bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of Different Drying Treatments and Extraction Solvents on the Metabolite Profile and Nitric Oxide Inhibitory Activity of Ajwa Dates
Authors: Abdul‐Hamid Nur Ashikin , Abas Faridah , Ismail Intan Safinar , Shaari Khozirah , Lajis Nordin H. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThis study aimed to examine the variation in the metabolite profiles and nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activity of Ajwa dates that were subjected to 2 drying treatments and different extraction solvents. 1H NMR coupled with multivariate data analysis was employed. A Griess assay was used to determine the inhibition of the production of NO in RAW 264.7 cells treated with LPS and interferon‐γ. The oven dried (OD) samples demonstrated the absence of asparagine and ascorbic acid as compared to the freeze dried (FD) dates. The principal component analysis showed distinct clusters between the OD and FD dates by the second principal component. In respect of extraction solvents, chloroform extracts can be distinguished by the absence of arginine, glycine and asparagine compared to the methanol and 50% methanol extracts. The chloroform extracts can be clearly distinguished from the methanol and 50% methanol extracts by first principal component. Meanwhile, the loading score plot of partial least squares analysis suggested that beta glucose, alpha glucose, choline, ascorbic acid and glycine were among the metabolites that were contributing to higher biological activity displayed by FD and methanol extracts of Ajwa. The results highlight an alternative method of metabolomics approach for determination of the metabolites that contribute to NO inhibitory activity.
Gridlock: From Self‐reinforcing Interdependence to Second‐order Cooperation Problems
Authors: Hale Thomas , Held David , Young Kevin 
Published: October 2015

AbstractGrowing interdependence requires greater global cooperation, but across a range of issues multilateral policy making seems to have stalled. We argue that this growing gap between the need for global governance and the ability of intergovernmental institutions to provide it must be understood as a general and conjunctural state of the multilateral order, which we term gridlock. The causes of gridlock are diverse – rising multipolarity, institutional inertia, harder problems, increased complexity – but can be found across a range of global issue areas. Importantly, these drivers are, in part, products of previous, successful cooperation over the postwar period, and can therefore be understood as ‘second‐order’ cooperation problems. We argue that a process of self‐reinforcing interdependence has altered the nature of global politics over the past decades, and has therefore in part undermined the ability of multilateral institutions to sustain the very interdependence they have helped to create. This article lays out this argument with regard to three core areas of world politics: security, trade and finance.
Fighting the Resource Curse
Authors: Wenar Leif 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe resource curse can strike countries that export high‐value natural resources, such as oil, metals and gems. Resource‐exporting countries are more prone to authoritarian governance, they are at higher risk of civil wars and they tend to suffer economic dysfunctions such as corruption and slower growth. Associations between resources and these pathologies are seen in the list of the ‘Big Five’ African oil exporters: Algeria, Angola, Libya, Nigeria and Sudan. The recent histories of mineral exporters support the correlations: for example, ‘blood diamonds’ fuelled Sierra Leone's decade‐long civil war, and the continuing conflict in the metal‐rich Democratic Republic of the Congo has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. The phenomenon is not solely African: Syria, Yemen and Turkmenistan, for example, are also resource‐cursed. Moreover, poor governance in resource‐cursed countries can engender follow‐on pathologies, such as a propensity to cause environmental damage both domestically (for example, through the destruction of forests) and globally (through increased greenhouse gas emissions). Most research on the resource curse has focused on the exporting countries. Here I focus instead on major importing countries, especially those in the G8. First I survey how the resource curse endangers the core interests of importing states, and how the laws of importing states drive the resource curse. The second half of the article describes a new policy framework for importing states that will improve international trade in resources for both importing and exporting countries.
Genome‐wide association study of body mass index in subjects with alcohol dependence
Authors: Polimanti Renato , Zhang Huiping , Smith Andrew H. , Zhao Hongyu , Farrer Lindsay A. , Kranzler Henry R. , Gelernter Joel 
Published: October 2015

