bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disentangling the drivers of context‐dependent plant–animal interactions
Authors: Maron John L. , Baer Kathryn C. , Angert Amy L.
Published: July 2014

A fundamental goal of ecology is to predict how strongly one species affects the abundance of another. However, our ability to do so is hindered by the fact that interaction outcomes are notoriously variable in space and time (i.e. context‐dependent) and we lack a predictive understanding of the factors that drive this context‐dependence. Determining whether abiotic factors, in particular, predictably shift the outcome of species interactions is of critical importance for many contemporary problems, from forecasting climate change impacts to predicting the efficacy of weed biocontrol.

In this essay, we highlight the context‐dependent nature of interactions between plants and their pollinators and herbivores. We advocate for approaches that will identify whether particular abiotic factors predictably shift how strongly these interactions influence plant abundance and/or population growth. We review long‐standing theory that describes how abiotic context should influence the selective impacts of pollinators and herbivores on plants and articulate why this theory requires modification to predict population‐level effects.

Finally, we propose several empirical approaches to address gaps in existing knowledge: (i) experiments across broad abiotic gradients to determine whether the outcome of interactions between pollinators or herbivores and plants varies consistently with changing abiotic conditions; (ii) experiments that manipulate the underlying environmental gradient to elucidate whether the abiotic factor that correlates with interaction outcome is causal; and (iii) seed addition studies to explore how strongly seedling recruitment correlates with seed input (as affected by pollen limitation or herbivory) and to quantify how the strength of the seed‐to‐seedling linkage is influenced by the underlying abiotic gradient.

Synthesis. Our understanding of the underlying drivers of context‐dependent plant–animal interactions is currently not well developed. Progress in this area is essential to better predict when and where species interactions will alter the responses of plant populations to environmental changes as well as to develop more robust theory. Experiments aimed at explicitly exploring the role of abiotic factors in mediating the population‐level impact of pollen limitation and herbivory could determine the extent to which variation in the abiotic environment predictably shifts the outcome of these interactions.
Poverty impacts of the volume‐based special safeguard mechanism
Authors: Ivanic Maros , Martin Will
Published: July 2014

The volume‐based Special Safeguard Mechanism (Q‐SSM) was proposed as essential for small, poor farmers and became the proximate cause of the collapse of the Doha Agenda negotiations in 2008. But is it helpful for these farmers, given that it is likely to be applied when farm output is depressed and many poor farmers in developing countries need to buy food? Stochastic simulations for 31 countries suggest that use of this safeguard in line with the proposed WTO rules would raise the world poverty headcount by an average of 24 million. The adverse poverty impact of the duty is larger when the quantity safeguard is triggered than it would be in other years, because lower farm output reduces the benefits to poor farm households from higher prices.
Total Cost of Care Lower among Medicare Fee‐for‐Service Beneficiaries Receiving Care from Patient‐Centered Medical Homes
Authors: van Hasselt Martijn , McCall Nancy , Keyes Vince , Wensky Suzanne G. , Smith Kevin W.
Published: July 2014

Objective

To compare health care utilization and payments between NCQA‐recognized patient‐centered medical home (PCMH) practices and practices without such recognition.

Data Sources

Medicare Part A and B claims files from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2010, 2009 Census, 2007 Health Resources and Services Administration and CMS Utilization file, Medicare's Enrollment Data Base, and the 2005 American Medical Association Physician Workforce file.

Study Design

This study used a longitudinal, nonexperimental design. Three annual observations (July 1, 2008–June 30, 2010) were available for each practice. We compared selected outcomes between practices with and those without NCQA PCMH recognition.

Data Collection Methods

Individual Medicare fee‐for‐service (FFS) beneficiaries and their claims and utilization data were assigned to PCMH or comparison practices based on where they received the plurality of evaluation and management services between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.

Principal Findings

Relative to the comparison group, total Medicare payments, acute care payments, and the number of emergency room visits declined after practices received NCQA PCMH recognition. The decline was larger for practices with sicker than average patients, primary care practices, and solo practices.

