bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Determination of Cocoa Flavanols and Procyanidins (by Degree of Polymerization DP1-7) in Cocoa-Based Products by Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography Coupled With Fluorescence Detection: Collaborative Study
Authors: Bussy Ugo , You Hong , Kwik-Uribe Catherine 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Background
Cocoa flavanols and procyanidins (CF) are flavonoids whose consumption is associated with health benefits, resulting in increasing attention from consumers, industry, researchers, and regulators. Methods that can provide appropriate characterization and quantification of the distinct mixture found in cocoa-based products thus offer important scientific and commercial value.

Objective
This study validated the precision of AOAC Official Method of AnalysisSM2020.05, which measures CF with a degree of polymerization DP1-7.

Method
Method precision (repeatability and reproducibility) was evaluated for seven cocoa matrixes in blind duplicates with total CF content from 1.0 to 500 mg/g. Ten of the 12 laboratories from multiple sectors invited to implement the method returned data for statistical analysis. Precision was evaluated per AOAC INTERNATIONAL guidelines for collaborative studies using RSDr and RSDR as indicators of method repeatability and reproducibility.

Results
RSDr ranged from 1.6 to 4.8%, and RSDR ranged from 5.8 to 22.4%, demonstrating excellent within-laboratory repeatability and good method precision across different laboratories. RSDR values were below 10% with the exception of chocolate, potentially due to very low CF content and sampling inhomogeneity.

Conclusions
These data demonstrate that acceptable method repeatability and reproducibility is achieved when measuring cocoa flavanols and procyanidins using AOAC Method 2020.05 and support the advancement of the AOAC Official Method of Analysis status to Final Action for evaluated matrixes.

Highlights
This collaborative study evaluated the repeatability and reproducibility of AOAC Official Method of Analysis 2020.05.
Efficiency in the Endoscopy Unit: Can We ‘Turn Around’ Room Turnover? An Observational Quality Improvement Study
Authors: Tan Carolyn Michelle , Bernstein Michael , Raboud Janet , Mannino Benedetta , Tinmouth Jill 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Background
Endoscopy units are being challenged to provide timely and quality care, despite limited resources and an ever-growing patient population. Decreasing procedure time is unlikely to create sufficient time savings and may compromise quality. Non-procedural factors, such as room turnover, are important contributors to efficiency and represent an ideal target for quality improvement efforts.

Aims
The objective of this quality improvement study was to identify practices that will improve endoscopy unit efficiency at our centre. The specific aims were to (a) understand practices at local hospitals that contribute to room turnover efficiency and (b) examine the magnitude and sources of variation in room turnover efficiency across endoscopists and nurses at our centre.

Methods
Interviews were conducted with team leads at five local hospitals. Routinely collected data from our centre were analyzed to understand the magnitude and variation in efficiency by provider and reasons for delays. Non-procedure time defined as ‘patient 1 scope out’ to ‘patient 2 scope in’ was our primary measure of efficiency.

Results
Over the 12-month period, 750 outpatient procedures met inclusion criteria. Median non-procedure time was 19 min (interquartile range: 16–22 min). The variation attributable to endoscopists was 14.7% compared to 80.4% for unmeasured factors.

Conclusions
The variation that remains unexplained by our model suggests that unmeasured factors play a substantial role in endoscopy unit efficiency and that our current endoscopy records are not capturing important contributors to efficiency. The next phase will involve focus groups and direct observation with the goal of identifying these unmeasured factors.
Work-to-Unlock Rewards: Leveraging Goals in Reward Systems to Increase Consumer Persistence
Authors: Sharif Marissa A , Woolley Kaitlin 
Published: January 2022