AbstractOutcomes related to disordered metabolism are common in alcohol dependence (AD). To investigate alterations in the regulation of body mass that occur in the context of AD, we performed a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) of body mass index (BMI) in African Americans (AAs) and European Americans (EAs) with AD. Subjects were recruited for genetic studies of AD or drug dependence and evaluated using the Semi‐structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism. We investigated a total of 2587 AAs and 2959 EAs with DSM‐IV AD diagnosis. In the stage 1 sample (N = 4137), we observed three genome‐wide significant (GWS) single‐nucleotide polymorphism associations, rs200889048 (P = 8.98 * 10−12) and rs12490016 (P = 1.44 * 10−8) in EAs and rs1630623 (P = 5.14 * 10−9) in AAs and EAs meta‐analyzed. In the stage 2 sample (N = 1409), we replicated 278, 253 and 168 of the stage 1 suggestive loci (P < 5*10−4) in AAs, EAs, and AAs and EAs meta‐analyzed, respectively. A meta‐analysis of stage 1 and stage 2 samples (N = 5546) identified two additional GWS signals: rs28562191 in EAs (P = 4.46 * 10−8) and rs56950471 in AAs (P = 1.57 * 10−9). Three of the GWS loci identified (rs200889048, rs12490016 and rs1630623) were not previously reported by GWAS of BMI in the general population, and two of them raise interesting hypotheses: rs12490016—a regulatory variant located within LINC00880, where there are other GWAS‐identified variants associated with birth size, adiposity in newborns and bulimia symptoms, which also interact with social stress in relation to birth size; rs1630623—a regulatory variant related to ALDH1A1, a gene involved in alcohol metabolism and adipocyte plasticity. These loci offer molecular insights regarding the regulatory mechanisms of body mass in the context of AD.
Effects of spirotetramat on development and reproduction of Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
Authors: Wang Ze‐Hua , Gong Ya‐Jun , Jin Gui‐Hua , Zhu Liang , Wei Shu‐Jun 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe Green Peach Aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776) is one of the most destructive pests of cultivated crops worldwide. Spirotetramat is an insecticide with a novel mode of action on aphids and other sucking pests. Here, we studied the effects of spirotetramat on the biology and development of M. persicae under laboratory condition. The results showed that spirotetramat at sublethal doses caused a decrease in nymph survival. However, we did not find sublethal effects on developmental duration of treated aphids or their offspring when exposed to LC5 (0.2736 mg/L), LC15 (0.5163 mg/L) and LC25 (0.7531 mg/L) concentrations. Treatments with LC30 (0.8808 mg/L), LC60 (1.9830 mg/L) and the recommended concentration for field usage (60 mg/L) significantly reduced the longevity and fecundity of adult aphids. Gross fertility was reduced by 65.34%, 81.80% and 86.51% at LC30, LC60 and recommended concentrations, respectively. The most significant feature of spirotetramat is that it induces nonviable nymphs, leading to a significant reduction in adult fecundity. The proportion of nonviable nymphs significantly increased with the concentration of spirotetramat. The gross and net reproductive rates were reduced by 68.91%, 83.97%, 97.25% and 65.61%, 81.94%, 97.10% at LC30, LC60, and recommended concentrations, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase decreased to 0 when aphids were exposed to the recommended concentration. Our study showed that the reproductive toxicity of spirotetramat should be fully considered when attempting to evaluate the pesticide's action on insects.
Extent of utilisation of dual‐purpose wheat for grazing by late‐pregnant and lambing ewes and producer‐reported incidence of health issues in southern New South Wales
Authors: McGrath SR , Lievaart JJ , Friend MA 
Published: October 2015

