bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring the use of financial capacity as a predictor of construction company corporate performance
Authors: Tucker George Cyril , Windapo Abimbola , Cattell Keith  Stone 
Published: September 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the resilient operational variables that impact the corporate performance of construction companies in the South African construction industry and to explore whether financial capacity can be used as a predictor of construction company performance in the context of the South African construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach
– The operational variables of construction companies that impact their corporate performance were identified through an in-depth review of the extant literature. A combination of convenience and snowball sampling techniques were used in identifying 185 building and civil engineering construction companies based in four provinces of South Africa and registered in Grades 2-6 of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) contractor grading register. The data used in the study were collected from this cohort of respondents through the use of structured questionnaires. At the end of the study period, 62 valid responses representing a response rate of 33.5 per cent were received. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings
– The findings of this study indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between the financial capital and net assets of construction companies and their corporate performance in terms of turnover. The data collected did not support any significant relationship between other operating financial variables, such as Return on Capital Employed and profitability and financial performance.

Research limitations/implications
– A predictive model for predicting the financial performance of firms was developed from the data collected. The implication of this is that the more financial capital possessed by a construction company, the more the company’s financial performance in terms of turnover. The CIDB can use financial capacity as a measure when grading contractors, as a good number of contractors are not performing. The predictive model developed could be adopted by the CIDB as an instrument for predicting the corporate financial performance of construction companies that seek to be listed on their contractor grading register.

Originality/value
– This research will be of significance to researchers and members of the research community in providing new knowledge as well as to contractors in enabling them to understand the importance of having financial capital. It is also of importance to the CIDB in their quest for contractor and construction industry development. Further research to validate the results obtained in this study using a larger sample size across more provinces of South Africa will form the basis of future studies.
Heterotrophic bacteria from an extremely phosphate‐poor lake have conditionally reduced phosphorus demand and utilize diverse sources of phosphorus
Authors: Yao Mengyin , Elling Felix J. , Jones CarriAyne , Nomosatryo Sulung , Long Christopher P. , Crowe Sean A. , Antoniewicz Maciek R. , Hinrichs Kai‐Uwe , Maresca Julia A. 
Published: September 2015

SummaryHeterotrophic Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were isolated from Lake Matano, Indonesia, a stratified, ferruginous (iron‐rich), ultra‐oligotrophic lake with phosphate concentrations below 50 nM. Here, we describe the growth of eight strains of heterotrophic bacteria on a variety of soluble and insoluble sources of phosphorus. When transferred to medium without added phosphorus (P), the isolates grow slowly, their RNA content falls to as low as 1% of cellular dry weight, and 86–100% of the membrane lipids are replaced with amino‐ or glycolipids. Similar changes in lipid composition have been observed in marine photoautotrophs and soil heterotrophs, and similar flexibility in phosphorus sources has been demonstrated in marine and soil‐dwelling heterotrophs. Our results demonstrate that heterotrophs isolated from this unusual environment alter their macromolecular composition, which allows the organisms to grow efficiently even in their extremely phosphorus‐limited environment.
Sucrose in bloom‐forming cyanobacteria: loss and gain of genes involved in its biosynthesis
Authors: Kolman María A. , Salerno Graciela L. 
Published: September 2015

