bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wolves, white‐tailed deer, and beaver: implications of seasonal prey switching for woodland caribou declines
Authors: Latham A. David M. , Latham M. Cecilia , Knopff Kyle H. , Hebblewhite Mark , Boutin Stan
Published: June 2013

Population increases of primary prey can negatively impact alternate prey populations via demographic and behavioural responses of a shared predator through apparent competition. Seasonal variation in prey selection patterns by predators also can affect secondary and incidental prey by reducing spatial separation. Global warming and landscape changes in Alberta's bitumen sands have resulted in prey enrichment, which is changing the large mammal predator–prey system and causing declines in woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou populations. We assessed seasonal patterns of prey use and spatial selection by wolves Canis lupus in two woodland caribou ranges in northeastern Alberta, Canada, that have undergone prey enrichment following recent white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus invasion. We determined whether risk of predation for caribou (incidental prey) and the proportion of wolf‐caused‐caribou mortalities varied with season. We found that wolves showed seasonal variation in primary prey use, with deer and beaver Castor canadensis being the most common prey items in wolf diet in winter and summer, respectively. These seasonal dietary patterns were reflected in seasonal wolf spatial resource selection and resulted in contrasting spatial relationships between wolves and caribou. During winter, wolf selection for areas used by deer maintained strong spatial separation between wolves and caribou, whereas wolf selection for areas used by beaver in summer increased the overlap with caribou. Changing patterns in wolf resource selection were reflected by caribou mortality patterns, with 76.2% of 42 adult female caribou mortalities occurring in summer. Understanding seasonal patterns of predation following prey enrichment in a multiprey system is essential when assessing the effect of predation on an incidental prey species. Our results support the conclusion that wolves are proximately responsible for woodland caribou population declines throughout much of their range.
Invasive plants in conservation linkages: a conceptual model that addresses an underappreciated conservation issue
Authors: Wilkerson Marit L.
Published: June 2013

Conservationists have frequently touted the merits of increased landscape connectivity, usually focusing on the efficacy of conservation linkages (corridors) for maintaining viable populations of target species. An often‐mentioned, but still greatly understudied, concern is that increased landscape connectivity via linkages may also aid the movement of undesired species. This paper provides conceptual guidance for research on one major aspect of this gap: invasive plants in conservation linkages. To guide research goals and methods, I develop a conceptual model describing eight interaction types between invasive plants and linkages, i.e. the ways that invasive plants can exist in and move into, through, and out of conservation linkages. Each interaction type within the model has three main components: linkage, matrix, and focal species. I discuss several aspects of these components, including a) differentiating among matrix types, b) understanding edge effects within the linkages, and c) incorporating relevant invasive species’ ecology (primarily dispersal ecology). Spatially‐explicit documentation of invasive plant distribution is essential to understanding these interactions. By focusing on landscape‐scale patterns in real‐world systems, this model will enhance landscape‐level knowledge of invasion ecology and aid land managers in identifying and prioritizing research and management decisions regarding invasive plants in conservation linkages.
Landscape of fear in Europe: wolves affect spatial patterns of ungulate browsing in Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland
Authors: Kuijper D. P. J. , de Kleine C. , Churski M. , van Hooft P. , Bubnicki J. , Jędrzejewska B.
Published: June 2013

Large carnivores can either directly influence ungulate populations or indirectly affect their behaviour. Knowledge from European systems, in contrast to North American systems, on how this might lead to cascading effects on lower trophic levels is virtually absent. We studied whether wolves Canis lupus via density‐mediated and behaviorally‐mediated effects on their ungulate prey species influence patterns of browsing and tree regeneration inside the Białowieża National Park, Poland. Browsing intensity of tree saplings (height class < 150 cm), irrespective of tree species or forest type, was lower inside a wolf core area (50.5%) where predator presence is highest, than in the remainder of the wolf pack’s home range (58.3%). Additionally, browsing intensity was reduced when the amount of coarse woody debris (CWD), which can act as a ʻungulate escape impedimentʼ, increased (within 5‐m radius) inside the wolf core area. No relationship existed outside the core area. As a result, the proportion of trees growing out of herbivore control increased more strongly with increasing amount of CWD inside compared to outside the wolf core area. This suggests that next to direct effects of wolves on ungulate density caused by a higher predation pressure inside the core area, risk effects are important and are enhanced by habitat characteristics. These results indicate that behaviorally‐mediated effects of predators on prey can become more important than density‐mediated effects in affecting lower trophic levels. This is the first study we are aware of, that shows CWD can create fine‐scale risk effects on ungulates with the potential for cascading effects of large predators on patterns of tree regeneration for a European forest system. This knowledge broadens the discussion on how the impact of large predators on ecosystem functioning depends on the physical landscape, by illustrating these effects for a system which largely contrasts in this respect to the North American systems.
The importance of temporal climate variability for spatial patterns in plant diversity
Authors: Letten Andrew D. , Ashcroft Michael B. , Keith David A. , Gollan John R. , Ramp Daniel
Published: June 2013