ObjectiveTo investigate the extent of using dual‐purpose wheat for grazing by late‐pregnant and lambing ewes in southern New South Wales (NSW) and the effect on ewe health.MethodsA questionnaire was mailed to sheep producers in the mixed‐farming districts of the Hume Livestock Health and Pest Authority area in NSW, seeking information on whether there had been grazing by late‐pregnant or lambing ewes of dual‐purpose wheat during the period 2005–10. Information collected included general farm operation details, as well as the producers' experiences specific to grazing reproducing ewes on wheat, including causes and extent of disease and the producers' supplementation practices.ResultsOf the 202 respondents to the survey, 43% identified that they had grazed late‐pregnant and/or lambing ewes on dual‐purpose wheat during the period 2005–10. Of the producers, 71 had grazed reproducing ewes on wheat in 2010 and reported a mean disease incidence of 2.6% (range, 0.0–21.3%). Dystocia, pregnancy toxaemia, foot abscess and grass tetany were the most commonly reported diseases in ewes grazing wheat in 2010. The majority of producers (92%) supplied supplement to ewes grazing wheat in 2010, including mineral supplements (85%), roughage (58%) and grain (18%). Thirty percent of producers who grazed ewes on wheat between 2005 and 2009 experienced higher than normal rates of ewe health problems, reporting a mean of 7.9% ewes in these flocks with health problems.ConclusionMetabolic diseases such as pregnancy toxaemia, hypocalcaemia and grass tetany appear to be important diseases of reproducing ewes grazing wheat pasture.
Curcumin, Silybin Phytosome® and α‐R‐Lipoic Acid Mitigate Chronic Hepatitis in Rat by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Cytokines Production
Authors: Ali Shimaa O. , Darwish Hebatallah A. , Ismail Nabila A. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractChronic hepatitis is recognized as a worldwide health problem that gradually progresses towards cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite the large number of experiments using animal models for allergic hepatitis, it is still difficult to produce a picture of chronic hepatitis. Therefore, this study was conducted to introduce an animal model approximating to the mechanism of chronicity in human hepatitis. The study also aimed to examine the hepatoprotective effects of curcumin, silybin phytosome® and α‐R‐lipoic acid against thioacetamide (TAA)‐induced chronic hepatitis in rat model. TAA was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 200 mg/kg three times weekly for 4 weeks. At the end of this period, a group of rats was killed to assess the development of chronic hepatitis in comparison with their respective control group. TAA administration was then discontinued, and the remaining animals were subsequently allocated into four groups. Group 1 was left untreated, whereas groups 2–4 were allowed to receive daily oral doses of curcumin, silybin phytosome® or α‐R‐lipoic acid, respectively, for 7 weeks. Increases in hepatic levels of malondialdehyde associated with TAA administration were inhibited in groups receiving supplements. Furthermore, glutathione depletion, collagen deposition, macrophage activation and nuclear factor κappa‐B expression as well as tumour necrosis factor‐α and interleukin‐6 levels were significantly decreased in response to supplements administration. Serological analysis of liver function and liver histopathological examination reinforced the results. The above evidence collectively indicates that the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities of curcumin, silybin phytosome® and α‐R‐lipoic acid may confer therapeutic efficacy against chronic hepatitis.
Challenges and Enablers to Smoking Cessation for Young Pregnant Australian Women: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Hauck Yvonne , Ronchi Fiona , Lourey Barbara , Lewis Lucy 
Published: October 2015

AbstractBackgroundWestern Australian (WA) perinatal statistics indicate an 8 percent decrease in smoking by pregnant women from 1999 to 2009. Despite the success of cessation interventions, the incidence of tobacco smokers among young pregnant women remains a cause for concern. To inform development of an appropriate suite of interventions, a qualitative study was undertaken to gain insight into the perceived challenges and enablers young pregnant women encounter when attempting to modify their smoking.MethodA hypothetical scenario and interview questions were used: if a young pregnant woman decided to decrease or stop her smoking 1) what could assist her, and 2) what are the challenges that she would need to overcome? Thematic analysis was conducted. Our sample included English‐speaking pregnant women recorded as a smoker, 16 to 24 years of age, and attending antenatal services at a public maternity hospital.ResultsThirty‐six women participated in an interview. “Habit” was noted as the key theme under perceived challenges and incorporated three subthemes: learn to deal with stress; the urge for a smoke; and not being left out. Concern over the health of their baby emerged as the main theme and enabler to change behavior. Four subthemes were extracted around keeping their baby healthy: getting the facts; you need someone; something you can take to help; and keeping your mind off it.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the complex issues around smoking for young pregnant WA women. Insight into these challenges and enablers may inform development of more suitable interventions to address the unique needs of this group of pregnant women.
New products for the treatment of haemophilia
Authors: Laffan Mike 
Published: October 2015

