bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risks and farmers’ investment in productive assets in Nigeria
Authors: Takeshima Hiroyuki , Yamauchi Futoshi 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe majority of farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) lack the means to mitigate the impact of risks associated with rainfall and commodity prices due to capital constraints and the imperfect insurance market in these countries. Because most SSA farmers are risk averse, they may be willing to invest in productive assets that can mitigate the impacts of such risks if their capital constraints are relaxed through external financial assistance. We test this hypothesis by using panel data on investment behavior of Nigerian farmers who received financial assistance on productive assets. The empirical results show that farmers facing higher rainfall risks are more likely to invest in irrigation pumps that can mitigate the impact of rainfall risks, while those facing higher risks of white gari price are more likely to invest in milling machines that enable them to process cassava into flour instead of gari, which supports our hypothesis.
Evaluating the economic impacts of crop yield change and sea level rise induced by climate change on Taiwan's agricultural sector
Authors: Chang Ching‐Cheng , Chen Chi‐Chung , McCarl Bruce 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis article investigates the effects of sea level rise and climate change induced crop yield alterations on Taiwan as well as possible adaptation strategies. For sea level rise of up to 5 meters, as much as 4.9% of total acreage and 16% of rice acreage would be lost. The empirical findings show that the sea level damages range from NT$ 0.84 to 4.10 billion while crop yield losses range from NT$ 1.79 to 2.55 billion. We investigate alternative adaptation strategies finding crop yield technological progress and tariff reduction could significantly mitigate these effects.
TRQ‐complications: who gets the benefits when the EU liberalizes Mercosur's access to the beef markets?
Authors: Junker Franziska , Heckelei Thomas 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe European Union (EU) and the Mercosur countries resumed negotiations on trade liberalization in May 2010 after several years of interruption. The article analyzes who stands to benefit and who is likely to lose if the EU liberalizes Mercosur's access to domestic beef markets. This economic assessment is performed using a partial equilibrium model for beef operating at a low level of product aggregation, paying specific attention to the role of Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs). Consultations with experts from the meat sector allowed us to identify the allocation of the quota rents to different stakeholders. Under an agreement based on the EU's negotiation proposal, trade impacts are projected to be small due to the present quota overfill. As expected, impacts are more pronounced under the conditions set out in Mercosur's proposal. The results confirm that the distribution of quota rents can be decisive in determining welfare effects.
Randomized clinical trials underestimate the efficacy of antidepressants in less severe depression
Authors: Isacsson G. , Adler M. 
Published: December 2011

Isacsson G, Adler M. Randomized clinical trials underestimate the efficacy of antidepressants in less severe depression.Objective:  Demonstrating the superiority of antidepressants over placebo in randomized clinical trials of antidepressants (RCT‐ADs) has been difficult. A recent meta‐analysis of six RCT‐ADs concluded that the efficacy of antidepressants was ‘non‐existent to negligible’ in mild and moderate depression. The aim of this study was to reanalyze the same data in order to investigate whether the meta‐analysis could be biased from the shortcomings of the rating scale used, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).Method:  We got access to the primary data on item and individual level from five of the six meta‐analyzed RCT‐ADs (597 individuals). We reanalyzed these data by means of item response theory.Results:  Each study showed rapidly decreasing reliability of measurement with diminishing depression; 38% of the combined sample at endpoint was measured with less than half the maximal reliability.Conclusion:  The HDRS Scale provides unreliable primary data. Low effect sizes can be expected because of the scale’s low precision and low sensitivity to change, particularly in mild and moderate depression. The conclusion of the meta‐analysis by Fournier et al. is therefore unfounded. The clinical value of antidepressants cannot be evaluated from unreliable data. It is urgent that better measurement techniques for depression severity are developed.