Spatial variation in absolute climatic conditions (means, maxima or minima) is widely acknowledged to play a fundamental role in controlling species diversity patterns. In contrast, while evidence is accumulating that variability around mean climatic conditions may also influence species coexistence and persistence, the importance of spatial variation in temporal climatic variability for species diversity is still largely unknown. We used a unique dataset capturing fine‐scale spatial heterogeneity in temperature variability across 2490 plots in southeast Australia to examine the comparative strength of absolute temperature and temperature variability in explaining spatial variation in plant diversity. Across all plots combined and in three of five forest types, temperature variability emerged as the better predictor of diversity. In all but one forest type, diversity also exhibited either a significant unimodal or positive linear correlation with temperature variability. This relationship is consistent with theory that predicts diversity will initially increase along a climate variability gradient due to temporal niche partitioning, but at an intermediary point, may decline as the risk of stochastic extinction exceeds competitive stabilization. These findings provide critical empirical evidence of a linkage between spatial variation in temporal climate variability and plant species diversity, and in light of changing climate variability regimes, highlight the need for ecologists to expand their purview beyond absolutes and averages.
Clade‐specific consequences of climate change to amphibians in Atlantic Forest protected areas
Authors: Loyola Rafael D. , Lemes Priscila , Brum Fernanda T. , Provete Diogo B. , Duarte Leandro D. S.
Published: June 2013

The rapid global decline of amphibian population is alarming because many occur for apparently unknown or enigmatic reasons, even inside protected areas (PAs). Some studies have predicted the effects of climate change on amphibians’ distribution and extinction, but the relationship and consequences of climate change to the phylogenetic structure of amphibian assemblages remain obscure. By applying robust techniques for ecological niche modeling and a cutting‐edge approach on community phylogenetics, here, we evaluate how climate change affects the geographical pattern of amphibian species richness and phylogenetic diversity in the Atlantic Forest Biodiversity Hotspot, Brazil, as well as how the phylogenetic composition of amphibian assemblages respond to climate change. We found that most species contracted their ranges and that such responses are clade specific. Basal amphibian clades (e.g. Gymnophiona and Pipidae) were positively affected by climate change, whereas late‐divergent clades (e.g. Cycloramphidae, Centrolenidae, Eleutherodactylidae, Microhylidae) were severely impacted. Identifying major changes in the phylogenetic pool represents a first step towards a better understanding of how assembly processes related to climate change will affect ecological communities. A deep analysis of the impacts of climate change not only on species, but also on the evolutionary relationships among species might foster the discussion on clade‐level conservation priorities for this imperiled fauna.
Crosstalk between hydrogen sulfide and nitric oxide in endothelial cells
Authors: Altaany Zaid , Yang Guangdong , Wang Rui
Published: June 2013

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO) are major gasotransmitters produced in endothelial cells (ECs), contributing to the regulation of vascular contractility and structural integrity. Their interaction at different levels would have a profound impact on angiogenesis. Here, we showed that H2S and NO stimulated the formation of new microvessels. Incubation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs‐926) with NaHS (a H2S donor) stimulated the phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and enhanced NO production. H2S had little effect on eNOS protein expression in ECs. L‐cysteine, a precursor of H2S, stimulated NO production whereas blockage of the activity of H2S‐generating enzyme, cystathionine gamma‐lyase (CSE), inhibited this action. CSE knockdown inhibited, but CSE overexpression increased, NO production as well as EC proliferation. LY294002 (Akt/PI3‐K inhibitor) or SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) abolished the effects of H2S on eNOS phosphorylation, NO production, cell proliferation and tube formation. Blockade of NO production by eNOS‐specific siRNA or nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME) reversed, but eNOS overexpression potentiated, the proliferative effect of H2S on ECs. Our results suggest that H2S stimulates the phosphorylation of eNOS through a p38 MAPK and Akt‐dependent pathway, thus increasing NO production in ECs and vascular tissues and contributing to H2S‐induced angiogenesis.
Invasive cancers are not necessarily from preformed in situ tumours — an alternative way of carcinogenesis from misplaced stem cells
Authors: Wang Rui‐An , Li Zeng‐Shan , Zhang Hui‐Zhong , Zheng Ping‐Ju , Li Qin‐Long , Shi Jian‐Guo , Yan Qing‐Guo , Ye Jing , Wang Jing‐Bo , Guo Ying , Huang Xiao‐Feng , Yu Ying‐Hao
Published: June 2013

Cancers are thought to be the result of accumulated gene mutations in cells. Carcinomas, which are cancers arising from epithelial tissues usually go through several stages of development: atypical hyperplasia, carcinoma in situ and then invasive carcinoma, which might further metastasize. However, we think that the present pathological data are enough to prove that there might be an alternative way of carcinogenesis. We propose that majority of invasive cancers arise in the connective tissue stroma de novo, from the misplaced epithelial stem cells which come to the wrong land of connective tissue stroma by accident. The in situ carcinomas, which are mostly curable, should not be considered genuine cancer, but rather as quasi‐cancer. We design this new theory of carcinogenesis as the stem cell misplacement theory (SCMT). Our SCMT theory chains together other carcinogenesis theories such as the inflammation‐cancer chain, the stem cell theory and the tissue organization field theory. However, we deny the pathway of somatic mutation theory as the major pathway of carcinogenesis.
Non‐apoptotic function of caspases in a cellular model of hydrogen peroxide‐associated colitis
Authors: Poehlmann Angela , Reissig Kathrin , Just Andrea , Walluscheck Diana , Hartig Roland , Schinlauer Antje , Lessel Wiebke , Guenther Thomas , Silver Andrew , Steinberg Pablo , Roessner Albert
Published: June 2013