Conclusions

This study provides additional evidence about the potential of the PCMH model for reducing health care utilization and the cost of care.
Restoration of a Mediterranean forest after a fire: bioremediation and rhizoremediation field‐scale trial
Authors: Pizarro‐Tobías Paloma , Fernández Matilde , Niqui José Luis , Solano Jennifer , Duque Estrella , Ramos Juan‐Luis , Roca Amalia
Published: July 2014

Forest fires pose a serious threat to countries in the Mediterranean basin, often razing large areas of land each year. After fires, soils are more likely to erode and resilience is inhibited in part by the toxic aromatic hydrocarbons produced during the combustion of cellulose and lignins. In this study, we explored the use of bioremediation and rhizoremediation techniques for soil restoration in a field‐scale trial in a protected Mediterranean ecosystem after a controlled fire. Our bioremediation strategy combined the use of Pseudomonas putida strains, indigenous culturable microbes and annual grasses. After 8 months of monitoring soil quality parameters, including the removal of monoaromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as vegetation cover, we found that the site had returned to pre‐fire status. Microbial population analysis revealed that fires induced changes in the indigenous microbiota and that rhizoremediation favours the recovery of soil microbiota in time. The results obtained in this study indicate that the rhizoremediation strategy could be presented as a viable and cost‐effective alternative for the treatment of ecosystems affected by fires.
Electronic cigarettes: review of use, content, safety, effects on smokers and potential for harm and benefit
Authors: Hajek Peter , Etter Jean‐François , Benowitz Neal , Eissenberg Thomas , McRobbie Hayden
Published: July 2014

Aims

We reviewed available research on the use, content and safety of electronic cigarettes (EC), and on their effects on users, to assess their potential for harm or benefit and to extract evidence that can guide future policy.

Methods

Studies were identified by systematic database searches and screening references to February 2014.

Results

EC aerosol can contain some of the toxicants present in tobacco smoke, but at levels which are much lower. Long‐term health effects of EC use are unknown but compared with cigarettes, EC are likely to be much less, if at all, harmful to users or bystanders. EC are increasingly popular among smokers, but to date there is no evidence of regular use by never‐smokers or by non‐smoking children. EC enable some users to reduce or quit smoking.

Conclusions

Allowing EC to compete with cigarettes in the market‐place might decrease smoking‐related morbidity and mortality. Regulating EC as strictly as cigarettes, or even more strictly as some regulators propose, is not warranted on current evidence. Health professionals may consider advising smokers unable or unwilling to quit through other routes to switch to EC as a safer alternative to smoking and a possible pathway to complete cessation of nicotine use.
Variation in morphological and reproductive characteristics of females of Anolis nebulosus (Squamata: Dactyloidae) from island and mainland populations near the Pacific Coast of Mexico
Authors: Hernández‐Salinas Uriel , Ramírez‐Bautista Aurelio
Published: July 2014

We present a comparative analysis of the morphological and reproductive characteristics of adult female Anolis nebulosus, an arboreal lizard found on both mainland and insular habitats near the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Females from San Pancho Island were larger in all measured morphological variables than females from Biological Field Station Chamela (BFSCH) on the mainland, and those also reproduced at smaller body size (snout‐vent length, SVL: range = 35–44,  = 39 mm) than females on San Pancho Island (range = 40–47,  = 43 mm). Egg mass and egg volume were also greater on San Pancho Island, but clutch frequency was higher on BFSCH during breeding season; in this place, one egg every 8 days over a period of 4 months (123 days) versus one egg every 10 days over a period of 4 months (130 days) on San Pancho Island. Thus, we conclude that certain characteristics related to reproduction (e.g. size at sexual maturity, egg mass and egg volume) in A. nebulosus with populations inhabiting islands and mainland, vary primarily in accordance with female SVL. These variations are most likely a response to the different pressures where A. nebulosus inhabits on environments the islands and mainland near the Pacific Coast of Mexico.
The bone marrow stromal compartment in multiple myeloma patients retains capability for osteogenic differentiation in vitro: defining the stromal defect in myeloma
Authors: Kassen Deepika , Moore Sally , Percy Laura , Herledan Gaelle , Bounds Danton , Rodriguez‐Justo Manuel , Croucher Peter , Yong Kwee
Published: July 2014

