bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Do dividend changes predict the future profitability of firms?
Authors: Choi Young M. , Joo Hyo K. , Park Young K. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractMany previous studies have been conducted to test whether corporate dividend changes predict the future profitability of firms. While the debate continues, we assess the information content of dividends (ICD) hypothesis in the Korean market as it provides an interesting experimental setting for testing the hypothesis in the context of corporate governance. We find that it is difficult to support the ICD hypothesis if one accepts nonlinear patterns in earnings. However, when we divide the sample in terms of Chaebol vs. non‐Chaebol and high‐growth vs. low‐growth firms, we find that the ICD hypothesis becomes valid, especially for non‐Chaebol firms and for low‐growth firms. Therefore, we suggest that the validity of the ICD hypothesis may be dependent on firm characteristics such as the corporate governance structure and growth stage.
Why Care about Scientific Controversies?
Authors: DE FREITAS RENAN SPRINGER , PIETROBON RICARDO 
Published: November 2010

AbstractSince Kuhn claimed that scientific controversies are not always settled by means of rational evaluations of the intrinsic merits of competing theories, the view that the history of science should be recounted by examining the background of scientific controversies and how these controversies came to be settled has become a real heuristic maxim for the historian of science. We take issue with this view by arguing that controversies are not relevant by themselves but only insofar as one can make something out of them. Two important questions then arise: what did one come to learn from a given controversy and what came out of this apprenticeships. We compare Pauline Mazumdar's and Alfred Tauber's approaches to the history of immunology and argue that only the latter addressed these questions. In so doing, he was able to show the extension in which modern immunology is an outcome of Metchnikoff's success in correcting Haeckel's “fundamental biogenetic law”.
Accounting for the Contribution of Vitamin B to Canada's WWII Effort
Authors: BRAUN ROBYN 
Published: November 2010

AbstractCanada began to fortify its flour and bread with vitamin B when it entered the Second World War. The decision was informed by the biology of vitamin B and therefore I suggest that the complexity of this political maneuver can best be understood by considering the specificity of the biochemistry of vitamin B. In this paper I will show that the specific biology of vitamin B allowed the Canadian government the possibility of a healthier population under wartime conditions but also allowed the government a variety of means by which to develop and organize food processing practices to this end.
The Civilizing and Sportization of Gaelic Football in Ireland: 1884–2009
Authors: CONNOLLY JOHN , DOLAN PADDY 
Published: November 2010

AbstractOver the course of the last 125 years the sport of Gaelic football in Ireland has undergone a sportization and civilizing process as the rules governing the sport became stricter and players developed greater levels of self‐control. However, the civilizing of Gaelic football was a particularly fragile and uneven process. The growing social desire to diminish displays of violence was moderated by ambivalence towards violence. Gradually the external social controls on players increased and, greater and more stable levels of internalization occurred reflected by more advanced levels of player self‐restraint in the control of violence. At the same time the threshold of shame toward displays of violence advanced. This transformation was shaped by lengthening chains of social interdependencies in Ireland.
Dominant CEO, Deviant Strategy, and Extreme Performance: The Moderating Role of a Powerful Board
Authors: Tang Jianyun , Crossan Mary , Rowe W. Glenn 
Published: November 2010

abstractThis study examines the effect of dominant CEOs – defined as CEOs who are very powerful relative to other executives in their top management teams – on firm strategy and performance. Based on a sample of 51 publicly traded, single‐business firms from the US computer industry for the period 1997–2003, our results suggest that firms with dominant CEOs tend to have a strategy deviant from the industry central tendency and thus extreme performance – either big wins or big losses. Further, powerful boards weaken the tendency of dominant CEOs towards extremeness and, more important, improve the likelihood of dominant CEOs having big wins versus big losses. This study reconciles the pessimistic and heroic views regarding dominant CEOs, and suggests that the notion of power balance should be considered in a broader context.
RNAi trigger fragment truncation attenuates soybean FAD2‐1 transcript suppression and yields intermediate oil phenotypes
Authors: Wagner Nicholas , Mroczka Andrew , Roberts Peter D. , Schreckengost William , Voelker Toni 
Published: November 2010

SummarySuppression of the microsomal ω6 oleate desaturase during the seed development of soybean (Glycine max) with the 420‐bp soybean FAD2‐1A intron as RNAi trigger shifts the conventional fatty acid composition of soybean oil from 20% oleic and 60% polyunsaturates to one containing greater than 80% oleic acid and less than 10% polyunsaturates. To determine whether RNAi could be attenuated by reducing the trigger fragment length, transgenic plants were generated to express successively shorter 5′ or 3′ deletion derivatives of the FAD2‐1A intron. We observed a gradual reduction in transcript suppression with shorter trigger fragments. Fatty acid composition was less affected with shorter triggers, and triggers less than 60 bp had no phenotypic effect. No trigger sequences conferring significantly higher or lower suppression efficiencies were found, and the primary determinant of suppression effect was sequence length. The observed relationship of transcript suppression with the induced fatty acid phenotype indicates that RNAi is a saturation process and not a step change between suppressed and nonsuppressed states and intermediate suppression states can be achieved.
Site‐specific gene integration in rice genome mediated by the FLP–FRT recombination system
Authors: Nandy Soumen , Srivastava Vibha 
Published: November 2010