Oxidative stress, caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS), is a major contributor to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)‐associated neoplasia. We mimicked ROS exposure of the epithelium in IBD using non‐tumour human colonic epithelial cells (HCEC) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). A population of HCEC survived H2O2‐induced oxidative stress via JNK‐dependent cell cycle arrests. Caspases, p21WAF1 and γ‐H2AX were identified as JNK‐regulated proteins. Up‐regulation of caspases was linked to cell survival and not, as expected, to apoptosis. Inhibition using the pan‐caspase inhibitor Z‐VAD‐FMK caused up‐regulation of γ‐H2AX, a DNA‐damage sensor, indicating its negative regulation via caspases. Cell cycle analysis revealed an accumulation of HCEC in the G1‐phase as first response to oxidative stress and increased S‐phase population and then apoptosis as second response following caspase inhibition. Thus, caspases execute a non‐apoptotic function by promoting cells through G1‐ and S‐phase by overriding the G1/S‐ and intra‐S checkpoints despite DNA‐damage. This led to the accumulation of cells in the G2/M‐phase and decreased apoptosis. Caspases mediate survival of oxidatively damaged HCEC via γ‐H2AX suppression, although its direct proteolytic inactivation was excluded. Conversely, we found that oxidative stress led to caspase‐dependent proteolytic degradation of the DNA‐damage checkpoint protein ATM that is upstream of γ‐H2AX. As a consequence, undetected DNA‐damage and increased proliferation were found in repeatedly H2O2‐exposed HCEC. Such features have been associated with neoplastic transformation and appear here to be mediated by a non‐apoptotic function of caspases. Overexpression of upstream p‐JNK in active ulcerative colitis also suggests a potential importance of this pathway in vivo.
Hydrogen therapy may be an effective and specific novel treatment for Acute Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD)
Authors: Qian Liren , Shen Jianliang
Published: June 2013

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been widely used for the treatment of haematological malignant and non‐malignant haematologic diseases. However, acute graft‐versus‐host disease (aGVHD) is a kind of severe complication of HSCT limiting its application. Cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), IL‐6 play an extremely important role in the formation and development of aGVHD. Besides, the oxidation phenomena and/or the formation of free radicals have been suggested to be causally related to various haematological disorders including aGVHD. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydroxyl radicals, play an important role in the formation and development of aGVHD. Hydrogen has been reported to have the ability to inhibit levels of cytokines such as TNF, IL‐6 in vivo. Our recent studies provided evidence that hydrogen inhalation can selectively reduce cytotoxic oxygen radicals and exert antioxidant effects. Therefore, we suggested that hydrogen may have therapeutic effects on aGVHD. This hypothesis entails many experimentally testable predictions. We propose the experimental study by detecting complete blood counts (CBC) and Clinic signs of aGVHD mice. We also propose to detect the levels of TNF‐α, IL‐2, IL‐1β, IL‐6 which play important roles in the pathogenesis of aGVHD. To discover potential mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of hydrogen on the aGVHD model, we will examine gene‐expression profiles. This study will open a new therapeutic avenue combining the field of therapeutic medical gases and aGVHD. This theory is original and probably of importance, because therapeutic medical gases have never been used for aGVHD previously.
Psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese versions of the 29‐ and 13‐item scales of the Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC‐29 and SOC‐13) evaluated in Brazilian cardiac patients
Authors: Spadoti Dantas Rosana A , Silva Fernanda S e , Ciol Márcia A
Published: June 2013

Aim and objectives

To assess the construct validity and reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese versions of the 29‐ and 13‐item scales of the Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC‐29 and SOC‐13).

Background

Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Questionnaire was developed to measure the main construct of the salutogenic theory, the sense of coherence. The use of the sense of coherence by health professionals might help identifying specific coping strategies used by person with chronic illness.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Methods

The SOC‐29 has been culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese language. In this study, we assessed its psychometric properties (construct validity and internal reliability) tested on 203 cardiac patients. The SOC‐13 was tested on another 100 cardiac patients hospitalised in the same hospital. The construct validity of both versions was investigated through Pearson correlation between the measures of sense of coherence and of correlated constructs (self‐esteem, depression and age), analysis of the principal components and comparison of distinct groups (male vs. female). The internal reliability for both versions was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha.

Results

For both versions, the construct validity assessments showed strong positive correlations between sense of coherence and self‐esteem and strong negative correlations between sense of coherence and depression (convergent validity), and weak correlation between sense of coherence and age (divergent validity). Principal component analysis supported in part the presence of a single component (unidimensionality). Differences in sense of coherence were found by sex with SOC‐29, but not with SOC‐13. Cronbach's alpha coefficients showed satisfactory internal consistency in both versions.