SummaryBloom‐forming cyanobacteria are widely distributed in freshwater ecosystems. To cope with salinity fluctuations, cyanobacteria synthesize compatible solutes, such as sucrose, to maintain the intracellular osmotic balance. The screening of cyanobacterial genomes revealed that homologues to sucrose metabolism‐related genes only occur in few bloom‐forming strains, mostly belonging to Nostocales and Stigonematales orders. Remarkably, among Chroococcales and Oscillatoriales strains, homologues were only found in M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 and Leptolyngbya boryana PCC 6306, suggesting a massive loss of sucrose metabolism in bloom‐forming strains of these orders. After a complete functional characterization of sucrose genes in M. aeruginosa PCC 7806, we showed that sucrose metabolism depends on the expression of a gene cluster that defines a transcriptional unit, unique among all sucrose‐containing cyanobacteria. It was also demonstrated that the expression of the encoding genes of sucrose‐related proteins is stimulated by salt. In view of its ancestral origin in cyanobacteria, the fact that most bloom‐forming strains lack sucrose metabolism indicates that the genes involved might have been lost during evolution. However, in a particular strain, like M. aeruginosa PCC 7806, sucrose synthesis genes were probably regained by horizontal gene transfer, which could be hypothesized as a response to salinity fluctuations.
Measurement of Postmortem 1,5‐anhydroglucitol in Vitreous Humor for Forensic Diagnosis
Authors: Takata Tomoyo , Yamasaki Yukie , Kitao Takashi , Miyaishi Satoru 
Published: September 2015

AbstractIn forensic diagnosis, postmortem blood glucose is known to be susceptible to change after death. However, the 1,5‐anhydroglucitol (1,5‐AG) concentrations in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) reflect the mean blood glucose level for a short period of time. In this study, we compared the postmortem 1,5‐AG concentrations in vitreous humor and CSF in 47 subjects to evaluate the utility of this concentration in the vitreous humor for forensic diagnosis. The postmortem 1,5‐AG concentrations in vitreous humor (mean±SD: 20.2 ± 8.7 μg/mL) and CSF (16.8 ± 8.7 μg/mL) did not differ significantly and showed a strong correlation (r2 = 0.87, p < 0.01). These results suggest that the vitreous humor 1,5‐AG concentration provides useful information on the antemortem blood glucose level, in addition to the HbA1c value and the CSF 1,5‐AG concentration.
8 A Manger in a Sea of Mud: Material Legacies and Loss at the Temple of the Innocent Blood
Authors: Gray D. Ryan 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTEarly in the 1920s, Mother Catherine Seal founded her Temple of the Innocent Blood in what is now known as the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Under her leadership, the Temple became not just a church but also the center of an auto‐constructed and integrated space that explicitly defied the racist ideologies of white supremacy. Utilizing data from recent excavations at the site, this chapter explores how materiality is enmeshed in the daily place‐making strategies of individuals on the fringes of urban society. By constituting a singular space, the Temple, through the person of Mother Catherine, transformed ordinary, mass‐produced items, suffusing them with qualities only apparent within the totality of the social world she created. The persistence and durability of objects at the site of the Temple gave them power to transform long after Mother Catherine's death, and the traces of the Temple still resonate in the memory of the neighborhood in unforeseen ways today.
9 Tracing Everyday Life at Trimithis (Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt)
Authors: Boozer Anna Lucille 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTThis article explores how concepts of “trace” might help archaeologists disentangle and interpret the material remains of ordinary life.Traceis a theoretical vantage long exploited by social theorists to explore the unintentional, quotidian residues of ordinary people. The term trace is relevant to archaeology because it refocuses attention from active agency to more subtle undercurrents within daily life rhythms. I explore two Romano‐Egyptian houses from the same city from a trace perspective in order to reveal the small‐scale daily life choices of individuals. The results of this exploration suggest future directions for the archaeological use of trace to explore materiality, everyday life, and subtle signatures of multi‐cultural scenarios.
11 Producing Goods, Shaping People: The Materiality of Crafting
Authors: Hendon Julia A. 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTThe study of craft production has a long and venerable history in archaeological research on ancient societies. In this chapter, I consider the crafting of useful and desired things from a materiality perspective by looking at the interactions between the craftpersons, the materials with which they work, and the ways that their end products are valued in society. I use two examples: working with fibers by the Maya of Mesoamerica and with metals by the Moche of Andean South America. These are two very different kinds of materials whose characteristics affect how one interacts with them. Crafting was a part of everyday life for the Maya and Moche. Through these two case studies I illustrate the role crafting plays in the development of identities and personhood, in the process contributing to the meaning of everyday life to people in these societies.
Effects of ethanol, molasses and Lactobacillus plantarum on the fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility and aerobic stability of total mixed ration silages in the Tibetan plateau of China
Authors: Yuan Xianjun , Wen Aiyou , Wang Jian , Guo Gang , Desta Seare T. , Shao Tao 
Published: September 2015