Defects in bone repair contribute to multiple myeloma (MM) bone disease. It is unknown whether this reflects failure of osteogenic differentiation from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), inherent stromal defects or mature cell dysfunction. We quantified the number of fibroblast colony‐forming units (CFU‐f) and osteoblast colony‐forming units (CFU‐ob) in freshly isolated bone marrow (BM) from healthy individuals (N = 10) and MM patients (N = 54). CFU‐f and CFU‐ob were present in MM BM, at comparable frequency to normal subjects, irrespective of disease stage, and the presence of bone disease. Adherent cultures from MM BM are able to differentiate into osteoblasts, as indicated by the early upregulation of RUNX2, SP7, AXIN2 and DLX5, and the production of alkaline phosphatase and calcium. Coculture with MM cells failed to prevent osteogenic differentiation of adult human MSC. On the other hand, MM cells induced cell cycle progression in resting MSC in a cell contact dependent manner. This effect was confirmed using both primary CD138+ cells and MM cell lines, and was not seen with B or T cell lines. Our data confirm the presence of osteoblast progenitors and the preservation of osteogenic function in MM, however dysregulation of cell cycle control may contribute to the loss of normal bone homeostasis that ultimately results in osteolytic bone loss.
A mutation in X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (G466X) leads to memory inflation of Epstein–Barr virus-specific T cells
Authors: Lopez-Granados E , Stacey M , Kienzler A-K , Sierro S , Willberg C B , Fox C P , Rigaud S , Long H M , Hislop A D , Rickinson A B , Patel S , Latour S , Klenerman P , Chapel H
Published: July 2014

Mutations in the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) gene have been associated with XLP-like disease, including recurrent Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-related haemophagocytic lymphohystiocytosis (HLH), but the immunopathogenic bases of EBV-related disease in XIAP deficiency is unknown. We present the first analysis of EBV-specific T cell responses in functional XIAP deficiency. In a family of patients with a novel mutation in XIAP (G466X) leading to a late-truncated protein and varying clinical features, we identified gradual hypogammaglobulinaemia and large expansions of T cell subsets, including a prominent CD4+CD8+ population. Extensive ex-vivo analyses showed that the expanded T cell subsets were dominated by EBV-specific cells with conserved cytotoxic, proliferative and interferon (IFN)-γ secretion capacity. The EBV load in blood fluctuated and was occasionally very high, indicating that the XIAPG466X mutation could impact upon EBV latency. XIAP deficiency may unravel a new immunopathogenic mechanism in EBV-associated disease.
Regulatory role of PI3K-protein kinase B on the release of interleukin-1β in peritoneal macrophages from the ascites of cirrhotic patients
Authors: Tapia-Abellán A , Ruiz-Alcaraz A J , Antón G , Miras-López M , Francés R , Such J , Martínez-Esparza M , García-Peñarrubia P
Published: July 2014

Great effort has been paid to identify novel targets for pharmaceutical intervention to control inflammation associated with different diseases. We have studied the effect of signalling inhibitors in the secretion of the proinflammatory and profibrogenic cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β in monocyte-derived macrophages (M-DM) obtained from the ascites of cirrhotic patients and compared with those obtained from the blood of healthy donors. Peritoneal M-DM were isolated from non-infected ascites of cirrhotic patients and stimulated in vitro with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and heat-killed Candida albicans in the presence or absence of inhibitors for c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K). The IL1B and CASP1 gene expression were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR). The expression of IL-1β and caspase-1 were determined by Western blot. IL-1β was also assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in cell culture supernatants. Results revealed that MEK1 and JNK inhibition significantly reduced the basal and stimulated IL-1β secretion, while the p38 MAPK inhibitor had no effect on IL-1β levels. On the contrary, inhibition of PI3K increased the secretion of IL-1β from stimulated M-DM. The activating effect of PI3K inhibitor on IL-1β release was mediated mainly by the enhancement of the intracellular IL-1β and caspase-1 content release to the extracellular medium and not by increasing the corresponding mRNA and protein expression levels. These data point towards the role of MEK1 and JNK inhibitors, in contrast to the PI3K-protein kinase B inhibitors, as potential therapeutic tools for pharmaceutical intervention to diminish hepatic damage by reducing the inflammatory response mediated by IL-1β associated with liver failure.
The Computational and Neural Basis of Cognitive Control: Charted Territory and New Frontiers
Authors: Botvinick Matthew M. , Cohen Jonathan D.
Published: July 2014

