Significance of cervical ripening in pre‐induction treatment for premature rupture of membranes at term
Authors: Kurasawa Kentaro , Yamamoto Megumi , Usami Yuki , Mochimaru Aya , Mochizuki Akihiko , Aoki Shigeru , Okuda Mika , Takahashi Tsuneo , Hirahara Fumiki 
Published: August 2013

AbstractAimThis study aimed to determine whether mechanical cervical dilatation with a laminaria tent in women with premature rupture of membranes (PROM) at term may influence the maternal/neonatal outcomes.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records and histopathologic results of the placenta in 782 women with PROM at term. Of the 486 women seen prior to 2010 (group 1), 85 had Bishop scores of 5 or less and underwent insertion of laminaria tents (group A). In the 296 women admitted after 2010 (group 2), 27 had Bishop scores of 5 or less and underwent labor management without insertion of laminaria tents (group B). The patient characteristics, delivery course and neonatal outcomes were compared between the groups.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the maternal age, percentage of nulliparas, body mass index, gestational age at delivery or Bishop score between the groups. The Bishop score improved from 2.5 to 6.1 after laminaria tent insertion in group A. However, there were no significant intergroup differences in the frequency of use of labor‐inducing agents or the time interval from PROM to delivery. The incidence of clinical/pathological chorioamnionitis was not higher in group A than in group B. No significant differences were found in the Apgar scores, umbilical artery pH or frequency of asphyxia neonatorum between the groups. Mechanical cervical dilatation by laminaria tent insertion neither increased the incidence of infection nor contributed to improvement of the perinatal prognosis.ConclusionMechanical cervical dilatation does not provide any benefit for women with PROM at term.
The emergence of reproductive division of labor in forced queen groups of the ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus
Authors: Cahan S. Helms , Gardner‐Morse E. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractOne of the defining features of advanced eusocial groups is reproductive division of labor, where one or a few individuals specialize on reproduction while others perform strictly nonreproductive tasks such as brood care, defense and foraging. Recent theoretical work suggests that the rudiments of division of labor may originate spontaneously during initial group formation as an emergent property, rather than requiring a secondary adaptation. Empirical studies on nonreproductive tasks support the emergence hypothesis, but it is unclear whether this mechanism also extends to reproduction. To test whether reproductive division of labor can be produced as an emergent property, we assessed the extent and mechanisms of both nonreproductive and reproductive division of labor in forced associations of normally solitary queens of the harvester ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus. We find that division of labor in both types of tasks can be induced in groups of individuals with no evolutionary history of social cooperation. Specialization in excavation behavior was more pronounced than reproduction, which tended to be incomplete although significantly skewed. In addition to reproductive division of labor, enhanced productivity in forced pairs relative to solitary queens suggests that both queens contributed cooperatively to brood care despite unequal maternity. Thus, two of the three defining features of eusociality may have originated through self‐organizing mechanisms concurrently with the evolution of grouping, exposing these social strategies to selection early on in the evolution of social life.
Welfare Costs of Business Cycles in Turkey
Authors: Yılmaz Ensar 
Published: August 2013

AbstractHow large are welfare costs related to economic aggregate fluctuations is a topic of great concern among economists at least since Lucas's (1987) model. Our analysis assesses the magnitude of such costs for Turkey by means of two approaches: aggregate and disaggregate. The former approach uses aggregate data employing three alternative trend‐cycle decomposition methods which are Lucas' classical set‐up with deterministic linear trend for consumption, Hodrick and Prescott filter and one in which consumption trend is stochastic and whose implementation is performed using Beveridge–Nelson decomposition. The results of both approaches suggest that Turkey has high welfare costs associated with business cycles.