Conclusions

The Brazilian Portuguese versions of SOC‐29 and SOC‐13 can be considered valid and reliable for the populations studied. More studies need to be performed to assess these proprieties in other Brazilian populations.

Relevance to clinical practice

This scale can be used in research and clinical practice in Brazil to assess nursing interventions aimed at decreasing stress during cardiac rehabilitation.
Moving beyond the therapeutic relationship: a selective review of intimacy in the sexual health encounter in nursing practice
Authors: East Leah , Hutchinson Marie
Published: June 2013

Aims and objectives

For the purposes of this study, a selective review of the literature was undertaken with the aim of examining nurses' preparedness to engage in intimate interactions within the context of sexual health care. Kirk's (2007) model of interactional intimacy is used as a lens to examine the literature.

Background

The provision of sexual health care is often a neglected area of nursing care despite being recognised as a component of holistic nursing practice. Despite theoretical discussion about various forms of intimacy and intimate care, there has been little examination of the interface between intimacy and sexual health care that usefully informs practice.

Design

Selective review and synthesis of the literature.

Conclusion

The literature of humanistic interpretations of caring that has dominated nursing discourse over the last half‐century has limited progress on defining and developing forms of clinical interaction that are suited to promoting nurses engagement in sexual health care. We propose that Kirk's model has useful utility in preparing nurses to engage more readily with sexual health care as a routine component of their practice.

Relevance to clinical practice

Sexual health adversity can often accompany ill health, and therefore, the provision of appropriate care is required to negate detrimental outcomes and promote positive well‐being. Although sexual health care is often not prioritised in practice, nurses are in a prime position to promote sexual health care and well‐being. By conducting sexual health assessments and providing sexual health care routinely, the gap that exists between patients' sexual healthcare needs and the lack of sexual health care provided can be minimised.
Allegories of the End: Classical Sociologies of Economic Sustainability and Cultural Ruin
Authors: Kemple Thomas
Published: June 2013

Against the backdrop of contemporary discourses of “sustainable growth” and “cultures of waste”, this essay considers the arguments of early sociologists concerning the relationship between subsistence economies of reproduction and sacrificial economies of symbolic exchange. In the first few decades of the twentieth century, Marcel Mauss and Thorstein Veblen each formulated influential accounts of the social barriers and physical limits to human life which find an echo in later cultural theories concerning economies of excess and overproduction in (post)modern societies. Rather than assess the empirical validity or theoretical accuracy of these arguments, this essay examines how factual descriptions of excess and decay can be read as sociological allegories of a world in ruins. The model for such a reading can be found in the work of another sociological classic, Georg Simmel, whose systematic account of the self‐preservation and expansion of social groups anticipates his later more impressionistic and fragmentary reflections on “the tragedy of culture”, understood as a struggle for individual autonomy against social and natural forces of objectification. Simmel and his classical contemporaries thus anticipate later thinkers who ask whether “the end of an era” should be understood as a terminal point, an ideal purpose, or a cyclical stage in the “progress” of history.
Categorizing Categorization Research: Review, Integration, and Future Directions
Authors: Vergne J.‐P. , Wry Tyler
Published: June 2013

This paper offers a systematic review of the literature on organizational categories and categorization published in the last 14 years (1999–2012). After identifying a core of roughly 100 papers on categories that appeared in management, organization, and sociology journals, we classified them based on several key dimensions, and analysed a few trends within the categorization literature. Our most surprising finding may be the fact that until recently, there was no mutual recognition of the existence of a distinct ‘literature on categories’ despite the wealth of published material on the topic. After summarizing some core theoretical features of that emergent literature, we propose integrative definitions of its core constructs and suggest several areas of research that could further enrich it in the future.
Angiographic Lumen Changes Associated with Oversized Intracranial Stent Implantation for Aneurysm Treatment
Authors: Lazzaro Marc A. , Teleb Mohamed S. , Zaidat Osama O.
Published: June 2013

BACKGROUND

The effect of oversized intracranial stent implantation, and potential excessive neointimal hyperplasia from the chronic outward radial force, has not been reported. We sought to compare the angiographic narrowing associated with implantation of oversized stents.

METHODS

We reviewed an aneurysm database and identified patients treated with stent‐assisted embolization involving a vessel size transition. Demographics and lesion characteristics were extracted. The relationship between lumen diameter and stent oversizing was compared.

RESULTS

Twenty vessels were identified in 18 patients, providing 80 paired data points. Mean follow‐up time was 8 months (SD 6). The average oversizing in the smaller diameter parent vessel landing‐zone was 1.75 mm. Mean change in lumen size from pre‐stent implantation was not significantly different for any of the four sites. There was a significant difference in change of lumen size at the stent tines when compared with the respective mid‐stent segment for both the proximal (P = 0.02) and distal (P = 0.0004) landing zones.

CONCLUSIONS

A small significant lumen loss occurs at stent tines when compared to midstent struts. However, there is no overall significant stenosis from highly oversized stents. Persistent luminal gain from the oversized stent radial force likely predominates over any neointimal hyperplasia.
A multicentre survey of hepatitis C awareness in a high‐risk population
Authors: Kanaan Therese , Liu Anthony , Leroi Marcel , Nanan Ralph
Published: June 2013

Aims

To assess the awareness of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection status in a high‐risk population.