AbstractEight studies (N = 5,025) demonstrate that consumers persist more when they must complete a target number of goal-related actions before receiving continuous rewards (i.e., what we term work-to-unlock rewards) than when they receive continuous rewards for their effort right away (i.e., what we term work-to-receive rewards). The authors suggest that the motivating power of work-to-unlock rewards arises because these rewards (1) naturally encourage consumers to set an attainable goal to start earning rewards, motivating consumers initially through goal setting and (2) keep consumers engaged after reaching this goal due to low perceived progress in earning rewards. A work-to-unlock reward structure increases persistence relative to standard continuous rewards across a variety of consumer-relevant domains (e.g., exercising, flossing, evaluating products), and even when work-to-unlock rewards offer rewards of a lower magnitude. Further, a work-to-unlock reward structure outperforms other reward structures that encourage goal setting. Lastly, the authors identify a theoretically consistent boundary condition of this effect: the length of the unlocking period.
Weighted Single-Step GWAS for Body Mass Index and Scans for Recent Signatures of Selection in Yorkshire Pigs
Authors: Vahedi Seyed Milad , Salek Ardestani Siavash , Karimi Karim , Banabazi Mohammad Hossein 
Published: January 2022

AbstractControlling extra fat deposition is economically favorable in modern swine industry. Understanding the genetic architecture of fat deposition traits such as body mass index (BMI) can help in improving genomic selection for such traits. We utilized a weighted single-step genome-wide association study (WssGWAS) to detect genetic regions and candidate genes associated with BMI in a Yorkshire pig population. Three extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH)-related statistics were also incorporated within a de-correlated composite of multiple signals (DCMS) framework to detect recent selection signatures signals. Overall, the full pedigree consisted of 7016 pigs, of which 5561 had BMI records and 598 pigs were genotyped with an 80 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Results showed that the most significant windows (top 15) explained 9.35% of BMI genetic variance. Several genes were detected in regions previously associated with pig fat deposition traits and treated as potential candidate genes for BMI in Yorkshire pigs: FTMT, SRFBP1, KHDRBS3, FOXG1, SOD3, LRRC32, TSKU, ACER3, B3GNT6, CCDC201, ADCY1, RAMP3, TBRG4, CCM2. Signature of selection analysis revealed multiple candidate genes previously associated with various economic traits. However, BMI genetic variance explained by regions under selection pressure was minimal (1.31%). In conclusion, candidate genes associated with Yorkshire pigs’ BMI trait were identified using WssGWAS. Gene enrichment analysis indicated that the identified candidate genes were enriched in the insulin secretion pathway. We anticipate that these results further advance our understanding of the genetic architecture of BMI in Yorkshire pigs and provide information for genomic selection for fat deposition in this breed.
The Determinants of Volatility Timing Performance
Authors: Taylor Nick 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
The exact conditions under which volatility timing strategies yield value are documented. These conditions include: the ability to correctly forecast next period stochastic variance, and violation of a strict version of Merton’s intertemporal capital asset pricing model (ICAPM). While the empirical evidence supports the first of these conditions, the latter remains open to debate. Our empirical results confirm the former, but demonstrate a significant violation of the (strict) ICAPM. It follows that volatility timing strategies appear to have value. However, using reasonable parameter values plugged into the derived formulae, the results also show that extreme leverage is often required for success. A method of tempering leverage is proposed, which is somewhat able to loosen the requirement of high leverage while still maintaining a good performance level. Given the likely variation in (strict) ICAPM violations across time and assets, it follows that volatility timing success (or failure) is very much sample dependent.
ATM Germline-Mutated Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinomas: Clinical Descriptors, Molecular Characteristics, and Potential Therapeutic Implications
Authors: El Jabbour Tony , Misyura Maksym , Cowzer Darren , Zimmermann Michal , Rimkunas Victoria , Marra Antonio , Derakhshan Fatemeh , Selenica Pier , Parilla Megan , Setton Jeremy S , Ceyhan-Birsoy Ozge , Kemel Yelena , Catchings Amanda , Ranganathan Megha , Ku Geoffrey Y , Janjigian Yelena Y , Zinda Michael , Koehler Maria , Stadler Zsofia , Shia Jinru , Reis-Filho Jorge S , Mandelker Diana 
Published: January 2022

Abstract

Background
Gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma is a rare cancer associated with poor prognosis. The genetic factors conferring predisposition to GEJ adenocarcinoma have yet to be identified.