SummaryCurrent developments in haemophilia therapy are directed at two therapeutic targets: reduction of injection frequency and reduction or bypassing of inhibitors. A variety of new molecules addressing these aims are now completing clinical trials and are ready to enter clinical use. First amongst these are modified Factor VIII (FVIII) and Factor IX (FIX) molecules with extended half‐lives. FIX modifications have achieved 5‐fold prolongation of half‐life whilst effects on FVIII have been more modest, at less than two‐fold. We now face the problem of integrating these into clinical practice. Other approaches have generated chemically modified FVIII molecules with altered activation profiles. An alternative way of correcting the haemophilia defect is to reduce the activity of natural anticoagulants in an attempt to restore the balance of haemostasis. These methods are also giving promising results but, as with all new approaches, it will be some while before they all find their place in practice.
Solving the global warming problem: beyond markets, simple mechanisms may help!
Authors: Martimort David , Sand‐Zantman Wilfried 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThis paper discusses the feasibility and performances of simple mechanisms to implement international environmental agreements in the multilateral externalities context of global warming. Asymmetric information and voluntary participation by sovereign and heterogeneous countries are key constraints on the design of those agreements. Mechanisms must prevent two sorts of free‐riding problems – free riding in effort provision and free riding in participation. As markets might fail to solve simultaneously those two problems, we construct instead a simple menu of options that trades off the provision of incentives for participating countries and the provision of incentives to participate. With such a mechanism, all countries voluntarily contribute to a fund, although at different intensities, but only the most efficient ones effectively reduce their pollution below its ‘business as usual’ level.
Explaining the use of planning consultants inOntario cities
Authors: Momani Bessma , Khirfan Luna 
Published: October 2015

AbstractConsulting firms providing policy advice to governments is a widespread phenomenon. This article asks why municipalities employ urban planning consultant firms to advise on public sector projects. Municipal employees from 19 mid‐sizedOntario cities responded to online survey questionnaires asking for their opinions on why urban planning consultant firms are hired by their cities. In testing four hypotheses, this study found functionalism (the need for expertise because of a lack of in‐house talent or time) to be the strongest explanation for this phenomenon. In addition to a lack of staff time and resources, the ideational hypothesis — perceived specialized knowledge and expertise of consultants — was also found to be relevant.
Performance management and “undesirable” organizational behaviour: Standardized testing in Ontario schools
Authors: Ohemeng Frank , McCall‐Thomas Elyse 
Published: October 2015

AbstractPerformance management (PM) is a major administrative mechanism for assessing efficiency and effectiveness, and for exacting accountability from organizations and individuals. Many have argued, however, that using PM in such ways creates perverse incentives and may lead to undesirable behaviours, such as the obstruction of accurate performance measurement in an effort to avoid public mortification. By examining the introduction of standardized testing in the Ontario public school system, this article adds to the debate on whether PM leads to undesirable behaviours and distorts the representation of actual performance by public sector employees. It argues that, while PM in the public sector may be well intentioned, it may generate a system that produces undesired results.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience to Inform Cognitive‐Control Interventions for Drug Abuse: Introduction to the Special Section
Authors: Sirocco Karen Y. , Lynne‐Landsman Sarah D. , Boyce Cheryl A. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractCognitive control has long been a validated construct to explain risk for drug abuse. Research evidence suggests that cognitive‐control interventions show promise for future preventive intervention and treatment efforts across development. Biomarkers of the efficacy of these interventions have also been identified. To examine the potential of utilizing developmental cognitive neuroscience to guide cognitive‐control interventions for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, the National Institute on Drug Abuse held a research roundtable in Rockville, Maryland, in May 2010. The research presented at the roundtable and reviewed in this Special Section of Child Development Perspectives highlights the promise of cognitive‐control interventions for enhancing, or ameliorating deficits in, executive functions relevant to substance use disorders, as well as the promise of neuroscience techniques for guiding the conceptualization of these interventions.
Weighing it up: family maintenance discourses in NGO child protection decision‐making in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Authors: Keddell Emily 
Published: October 2015