Methods

A targeted population survey of clients of methadone maintenance clinics in metropolitan and rural New South Wales, using an interviewer‐administered face‐to‐face questionnaire. Main outcome measures include awareness of HCV status, time elapsed since last tested and children's HCV status.

Results

A total of 329 clients completed the survey, of which 97% perceived to have been tested for HCV in the past. One hundred and seventy (52%) participants considered themselves to be negative for HCV. Of these the median time since last tested was 2 years (2 weeks–25 years). Although 94% of all parents believed that their child's HCV status was negative, only 49% of respondents stated that their children had been tested for HCV. Voluntary testing was offered to all clients and their children with only one accepting.

Conclusions

Awareness of HCV infection status in this high‐risk population is suboptimal. This indicates that existing educational strategies are inadequate and that there is a disconnect between their health needs and the medical care they receive. Novel approaches need to be considered to improve the knowledge of HCV transmission and hopefully improve HCV‐associated health outcomes in high‐risk populations.
Detection of Plant Pathogen Spores of Economic Significance on Pollen Trap Slides
Authors: Brittain Ian , Selby Katherine , Taylor Moray , Mumford Rick
Published: June 2013

Real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to evaluate a small number of samples from a volumetric spore trap normally used for counting pollen grains. Samples from a total of 6 days during July and August 2011 were screened. Pathogen DNA was detected from three of four groups of economically significant plant pathogens for which real‐time PCR assays were available. These were Tilletia spp. on 1 day, Puccinia spp. on 2 days and Fusarium spp. on all 6 days. No amplification of real‐time PCR assays was detected for Phytophthora infestans or P. ramorum. The results indicate that plant pathogens can be detected in air sampling networks, which are remote from arable cropping and deployed for other purposes. This has implications for rapidly identifying periods of pathogen dispersal and improving the accuracy of information on pathogen spore load in the atmosphere.
Low‐dose combination of alendronate and atorvastatin reduces ligature‐induced alveolar bone loss in rats
Authors: Goes P. , Melo I. M. , Silva L. M. C. M. , Benevides N. M. B. , Alencar N. M. N. , Ribeiro R. A. , Lima V.
Published: June 2013

Background and Objective

Atorvastatin (ATV) has bone anabolic properties, and alendronate (ALD) is an important antiresorptive drug. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the combination of ALD and ATV on ligature‐induced alveolar bone loss in rats.

Material and Methods

Periodontitis was induced by ligature in 78 Wistar rats. Groups of six rats prophylactically received 0.9% saline (SAL), ALD (0.01 or 0.25 mg/kg subcutaneously) or ATV (0.3 or 27 mg/kg by gavage). Then, groups of six rats received the combination of ALD+ATV (0.25 mg/kg + 27 mg/kg, 0.01 mg/kg + 0.3 mg/kg, 0.25 mg/kg + 0.3 mg/kg or 0.01 mg/kg + 27 mg/kg) prophylactically. An extra group of six rats received therapeutic SAL or a lower‐dose combination of ALD+ATV (0.01 mg/kg + 0.3 mg/kg, respectively) therapeutically. Three extra groups of six rats each received SAL or a lower‐dose combination of ALD+ATV (0.01 mg/kg + 0.3 mg/kg, respectively) prophylactically or therapeutically for histometric and immunohistochemical analyses. The rats were killed on day 11 after ligature placement, and the maxillae were removed and processed for macroscopic, histomorphometric and TRAP immunohistochemical analyses. Gingival samples were collected to evaluate myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Blood samples were collected to measure serum bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) and transaminase levels and for hematological studies. Rats were weighed daily.

Results

All combined therapies prevented alveolar bone loss when compared with SAL or low doses of monotherapy (ALD or ATV) (p < 0.05). The lower‐dose combination of ALD+ATV (0.01 mg/kg + 0.3 mg/kg, respectively), administered either prophylactically (39.0%) or therapeutically (53.5%), prevented alveolar bone loss. Decreases in bone and cementum resorption, in leukocyte infiltration and in immunostaining for TRAP and MPO activity corroborated the morphometric findings. The lower‐dose combination of ALD+ATV (0.01 mg/kg + 0.3 mg/kg, respectively) prevented BALP reduction (p < 0.05) and did not alter the level of serum transaminases. Moreover, the lower‐dose combination of ALD+ATV (0.01 mg/kg + 0.3 mg/kg, respectively) also reduced neutrophilia and lymphomonocytosis and did not cause weight loss when compared with administration of SAL.