Bedside Ultrasound‐Guided Celiac Plexus Neurolysis in Upper Abdominal Cancer Patients: A Randomized, Prospective Study for Comparison of Percutaneous Bilateral Paramedian vs. Unilateral Paramedian Needle‐Insertion Technique
Authors: Bhatnagar Sushma , Joshi Saurabh , Rana S.P.S. , Mishra Seema , Garg Rakesh , Ahmed Syed M. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIntroductionPercutaneous anterior abdominal ultrasound guidance for performing celiac plexus neurolysis is a relatively new but more economical, less time‐consuming, more comfortable bedside technique for interventional pain management. Paucity of studies evaluating the efficacy of single‐site vs. double‐site injections at celiac trunk for ultrasound‐guided celiac plexus neurolysis (USCPN) prompted us to conduct a prospective, randomized, single‐blind clinical trial to compare USCPN using bilateral paramedian (double needle) technique with unilateral paramedian (single needle) technique.MethodsSixty patients aged 18 years or older with unresectable upper abdominal cancers were randomized into two groups to receive USCPN. A 20‐mL mixture of 50% ethanol with 0.25% bupivacaine was injected either unilaterally (20 mL×1 site) or bilaterally (10 mL×2 sites) depending on the randomization group. Subjects were assessed for the pain relief using Numerical rating scale (NRS) to assess their pain relief.ResultsBaseline parameters being comparable (P > 0.05), the site of drug injections (single or double needle) had no bearing on the onset of pain relief and patient satisfaction scores (P > 0.05). Pain relief during follow‐up visits was comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05). The discomfort score correlated well with the pain relief scoring without any significant difference between the two groups except in the last visit (at 3 month). Incidences of the complications were comparable in the two groups (P > 0.05).ConclusionUltrasound‐guided celiac plexus neurolysis using unilateral paramedian (single needle) needle‐insertion technique is comparable with bilateral paramedian (double needle) needle‐insertion technique with regard to pain relief and side effects.
Isolation and characterisation of a dwarf rice mutant exhibiting defective gibberellins biosynthesis
Authors: Ji S. H. , Gururani M. A. , Lee J. W. , Ahn B.‐O. , Chun S.‐C. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractWe have isolated a severe dwarf mutant derived from aDs(Dissociation) insertion mutant rice (Oryza sativavar.japonicac.v.Dongjin). This severe dwarf phenotype, has short and dark green leaves, reduced shoot growth early in the seedling stage, and later severe dwarfism with failure to initiate flowering. When treated with bioactiveGA3, mutants are restored to the normal wild‐type phenotype. Reverse transcriptionPCRanalyses of 22 candidate genes related to the gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis pathway revealed that among 22 candidate genes tested, a dwarf mutant transcript was not expressed only in oneOsKS2gene. Genetic analysis revealed that the severe dwarf phenotype was controlled by recessive mutation of a single nuclear gene. The putativeOsKS2gene was a chromosome 4‐locatedent‐kaurene synthase (KS), encoding the enzyme that catalyses an early step of theGAbiosynthesis pathway. Sequence analysis revealed thatosks2carried a 1‐bp deletion in theORFregion ofOsKS2, which led to a loss‐of‐function mutation. The expression pattern ofOsKS2in wild‐type cvDongjin, showed that it is expressed in all organs, most prominently in the stem and floral organs. Morphological characteristics of the dwarf mutant showed dramatic modifications in internal structure and external morphology. We propose that dwarfism in this mutant is caused by a point mutation inOsKS2, which plays a significant role in growth and development of higher plants. Further investigation onOsKS2 and otherOsKS‐like proteins is underway and may yield better understanding of the putative role ofOsKSin severe dwarf mutants.
Growth alteration and leaf biochemical responses in Phaseolus vulgaris exposed to different doses of ionising radiation
Authors: Arena C. , De Micco V. , De Maio A. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIonising radiation may have different effects on plant metabolism, growth and reproduction, depending on radiation dose, plant species, developmental stage and physiological traits. In this study, exposure of dwarf bean plants to different doses of X‐rays (0.3, 10, 50, 100 Gy) was investigated with a multidisciplinary approach consisting of morphological, ecophysiological and biochemical analysis. Both mature and young leaves still growing during the X‐rays exposure were compared with non‐irradiated control leaves. In particular, leaf expansion, leaf anatomy and functional traits, as well as photosynthetic pigment content and Rubisco expression were analysed. Moreover, the activity of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) was also measured as an indicator of radiation‐induced DNA damage. Our data showed that leaf growth is affected by high levels of radiation and demonstrate that mature leaves are more radio‐resistant than young leaves, which experience severe dose‐dependent changes in leaf functional traits. In particular, young leaves exhibited a reduction of area and an increase in specific mass and dry matter content, as well as a decline in Rubisco activity. Moreover, they showed elevated PARP activity and an increase in phenolic compounds in wall cells if compared with mature leaves. Both of these strategies have been interpreted as a way to help developing leaves withstand irradiation.