Cognitive control has long been one of the most active areas of computational modeling work in cognitive science. The focus on computational models as a medium for specifying and developing theory predates thePDPbooks, and cognitive control was not one of the areas on which they focused. However, the framework they provided has injected work on cognitive control with new energy and new ideas. On the occasion of the books' anniversary, we review computational modeling in the study of cognitive control, with a focus on the influence that thePDPapproach has brought to bear in this area. Rather than providing a comprehensive review, we offer a framework for thinking about past and future modeling efforts in this domain. We define control in terms of the optimal parameterization of task processing. From this vantage point, the development of control systems in the brain can be seen as responding to the structure of naturalistic tasks, through the filter of the brain systems with which control directly interfaces. This perspective lays open a set of fascinating but difficult research questions, which together define an important frontier for future computational research.
QRS duration in left bundle branch block does not affect left ventricular twisting in chronic systolic heart failure
Authors: Attanà Paola , Paoletti Perini Alessandro , Votta Carmine Domenico , Cappelli Francesco , Pieragnoli Paolo , Ricciardi Giuseppe , Nesti Martina , Giomi Andrea , Sacchi Stefania , Chiostri Marco , Padeletti Luigi
Published: July 2014

Purpose

Left ventricular (LV) torsion is an important parameter of LV performance and can be influenced by several factors. Aim of this investigation was to evaluate whether QRS prolongation in left bundle branch block (LBBB) may influence global LV twist and twisting/untwisting rate in chronic systolic heart failure (HF) patients.

Methods

We prospectively evaluated 30 healthy subjects (control group) and 100 chronic HF patients with severely impaired LV systolic function (ejection fraction ≤35%). Patients were divided into three groups according to QRS duration: A: QRS < 120 ms (n 49), B: 120 ≤ QRS ≤ 150 ms (n 28) and C: QRS > 150 ms (n 23). Patients in groups B and C presented LBBB. All subjects underwent standard trans‐thoracic echocardiography and two‐dimensional speckle‐tracking echocardiography evaluation. Categorical variables were compared by the chi‐square or the Fisher's exact test. Continuous variables were compared using the ANOVA test. Correlations between variables were analysed with linear regression.

Results

Control subjects presented higher torsion parameters, when compared with patients in any HF group. Among the three HF groups, no differences were detected in global twist (4·79 ± 3·54, 3·8 ± 3·0 and 4·15 ± 3·14 degrees, respectively), twist rate max (44·81 ± 25·03, 37·94 ± 19·09 and 37·61 ± 24·49 degrees s−1, respectively) and untwist rate max (−36·31 ± 30·89, −27·68 ± 34·67 and −39·62 ± 26·27 degrees s−1, respectively) (P>0·05 for all). At linear regression analysis, there was no relation between QRS duration and any torsion parameter (P>0·05 for all).

Conclusions

In patients with chronic severe systolic heart failure, QRS duration and LBBB morphology do not affect LV twisting and untwisting.
Comparing four non‐invasive methods to determine the ventilatory anaerobic threshold during cardiopulmonary exercise testing in children with congenital heart or lung disease
Authors: Visschers Naomi. C. A. , Hulzebos Erik. H. , van Brussel Marco. , Takken Tim.
Published: July 2014

Background

The ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) is an important method to assess the aerobic fitness in patients with cardiopulmonary disease. Several methods exist to determine the VAT; however, there is no consensus which of these methods is the most accurate.