Conclusion

The lower‐dose combination of ALD+ATV (0.01 mg/kg + 0.3 mg/kg, respectively) demonstrated a protective effect on alveolar bone loss.
Nucleotide diversity of 11S seed storage protein gene and its implications for ecological adaptation of Oryza nivara
Authors: HUANG Lei , DU Yu‐Su , ZHENG Xiao‐Ming , LIU Rong , ZHOU Hai‐Fei , GE Song
Published: June 2013

The mechanism by which a new species arises and adapts to its environment is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Seed characteristics such as seed size and nutrient composition are important fitness‐related traits and have been shown to vary greatly among populations and species. However, the significance of variation in seed traits in plant adaptation and speciation remains unclear. We carried out a population genetic study on nucleotide variation of one 11S seed storage protein gene (Pss) of Oryza rufipogon Griff. and O. nivara Sharma & Shastry, two closely related wild rice species. By comparatively examining the genetic variation pattern of the regulatory and coding regions of Pss and fragments of six reference loci across different chromosomes, we found significantly lower polymorphisms at coding regions of the gene (PssI) in O. nivara relative to O. rufipogon. Neutrality tests indicated that the reduction of polymorphisms at PssI in O. nivara was caused by positive selection rather than population demography, implying a role of selection on the 11S seed protein gene. Further phylogenetic and principal component analyses also support the hypotheses that the origin of O. nivara was associated with the adaptive divergence on the coding region of Pss. It is most likely that higher reproductive effort would be favored when O. nivara arose from O. rufipogon populations and adapted to the environment change.
Overview of the morphology, anatomy, and ontogeny of Adiantum capillus‐veneris: An experimental system to study the development of ferns
Authors: Li Xia , Fang Yu‐Han , Yang Ji , Bai Shu‐Nong , Rao Guang‐Yuan
Published: June 2013

Adiantum capillus‐veneris L., commonly regarded as a good experimental plant for the study of fern development, is investigated, and its life cycle under laboratory conditions is described. In our study, the life cycle of A. capillus‐veneris was completed in 100 days. Features of spore germination, antheridium and archegonium ontogeny and development, and embryogenesis are investigated. Exosporic gametophytes of A. capillus‐veneris came from spores, and ended with the cordate prothallia. Antheridia and archegonia were generally situated toward the posterior end and the notch of the prothallia, respectively. Sporophyte was also studied with emphasis on leaf morphology and the vascular system. There were vascular bundles of dictyostele without secondary vascular tissues. Sporogenesis was scrutinized from sporangial initial of a single surface cell to the annulus shedding spores explosively. Our findings provide insight into the life cycle of the leptosporangiate ferns under experimental conditions, and make it possible for A. capillus‐veneris to be an underlying model plant for the study of evolutionary and developmental biology.
Details of compressions of Glyptostrobus (Cupressaceae s.l.) from the Eocene of Fushun, NE China
Authors: MA Qing‐Wen , VIKULIN Sergey Vasilyevich , LI Cheng‐Sen , WANG Yu‐Fei
Published: June 2013

Branches and leafy shoots of fossil Glyptostrobus Endlicher (Cupressaceae s.l.), preserved as compressions of leaf cuticle with stomata and a single scale of a seed cone, have been found for the first time in the Jijuntun Formations of the Eocene in Fushun, Liaoning Province, NE China. These fossil remains are identified as Glyptostrobus by comparing them with Sequoia, Metasequoia, and Taxodium, which are commonly in association and have similar morphological features. The fossil remains are assigned to Glyptostrobus based on characters of leaf morphotypes, phyllotaxis, leaf apex, leaf base, epidermal cell morphology, orientation of stomata, and a single flabellate ovuliferous scale of a seed cone. All of the characteristics of the fossil remains are in agreement with those of the diagnosis of G. europaeus (Brongn.) Ung. These newly described Glyptostrobus specimens from China represent linear, linear‐subulate, and scale‐like leaves. The species G. europaeus is common for Eurasia where it has a wide geographic and stratigraphic range, but the cuticle characteristics of the species are rarely reported. In China, fossil remains of G. europaeus have been found in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Hong Kong.
Full genome ultra‐deep pyrosequencing associates G‐to‐A hypermutation of the hepatitis B virus genome with the natural progression of hepatitis B
Authors: Beggel B. , Münk C. , Däumer M. , Hauck K. , Häussinger D. , Lengauer T. , Erhardt A.
Published: June 2013

Human APOBEC3 (A3) cytosine deaminases are antiviral restriction factors capable of editing the genome the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Despite the importance of the human A3 protein family for the innate immune response little is known about the clinical relevance for hepatitis B. The aim of this study was to utilize ultra‐deep pyrosequencing (UDPS) data to analyse the phenomenon of G‐to‐A hypermutation of the complete HBV genome and to relate it to fundamental characteristics of patients with chronic hepatitis B. By analysing the viral population of 80 treatment naïve patients (47 HBeAg‐positive and 33 HBeAg‐negative), we identified an unequal distribution of G‐to‐A hypermutations across the genome. Our data indicate that G‐to‐A hypermutation occurs predominantly in a region between nucleotide positions 600 and 1800 a region which is usually single stranded in matured HBV particles. This implies that A3 likely edits HBV in the virion. Hypermutation rates for HBeAg‐negative patients were more than 10‐fold higher than those of HBeAg‐positive patients. For HBeAg‐negative patients higher hypermutation rates were significantly associated with the degree of fibrosis. Additionally, we found that for HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis G‐to‐A hypermutation rates were significantly associated with the relative prevalence of the G1764A mutation, which is related to HBeAg seroconversion. In total, our data imply an important association of hypermutation mediated by A3 deaminases with the natural progression of chronic hepatitis B infections both in terms of HBeAg seroconversion and disease progression towards cirrhosis.
On the importance of edaphic variables to predict plant species distributions – limits and prospects
Authors: Thuiller Wilfried
Published: June 2013