NIR and skin impedance spectroscopic measurements for studying the effect of coffee and alcohol on skin, and dysplastic naevi
Authors: Bodén Ida , Nyström Josefina , Geladi Paul , Naredi Peter , Lindholm‐Sethson Britta 
Published: December 2011

Background/purposeNear infrared and impedance spectroscopy can be used for clinical skin measurements and need to be evaluated for possible confounding factors; (i) are skin conditions of the patient and the subsequent skin measurements influenced by alcohol and/or coffee consumption and (ii) are measurements of dysplastic naevi (DN) reproducible over time and significantly different compared to reference skin.MethodsNear infrared and skin impedance spectroscopic data were analysed multivariately. In the first study, the skin characteristics of 15 healthy individuals were examined related to body location, gender, individual differences, and consumption of coffee or alcohol. The second study included five patients diagnosed with dysplastic naevi syndrome. Measurements were taken on DN and reference skin over time.ResultsIn the first study, body location and gender had a major influence on measurement scores. Inter‐individual skin characteristics and coffee or alcohol effects on skin characteristics were of minor importance. In the second study, it was shown that DN can be differentiated from reference skin and the measurements are stable over time.ConclusionsModerate consumption of alcohol and coffee did not influence the results of the measurements. It is possible to follow, stable or changed, characteristics of DN over time.
A novel method to investigate the relationship between facial movements and wrinkle formation using particle image velocimetry
Authors: Fujimura Tsutomu , Hotta Mitsuyuki 
Published: December 2011

BackgroundThe possible relationship between the direction of wrinkles and the movement of facial skin has not previously been reported. Therefore, we characterized that relationship using particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis.MethodTwenty‐one healthy Japanese women aged in their 20s (n = 7) or 50s (n = 14) were recruited for this study. Moving images of facial skin motions (closing the eyes tightly, raising the eyebrows) were captured using a single infrared camera under infrared ray irradiation of the skin. PIV analysis was then carried out using Flow‐Vec32™ software to determine the velocity and the direction of skin surface movements.ResultsAll skin movements caused by those motions were finished within 0.20 s. During the motion of closing the eyes, skin at the eye periphery did not move in a superior–inferior direction, but did move toward the center of the eye (pupilla) with complex flows. There was no significant difference between either age group of subjects. During the motion of raising the eyebrows, the forehead skin moved upwards (direction to parietal) with relatively uniform flows. The velocity of movement at the top was lower than at the bottom, and that difference is likely to cause a deformation on the skin surface. A significant difference between the two age groups in the velocity was observed.ConclusionThe results show that the deformation of older skin on the forehead is greater than that in younger skin. The PIV analysis method is a useful tool to investigate some aspects of the relationship between facial skin movements and wrinkle formation.
Root colonisation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain UPMP3 and induction of defence‐related genes in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis)
Authors: Sathyapriya H. , Sariah M. , Siti Nor Akmar A. , Wong M. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractPseudomonas aeruginosa strain UPMP3 labelled with β‐glucuronidase (gusA) and green fluorescent protein (gfp) by electrotransformation yielded ca 1 × 107 transformants µg−1 DNA. The data obtained from the dilution plate count showed that over 28 days both epiphytic and endophytic populations of P. aeruginosa strain UPMP3 increased from 5.76 log10 [colony forming unit (CFU) + 1] g−1 fresh weight (FW) to 8.19 log10 (CFU + 1) g−1 FW and 4.10 log10 (CFU + 1) g−1 FW to 6.23 (CFU + 1) g−1 FW, respectively. Confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis of oil palm roots treated with gusA:gfp‐tagged P. aeruginosa strain UPMP3 showed intense root colonisation over the sampling period. The root surface colonisation by P. aeruginosa strain UPMP3 was followed by a second stage, characterised by cortical infection, and a third stage, which involves xylem ingression. The colonisation of oil palm roots by the gusA:gfp‐tagged strain was concentrated on root areas potentially rich in nutrients such as the elongation zones, ridges between epidermal cells and points of secondary adventitious root emergence. Different expression levels of defence‐related genes, namely, chitinase and β‐1,3‐glucanase in the strain UPMP3–host interaction recorded over 28 days, suggested the potential role of P. aeruginosa strain UPMP3 in triggering the defence mechanism in oil palm. This is the first report on root colonisation and upregulation of defence‐related genes on oil palm roots by P. aeruginosa strain UPMP3 and shows the potential of this strain to be used as a biocontrol agent in oil palm.