SummaryPlant transformation based on random integration of foreign DNA often generates complex integration structures. Precision in the integration process is necessary to ensure the formation of full‐length, single‐copy integration. Site‐specific recombination systems are versatile tools for precise genomic manipulations such as DNA excision, inversion or integration. The yeast FLP–FRT recombination system has been widely used for DNA excision in higher plants. Here, we report the use of FLP–FRT system for efficient targeting of foreign gene into the engineered genomic site in rice. The transgene vector containing a pair of directly oriented FRT sites was introduced by particle bombardment into the cells containing the target locus. FLP activity generated by the co‐bombarded FLP gene efficiently separated the transgene construct from the vector‐backbone and integrated the backbone‐free construct into the target site. Strong FLP activity, derived from the enhanced FLP protein, FLPe, was important for the successful site‐specific integration (SSI). The majority of the transgenic events contained a precise integration and expressed the transgene. Interestingly, each transgenic event lacked the co‐bombarded FLPe gene, suggesting reversion of the integration structure in the presence of the constitutive FLPe expression. Progeny of the precise transgenic lines inherited the stable SSI locus and expressed the transgene. This work demonstrates the application of FLP–FRT system for site‐specific gene integration in plants using rice as a model.
Social Co‐operatives and Social Farming in Italy
Authors: Fazzi Luca 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe article analyses the recent evolution of rural social co‐operation in Italy through study of a representative sample of enterprises. The results of the research highlight the innovative features of such co‐operatives and the role that they can perform in the development of the rural and social economy. The article also explores the social, economic and cultural factors that have favoured the emergence of social co‐operatives, furnishing an original contribution to the study of change processes in the social economy sector and in the revitalisation of the rural economy.
‘Nature’ is Not Guilty: Foodborne Illness and the Industrial Bagged Salad
Authors: Stuart Diana 
Published: November 2010

AbstractIncreasing incidents of widespread foodborne illness continue to highlight problems with industrialised food production. These problems emerge as a result of complicated interactions between humans and non‐humans in food production networks. This article combines actor‐network theory and political economy to critically examine foodborne illness, focusing on outbreaks related to industrially produced bagged salads from California. The article explores the evolution of the bagged salad, the emergence ofEscherichia coliO157:H7, howE. coliO157:H7 enters the salad production network and the responses of industrial actors. While many continue to blame external nature for foodborne illness, doing so overlooks the fact that outbreaks are co‐produced by humans and non‐humans. Profit‐driven industrial production designs play an important role in the emergence and spread of pathogens. While efforts to address outbreaks focus on controlling non‐humans and adopting new technological fixes, effectively minimising foodborne illness may require a reevaluation of high‐volume and centralised production systems.
Innate immunity: has poplar made its BED?
Authors: Germain Hugo , Séguin Armand 
Published: November 2010

SummaryThe perennial plant model species Populus trichocarpa has received considerable attention in the last 5 yr because of its potential use as a bioenergy crop. The completion of its genome sequence revealed extensive homologies with the herbaceous annual species Arabidopsis thaliana. This review highlights the similarities and differences at the qualitative defence response components level, notably in putative NBS‐LRR protein content and downstream defence regulators. With almost a twofold NBS‐LRR gene complement compared with A. thaliana, P. trichocarpa also encodes some putative R‐proteins with unusual architectures and possible DNA‐binding capacity. P. trichocarpa also possesses all the known main components characteristic of TIR‐NB‐LRR and CC‐NB‐LRR signalling. However, very little has been done with regard to the components involved in the poplar qualitative response to pathogens. In addition, the relationship between plant‐biotroph perception/signalling and the role of salicylic acid, an important defence compound, remains uncertain. This review aims to identify the genomic components present in poplar that could potentially participate in the qualitative response and highlights where efforts should be devoted to obtain a better understanding of the poplar qualitative defence response.

