bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The rate and molecular spectrum of spontaneous mutations in the GC-rich multi-chromosome genome ofBurkholderia cenocepacia
Authors: Dillon Marcus M. , Sung Way , Lynch Michael , Cooper Vaughn S. 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTSpontaneous mutations are ultimately essential for evolutionary change and are also the root cause of many diseases. However, until recently, both biological and technical barriers have prevented detailed analyses of mutation profiles, constraining our understanding of the mutation process to a few model organisms and leaving major gaps in our understanding of the role of genome content and structure on mutation. Here, we present a genome-wide view of the molecular mutation spectrum inBurkholderia cenocepacia, a clinically relevant pathogen with high %GC-content and multiple chromosomes. We find thatB. cenocepaciahas low genome-wide mutation rates with insertion-deletion mutations biased towards deletions, consistent with the idea that deletion pressure reduces prokaryotic genome sizes. Unlike prior studies of other organisms, mutations inB. cenocepaciaare not AT-biased, which suggests that at least some genomes with high %GC-content experience unusual base-substitution mutation pressure. Importantly, we also observe variation in both the rates and spectra of mutations among chromosomes and elevated G:C>T:A transversions in late-replicating regions. Thus, although some patterns of mutation appear to be highly conserved across cellular life, others vary between species and even between chromosomes of the same species, potentially influencing the evolution of nucleotide composition and genome architecture.
Identifying the new opportunities and threats in the Creative Economy
Authors: Denning Stephen 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The author observes that as customer-focused innovation takes hold in more and more industries, the result is a business environment that is coming to be known as “the Creative Economy,” an operating arena with unique “physics” that successful practitioners are beginning to be able to describe.

Design/methodology/approach
– The author interprets the insights of both a successful serial entrepreneur and cutting-edge academics to shed fresh light on how to distinguish between real and false opportunities and threats in the new operating environment of the Creative Economy.

Findings
– The author examines serial entrepreneur Peter Thiel’s seven – sometimes surprising – tools for implementing market-making innovation in the Creative Economy. They are, “the seven questions that every market-creating business must answer.”

Practical implications
– A key insight of the article is that “All truly successful market-creating firms are de facto monopolies.”

Originality/value
– For both practitioners and academics, the article provides a guide to assessing market-making innovations and connects the experience of successful entrepreneurs with new conceptual models by thought leaders like John P. Kotter and Clayton Christensen.
Beyond species loss: the extinction of ecological interactions in a changing world
Authors: Valiente‐Banuet Alfonso , Aizen Marcelo A. , Alcántara Julio M. , Arroyo Juan , Cocucci Andrea , Galetti Mauro , García María B. , García Daniel , Gómez José M. , Jordano Pedro , Medel Rodrigo , Navarro Luis , Obeso José R. , Oviedo Ramona , Ramírez Nelson , Rey Pedro J. , Traveset Anna , Verdú Miguel , Zamora Regino 
Published: November 2014

Summary

The effects of the present biodiversity crisis have been largely focused on the loss of species. However, a missed component of biodiversity loss that often accompanies or even precedes species disappearance is the extinction of ecological interactions.

Here, we propose a novel model that (i) relates the diversity of both species and interactions along a gradient of environmental deterioration and (ii) explores how the rate of loss of ecological functions, and consequently of ecosystem services, can be accelerated or restrained depending on how the rate of species loss covaries with the rate of interactions loss.

We find that the loss of species and interactions are decoupled, such that ecological interactions are often lost at a higher rate. This implies that the loss of ecological interactions may occur well before species disappearance, affecting species functionality and ecosystems services at a faster rate than species extinctions. We provide a number of empirical case studies illustrating these points.

Our approach emphasizes the importance of focusing on species interactions as the major biodiversity component from which the ‘health’ of ecosystems depends.
Has protest increased since the 1970s? How a survey question can construct a spurious trend
Authors: Biggs Michael 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe literature on political participation asserts that protest has increased over the last four decades, all over the world. This trend is derived from surveys asking questions about participation in various forms of protest, including demonstrations, boycotts, and unofficial strikes. The latter question made sense in the context in which it was formulated, Britain in the early 1970s, and with regard to the original methodological aim, measuring ‘protest potential’. The absence of a generic question on strikes, however, distorts our understanding of protest. Two sources of data on Britain in the 1980s and 1990s – a population survey and an event catalogue – comprehensively measure strikes. They show that strikes greatly outnumbered demonstrations and other forms of protest. Another claim in the literature, that protesters are highly educated, no longer holds once strikes are properly counted. Strikes in Britain, as in many countries, have dramatically declined since the 1980s. This decline more than offsets any increase in demonstrations and boycotts, meaning that the total volume of protest has decreased. The episode illustrates how survey questions, when replicated without scrutiny, can misconstrue social trends.
Off‐farm Employment and Input Intensification among Smallholder Maize Farmers in Kenya
Authors: Mathenge Mary K. , Smale Melinda , Tschirley David 
Published: November 2014