Financing Shipping Companies and Shipping Operations: A Risk‐Management Perspective
Authors: Albertijn Stefan , Bessler Wolfgang , Drobetz Wolfgang 
Published: December 2011

Shipping has always been a volatile and cyclical business. The extreme changes in revenues, operating cash flows, and asset values during the recent financial crises have upset the usual means of financing shipping companies. While bank debt will remain important in the future, the new regulatory environment has been forcing shipping banks to shift these risks from their balance sheets to capital markets through instruments such as loan securitization. As a result, the shipping industry will increasingly look to capital markets for external funds. And shipping banks are likely to change from being commercial bank lending institutions to becoming more like investment banks that arrange a variety of financing solutions, including high yield bonds or public equity.Risk management will be central to shipping companies in this new environment. Shipping companies can manage their own risks by modifying operations, employing freight and vessel price derivatives, or adjusting their capital structures. To arrive at the value‐maximizing combination of these three basic methods, they must decide which risks to bear, which to manage internally, and which to transfer to the capital markets. These decisions require shipping financial managers to assess the effect of each risk on firm value, understand how each contributes to total risk, and determine the most cost‐effective way to limit that risk to an acceptable level.
Market Interest in Nonfinancial Information
Authors: Eccles Robert G. , Serafeim George , Krzus Michael P. 
Published: December 2011

During the past two decades, more and more companies have volunteered to provide “corporate social responsibility” or “sustainability” reports that include information about their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies and performance. Such reporting has come about largely in response to demands by a wide range of stakeholders for information about how the company's operations are affecting society in a number of different ways. But do investors really care about companies' ESG performance and policies?Using data from Bloomberg, the authors provide the first broadly based empirical evidence of investors' interest in ESG data. More specifically, the authors show how interest in the top 20 ESG metrics varies with geographical location (European vs. American), asset class (fixed income vs. equity), and firm type. At the aggregate market level, there is greater interest in environmental and governance information than in “social” information. U.S. investors are more interested than their European counterparts in governance and less interested in environmental information. Equity investors are interested in a wider range of nonfinancial information than are fixed income investors. And whereas sell‐side analysts are primarily interested in greenhouse gas emissions, money managers tend to focus on a broader set of metrics. Similarly, pension funds and hedge funds have shown interest in more nonfinancial metrics than insurance companies.The authors' bottom line: Companies need to recognize the growing market interest in nonfinancial information and ensure that they are providing it according to the specific information needs of market users.
Synthesis and In Vitro Antifungal Evaluation of 1,3,5‐Trisubstituted‐2‐Pyrazoline Derivatives
Authors: Deng Hui , Yu Zhi‐Yi , Shi Guan‐Ying , Chen Ming‐Jing , Tao Ke , Hou Tai‐Ping 
Published: December 2011

Pyrazolines, the well‐known five‐membered nitrogen‐containing heterocyclic compounds, have received considerable interests in the fields of medicinal and agricultural chemistry because of their broad spectrum of biological activities. To discover more potent antifungal compounds, a series of structurally related 1,3,5‐trisubstituted‐2‐pyrazoline derivatives have been synthesized by introducing furan rings regarded as bioactive substructure into the scaffold of pyrazolines and tested for their activities against six plant pathogenic fungi in vitro. The preliminary bioassays indicated that almost all synthesized compounds had displayed variable growth inhibitory effects on the tested pathogenic fungi. In particular, compounds 4, 7, 9, 12, 18, 19, and 38 displayed excellent antifungal activities against Rhizoctonia solani and their inhibition of growth reached 100% at the concentration of 20 mg/L. Additionally, compounds 9 and 19 bearing two furan rings, respectively, at site 3 and site 5 of the pyrazoline cycle showed the strongest activities against R. solani (the EC50 were 3.46 mg/L and 3.20 mg/L). The bioactivity results provide good starting templates for further structural optimization of pyrazoline derivatives.