AbstractIn Tibet, it is common practice to make and relocate total mixed ration (TMR) silages before feeding due to the uneven distribution of forages temporally and spatially. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum (L), molasses (M) or ethanol (E) on the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of local adaptive TMR silage. After 45 days of ensiling, pH and ammonia nitrogen in inoculated TMR silages were significantly lower than control. During the first 6 days of the aerobic exposure test, a small fluctuation in lactic acid concentration for all TMR silages was observed, and then silages with ethanol continued this trend, while lactic acid in silage without ethanol sharply decreased until the end of the aerobic exposure period. Meanwhile, pH gradually increased along the aerobic exposure; silages treated with ethanol showed lower pH after 9 days of aerobic exposure. The population of yeast gradually increased during 6 days of aerobic exposure, after that an accelerated rise was observed in TMR silages without ethanol. The combinational beneficial effect of L. plantarum and ethanol was found in combined addition of ethanol and Lactobacillus plantarum silages (EL), indicated by intermediate fermentation quality and higher aerobic stability.
Response inhibition and interference control in patients with bipolar I disorder and first‐degree relatives
Authors: Hıdıroğlu Ceren , Torres Ivan J , Er Ayşe , Işık Gizem , Yalın Nefize , Yatham Lakshmi N , Ceylan Deniz , Özerdem Ayşegül 
Published: September 2015

ObjectivesThe current study aimed to assess both response inhibition (RI) and interference control (IC) in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (BD‐Ps) as well as asymptomatic first‐degree relatives (BD‐Rs) and healthy controls (HCs) in order to evaluate trait‐as opposed to illness‐associated features of these components.MethodsBD‐Ps (n = 35) who had been in the euthymic state for at least six months, BD‐Rs (n = 30), and HCs (n = 33) completed a Stop‐Signal Task (SST) and Stroop Task to assess RI and IC, respectively. Groups were compared on the stop‐signal reaction time (SSRT), stop‐signal delay (SSD), mean reaction time on go trials (go‐RT), Stroop interference score (S‐interference), and number of errors on the color–word‐naming trial (S‐error). Associations between the patient's clinical features and RI and IC, between the patient's treatment and RI and IC, and between RI and IC in each group were investigated.ResultsBD‐Ps and BD‐Rs had significantly shorter go‐RT and SSD, and longer SSRT compared to HCs, with these scores being similar between the BD‐Ps and BD‐Rs. Also, both BD‐Ps and BD‐Rs made significantly more S‐errors than HCs, whereas, the S‐interference score was not significantly different between groups. There were no significant correlations between Stroop Task and SST scores within each group, nor between clinical features or treatment variables and RI and IC in BD‐Ps.ConclusionsOverall, impairment in RI and IC (only on S‐error score) was present in both patients and relatives. The persistence of these deficits in the absence of mood symptoms suggests that these features may represent candidate endophenotypes for bipolar disorder.
The Foundations of Social Partnership
Authors: Behrens Martin , Helfen Markus 
Published: September 2015

Abstract‘Social partnership’ between capital and labour is a distinctive characteristic of German industrial relations. Based on a survey of 142 German employers’ associations, we investigate differences in their support for partnership with unions. We find that organizational characteristics (e.g. membership density) as well as positive experiences with their union counterparts explain why employers’ associations adhere to the norms of social partnership. Building on an analysis that combines political and organizational institutionalism, we find that the positive evaluation of social partnership held by employers is associated with their positive experiences in more recent interactions with unions in collective bargaining, a more encompassing definition of an association's policy domain and a long‐term history of mutual collaboration.
Further studies of the down-regulation by Factor I of the C3b feedback cycle using endotoxin as a soluble activator and red cells as a source of CR1 on sera of different complotype
Authors: Lachmann P J , Lay E , Seilly D J , Buchberger A , Schwaeble W , Khadake J 
Published: September 2015