AbstractExamining the concepts underpinning the reasoning processes of social worker's decision‐making provides important insights into how social work practice is undertaken. This paper examines one of the major discourses used by social workers in decision reasoning in a non‐governmental organization child protection context in Aotearoa/New Zealand: family maintenance. This study found that family maintenance as a concept was strongly privileged by social workers. This resulted in attempts to preserve families and created a hierarchy of preferred decision outcomes. A preference for family maintenance was supported by legal, moral, psychological and Māori cultural concepts. This pattern of constructs underpinned the ‘weighing up of harms’ when considering removal, and generally reflected a child welfare orientation. In addition to this, it was found that ‘family’ was broadly defined, and could include people who had a relationship with the children, or Māori definitions of extended family, in addition to legal ones.
Peri‐implant tissues morphometry at SLActive surfaces. An experimental study in the dog
Authors: Favero Vittorio , Lang Niklaus P. , Rossi Fabio , Favero Riccardo , Baffone Davide , Botticelli Daniele 
Published: October 2015

AbstractObjectiveThe objective was to study tissue components around implants with highly hydrophilic surfaces during early healing.Materials and methodsIn 12 Labrador dogs, the second and third mandibular premolars were extracted bilaterally. After 3 months of healing, full‐thickness flaps were elevated in the edentulous region of one side of the mandible. An implant was installed, and the flaps were sutured to allow a non‐submerged healing. The timing of the implant installations in the other side of the mandible until sacrifices were performed in such a way to collect biopsies representing healing after 4, 7, 15, and 60 days. An n = 6 was achieved for each healing period. Paraffin sections were obtained for morphometric analyses.ResultsProvisional matrix with a percentage of 32.9 ± 16.7% was found already after 4 days. This percentage became 37.3 ± 8.5%, 24.3 ± 9.1%, and 1.6 ± 1.7 after 7, 15, and 60 days, respectively. New bone was found after 7 days of healing, at a percentage of 26.2 ± 3.2%. This proportion increased to 36.0 ± 9.6% and 50.4 ± 8.3% after 15 and 60 days, respectively. Marrow spaces free from a blood clot, inflammatory cells, and provisional matrix represented a low proportion of the tissues after 4 days (1.6 ± 2.4%). This proportion increased over time to 9.2 ± 6.4%, 20.3 ± 12.9%, and 37.9 ± 9.6%, respectively. The percentage of old bone was noted in a similar percentage (~8%) up to 15 days. The percentage decreased to ~5% at 60‐day of observation.ConclusionThe tissue changes observed during the healing were similar to those from historic controls studying healing in a chamber adjacent to implants. Hence, the characteristics of the implant surfaces may not be reflected in the tissue composition adjacent to the implant but rather affect the adhesion of tissue onto the implant surfaces.
Patch testing and sensitization to multiple drugs
Authors: Liippo Jussi , Pummi Kati , Hohenthal Ulla , Lammintausta Kaija 
Published: October 2015

SummaryBackgroundAdverse drug reactions pose an increasing diagnostic challenge in hospitals and in outpatient clinics. When consecutive or repeated allergic drug eruptions are suspected, patch testing is a useful diagnostic tool for determining the causative drugs.ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to identify patient cases with multiple delayed‐type drug sensitizations by using patch testing.MethodsEight hundred and eleven patients with suspected drug allergy were patch tested during a 9‐year period.ResultsMultiple delayed drug sensitizations were found in 12% of those patients with positive results in drug patch testing.ConclusionsDrug patch testing is useful in cutaneous adverse drug reactions where multiple drugs are suspected. Multiple drug sensitizations can be found in a proportion of patients who have delayed drug allergies. In addition to drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms, these patients may have repeated exanthemas or contact dermatitis.