The US Trade Deficit and the Rate of Interest
Authors: Batra Ravi , Beladi Hamid 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIt is well known that nations with high trade deficits normally have higher interest rates than those with surplus or balanced trade. However, such has not been the case with the USA, which has seen a relentless trade deficit since 1982. Its interest rates have been lower than those prevailing in many trade‐surplus nations. Furthermore, these rates fell even as the trade shortfall shot up, generating an interest‐rate paradox. This paper demonstrates that, unlike for other nations, the rising trade deficit itself became the cause of lower US interest rates, and this happened because of the world's strong interest in maintaining a high value of the dollar.
Nonlinear Exchange Rate Adjustment and the Monetary Model
Authors: Beckmann Joscha 
Published: August 2013

AbstractAlthough the empirical literature has delivered evidence in favor of nonlinearities in nominal and real exchange rate adjustment, the corresponding mechanisms with respect to the relationship between nominal exchange rates and fundamentals in general have rarely been put under any close scrutiny. This paper extends the work of other authors, who estimate exponential smooth transition autoregressive models to deviations of the exchange rate from monetary fundamentals. Using monthly data from 1976:01 to 2010:12 for theUSA,UK, andJapan, this paper first adopts a cointegrated vector autoregression (VAR) framework to test for the multivariate validity of the monetary model by applying restrictions on the long‐run relationships. Then, nonlinear vector error correction models are estimated to tackle the question of whether the adjustment of the nominal exchange rate with respect to those relationships follows a nonlinear path.
Capital Accumulation and Convergence in a Small Open Economy
Authors: Sen Partha 
Published: August 2013

AbstractOutward‐oriented economies seem to grow faster than inward‐looking ones. Does the literature on convergence have anything to say on this? In the dynamic Heckscher–Ohlin–Samuelson model, with factor‐price equalization, there is no convergence of incomes. This is because with identical preferences and return to capital, irrespective of initial levels, the growth rates of consumption are the same. In the specific factors' model, there is factor‐price equalization in the long run, but incomes depend on endowments of non‐accumulable factors. Different specifications for the intersectorally mobile factors have different implications for development (as well as convergence).
International Environmental Agreements, Fiscal Federalism, and Constitutional Design
Authors: Buchholz Wolfgang , Haupt Alexander , Peters Wolfgang 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIn this paper, we analyze how the prospect of international negotiations over trans‐boundary pollution shapes intracountry transfer schemes when the governments of the countries' polluting regions are in charge of environmental policy and negotiations. Federal governments can implement compensation payments between domestic regions and matching grants prior to the international negotiations between the polluting regions. The subgame‐perfect transfer schemes fail to fully internalize the environmental externality, leading to an inefficient international environmental agreement. As the international spillover increases, the intracountry compensation rates increase while the matching rates decline, distorting the incentives for the regional governments in opposing directions. We also show that decentralization of environmental decision making arises endogenously.
Political, Institutional, and Economic Factors Underlying Deficit Volatility
Authors: Agnello Luca , Sousa Ricardo M. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIt is well known that fiscal policy can counter‐cyclically smooth out the effect of unexpected shocks and public deficit volatility may reflect the (optimal) policy response to them. However, the welfare losses associated to fiscal instability are also an important challenge for many countries, as it typically implies an inefficient allocation of resources, higher sovereign risk premium and an inadequate provision of public services. In this paper, we empirically analyze the political, institutional, and economic sources of public deficit volatility. Using the system‐generalized method‐of‐moments (GMM) estimator for linear dynamic panel data models and a sample of 125 countries analyzed from 1980 to 2006, we show that higher public deficit volatility is typically associated with higher levels of political instability and less democracy. In addition, public deficit volatility tends to be magnified for small countries, in the outcome of hyper‐inflation episodes and for countries with a high degree of openness.