Contents

Summary
678

I.
Introduction
679

II.
R‐gene‐mediated response in plants: an introductory overview
679

III.
R‐protein pathways in poplar
680

IV.
What is the role of BED‐NB‐LRR?
681

V.
Downstream of R‐proteins
683

VI.
The role of salicylic acid in biotrophic interaction
683

VII.
Concluding remarks
684

References
685
Efficient versus Sustainable Livestock Grazing in the Sahel
Authors: Weikard Hans‐Peter , Hein Lars 
Published: November 2010

AbstractTo date, there is no consensus on optimal stocking rates in the semi‐arid Sahel. We develop a model for livestock management based on a detailed analysis of ecosystem dynamics, and we apply it to calculate optimal and sustainable livestock stocking rates in a Sahelian rangeland. The general model accounts for stochastic rainfall and the long‐term impact of grazing on rangeland productivity. For the case study area, the model shows that the optimal stocking rate is higher than the sustainable stocking rate. Hence, with current prices, it is optimal for the pastoralist society to deplete their resource base. In our case study, we also find that the current stocking rate exceeds the optimal stocking rate, which adds to soil depletion.
Levetiracetam‐induced thrombocytopenia among inpatients: A retrospective study
Authors: Sahaya Kinshuk , Goyal Munish K. , Sarwal Aarti , Singh Niranjan N. 
Published: November 2010

SummaryLately, few case reports have brought forth limited cases of levetiracetam (LEV)‐induced thrombocytopenia. To estimate the burden of LEV‐induced thrombocytopenia, we reviewed medical records of 758 patients aged 18 years or older who received LEV during their stay at the University Hospital from June 2005 to December 2008. In patients identified with thrombocytopenia, records were reviewed to establish a cause of thrombocytopenia and possible causal role of LEV. Of 758 patients, 29 patients were identified with thrombocytopenia while on LEV therapy. For 23 patients, an alternative cause for thrombocytopenia was established; 4 patients had preexisting thrombocytopenia without any appreciable change in platelet count after addition of LEV. One patient had limited data for identifying the cause of thrombocytopenia. A single patient had clear temporal co‐relation and association of thrombocytopenia with LEV therapy. LEV‐induced thrombocytopenia is a rare but reversible complication of LEV therapy. The mechanism remains unknown.
Development and reliability of a correction factor for parent‐reported adherence to pediatric antiepileptic drug therapy
Authors: Modi Avani C. , Guilfoyle Shanna M. , Morita Diego A. , Glauser Tracy A. 
Published: November 2010

SummaryPurpose:  Study aims were (1) to document and examine associations between parent‐report and electronic monitoring (EM) of pediatric antiepileptic drug (AED) adherence, (2) to determine the sensitivity and specificity of parent‐reported adherence, and (3) to develop a correction factor for parent‐reported adherence.Methods:  Participants included 111 consecutive children with new‐onset epilepsy (Mage = 7.2 ± 2.0; 61.3% male; 75.8% Caucasian) and their primary caregivers. AED adherence was electronically monitored for 3 months prior to the 4‐month clinic follow‐up visit. Parent‐reported adherence captured adherence 1‐week prior to the clinic visit. For specificity/sensitivity analyses of parent‐reported adherence, cut points of 50%, 80%, and 90% were used with electronically monitored adherence calculated 1‐week prior to the clinic visit as the reference criterion.Key Findings:  Electronically monitored adherence (80.3%) was significantly lower than parent‐reported adherence (96.5%; p < 0.0001) 1‐week prior to the clinic visit, but both were significantly correlated (rho = 0.46, p < 0.001). The 90% parent‐reported adherence cut point demonstrated the most sensitivity and specificity to electronically monitored adherence; however, specificity was still only 28%. A correction factor of 0.83 was identified as a reliable adjustment for parent‐reported adherence when compared to electronically monitored adherence.Significance:  Although EM is the gold standard of adherence measurement for pediatric epilepsy, it is often not clinically feasible to integrate it into routine clinical care. Therefore, use of a correction factor for interpreting parent‐reported adherence holds promise as a reliable clinical tool. With reliable adherence measurement, clinicians can provide adherence interventions with the hope of optimizing health outcomes for children with epilepsy.
Variable epilepsy phenotypes associated with a familial intragenic deletion of the SCN1A gene
Authors: Guerrini Renzo , Cellini Elena , Mei Davide , Metitieri Tiziana , Petrelli Cristina , Pucatti Daniela , Marini Carla , Zamponi Nelia 
Published: November 2010