AbstractWe derive input demand functions for fertiliser and hybrid seed, testing for the combined and separate effects of income from non‐farm sources and agricultural wage labour among smallholder maize farmers in Kenya. More income from off‐farm sources, and specifically non‐farm sources, competes with maize intensification, particularly in more productive areas where use rates are higher. In less productive areas, where households rely more on off‐farm income and input use in maize is extremely low, agricultural wage labour reduces the likelihood that fertiliser is applied, but when used, has a positive effect on quantities purchased of both seed and fertiliser.
Identification of Different Forms of Cocaine and Substances Used in Adulteration Using Near‐infrared Raman Spectroscopy and Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy
Authors: Penido Ciro A. F. O. , Pacheco Marcos Tadeu T. , Zângaro Renato A. , Silveira Landulfo 
Published: November 2014

AbstractIdentification of cocaine and subsequent quantification immediately after seizure are problems for the police in developing countries such as Brazil. This work proposes a comparison between the Raman and FT‐IR techniques as methods to identify cocaine, the adulterants used to increase volume, and possible degradation products in samples seized by the police. Near‐infrared Raman spectra (785 nm excitation, 10 sec exposure time) and FT‐IR‐ATR spectra were obtained from different samples of street cocaine and some substances commonly used as adulterants. Freebase powder, hydrochloride powder, and crack rock can be distinguished by both Raman and FT‐IR spectroscopies, revealing differences in their chemical structure. Most of the samples showed characteristic peaks of degradation products such as benzoylecgonine and benzoic acid, and some presented evidence of adulteration with aluminum sulfate and sodium carbonate. Raman spectroscopy is better than FT‐IR for identifying benzoic acid and inorganic adulterants in cocaine.
GC‐MS and IR Studies on the Six Ring Regioisomeric Dimethoxyphenylpiperazines (DOMePPs)
Authors: Abdel‐Hay Karim M. , DeRuiter Jack , Clark C. Randall 
Published: November 2014

AbstractA number of N‐substituted piperazines have been described as drugs of abuse in recent years. This new drug category includes several series of aromatic ring substituted phenylpiperazines. The wide variety of available precursors makes regioisomerism a significant issue in these totally synthetic compounds. In this study, a complete series of regioisomeric dimethoxyphenylpiperazines were synthesized and evaluated using GC‐MS and FT‐IR. The EI mass spectra show fragments characteristic of both the dimethoxyphenyl and the piperazine portions of the molecules including the dimethoxyphenylaziridinium cation (m/z 180) and dimethoxyphenyl cation (m/z 137). The ion at m/z 56 for the C3H6N+ fragment is characteristic of the piperazine ring and was observed in all the spectra. The perfluoroacyl derivatives were resolved by GC, and their mass spectra showed some differences in relative abundance of ions. FTIR provides direct confirmatory data for differentiation between the regioisomeric dimethoxyphenylpiperazines, and GC separation was accomplished on an Rtx‐200 phase.
Antemortem and Postmortem Nonapposite Data—A Multidisciplinary Identification Strategy
Authors: Bublil Nurit , Kahana Tzipi 
Published: November 2014

AbstractIdentification of human remains is often achieved by comparing documented reference data with the same type of evidence obtained from the remains. We present a case of a decomposed unidentified body, whose identity was presumed but because of the low validity range of the available data, the identification process could not be completed. Antemortem radiographs of the teeth found in the house of the reputed victim could not be compared to the edentulous cadaver and the kinship between the victim and the only living relative that could provide DNA for comparison was too tenuous. Isolated teeth found at the scene, were neither a source of DNA reference information nor questioned data to be compared to the antemortem radiographs. The strategy implemented by the investigators to reallocate the status of the isolated teeth from the questioned source to the reference source of DNA to be compared with the cadaver is presented.
Tree imbalance causes a bias in phylogenetic estimation of evolutionary timescales using heterochronous sequences
Authors: Duchêne David , Duchêne Sebastian , Ho Simon Y. W. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPhylogenetic estimation of evolutionary timescales has become routine in biology, forming the basis of a wide range of evolutionary and ecological studies. However, there are various sources of bias that can affect these estimates. We investigated whether tree imbalance, a property that is commonly observed in phylogenetic trees, can lead to reduced accuracy or precision of phylogenetic timescale estimates. We analysed simulated data sets with calibrations at internal nodes and at the tips, taking into consideration different calibration schemes and levels of tree imbalance. We also investigated the effect of tree imbalance on two empirical data sets: mitogenomes from primates and serial samples of the African swine fever virus. In analyses calibrated using dated, heterochronous tips, we found that tree imbalance had a detrimental impact on precision and produced a bias in which the overall timescale was underestimated. A pronounced effect was observed in analyses with shallow calibrations. The greatest decreases in accuracy usually occurred in the age estimates for medium and deep nodes of the tree. In contrast, analyses calibrated at internal nodes did not display a reduction in estimation accuracy or precision due to tree imbalance. Our results suggest that molecular‐clock analyses can be improved by increasing taxon sampling, with the specific aims of including deeper calibrations, breaking up long branches and reducing tree imbalance.
Sarbanes–Oxley Act and patterns in stock returns around executive stock option exercise disclosures
Authors: Bartov Eli , Faurel Lucile 
Published: November 2014