Methods
We analyzed germline testing results from 23 381 cancer patients undergoing tumor-normal sequencing, of which 312 individuals had GEJ adenocarcinoma. Genomic profiles and clinico-pathologic features were analyzed for the GEJ adenocarcinomas. Silencing of ATM and ATR was performed using validated short-interfering RNA species in GEJ, esophageal, and gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines. All statistical tests were 2-sided.

Results
Pathogenic or likely pathogenic ATM variants were identified in 18 of 312 patients (5.8%), and bi-allelic inactivation of ATM through loss of heterozygosity of the wild-type allele was detected in all (16 of 16) samples with sufficient tumor content. Germline ATM-mutated GEJ adenocarcinomas largely lacked somatic mutations in TP53, were more likely to harbor MDM2 amplification, and harbored statistically significantly fewer somatic single nucleotide variants (2.0 mutations/Mb vs 7.9 mutations/Mb; P &lt; .001). A statistically significantly higher proportion of germline ATM-mutated than ATM–wild-type GEJ adenocarcinoma patients underwent a curative resection (10 [100%] vs 92 [86.8%], P = .04; Fisher’s exact test.), A synthetic lethal interaction between short-interfering RNA silencing of ATM and ATR was observed in the models analyzed.

Conclusions
Our results indicate that germline pathogenic variants in ATM drive oncogenesis in GEJ adenocarcinoma and might result in a distinct clinical phenotype. Given the high prevalence of germline ATM-mutated GEJ adenocarcinomas, genetic testing for individuals with GEJ adenocarcinomas may be considered to better inform prognostication, treatment decisions, and future cancer risk.
Resisting or Facilitating Change? How Street-Level Managers’Situational WorkContributes to the Implementation of Public Reforms
Authors: Klemsdal Lars , Andreassen Tone Alm , Breit Eric 
Published: January 2022