Objective

To compare four different non‐invasive methods for the determination of the VAT via respiratory gas exchange analysis during a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). A secondary objective is to determine the interobserver reliability of the VAT.

Methods

CPET data of 30 children diagnosed with either cystic fibrosis (CF; N = 15) or with a surgically corrected dextro‐transposition of the great arteries (asoTGA; N = 15) were included.

Results

No significant differences were found between conditions or among testers. The RER = 1 method differed the most compared to the other methods, showing significant higher results in all six variables. The PET‐O2 method differed significantly on five of six and four of six exercise variables with the V‐slope method and the VentEq method, respectively. The V‐slope and the VentEq method differed significantly on one of six exercise variables. Ten of thirteen ICCs that were >0·80 had a 95% CI > 0·70. The RER = 1 method and the V‐slope method had the highest number of significant ICCs and 95% CIs.

Conclusion

The V‐slope method, the ventilatory equivalent method and the PET‐O2 method are comparable and reliable methods to determine the VAT during CPET in children with CF or asoTGA.
When and how do species achieve niche stability over long time scales?
Authors: Stigall Alycia L.
Published: July 2014

Niche conservation is not ubiquitous among all species or all environmental changes. Identifying the underlying basis for variable species responses is important for conservation efforts and macroevolutionary theory and requires comparing multiple clades and types of environmental change. To examine this issue, niche stability was analyzed for a phylogenetically diverse suite of invertebrates that inhabited the epicontinental seas of eastern North America during the Late Ordovician Period (∼450 Ma). These taxa experienced fluctuating sea level and a regional biotic invasion event, the Richmondian invasion, during nine time slices spanning approximately three million years. Niche models were generated with Maxent and niche stability was assessed via geographic overlap, niche similarity, and environmental parameters.

These taxa exhibited high fidelity habitat tracking and stable ecological niches during the pre‐invasion interval characterized by gradual sea‐level changes, whereas taxa exhibited statistically lower niche stability and more niche evolution during and after the Richmondian invasion. Conversely, environmental parameter similarity between niche models of adjacent time slices was lowest during the pre‐invasion interval and increased following the Richmondian invasion. Declining niche similarity and geographic stability coincident with increasing environmental parameter similarity indicates ecological niche change resulted from contracting species' realized niches to a subset of the original fundamental niche dimensions rather than shifting to new ecospace. Niche contraction is interpreted as a response to increased competition from invasive species, which may have arisen from adaptation, sorting (differential birth and death processes) and/or ecological fitting. These results indicate that consideration of multiple hierarchical levels, temporal scales and ecological contexts will yield new insights into the processes that generate both macroevolutionary and ecological patterns. They also suggest the widely employed assumption of niche conservatism through time and space may be more frequently valid for intervals of gradual abiotic change than for biotic changes caused by invasive species.
Extending networks of protected areas to optimize connectivity and population growth rate
Authors: Andrello Marco , Jacobi Martin Nilsson , Manel Stéphanie , Thuiller Wilfried , Mouillot David
Published: July 2014

Protected areas (PAs) are recognized as the flagship tool to offset biodiversity loss on Earth. Spatial conservation planning seeks optimal designs of PAs that meet multiple targets such as biodiversity representation and population persistence. Since connectivity between PAs is a fundamental requirement for population persistence, several methods have been developed to include connectivity into PA design algorithms. Among these, the eigenvalue decomposition of the connectivity matrix allows for identifying clusters of strongly connected sites and selecting the sites contributing the most to population persistence. So far, this method was only suited to optimize an entire network of PAs without considering existing PAs in the new design. However, a more cost‐effective and realistic approach is to optimize the design of an extended network to improve its connectivity and thus population persistence. Here, we develop a flexible algorithm based on eigenvalue decomposition of connectivity matrices to extend existing networks of PAs while optimizing connectivity and population growth rate. We also include a splitting algorithm to improve cluster identification. The new algorithm accounts for the change in connectivity due to the increased biological productivity often observed in existing PAs. We illustrate the potential of our algorithm by proposing an extension of the network of ∼100 Mediterranean marine PAs to reach the targeted 10% surface area protection from the current 1.8%. We identify differences between the clean slate scenario, where all sites are available for protection, irrespective of their current protection status, and the scenario where existing PAs are forced to be included into the optimized solution. By integrating this algorithm to existing multi‐objective and multi‐specific algorithms of PA selection, the demographic effects of connectivity can be explicitly included into conservation planning.
Herbivore damage increases avian and ant predation of caterpillars on trees along a complete elevational forest gradient in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Sam K. , Koane B. , Novotny V.
Published: July 2014