AbstractWe document negative stock returns and elevated trading volumes around executives’ early option exercise disclosures post‐SOX, but not pre‐SOX. This stock price reaction is incomplete, and the negative stock price drift is smaller post‐SOX compared to pre‐SOX. We also show effects of media coverage in the stock price response to exercise disclosures in the post‐SOX period. These findings provide evidence that the requirement mandated by SOX to disclose executives’ stock option exercises within two business days, and the increased media coverage, improves investors’ ability to incorporate into stock prices in a timely fashion the information conveyed by these exercises.
Cerebellar volume in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder with and without psychotic features
Authors: Laidi C. , d'Albis M.‐A. , Wessa M. , Linke J. , Phillips M. L. , Delavest M. , Bellivier F. , Versace A. , Almeida J. , Sarrazin S. , Poupon C. , Le Dudal K. , Daban C. , Hamdani N. , Leboyer M. , Houenou J. 
Published: November 2014

ObjectiveThere is growing evidence that cerebellum plays a crucial role in cognition and emotional regulation. Cerebellum is likely to be involved in the physiopathology of both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The objective of our study was to compare cerebellar size between patients with bipolar disorder, patients with schizophrenia, and healthy controls in a multicenter sample. In addition, we studied the influence of psychotic features on cerebellar size in patients with bipolar disorder.MethodOne hundred and fifteen patients with bipolar I disorder, 32 patients with schizophrenia, and 52 healthy controls underwent 3 Tesla MRI. Automated segmentation of cerebellum was performed using FreeSurfer software. Volumes of cerebellar cortex and white matter were extracted. Analyses of covariance were conducted, and age, sex, and intracranial volume were considered as covariates.ResultsBilateral cerebellar cortical volumes were smaller in patients with schizophrenia compared with patients with bipolar I disorder and healthy controls. We found no significant difference of cerebellar volume between bipolar patients with and without psychotic features. No change was evidenced in white matter.ConclusionOur results suggest that reduction in cerebellar cortical volume is specific to schizophrenia. Cerebellar dysfunction in bipolar disorder, if present, appears to be more subtle than a reduction in cerebellar volume.
Delineating prototypical patterns of substance use initiations over time
Authors: Dean Danielle O. , Cole Veronica , Bauer Daniel J. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractAimsThe purpose of this paper is to discover patterns of drug use initiations over time through a multiple event process survival mixture model (MEPSUM model), a novel approach for substance use and prevention research.DesignThe MEPSUM model combines survival analysis and mixture modeling—specifically latent class analysis—to examine individual differences in the timing of initiation and cumulative risk of substance use over time, and is applied to cross‐sectional survey data on drug initiations.SettingData are drawn from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.ParticipantsThe survey includes responses from 55 772 individuals (52.05% female).MeasurementsThe age of first use of nine different types of substances are examined, including alcohol, tobacco, cocaine and non‐medical use of prescription drugs.FindingsIt is argued that six patterns parsimoniously describe the population's risk of initiating different substances over time, described colloquially as general abstainers; early, late and progressive soft drug users; and early and late hard drug users. Both gender and ethnicity significantly predict the patterns, with Caucasians and males having a higher risk for the hard drug‐using patterns. The MEPSUM model produced stable results in this application, as the patterns are validated in a split‐sample design.ConclusionsThe MEPSUM model provides a statistical framework from which to evaluate patterns of risk for drug initiations over time and predict substance use trajectories relevant to public health interventions. The patterns that result from the model can be used as outcomes for subsequent investigations of etiological and mediating mechanisms.
Service utilisation by carers of people with dementia in rural Victoria
Authors: Ervin Kaye , Reid Carol 
Published: November 2014

