bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Knowledge and use of and opportunities for emergency contraception in Northern Haiti
Authors: Lathrop Eva , Telemaque Youseline , Haddad Lisa , Stephenson Rob , Goedken Peggy , Cwiak Carrie , Jamieson Denise J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the knowledge and experience of, and desire for, emergency contraception (EC) in postpartum women in Haiti, and to determine the knowledge and practices of EC providers.MethodsAs part of a larger postpartum family planning study, 6 focus groups were conducted with postpartum women (n = 33), 3 were conducted with providers (n = 22), and a questionnaire was given to postpartum women (n = 250).ResultsOf the 249 women who completed the survey, 145 (58.2%) were aware of the concept of EC as an emergency measure in the postcoital period. Of these, 130 (89.7%) had knowledge of traditional methods only. Twenty‐eight (11.2%) women had used some form of EC in the past, but only 2 (0.8%) reported ever using a modern form of EC. Providers reported that EC was offered to women only in cases of sexual assault. Their impression was that there was no demand for EC.ConclusionAwareness and use of EC is low in the context of high unmet need. The results demonstrate a need for improved education and provision of modern effective EC as part of the constellation of family planning choices.
The influence of task‐ and location‐specific complexity on the control and coordination costs in global outsourcing relationships
Authors: Handley Sean M. , Benton W.C. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractSeveral reputable industry sources have recognized that many organizations fail to realize the financial benefits sought with outsourcing. Further, prior research has found that outsourcing organizations struggle to estimate accurately the so called “hidden costs” associated with managing these inter‐organizational relationships. This is especially true of complex, globally distributed outsourced services. In this study, we use dyadic data on 102 outsourcing relationships to investigate how dimensions of task‐ and location‐specific complexity influence the degree of control and coordination costs incurred by the customer organization. Results from our hierarchical regression analysis demonstrate that the scale of the service and the geographic distance between the customer and provider locations are associated with higher levels of both control and coordination costs. Task breadth and geographic dispersion are significantly associated with increased control costs, but not coordination costs. Counter to our expectations, control costs decrease with the degree of service customization, whereas both control and coordination costs are negatively related to the average cultural distance between provider and customer organizations. These findings contribute unique empirical evidence to the outsourcing, offshoring, and international service operations literature.
Enhanced HDL‐cholesterol‐associated anti‐oxidant PON‐1 activity in prostate cancer patients
Authors: Eroglu Muzaffer , Yilmaz Necat , Yalcinkaya Soner , Ay Nurullah , Aydin Ozgur , Sezer Cem 
Published: January 2013

AbstractIncreases in the generation of reactive oxygen species and decreases in antioxidant enzyme activities with aging have been reported in the prostate, and are also observed in age‐related disorders such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and cataracts. Several studies have demonstrated that proteins are targets for reactive oxidants in cells, and that oxidized proteins accumulate during aging, oxidative stress and in some pathological conditions. However, only a limited number of studies have actually evaluated oxidative damage in relation to HDL‐cholesterol‐associated antioxidant enzyme activities or have assessed its relationship with prostate cancer. In this study, we examined the effect of HDL‐cholesterol‐associated antioxidant enzyme activities, paraoxonase1, arylesterase and new oxidative stress parameters (total oxidant status, total antioxidant status [and oxidative stress index]) in newly‐diagnosed prostate cancer patients and healthy controls. There were no significant differences in oxidative stress parameters and lipid parameters between prostate cancer patients and controls, however, paraoxonase1 enzyme activity, and non‐HDL‐cholesterol levels were higher in prostate cancer patients than controls. The results of this study were derived from a small number of subjects, but might represent an important working hypothesis for further research in a larger number of cases to clarify the role of paraoxonase1 overproduction on the prostate and its clinical relevance.
VGLL3 expression is associated with a tumor suppressor phenotype in epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Gambaro Karen , Quinn Michael C.J. , Wojnarowicz Paulina M. , Arcand Suzanna L. , de Ladurantaye Manon , Barrès Véronique , Ripeau Jean-Sébastien , Killary Ann M. , Davis Elaine C. , Lavoie Josée , Provencher Diane M. , Mes-Masson Anne-Marie , Chevrette Mario , Tonin Patricia N. 
Published: January 2013