SummaryDeletions and duplications/amplifications of the α1‐sodium channel subunit (SCN1A) gene occur in about 12% of patients with Dravet syndrome (DS) who are otherwise mutation‐negative. Such genomic abnormalities cause loss of function, with severe phenotypes, reproductive disadvantage and, therefore, sporadic occurrence. Inherited mutations, occurring in ∼5% of patients with DS, are usually missense; transmission occurs from a mildly affected parent exhibiting febrile seizures (FS) or the generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) spectrum. We identified an intragenic SCN1A deletion in a three‐generation, clinically heterogeneous family. Sequence analysis of SCN9A, a putative modifier, ruled out pathogenic mutations, variants, or putative disease–associated haplotype segregating with phenotype severity. Intrafamilial variability in phenotype severity indicates that SCN1A loss of function causes a phenotypic spectrum in which seizures precipitated by fever are prominent and schematic syndrome subdivisions would be inappropriate. SCN1A deletions should be ruled out even in individuals with mild phenotypes.
Does Nonresponse Bias the Results of Retrospective Surveys of End‐of‐Life Care?
Authors: Casarett David , Smith Dawn , Breslin Sean , Richardson Diane 
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of nonresponse bias on reports of the quality of end‐of‐life care that older adults receive.DESIGN: Nationwide retrospective survey of end‐of‐life care.SETTING: Sixty‐two Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.PARTICIPANTS: Patients were eligible if they died in a participating facility. One family member per patient was selected from medical records and invited to participate.MEASUREMENTS: The telephone survey included 14 items describing important aspects of the patient's care in the last month of life. Scores (0–100) reflect the percentage of items for which the family member reported that the patient received the best possible care, and a global item defined the proportion of families who said the patient received “excellent” care. To examine the effect of nonresponse bias, a model was created to predict the likelihood of response based on patient and family characteristics; then this model was used to apply weights that were equivalent to the inverse of the probability of response for that individual.RESULTS: Interviews were completed with family members of 3,897 of 7,110 patients (55%). Once results were weighted to account for nonresponse bias, the change in mean individual scores was 2% of families reporting “excellent” care. Of the 62 facilities in the sample, the scores of only 19 facilities (31%) changed more than 1% in either direction, and only 10 (16%) changed more than 2%.CONCLUSION: Although nonresponse bias is a theoretical concern, it does not appear to have a significant effect on the facility‐level results of this retrospective family survey.
Burden in Caregivers of Older Adults with Advanced Illness
Authors: Garlo Katherine , O'Leary John R. , Van Ness Peter H. , Fried Terri R. 
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVES: To examine caregiver burden over time in caregivers of patients with advanced chronic disease.DESIGN: Observational cohort with interviews over 12 months.SETTING: Community.PARTICIPANTS: Caregivers of 179 community‐living persons aged 60 and older with advanced cancer, heart failure (HF), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).MEASUREMENTS: Caregiver burden was assessed using a short‐form of the Zarit Burden Inventory to measure psychosocial distress.RESULTS: At baseline, the median caregiver burden was 5 (interquartile range (IQR) 1–11), which indicates that the caregiver endorsed having at least two of 10 distressing concerns at least some of the time. Only 10% reported no burden. Although scores increased modestly over time, the association between time and burden was not significant in longitudinal multivariable analysis. High burden was associated with caregiver need for more help with daily tasks (odds ratio (OR)=23.13, 95% confidence interval (CI)=5.94–90.06) and desire for greater communication with the patient (OR=2.53, 95% CI=1.16–5.53). The longitudinal multivariable analysis did not yield evidence of associations between burden and patient sociodemographic or health characteristics.CONCLUSION: Caregiver burden was common in caregivers of patients with cancer, HF, and COPD. High burden was associated with the caregiver's report of need for greater help with daily tasks but not with objective measures of the patient's need for assistance, such as symptoms or functional status, suggesting that burden may be a measure of the caregiver's ability to adapt to the caregiving role.
Utilization of blood transfusion among older adults in the United States
Authors: Rogers Mary A.M. , Blumberg Neil , Heal Joanna M. , Langa Kenneth M. 
Published: November 2010

BACKGROUND: While there have been epidemiologic studies of blood donors, the characteristics of individuals who receive transfusions have not been well described for the US population.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Subjects were from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study whose data were linked to Medicare files from 1991 through 2007 (n = 16,377). A cohort study was conducted to assess the frequency of transfusion in older Americans over time and to describe the characteristics of blood recipients.RESULTS: Thirty‐one percent (95% confidence interval [CI], 30%‐33%) of older Americans received at least one transfusion within a 10‐year period and 5.8% (95% CI, 5.4%‐6.2%) experienced repeated transfusion‐related visits within 30 days. The mean number of transfusion‐related visits was 2.3 over a 10‐year period (95% CI, 2.2‐2.4). Older Americans who lived in the South were most likely to receive a transfusion (34%), independent of demographic and health‐related factors, while those who lived in the western United States were the least likely (26%). Predictors of transfusion included smoking, low body mass index, and a history of cancer, diabetes mellitus, end‐stage renal disease, and heart disease. African‐Americans and Mexican‐Americans had greater rates of blood utilization than other races and other Hispanics (respectively). There were also differences in transfusion utilization by education, marital status, religion, and alcohol use.CONCLUSIONS: Transfusion is common in older Americans. Regional variations in blood use are not explained by patient characteristics alone.