Although the importance of edaphic parameters on plant growth and survival is known, they are rarely incorporated as predictors in plant species distribution models (SDM). Dubuis et al., in this issue, show they may improve the performance of plant SDMs in Alpine ecosystems. This paves the way for more comprehensive assessments of the value of including edaphic variables into SDMs.
Stability and Change in One Adult's Second Language English Negation
Authors: Hauser Eric
Published: June 2013

This article reports on how, against a background of relatively stable patterns of second language negation, a Japanese‐speaking adult learning English made use of a negative formula, “I don't know,” and how, in and through interaction, analyzed it into its component parts and began using “don't” more productively. Making use of the micro‐analytic techniques of conversation analysis to analyze data collected over a seven‐month period, two relatively stable patterns of negation are described. This is followed by a description of how the learner used the formula and, over time, analyzed it. This often involved repetition and/or self‐repair. Changes in how “don't” was used included coming to use it with the verb “like,” as well as coming to use it with “you.”
Receptors and mechanisms mediating the biphasic response evoked by bradykinin in rat colonic smooth muscle
Authors: Würner L. , Diener M.
Published: June 2013

Background

In rat duodenum, bradykinin induces a relaxation followed by a contraction. Different types of ion channels and receptors as well as non‐muscle cells have been suggested to be involved in this response. As it is unclear whether these changes are observed also in rat large intestine and the mechanisms which might underlie this response, the effect of bradykinin on rat colonic motility was tested.

Methods

Isometric contractions were measured on full‐thickness preparations or preparations, from which individual layers had been dissected. The expression of bradykinin receptors was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and RT‐PCR. Isolated intestinal muscle cells were investigated with Ca2+‐imaging techniques.

Key Results

Bradykinin caused a biphasic contractile response (initial relaxation followed by contraction) in rat colon, which was resistant against tetrodotoxin. The kinin‐induced relaxation was inhibited by tetrapentylammonium chloride, a blocker of Ca2+‐activated K+ channels. Des‐arg9‐bradykinin did not induce any effect on the native colon, although after 5 h in vitro preincubation, a contractile response was evoked by this B1 receptor agonist. The consecutive ablation of adherent layers of the intestinal wall strongly reduced the response to bradykinin in comparison with a control stimulus, i.e., carbachol, suggesting a contribution of non‐muscle cells in the mediation of this response.

Conclusions & Inferences

Bradykinin induced a biphasic change in contractility in the rat colon. In the native intestine, only the B2 receptor is involved in this effect. Neighboring cell obviously sensitize the smooth muscle to the stimulation of these receptors.
A large destructive aneurysmal bone cyst in the mandibular ramus with unusual involvement of the mandibular condyle and coronoid process
Authors: de‐Azevedo‐Vaz S.L. , Oenning A.C.C. , Carneiro‐Junior J.T. , Arnaud M.V.C. , Tuji F.M. , Haiter‐Neto F.
Published: June 2013

This article reports the case of a large aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) in a 12‐year‐old girl, who came to the Ophir Loyola Hospital (Belém, Pará, Brazil) complaining of pain and debilitated because of a secondary infection. Radiographic and tomographic findings presented an expansion/destruction pattern, including a slight narrowing of the oropharynx and destruction of the right mandibular condyle and coronoid process, which according to the literature are rarely affected by this type of cyst. Because of the size and progression of the cyst, the treatment included block resection with a costochondral rib graft. The clinical and radiographic aspects of expansion with destruction, associated with trans‐surgical moderate bleeding and the histopathological findings (dense connective tissue and numerous blood spaces) led to a final diagnosis of a mixed type ABC.
Venous air embolism from Tisseel use during endoscopic cranial vault remodeling for craniosynostosis repair: a case report
Authors: Felema Gohalem G. , Bryskin Robert B. , Heger Ian M. , Saswata Roy
Published: June 2013

Venous air embolism (VAE) is a potential complication during cranial vault remodeling requiring early detection and prompt therapeutic intervention. The incidence of VAE has been reported to be as high as 82.6% during open craniectomy for craniosynostosis repair. On the other hand, two separate studies reported a much lower incidence of VAE (8% and 2%) during endoscopic strip craniectomy. As surgical advancements progress, minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures are increasing in the pediatric population with reported benefits of decreased blood loss and need for transfusion, shorter hospital stay, decreased cost, lower morbidity, and mortality. In addition, there is a heightened emphasis on achieving hemostasis, which has led to the use of products such as antifibrinolytics and fibrin sealants. We present a case where a VAE causing significant hemodynamic instability (grade III) ensued immediately following aerosolized fibrin sealant application. Exploration of the potential source of VAE pointed to the high pressure and close proximity (between spray device and tissue) during application of the sealant, likely forcing air into the vascular system.
Integrated analysis of seed proteome and mRNA oxidation reveals distinct post‐transcriptional features regulating dormancy in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Gao Feng , Rampitsch Christof , Chitnis Vijaya R. , Humphreys Gavin D. , Jordan Mark C. , Ayele Belay T.
Published: June 2013