Antagonistic Activities of Lactobacilli against Helicobacter pylori Growth and Infection in Human Gastric Epithelial Cells
Authors: Chen Xiaohua , Liu Xiao‐ming , Tian Fengwei , Zhang Qiuxiang , Zhang He‐ping , Zhang Hao , Chen Wei 
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  Lactobacilli have positive effects on bowel microflora and health in humans and animals. In this study, the antagonistic activities of Lactobacillus gasseri Chen, and L. plantarum 18 were assessed by agar plate diffusion assay and tests that determined the growth and urease activity of Helicobacter pylori cocultured with lactobacilli and the adherence of H. pylori to human gastric epithelial cells in the presence of lactobacilli. The results showed that the 2 Lactobacillus strains had significant anti‐H.pylori activity, and this activity may be contributed by the cell‐free supernatants (CFS) of lactobacilli and live Lactobacillus strains in vitro. The antagonistic activity of the CFS against H. pylori depended on the pH and the presence of metabolites, such as organic acids and proteases. Our results also indicated that 2 Lactobacillus strains could inhibit H. pylori adherence human gastric epithelial cells.Practical Application:  Helicobacter pylori causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer, and it infects about 50% of the world's population. Lactobacilli have been reported to have an inhibitory effect on H. pylori and can be used as probiotic to manufacture dairy products preventing H. pylori infection.
Phenolics Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Wine Produced from Spine Grape (Vitis davidii Foex) and Cherokee Rose (Rosa laevigata Michx.) Fruits from South China
Authors: Meng Jiangfei , Fang Yulin , Gao Jinshan , Qiao Lingling , Zhang Ang , Guo Zhijun , Qin Minyang , Huang Jizhuang , Hu Ying , Zhuang Xifu 
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  Wines made from 3 spine grape (Vitis davidii Foex) genotypes—Junzi 1# (JZ 1#), Junzi 2# (JZ 2#), and Liantang (LT)—and Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata Michx., CR) were evaluated for their phenolics composition and antioxidant activities by several assays, including 2,2′‐azino‐bis‐(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS scavenging capacity, cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity, and metal‐chelating capacity). The results showed that CR wine had higher contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and oligomeric proanthocyanidins than the 3 spine grape genotype wines and Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) wine. Among the 3 varieties of spine grape wines, JZ 1# had higher contents than the 2 other genotypes. Moreover, the total monomeric anthocyanins in JZ 1# was about 4.5‐fold higher than those in CS wine and CR wine. A significance analysis demonstrated that the antioxidant capacity (as measured by the ABTS scavenging capacity and cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity) of CR wine was significantly higher than that of the control and spine grape wines. With respect to metal‐chelating capacity, the CR wine was the strongest amongst all the wine samples tested, followed by JZ 1#. This indicates that CR and JZ 1# wines can potentially be considered as wild fruit wines with abundant phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities.Practical Application:  Spine grape (Vitis davidii Foex) and Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata Michx.) are 2 species of important wild plants in South China. However, they have not yet been effectively developed and utilized. Recently, some researchers attempted to convert their juice to wine. We anticipate that this research will provide sufficient experimental evidence for their good antioxidant activity and potential for further development and utilization.