Regulatory Protection When Firms Decide First on Technical Collaboration and R&D
Authors: Edwards Huw , Poyago‐Theotoky Joanna 
Published: August 2013

AbstractWe investigate the imposition of a horizontal technical barrier to trade (HTBT) in a symmetric, cross‐hauling duopoly. Tariffs and subsidies are ruled out, but, in the absence of a mutual recognition agreement, governments can impose HTBTs, so long as firms operate different technologies. With firms being first movers, this possibility may induce them to avoid technical collaboration, in order to tempt governments into creating national monopolies, unless spillovers in R&D are high. This exacerbates the costs of regulatory protection, compared to standard models without R&D or spillovers.
Does it Matter Who You Sign With? Comparing the Impacts ofNorth–South andSouth–South Trade Agreements on Bilateral Trade
Authors: Behar Alberto , Cirera‐i‐Crivillé Laia 
Published: August 2013

AbstractFree trade agreements (FTAs) lead to a rise in bilateral trade regardless of whether the signatories are developed or developing countries. Furthermore, the percentage increase in bilateral trade is higher forSouth–South agreements than forNorth–South agreements. The results are robust across a number of gravity model specifications in which we control for the endogeneity ofFTAs(with bilateral fixed effects) and also take account of multilateral resistance in both estimation (with country‐time fixed effects) and comparative statics (analytically). Our analytical model shows that multilateral resistance dampens the impact ofFTAson trade by less inSouth–South agreements than inNorth–South agreements, which accentuates the difference implied by our gravity model coefficients, and that this difference becomes larger as the number of signatories rises. For example, allowing for lags and multilateral resistance, a four‐countryNorth–South agreement raises bilateral trade by 53% while the analogousSouth–South impact is 107%.
Technology Transfer, Quality Standards, and North–South Trade
Authors: Nabin Munirul H. , Nguyen Xuan , Sgro Pasquale M. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis paper examines the economic consequences of technology transfer through licensing in a North–South model of vertical product differentiation, based on a product‐line pricing framework. With its limited technological expertise, the southern firm cannot export to the northern market without purchasing the northern firm's “clean” and low‐cost technology. With North–South cost‐asymmetry, we conclude that the transfer of technology through licensing promotes trade, product variety and improves global welfare. However, without government intervention, the private levels of product quality chosen by firms tend to be lower than the socially optimal levels. This finding helps to explain why developed countries often set quality standards for imported foreign products.
Productivity Performance of Export Market Entry and Exit: Evidence from Indian Firms
Authors: Mallick Sushanta , Yang Yong 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis paper contributes to the literature on exporting and firm productivity, focusing on export entry (efficiency), learning (post‐entry growth) and exit (inefficiency) by Indian firms. Drawing on 7000 firms during 1989–2009, our main objective is to examine the effect of exporting on firm productivity, correcting for selection bias using propensity‐score matching, which allows a “like‐for‐like” comparison between new exporters and nonexporters. Robust to different matching estimators, we find evidence of learning‐by‐exporting that new exporters acquire rapid productivity growth after entry, relative to nonexporters. We also find that (1) exporters are more productive than nonexporters; (2) productive firms tend to self‐select in entering the exporting market, and (3) least productive exporters are found to exit the export market as they experience adverse productivity effect prior to the year of exit. Our robust result on learning‐by‐exporting suggests that entering export market does appear to be a channel explaining the Indian recent growth miracle.