Wheat seeds can be released from a dormant state by after‐ripening; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still mostly unknown. We previously identified transcriptional programmes involved in the regulation of after‐ripening‐mediated seed dormancy decay in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Here, we show that seed dormancy maintenance and its release by dry after‐ripening in wheat is associated with oxidative modification of distinct seed‐stored mRNAs that mainly correspond to oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome biogenesis, nutrient reservoir and α‐amylase inhibitor activities, suggesting the significance of post‐transcriptional repression of these biological processes in regulating seed dormancy. We further show that after‐ripening induced seed dormancy release in wheat is mediated by differential expression of specific proteins in both dry and hydrated states, including those involved in proteolysis, cellular signalling, translation and energy metabolism. Among the genes corresponding to these proteins, the expression of those encoding α‐amylase/trypsin inhibitor and starch synthase appears to be regulated by mRNA oxidation. Co‐expression analysis of the probesets differentially expressed and oxidized during dry after‐ripening along with those corresponding to proteins differentially regulated between dormant and after‐ripened seeds produced three co‐expressed gene clusters containing more candidate genes potentially involved in the regulation of seed dormancy in wheat. Two of the three clusters are enriched with elements that are either abscisic acid (ABA) responsive or recognized by ABA‐regulated transcription factors, indicating the association between wheat seed dormancy and ABA sensitivity.
Marker‐assisted simultaneous but stepwise backcross breeding for pyramiding blast resistance genes Piz5 and Pi54 into an elite Basmati rice restorer line ‘PRR78’
Authors: Singh Vikas K. , Singh Atul , Singh S. P. , Ellur Ranjith K. , Singh Devinder , Gopala Krishnan S. , Bhowmick P. K. , Nagarajan M. , Vinod K. K. , Singh U. D. , Mohapatra T. , Prabhu K. V. , Singh A. K.
Published: June 2013

Marker‐assisted simultaneous but stepwise backcross breeding (MASS‐BB) was utilized in the present study for pyramiding blast resistance genes, Piz5 and Pi54, from non‐Basmati donors, C101A51 and Tetep, respectively, into PRR78, an elite Basmati restorer line of rice hybrid, Pusa RH10. Marker‐assisted foreground selection coupled with stringent phenotypic selection and background analysis was carried out for hastening the recovery of recurrent parent phenome (RPP) and genome (RPG) in two separate backcross series to produce BC2F1 plants with individual blast resistance gene. The best BC2F1 plant from each backcross series was intercrossed, and the resultant F1 was selfed to pyramid both blast‐resistance genes into PRR78. The plants homozygous for both the genes in the F2 were advanced through pedigree selection to produce superior blast‐resistant F5 lines. Background analysis revealed that the RPG recovery was up to 91.6%. Improved versions of Pusa RH10 developed using the improved PRR78 lines (PRR78+Piz5+Pi54) performed on par with the original Pusa RH10 and showed resistance to blast disease both under artificial screening and at hot spot locations.
Morphological and Structural Changes in Lung Tissue Infected by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis: FTIR Photoacoustic Spectroscopy and Histological Analysis
Authors: Morato Edilaine M. , Morais Gutierrez R. , Sato Francielle , Medina Antonio N. , Svidzinski Terezinha I. E. , Baesso Mauro L. , Hernandes Luzmarina
Published: June 2013

This study evaluated physical, chemical and morphological changes in lungs of mice infected with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The animals were inoculated with 0.1 mL of fungal suspension of the P. brasiliensis 18 isolate and were euthanized 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks after inoculation. The upper left lobe of the lung was isolated, fixed and processed for paraffin embedding. The sections were stained with H&E for histopathological study, with Gomori‐Grocott to locate and identify the fungus, and with TUNEL immunostaining to detect the occurrence of programmed cell death. The lower and middle right lobes were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Photoacoustic Spectrocopy (FTIR‐PAS) to investigate physical and chemical features of the infected lungs. The results showed that lungs infected by P. brasiliensis underwent structural changes that varied according to the time period analyzed, and that changes in the absorption bands of different chemical groups resulted from these morphological changes. The results suggest that the combination of FTIR‐PAS spectroscopy with morphological evaluation is an effective procedure for the study of paracoccidioidomycosis, one of the most important systemic mycoses that can damage the lung architecture and consequently impair the respiratory function.
To Sell or Not to Sell: Measuring the Heat of the Housing Market
Authors: Carrillo Paul E.
Published: June 2013

Combining list‐price, sale‐price and time‐on‐the‐market data, we estimate an index that summarizes housing market conditions and that has a direct economic interpretation. The index measures seller's bargaining power in a structural search model of home seller behavior. Structural estimation uncovers an analytical relationship between reduced form coefficients of hedonic and marketing‐time equations and structural parameters. Thus, the index can be estimated using individual‐level or aggregate data. Using housing transactions data from the Washington, D.C., area, we show that index trends coincide with the up and downturns in home appreciation rates and with popular perceptions about the “heat” of the market.