AimTo explore the use of community and dementia‐specific services by informal carers caring for someone with dementia in a rural setting.MethodsCarers of people with dementia were recruited through a variety of rural community services and invited to complete a survey related to the utilisation of community services.ResultsA total of 39 carers completed surveys. Despite 84% reporting use of the Aged Care Assessment Service and 61% reporting provision of printed information on the services available, less than half of the carers utilised commonly available support services. Only 46% received financial compensation for their carer role.ConclusionsRural carers of care recipients with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia underutilise community services. Services that may assist with carer stress and depression and services that provide advice on the management of distressing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia were utilised by less than half of the carers surveyed.
Murder and the Making of Man‐Subjects in a Brazilian Juvenile Prison
Authors: Drybread K. 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTInside a juvenile detention center in northeastern Brazil, inmates discussed and performed their manhood in compliance with a stereotyped local model of masculinity that equated manliness with aggression, fearlessness, and virility. But unlike the male subjects portrayed in recent anthropological studies of masculinity, these youths did not understand their manhood to be primarily configured in opposition to femininity. In fact, when adolescent detainees pronounced themselves to be men—or to be, as was more often the case, sujeito‐homens (man‐subjects)—they did so without reference to women, sexual activity, or sexual organs. Instead, they asserted their manhood by committing (or attempting to commit) murder: an act deliberately intended to deny the perpetrator's belonging to either the social or the legal category of the child. While juvenile justice professionals often interpreted such acts of aggression as expressions of innate criminal character, I argue that the murders and violent attacks that occurred in the juvenile detention center can be better understood as performative acts through which inmates sought to shore up and affirm their autonomy, accomplishments, and manhood in the face of juvenile justice laws and policies that refused to recognize them as anything but children. [violence, gender performativity, children, crime, masculinity]
Pediatric germ cell tumors presenting beyond childhood?
Authors: Oosterhuis J. W. , Stoop J.A. , Rijlaarsdam M. A. , Biermann K. , Smit V.T.H.B.M. , Hersmus R. , Looijenga L. H. J. 
Published: November 2014

SummaryFour cases are reported meeting the criteria of a pediatric (i.e., Type I) testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT), apart from the age of presentation, which is beyond childhood. The tumors encompass the full spectrum of histologies of pediatric TGCT: teratoma, yolk sac tumor, and various combinations of the two, and lack intratubular germ cell neoplasia/carcinoma in situ in the adjacent parenchyma. The neoplasms are (near)diploid, and lack gain of 12p, typical for seminomas and non‐seminomas of the testis of adolescents and adults (i.e., Type II). It is proposed that these neoplasms are therefore late appearing pediatric (Type I) TGCT. The present report broadens the concept of earlier reported benign teratomas of the post‐pubertal testis to the full spectrum of pediatric TGCT. The possible wide age range of pediatric TGCT, demonstrated in this study, lends credence to the concept that TGCT should according to their pathogenesis be classified into the previously proposed types. This classification is clinically relevant, because Type I mature teratomas are benign tumors, which are candidates for testis conserving surgery, as opposed to Type II mature teratomas, which have to be treated as Type II (malignant) non‐seminomas.
Conjunctival microvascular haemodynamics in sickle cell retinopathy
Authors: Kord Valeshabad Ali , Wanek Justin , Zelkha Ruth , Lim Jennifer I. , Camardo Nicole , Gaynes Bruce , Shahidi Mahnaz 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPurposeTo determine alterations in bulbar conjunctival microvascular haemodynamics in sickle cell retinopathy (SCR) subjects with focal macular thinning (FMT).MethodsConjunctival microcirculation imaging and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) were performed in 22 subjects (eyes) diagnosed with SCR. Based on evaluation of SD‐OCT retinal thickness maps, eyes were assigned to one of the two groups: with or without FMT. Conjunctival venular diameter and axial blood velocity were measured in multiple venules in each eye by customized image analysis algorithms. Measurements were then categorized into two vessel size groups (vessel size 1 and 2) and compared between FMT groups. A Pearson correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between retinal thickness and axial blood velocity.ResultsMean age, haematocrit, sickle cell haemoglobin type and median retinopathy score were not significantly different between the two groups (p ≥ 0.1). Retinal thickness in parafoveal and perifoveal temporal subfields was significantly lower in eyes with FMT as compared to eyes without FMT (p ≤ 0.04). There was a significant effect of FMT on axial blood velocity (p = 0.04), while the effect of vessel size was not significant (p = 0.4). In vessel size 1, axial blood velocity was lower in eyes with FMT than in eyes without FMT (p = 0.03), while in vessel size 2, there was no statistically significant difference between FMT groups (p = 0.1). In vessel size 1, there was a significant positive correlation between axial blood velocity and retinal thickness in the perifoveal (r = 0.48, p = 0.02) and parafoveal (r = 0.43, p = 0.04) temporal subfields.ConclusionConjunctival axial blood velocity in small venules is reduced in SCR subjects with focal macular thinning.