Association of Genes in the NF‐κB Pathway with Antibody‐Positive Primary Sjögren's Syndrome
Authors: Nordmark Gunnel , Wang Chuan , Vasaitis Lilian , Eriksson Per , Theander Elke , Kvarnström Marika , Forsblad‐d'Elia Helena , Jazebi Helmi , Sjöwall Christopher , Reksten Tove Ragna , Brun Johan G. , Jonsson Malin V. , Johnsen Svein J. , Wahren‐Herlenius Marie , Omdal Roald , Jonsson Roland , Bowman Simon , Ng Wan‐Fai , Eloranta Maija‐Leena , Syvänen Ann‐Christine 
Published: August 2013

AbstractPrimary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by focal lymphocytic infiltrates in the lachrymal and salivary glands and autoantibodies against the SSA/Ro and SSB/La antigens. Experimental studies have shown an activation of NF‐κB in primary SS. NF‐κB activation results in inflammation and autoimmunity and is regulated by inhibitory and activating proteins. Genetic studies have shown an association between multiple autoimmune diseases and TNFAIP3 (A20) and TNIP1 (ABIN1), both repressors of NF‐κB and of IKBKE (IKKε), which is an NF‐κB activator. The aim of this study was to analyse single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IKBKE, NFKB1, TNIP1 and TNFAIP3 genes for association with primary SS. A total of 12 SNPs were genotyped in 1105 patients from Scandinavia (Sweden and Norway, n = 684) and the UK (n = 421) and 4460 controls (Scandinavia, n = 1662, UK, n = 2798). When patients were stratified for the presence of anti‐SSA and/or anti‐SSB antibodies (n = 868), case–control meta‐analysis found an association between antibody‐positive primary SS and two SNPs in TNIP1 (P = 3.4 × 10−5, OR = 1.33, 95%CI: 1.16–1.52 for rs3792783 and P = 1.3 × 10−3, OR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.08–1.36 for rs7708392). A TNIP1 risk haplotype was associated with antibody‐positive primary SS (P = 5.7 × 10−3, OR = 1.47, 95%CI: 1.12–1.92). There were no significant associations with IKBKE, NFKB1 or TNFAIP3 in the meta‐analysis of the Scandinavian and UK cohorts. We conclude that polymorphisms in TNIP1 are associated with antibody‐positive primary SS.
Assessing the HLA diversity of cord blood units collected from a birth clinic caring for pregnant women in an ethnically diverse metropolitan area
Authors: Magalon Jeremy , Billard‐Daufresne Lise Marie , Gilbertas Chantal , Hermanche Emmanuelle , Simon Sophie , Lemarie Claude , Calmels Boris , Sabatier Florence , Gamerre Marc , Picard Christophe , Chabannon Christian 
Published: August 2013

BackgroundNew strategies are emerging in cord blood banking where focusing on birth clinics caring for a high number of mothers belonging to ethnic minorities could offer new possibilities for allotransplantation both for patients of European origin and for patients from ethnic minorities or mixed ancestries.Study Design and MethodsMarseilles Cord Blood Bank works with one university birth clinic caring for a culturally and sociologically diverse population. Stringent French legal restrictions apply to recording the geographic origin of parents. To circumvent this limitation and evaluate the contribution of newly banked cord blood units (CBUs) to increasing HLA diversity, we applied an algorithm that allows for the determination of parents' putative haplotypes and thus grossly deduce information on their ancestry. Generic resolution HLA‐A, HLA‐B, and allelic resolution HLA‐DRB1 genotyping for 328 CBUs and 2691 unrelated donors (UDs) between January 2009 and May 2012 were performed. Enrichment from international CBU registry with nonreferenced generic HLA‐A, HLA‐B, and allelic HLA‐DRB1 phenotypes was compared between CBUs identified with one or two non‐European haplotypes and CBUs identified with two European haplotypes.ResultsMarseilles CBUs display an increased proportion of HLA antigens frequently expressed in African populations compared to UDs. Whereas 93% of 199 CBUs identified with one or two non‐European haplotypes enrich international CBU registry, this result is reduced to 42% for the 129 CBUs identified with two European haplotypes.ConclusionThis study supports a new method to assess HLA diversity. However, such an increased of HLA diversity raises questions about frequencies of CBUs released and clinical relevance from their uses.