Translational and clinical research in Singapore: ethical issues in a longitudinal study of the prodromal phase of schizophrenia
Authors: Lysaght Tamra , Capps Benjamin , Subramaniam Mythily , Chong Siow‐Ann 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAims: This paper aims to provide an overview of the ethical issues that have been raised by The Longitudinal Youth at Risk Study, which is being led by the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore as part of a multi‐centre and multinational study in translational and clinical research in psychosis. This project is designed to identify the biomarkers of the trajectory to psychosis. As well as providing insights into the psychopathology and psychophysiology of the disease, the study will prospectively identify those in the Singaporean population with an ultra‐high risk of developing psychosis. The project will collect both observational and clinically relevant data from an at‐risk group: adolescents and young adults.Methods: A normative analysis was used to consider the ethical issues that arise as a result of this study, its methods, sample population and clinical management policy.Results: The project was found to raise particular and sensitive ethical and legal issues relating to the conduct of research with vulnerable populations who may be entering the prodromal phase of psychosis. Issues raised included notions of consent, privacy, confidentiality, stigmatization, duty of care and therapeutic misconception.Conclusion: Whereas some of the issues raised by this study present with manageable solutions, others may be justifiable within the cultural context of Singapore and warrant further discussion.
Relationship between CA 19‐9 levels and glucose regulation in a middle‐aged and elderly Chinese population
Authors: HUANG Yun , XU Yu , BI Yufang , XU Min , LU Jieli , WANG Tiange , LI Mian , CHEN Yuhong , LIU Yu , HUANG Fei , XU Baihui , ZHANG Jie , WANG Weiqing , NING Guang 
Published: December 2011

AbstractObjective:  To investigate carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19‐9 levels in subjects with different glucose regulation status and assess the relationship between CA 19‐9 and glucose regulation status in a Chinese population aged 40 years and older.Methods:  A total of 2792 participants aged 40 years or older with no history of diabetes were enrolled in the present study from the Songnan region, Shanghai, China. Each participant received a two‐point (at 0 and 2 hours) 75‐g oral glucose tolerance test and measurements of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and CA 19‐9 were made.Results:  The CA 19‐9 levels increased gradually from normal glucose regulation to impaired glucose regulation to new‐onset diabetic patients (8.81, 9.84, and 11.08 U/mL, respectively, P < 0.0001 for trend). In new‐onset diabetic patients, the CA 19‐9 levels were positively and significantly associated with fasting plasma glucose (r = 0.20, P < 0.0001), 2 h post‐load plasma glucose (r = 0.17, P = 0.0007), and HbA1c (r = 0.19, P = 0.0001). Meanwhile, patients with new‐onset diabetes had 3.31‐fold (OR, 4.31; 95% CI, 2.00–9.32) increased higher odds ratio of elevated CA 19‐9 as compared with those with normal glucose regulation after adjustments for confounders.Conclusions:  The CA 19‐9 levels were significantly higher in diabetic and patients with impaired glucose regulation compared with subjects with normal glucose regulation. Diabetic status was independently associated with elevated CA 19‐9. These results imply that CA 19‐9 might also relate to the endocrine function of the pancreas.
Developing genomic resources in two Linum species via 454 pyrosequencing and genomic reduction
Authors: FU YONG‐BI , PETERSON GREGORY W. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractRecent advances in next‐generation DNA sequencing (NGS) have enhanced the development of genomic resources such as contigs or single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for evolutionary studies of a nonmodel species with a complex and unsequenced genome. This study presents an application of a NGS technique in combination with genomic reduction and advanced bioinformatics tools to identify contigs and SNPs from multiple samples of two Linum species. A full Roche 454 GS FLX run of 16 diverse Linum samples representing cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and its wild progenitor (Linum bienne Mill.) generated approximately 1.6 million sequence reads with a total length of 498 Mbp. Application of the computational pipeline de novo identification of alleles identified 713 contigs and 1067 SNPs. A blast search revealed alignments of all 713 contigs with 491 existing Linum scaffolds and gene annotations associated with 512 contigs. Sanger sequencing confirmed 95% of 79 selected contigs and 94% of 272 SNPs and identified 211 new SNPs and 19 new indels. The scored 454 SNP data were highly imbalanced for assayed samples. These findings not only are useful for evolutionary studies of Linum species but also help to illustrate the utility of NGS technologies in SNP discovery for nonmodel organisms.