AbstractManagers of street-level organizations play an important role in the successful implementation of public reforms. A prevailing view within the public administration literature is that this work involves the adaptation between reforms and local contexts, where divergence is viewed as a form of resistance to change. The article challenges this prevalent reform-centric view by introducing a situation-centric perspective and coining the concept of situational work as a significant form of managerial work during implementation. Situational work encompasses managerial actions that ensure functional and well-ordered service delivery in local street-level organizations by accomodating everyday situational contingencies, including reform objectives, but also the interests and expectations of workers, clients, and local service partners. The concept of situational work, then, broadens the recognized scope of managerial activities that contribute to successful reform implementation, reconceptualizing divergence from reform design as constructive rather than as resistance to change. The article draws on an extensive multi-wave study of a major organizational reform in Norway, based on observations of meetings as well as qualitative interviews of managers, union representatives, frontline workers, and collaborating partners in six welfare service offices at three points in time (altogether 23 observation sessions and 173 interviews).
Just Like Any Other Worker? Class and Gender in the Regulation of Domestic Service in the Early Soviet Period
Authors: Klots Alissa 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
In the 1920s, the Soviet Union was the site of the first state-led effort to reimagine domestic servants as workers. Yet this effort is absent from the global history of domestic service. Analysis of Soviet discourse on paid domestic labor, as well as cases of domestics challenging their employers in courts and arbitration, reveals that assumptions about class and gender informed the implementation of labor laws. While the employment of domestics did not constitute exploitation in the Marxist sense, the practice was widely viewed as petty-bourgeois in the early years after the revolution. As a result, domestic workers were very likely to win cases against their employers. By the mid-1920s, however, the state became aware of the role domestic workers played in freeing up the labor of their employers. The recognition of housework as socially useful labor led to the reimagining of domestic service as a practice compatible with socialism. Employers were no longer seen as exploiters by default, making it much harder for domestic workers to win cases against them. However, this shift did not change preferential treatment of domestics in cases involving access to housing, as Soviet courts feared that homeless women would inevitably turn to prostitution.
Investigation of the Prompt SNe Ia progenitor nature through the analysis of the chemical composition of globular clusters and circumgalactic clouds
Authors: Acharova I A , Sharina M E , Kazakov E A 
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACT
A method is proposed for determining the properties of Type Ia supernovae from short-lived precursors – Prompt SNIa. This method is based on the assumption that this subtype of Type Ia supernovae exploded into low-metallicity globular clusters (GCs), and is responsible for the enrichment of the high-metallicity subgroup of GCs and circumgalactic clouds (CGCs) with the iron peak elements. We justify that CGCs are the formation places of GCs of both subgroups. The accuracy of the method depends, first, on the number of GCs, the spectra of which have been studied in detail, and second, on the number of chemical elements, the abundances of which have been worked out. Only those elements are of interest for this method that are produced in supernova explosions and are not produced at the previous stage of the stellar evolution. Our estimates of nucleosynthesis in low-metallicity supernova GCs are in the best agreement with the following Prompt SNIa model: Single Degenerate Pure Deflagration Models of white dwarfs (WDs) burning with masses in the range from $\rm 1.30$ to $1.31\, {\rm M}_{\odot}$ if carbon explodes in the centre of a WD with a low central density from $\rm 0.5 \times 10^9$ to $\rm 10^9\, {\rm g\,cm^{-3}}$ (Leung & Nomoto 2018).
Notes on primordial black hole origin for thermal gamma-ray bursts
Authors: McMaken Tyler 
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACT
Recently, an alleged plausible astrophysical scenario was proposed for the production of observed thermal gamma-ray bursts, via Hawking radiation emitted from a primordial black hole (PBH) freely falling into a more massive black hole. Here, the implausibility of that scenario is demonstrated, and the key flaws in that paper’s calculations and assumptions are elucidated through a discussion of some common misconceptions concerning black holes and general relativity. In particular, the predicted radiance observed from Earth is found to be orders of magnitude lower than what any instrument could detect, and the PBH–BH merger signature would be completely overwhelmed by the background Hawking signature from free PBHs.
First CH3D detection in Class 0/I proto-brown dwarfs: constraints on CH4 abundances
Authors: Riaz B , Thi W-F 
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACT
We report the first detection in the JK = 10–00 rotational transition line of CH3D towards three Class 0/I proto-brown dwarfs (proto-BDs) from IRAM 30-m observations. Assuming a rotational temperature of 25 K, the CH3D abundances (relative to H2) are in the range of (2.3–14.5) × 10−7. The CH4 abundances derived from the CH3D abundances and assuming the DCO+/HCO+ ratios are in the range of (0.05–4.8) × 10−5. The gas-phase formation of CH3D via CH2D+ is enhanced at high densities of 108–1010 cm−3 and our observations are likely probing the innermost dense and warm regions in proto-BDs. Thermal and/or non-thermal desorption can return the CH3D and CH4 molecules formed at an early stage on grain surfaces to the gas-phase. The gas-phase abundances are indicative of warm carbon-chain chemistry in proto-BDs where carbon-chain molecules are synthesized in a lukewarm (∼20–30 K) region close to the central source.
Vimentin binds to G-quadruplex repeats found at telomeres and gene promoters
Authors: Ceschi Silvia , Berselli Michele , Cozzaglio Marta , Giantin Mery , Toppo Stefano , Spolaore Barbara , Sissi Claudia 
Published: January 2022