Previous studies have implicated vestigial like 3 (VGLL3), a chromosome 3p12.3 gene that encodes a putative transcription co‐factor, as a candidate tumor suppressor gene (TSG) in high‐grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSC), the most common type of epithelial ovarian cancer. A complementation analysis based on microcell‐mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT) using a centric fragment of chromosome 3 (der3p12‐q12.1) into the OV‐90 ovarian cancer cell line haploinsufficient for 3p and lacking VGLL3 expression was performed to assess the effect on tumorigenic potential and growth characteristics. Genetic characterization of the derived MMCT hybrids revealed that only the hybrid that contained an intact VGLL3 locus exhibited alterations of tumorigenic potential in a nude mouse xenograft model and various in vitro growth characteristics. Only stable OV‐90 transfectant clones expressing low levels of VGLL3 were derived. These clones exhibited an altered cytoplasmic morphology characterized by numerous single membrane bound multivesicular‐bodies (MVB) that were not attributed to autophagy. Overexpression of VGLL3 in OV‐90 was achieved using a lentivirus‐based tetracycline inducible gene expression system, which also resulted in MVB formation in the infected cell population. Though there was no significant differences in various in vitro and in vivo growth characteristics in a comparison of VGLL3‐expressing clones with empty vector transfectant controls, loss of VGLL3 expression was observed in tumors derived from mouse xenograft models. VGLL3 gene and protein expression was significantly reduced in HGSC samples (>98%, p < 0.05) relative to either normal ovarian surface epithelial cells or epithelial cells of the fallopian tube, possible tissues of origin of HGSC. Also, there appeared to be to be more cases with higher staining levels in stromal tissue component from HGSC cases that had a prolonged disease‐free survival. The results taken together suggest that VGLL3 is involved in tumor suppressor pathways, a feature that is characterized by the absence of VGLL3 expression in HGSC samples.
Islamic and conventional banks' soundness during the 2007–2008 financial crisis
Authors: Bourkhis Khawla , Nabi Mahmoud Sami 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe recent global financial crisis has induced a series of failure of many conventional banks and led to an increased interest in the Islamic banking business model. This paper attempts to answer empirically the following question: What was the effect of the 2007–2008 financial crisis on the soundness of Islamic banks and their conventional peers? Using the Z‐score as an indicator of bank stability, our regression analysis (covering a matched sample of 34 Islamic Banks (IBs) and 34 conventional banks (CBs) from 16 countries) shows that there is no significant difference in terms of the effect of the financial crisis on the soundness of IBs and CBs. This finding reveals that IBs are diverging from their theoretical business model which would have allowed them to keep the same level of soundness even during the crisis.
Nuclear Superiority and the Balance of Resolve: Explaining Nuclear Crisis Outcomes
Authors: Kroenig Matthew 
Published: January 2013

AbstractScholars have long debated whether nuclear superiority or the balance of resolve shapes the probability of victory in nuclear crises, but they have not clearly articulated a mechanism linking superiority to victory, nor have they systematically analyzed the entire universe of empirical cases. Beginning from a nuclear brinkmanship theory framework, I develop a new theory of nuclear crisis outcomes, which links nuclear superiority to victory in nuclear crises precisely through its effect on the balance of resolve. Using a new data set on fifty-two nuclear crisis dyads, I show that states that enjoy nuclear superiority over their opponents are more likely to win nuclear crises. I also find some support for the idea that political stakes shape crisis outcomes. These findings hold even after controlling for conventional military capabilities and for selection into nuclear crises. This article presents a new theoretical explanation, and the first comprehensive empirical examination, of nuclear crisis outcomes.
Unthinkable and Tragic: The Psychology of Weapons Taboos in War
Authors: Dolan Thomas M. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractDiscussions of weapons taboos have failed to take into account the possibility that prescriptive international and national norms of behavior may come into conflict. Using psychological studies of trade-offs and protected values as a guide, this article argues that when these conflicts exist, the taboos' individual-level constraining effects can be vitiated. An analysis of General George Marshall's proposal to use chemical weapons against the Japanese in 1945 demonstrates that normative conflict can produce a readiness to violate weapons taboos. In these situations, state decisions to violate taboos may depend on the extent to which the perception of normative conflict is shared by other decision makers and society more generally.
The Logic of Child Soldiering and Coercion
Authors: Beber Bernd , Blattman Christopher 
Published: January 2013