Summary
In this paper we have extended our earlier studies of the action of increasing Factor I concentration on complement activation by using a soluble activator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin, and using human erythrocytes as a source of CR1 – the co-factor needed for the final clip of iC3b to C3dg by Factor I. Using this more physiological system, the results show that we can predict that a quite modest increase in Factor I concentration – 22 µg/ml of extra Factor I – will convert the activity of the highest risk sera to those of the lowest risk. Preliminary experiments have been performed with erythrocytes allotyped for CR1 number. While we have not been able to perform an adequate study of their co-factor activities in our assays, preliminary experiments suggest that when Factor I levels are increased the difference produced by different allotypes of red cells is largely overcome. This suggests that in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) treated with eculizumab, additional treatment with Factor I may be very useful in reducing the need for blood transfusion. We have also explored the age-related allele frequency for the two polymorphisms of Factor H and the polymorphism of C3. In our population, unlike the 1975 study, we found no age variation in the allele frequency in these polymorphisms. This may, however, reflect that the Cambridge BioResource volunteers do not include many very young or very elderly patients, and in general comprise a population not greatly at risk of death from infectious disease.
Effects of productivity on biodiversity in forest ecosystems across the United States and China
Authors: Liang Jingjing , Watson James V. , Zhou Mo , Lei Xiangdong 
Published: September 2015

AbstractIn the global campaign against biodiversity loss in forest ecosystems, land managers need to know the status of forest biodiversity, but practical guidelines for conserving biodiversity in forest management are lacking. A major obstacle is the incomplete understanding of the relationship between site primary productivity and plant diversity, due to insufficient ecosystem‐wide data, especially for taxonomically and structurally diverse forest ecosystems. We investigated the effects of site productivity (the site's inherent capacity to grow timber) on tree species richness across 19 types of forest ecosystems in North America and China through 3 ground‐sourced forest inventory data sets (U.S. Forest Inventory and Analysis, Cooperative Alaska Forest Inventory, and Chinese Forest Management Planning Inventory). All forest types conformed to a consistent and highly significant (P< 0.001) hump‐shaped unimodal relationship, of which the generalized coefficients of determination averaged 20.5% over all the forest types. That is, tree species richness first increased as productivity increased at a progressively slower rate, and, after reaching a maximum, richness started to decline. Our consistent findings suggest that forests of high productivity would sustain few species because they consist mostly of flat homogeneous areas lacking an environmental gradient along which a diversity of species with different habitats can coexist. The consistency of the productivity–biodiversity relationship among the 3 data sets we examined makes it possible to quantify the expected tree species richness that a forest stand is capable of sustaining, and a comparison between the actual species richness and the sustainable values can be useful in prioritizing conservation efforts.
Efficacy of probiotic treatment with Bifidobacterium longum 536 for induction of remission in active ulcerative colitis: A randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled multicenter trial
Authors: Tamaki Hiroyuki , Nakase Hiroshi , Inoue Satoko , Kawanami Chiharu , Itani Toshinao , Ohana Masaya , Kusaka Toshihiro , Uose Suguru , Hisatsune Hiroshi , Tojo Masahide , Noda Teruyo , Arasawa Souichi , Izuta Masako , Kubo Atsushi , Ogawa Chikara , Matsunaka Toshihiro , Shibatouge Mitsushige 
Published: September 2015