AbstractG-quadruplex (G4) structures that can form at guanine-rich genomic sites, including telomeres and gene promoters, are actively involved in genome maintenance, replication, and transcription, through finely tuned interactions with protein networks. In the present study, we identified the intermediate filament protein Vimentin as a binder with nanomolar affinity for those G-rich sequences that give rise to at least two adjacent G4 units, named G4 repeats. This interaction is supported by the N-terminal domains of soluble Vimentin tetramers. The selectivity of Vimentin for G4 repeats versus individual G4s provides an unprecedented result. Based on GO enrichment analysis performed on genes having putative G4 repeats within their core promoters, we suggest that Vimentin recruitment at these sites may contribute to the regulation of gene expression during cell development and migration, possibly by reshaping the local higher-order genome topology, as already reported for lamin B.
Commonality in Credit Spread Changes: Dealer Inventory and Intermediary Distress
Authors: He Zhiguo , Khorrami Paymon , Song Zhaogang 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
Two intermediary-based factors—a corporate bond dealer inventory measure and a broad intermediary distress measure—explain more than 40$\%$ of the puzzling common variation in credit spread changes beyond canonical structural factors. A simple intermediary-based model with partial market segmentation accounts for intermediary factors’ explanatory power and delivers three further implications with empirical support. First, whereas bond sorts on risk-related variables produce monotonic loading patterns on intermediary factors, non-risk-related sorts produce no pattern. Second, dealer inventory comoves with corporate-credit assets only, whereas intermediary distress comoves with both corporate-credit and non-corporate-credit assets. Third, dealers’ inventory responds to (instrumented) bond sales by institutional investors.
Sources of Value Creation in Private Equity Buyouts of Private Firms
Authors: Cohn Jonathan B , Hotchkiss Edith S , Towery Erin M 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
Despite the prevalence of private equity (PE) buyouts of private firms, little is known about how these transactions create value. We provide evidence that PE acquirers disproportionately target private firms with weak operating profitability and those that have growth potential but are highly levered and dependent on external financing. Target firms grow rapidly post-buyout, especially those undertaking add-on acquisitions, and profitability increases for both profitable and unprofitable targets. Our evidence suggests that PE acquirers create value by relaxing financing constraints for firms with strong investment opportunities and improving the performance of weak firms, while financial engineering plays a limited role.
RADIOACTIVITY CONTENT OF BUILDING MATERIALS USED IN KUTAHYA PROVINCE, TURKEY
Authors: Çetinkaya Hakan , Manisa Kaan , Işık Ulaş 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
Radioactivity concentrations of primordial radionuclides Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 for 31 samples of seven different types of construction materials used in Kütahya Province, Turkey, were analyzed using NaI(Tl) gamma spectroscopy. Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 activities of all samples ranged between &lt;2.0 and 81.3 ± 1.5, &lt;1.0 and 24.8 ± 0.5 and &lt;7.8 and 819.1 ± 5.5 Bq kg −1, respectively. Radium equivalent activity and Gamma index of sampled building materials were calculated and presented. All results were found to be below the safety limits.
Assessing Adequate Homes and Proper Parenthood: How Gendered and Racialized Family Norms Legitimize the Deportation of Unaccompanied Minors in Belgium and the Netherlands
Authors: Cleton Laura 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
This article analyzes the ways in which the Belgian and Dutch governments legitimize the deportation of unaccompanied minors, by focusing on the interplay of intersectional boundary work and bordering practices. Building on the work of postcolonial feminists and scholars studying the role of identity and cultural values in migration policy, the article highlights that deportation relies on and reifies gendered, racialized, and classed representations of the family, child-rearing practices, and the roles attributed to children. A paternalistic attitude that spurs the moral necessity to protect children mediates the exclusionary potential of such boundaries for deporting states.
Greater than the Sum of the Parts? Evidence on Mechanisms Operating in Women's Groups
Authors: Díaz-Martin Lucía , Gopalan Akshara , Guarnieri Eleonora , Jayachandran Seema 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
Women's groups are a popular approach to promoting women's and girls’ empowerment. Yet, whether and how creating and supporting women's groups and delivering interventions through them offers unique benefits compared to individual-based interventions remains an open question. We review the experimental and quasi-experimental literature on women's livelihoods and financial groups, health groups, and adolescent groups, and analyze the causal mechanisms through which these models improved outcomes for women and girls in low and middle-income countries. We distinguish between mechanisms that leveraged groups as a platform for intervention delivery and mechanisms that leveraged interactions among group members. We conclude that the primary benefit of group models is to offer a platform to reach many women at once with resources, information, and training. Nonetheless, some evidence suggests that group models can achieve positive impacts by fostering or harnessing interactions among group members, which would be harder or impossible to achieve through individual-based interventions. We offer some suggestions regarding the implications of these findings for programming and future research.