AbstractWhy do armed groups recruit large numbers of children as fighters, often coercively? The international community has tried to curb these crimes by shaming and punishing leaders who commit them—in short, making the crimes costlier. Are these policies effective and sufficient? The answer lies in more attention to the strategic interaction between rebel leaders and recruits. We adapt theories of industrial organization to rebellious groups and show how, being less able fighters, children are attractive recruits if and only if they are easier to intimidate, indoctrinate, and misinform than adults. This ease of manipulation interacts with the costliness of war crimes to influence rebel leaders' incentives to coerce children into war. We use a case study and a novel survey of former child recruits in Uganda to illustrate this argument and provide hard evidence not only that children are more easily manipulated in war, but also how—something often asserted but never demonstrated. Our theory, as well as a new “cross-rebel” data set, also support the idea that costliness matters: foreign governments, international organizations, diasporas, and local populations can discourage child recruitment by withholding resources or punishing offenders (or, conversely, encourage these crimes by failing to act). But punishing war crimes has limitations, and can only take us so far. Children's reintegration opportunities must be at least as great as adults' (something that demobilization programs sometimes fail to do). Also, indoctrination and misinformation can be directly influenced. We observe grassroots innovations in Uganda that could be models for the prevention and curbing of child soldiering and counterinsurgency generally.
A New Law—A New Perspective for Archaeological Heritage Preservation in the Republic of Moldova
Authors: Musteață Sergiu 
Published: January 2013

AbstractAbstract: This article provides one of the first presentations of the Law of the Republic of Moldova on Archaeological Heritage Preservation recently approved by the Moldovan Parliament. Since 1993, Moldova has had a general law on monument preservation, but the part on archaeological heritage was poorly developed. The new law is the first of its kind in Moldova and was established according to the principles of the European and International Conventions signed in recent years by the Republic of Moldova. This law opens new avenues for Moldovan society to improve the situation in of its archaeological heritage, specifically to fight the black market in archaeology and illegal trafficking of antiquities.
The serotype case-case design: a direct comparison of a novel methodology with a case-control study in a nationalSalmonellaEnteritidis PT14b outbreak in England and Wales
Authors: ZENNER D. , JANMOHAMED K. , LANE C. , LITTLE C. , CHARLETT A. , ADAK G. K. , MORGAN D. 
Published: January 2013

SUMMARYSocietal and technological changes render traditional study designs less feasible for investigation of outbreaks. We compared results obtained from case-case and case-control designs during the investigation of aSalmonellaEnteritidis PT14b (SE14b) outbreak in Britain to provide support for validation of this approach. Exposures of cases were compared to concurrent non-EnteritidisSalmonellacases and population controls recruited through systematic digit phone dialling. Infection with SE14b was associated with eating in oriental restaurants [odds ratio (OR) 35·8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4·4–290·9] and consuming eggs away from home (OR 13·8, 95% CI 1·5–124·5) in the case-case study and was confirmed through a concurrent case-control study with similar effect estimates and microbiological findings of SE14b in eggs from a specific chicken flock on a Spanish farm. We found that the case-case design was feasible, quick and inexpensive, potentially minimized recall bias and made use of already interviewed cases with subtyping results. This approach has potential for use in future investigations.
Bioterrorism and the Fermi Paradox
Authors: Cooper Joshua 
Published: January 2013

AbstractWe proffer a contemporary solution to the so-called Fermi Paradox, which is concerned with conflict between Copernicanism and the apparent paucity of evidence for intelligent alien civilizations. In particular, we argue that every community of organisms that reaches its space-faring age will (1) almost immediately use its rocket-building computers to reverse-engineer its genetic chemistry and (2) self-destruct when some individual uses said technology to design an omnicidal pathogen. We discuss some of the possible approaches to prevention with regard to Homo sapiens’ vulnerability to bioterrorism, particularly on a short-term basis.
Revisiting the Second Russo-Iranian War (1826–28): Causes and Perceptions
Authors: Behrooz Maziar 
Published: January 2013