Background and AimWe conducted a randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of Bifidobacterium longum 536 (BB536) supplementation for induction of remission in Japanese patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC).MethodsFifty‐six patients with mild to moderate UC were enrolled. Three patients had pancolitis, 36 had left‐sided colitis, and 17 had proctitis. Patients were randomly treated with 2–3 × 1011 freeze‐dried viable BB536 (28 patients) or placebo (28 patients) for 8 weeks.ResultsIn total, 63% of patients receiving BB536 showed clinical remission (UC disease activity index [UCDAI] ≤2) at week 8 compared to 52% of those receiving placebo (P = 0.395). We observed a significant decrease of UCDAI scores (3.8 ± 0.4 at baseline to 2.6 ± 0.4 at week 8) in the BB536 group (P < 0.01), whereas there was no significant decrease in the placebo group (P = 0.88). There was also a significant decrease in the Rachmilewitz endoscopic index (EI) and the Mayo subscore at week 8 in the BB536 group, whereas there was no significant decrease in the placebo group. A single patient in the BB536 group complained of a mild side‐effect, but no other adverse effects were observed.ConclusionSupplementation with BB536 was well tolerated and reduced UCDAI scores, EI and Mayo subscores after 8 weeks in Japanese patients with mild to moderately active UC.
Clinical and neurobiological advances in promoting regeneration of the ventral root avulsion lesion
Authors: Eggers Ruben , Tannemaat Martijn R. , De Winter Fred , Malessy Martijn J. A. , Verhaagen Joost 
Published: September 2015

AbstractRoot avulsions due to traction to the brachial plexus causes complete and permanent loss of function. Until fairly recent, such lesions were considered impossible to repair. Here we review clinical repair strategies and current progress in experimental ventral root avulsion lesions. The current gold standard in patients with a root avulsion is nerve transfer, whereas reimplantation of the avulsed root into the spinal cord has been performed in a limited number of cases. These neurosurgical repair strategies have significant benefit for the patient but functional recovery remains incomplete. Developing new ways to improve the functional outcome of neurosurgical repair is therefore essential. In the laboratory, the molecular and cellular changes following ventral root avulsion and the efficacy of intervention strategies have been studied at the level of spinal motoneurons, the ventral spinal root and peripheral nerve, and the skeletal muscle. We present an overview of cell‐based pharmacological and neurotrophic factor treatment approaches that have been applied in combination with surgical reimplantation. These interventions all demonstrate neuroprotective effects on avulsed motoneurons, often accompanied with various degrees of axonal regeneration. However, effects on survival are usually transient and robust axon regeneration over long distances has as yet not been achieved. Key future areas of research include finding ways to further extend the post‐lesion survival period of motoneurons, the identification of neuron‐intrinsic factors which can promote persistent and long‐distance axon regeneration, and finally prolonging the pro‐regenerative state of Schwann cells in the distal nerve.
The impact of Indonesian peatland degradation on downstream marine ecosystems and the global carbon cycle
Authors: Abrams Jesse F. , Hohn Sönke , Rixen Tim , Baum Antje , Merico Agostino 
Published: September 2015

AbstractTropical peatlands are among the most space‐efficient stores of carbon on Earth containing approximately 89 Gt C. Of this, 57 Gt (65%) are stored in Indonesian peatlands. Large‐scale exploitation of land, including deforestation and drainage for the establishment of oil palm plantations, is changing the carbon balance of Indonesian peatlands, turning them from a natural sink to a source via outgassing of CO2 to the atmosphere and leakage of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) into the coastal ocean. The impacts of this perturbation to the coastal environment and at the global scale are largely unknown. Here, we evaluate the downstream effects of released Indonesian peat carbon on coastal ecosystems and on the global carbon cycle. We use a biogeochemical box model in combination with novel and literature observations to investigate the impact of different carbon emission scenarios on the combined ocean–atmosphere system. The release of all carbon stored in the Indonesian peat pool, considered as a worst‐case scenario, will increase atmospheric pCO2 by 8 ppm to 15 ppm within the next 200 years. The expected impact on the Java Sea ecosystems is most significant on the short term (over a few hundred years) and is characterized by an increase of 3.3% in phytoplankton, 32% in seagrass biomass, and 5% decrease in coral biomass. On the long term, however, the coastal ecosystems will recover to reach near pre‐excursion conditions. Our results suggest that the ultimate fate of the peat carbon is in the deep ocean with 69% of it landing in the deep DIC pool after 1000 years, but the effects on the global ocean carbonate chemistry will be marginal.