This paper re-examines the causes of outbreak of Second Russo-Iranian War and the factors that played a role in its escalation into fully fledged war. The paper challenges the common perception that Qajar Iran played a major role in the outbreak of the war and proposes that the Qajar court took a defensive posture vis-à-vis aggressive Russian provocation originated in Tiflis and was merely reacting to it. The paper then examines policy differences between Tiflis and the court of St Petersburg as a contributing factor in the outbreak of the war. Finally, the paper examines two different and contradictory views of imperial Russia and its internal politics and military capabilities among Qajar Iran's decision makers during 1825–28. It is argued that the two perceptions eventually translated into two factions, each lobbying the shah for and against escalation of hostilities with Russia.
Effects of reducing inspired oxygen concentration for one hour in patients with chronic heart failure: implications for air travel
Authors: Hobkirk James P. , Damy Thibaud , Walters Mandy , Bennett Anna , Smith Sarah J. , Ingle Lee , Clark Andrew L. , Cleland John G.F. 
Published: January 2013

AimsThe objective of this study was to establish the acute effects of hypoxia on clinical, spirometric, haemodynamic, and echocardiographic variables. Reducing inspired oxygen to 15%, as experienced during commercial air travel, decreases arterial oxygen saturation, increases respiratory rate and pulmonary artery pressure in healthy subjects. The effect on patients with chronic heart failure is unknown.Methods and resultsSeventy‐two patients with chronic heart failure and an LVEF <40%, in NYHA functional class II (74%) or III (26%), on stable treatment were studied and compared with 18 age‐matched controls (65 ± 11 vs. 62 ± 12 years, respectively). Clinical, spirometric, haemodynamic, and echocardiographic measurements were performed in patients and controls before and after one hour inspiring 15% oxygen. Inspired 15% oxygen for 1 h was tolerated in all subjects and caused no worsening of symptoms. Arterial oxygen saturation decreased to a similar extent in patients (from 97 ± 2% to 86 ± 4%) and controls (from 97 ± 2% to 86 ± 3%). Mean arterial pressure increased from 81 ± 13 mmHg to 87 ± 12 mmHg in patients, but did not change in controls. There was no effect on heart rate, but systolic pulmonary artery pressure rose from 30.2 ± 14.0mmHg to 34.0 ± 15.2 mmHg in patients, and from 22.4 ± 5.5 mmHg to 24.1 ± 6.9 mmHg in controls.ConclusionsInspiring 15% oxygen was tolerated and caused no worsening of symptoms despite reductions in arterial oxygen saturation and increases in mean arterial pressure and systolic pulmonary artery pressure.
Outcomes of Endoscopy and Novel pH‐Impedance Parameters in Children
Authors: van der Pol Rachel J. , Loots Clara M. , Peeters Laura , Vandenplas Yvan , Hauser Bruno , Devreker Thierry , Omari Taher I. , Benninga Marc A. , van Wijk Michiel P. 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACTObjectives:Discordance exists between outcomes of endoscopy, multichannel intraluminal impedance monitoring (pH‐MII), MII baselines, and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between endoscopy, pH‐MII and MII baselines, in children with gastroesophageal reflux symptoms.Methods:Endoscopies were graded for reflux esophagitis (RE). Biopsies of the distal esophagus were assessed for signs suggestive of esophagitis. Reflux index (RI), symptom association probability (SAP), number of reflux episodes, and mean baseline values were calculated. pH‐MII was considered positive in children when RI was ≥3% and/or SAP was ≥95% and for infants when RI was ≥10% and/or SAP was ≥95%. Baselines were manually calculated and compared with an automated analysis. For MII baselines, patients were divided in 3 groups: normal endoscopy and negative overall pH‐MII; normal endoscopy and an overall positive pH‐MII; and RE.Results:A total of 26 children and 14 infants were included, median age: 26.5 months (2 months–16.2 years). Thirteen (32.5%) had RE. A significant negative association was found for RI and MII baselines (P = 0.009) and between SAP and RE (P = 0.039, odds ratio 1.018). MII baseline values were predictive for neither conventional pH‐MII parameters nor RE. Manual analysis and automated calculation of MII baselines showed a perfect correlation. Distal MII baselines were significantly lower in children with a positive overall pH‐MII outcome compared with the proximal esophagus (P = 0.049). No significant changes were found in baselines among the different groups 1 to 3.Conclusions:Acid‐related parameters are significantly related to MII baselines. A perfect correlation between manual‐ and automated analysis of MII baselines was found. Large prospective studies are needed to confirm the exact role of endoscopy and MII baselines.
Genetic, Hormonal, and Physiological Analysis of Late Maturity α-Amylase in Wheat
Authors: Barrero Jose M. , Mrva Kolumbina , Talbot Mark J. , White Rosemary G. , Taylor Jennifer , Gubler Frank , Mares Daryl J. 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
Late maturity α-amylase (LMA) is a genetic defect that is commonly found in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars and can result in commercially unacceptably high levels of α-amylase in harvest-ripe grain in the absence of rain or preharvest sprouting. This defect represents a serious problem for wheat farmers, and apart from the circumstantial evidence that gibberellins are somehow involved in the expression of LMA, the mechanisms or genes underlying LMA are unknown. In this work, we use a doubled haploid population segregating for constitutive LMA to physiologically analyze the appearance of LMA during grain development and to profile the transcriptomic and hormonal changes associated with this phenomenon. Our results show that LMA is a consequence of a very narrow and transitory peak of expression of genes encoding high-isoelectric point α-amylase during grain development and that the LMA phenotype seems to be a partial or incomplete gibberellin response emerging from a strongly altered hormonal environment.
The ArabidopsisTUMOR PRONE5Gene Encodes an Acetylornithine Aminotransferase Required for Arginine Biosynthesis and Root Meristem Maintenance in Blue Light
Authors: Frémont Nathalie , Riefler Michael , Stolz Andrea , Schmülling Thomas 
Published: January 2013

AbstractArginine is an essential amino acid necessary for protein synthesis and is also a nitrogen storage compound. The genes encoding the enzymes of arginine biosynthesis in plants are not well characterized and have mainly been predicted from homologies to bacterial and fungal genes. We report the cloning and characterization of the TUMOR PRONE5 (TUP5) gene of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) encoding an acetylornithine aminotransferase (ACOAT), catalyzing the fourth step of arginine biosynthesis. The free arginine content was strongly reduced in the chemically induced recessive mutant tup5-1, root growth was restored by supplementation with arginine and its metabolic precursors, and a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) ACOAT mutant was complemented by TUP5. Two null alleles of TUP5 caused a reduced viability of gametes and embryo lethality, possibly caused by insufficient Arg supply from maternal tissue. TUP5 expression is positively regulated by light, and a TUP5-green fluorescent protein was localized in chloroplasts. tup5-1 has a unique light-dependent short root phenotype. Roots of light-grown tup5-1 seedlings switch from indeterminate growth to determinate growth with arresting cell production and an exhausted root apical meristem. The inhibitory activity was specific for blue light, and the inhibiting light was perceived by the root. Thus, tup5-1 reveals a novel role of amino acids and blue light in regulating root meristem function.
Resonant X-ray scattering studies of epitaxial complex oxide thin films
Authors: Perret Edith , Park Changyong , Fong Dillon D. , Chang Kee-Chul , Ingram Brian J. , Eastman Jeffrey A. , Baldo Peter M. , Fuoss Paul H. 
Published: January 2013

Resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity (RAXR) is a powerful technique for measuring element-specific distribution profiles across surfaces and buried interfaces. Here, the RAXR technique is applied to characterize a complex oxide heterostructure, La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ, on NdGaO3, and the effects of data sampling and model-dependent fitting procedures on the extracted elemental distribution profile are evaluated. The strontium profile through a 3.5 nm-thick film at 973 K and at an oxygen partial pressure of 150 Torr (1 Torr = 133.32 Pa) was determined from the measured RAXR spectra. The results demonstrate thatin situRAXR measurements can provide key insights into temperature- and environment-dependent elemental segregation processes, relevant, for example, in assessing the cathode performance of solid oxide fuel cells.