Signals given off by plants to alert predators to herbivore attack may provide exciting examples of coevolution among organisms from multiple trophic levels. We examined whether signals from mechanically damaged trees (simulating damage by herbivores) attract predators of insects along a complete elevational rainforest gradient in tropical region, where various predators are expected to occur at particular elevational belts. We studied predation of artificial caterpillars on trees with and without ‘herbivorous’ damage; as well as diversity and abundances of potential predators at eight study sites along the elevational gradient (200–3700 m a.s.l.). We focused on attacks by ants and birds, as the main predators of herbivorous insect. The predation rate decreased with elevation from 10% d−1 at 200 m a.s.l. to 1.8% d−1 at 3700 m a.s.l. Ants were relatively more important predators in the lowlands, while birds became dominant predators above 1700 m a.s.l. Caterpillars exposed on trees with herbivorous damage were attacked significantly more than caterpillars exposed on trees without damage. Results suggest that relative importance of predators varies along elevational gradient, and that observed predation rates correspond with abundances of predators. Results further show that herbivorous damage attracts both ants and birds, but its effect is stronger for ants.
Differing contributions of density dependence and climate to the population dynamics of three eruptive herbivores
Authors: DAVIS THOMAS S. , ABATZOGLOU JOHN T. , BOSQUE‐PÉREZ NILSA A. , HALBERT SUSAN E. , PIKE KEITH , EIGENBRODE SANFORD D.
Published: July 2014

1. Although both endogenous and exogenous processes regulate populations, the current understanding of the contributions from density dependence and climate to the population dynamics of eruptive herbivores remains limited.

2. Using a 17‐year time series of three cereal aphid species [Rhopalosiphum padi L., Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker), and Diuraphis noxia (Kurdumov)] compiled from a trapping network spanning the northwestern U.S.A., temporal and spatial patterns associated with population fluctuations, and modelled density dependence in aphid abundances were tested. These models were used to analyse correlations between climate and aphid abundances in the presence and absence of residual variance as a result of density‐dependent effects.

3. The temporal dynamics of aphid population fluctuations indicated periodicity, with no clear evidence for a spatial pattern underlying population fluctuations.

4. Aphid abundances oscillated in a manner consistent with delayed density dependence for all three aphid species, although the strength of these feedbacks differed among species.

5. Diuraphis noxia abundances were negatively correlated with increasing temperatures in the absence of density‐dependent effects, whereas M. dirhodum abundances were positively correlated with increasing cumulative precipitation in the presence of density‐dependent effects; yet, R. padi abundances were unrelated to climate variables irrespective of population feedbacks.

6. Our analysis suggests that endogenous feedbacks differentially regulate aphid populations in the northwestern U.S.A., and these feedbacks may operate at an expansive spatial scale. It is concluded that the contributions of density dependence and climate to aphid population dynamics are species‐specific in spite of similar ecological niches, with implications for assessing species responses to climate variability.
Manipulating tropical fire ants to reduce the coffee berry borer
Authors: TRIBLE WARING , CARROLL RON
Published: July 2014

1. The coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) (Ferrari) is the most important pest of coffee production worldwide.

2. The hypothesis that the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata Westwood, indirectly protects the coffee berry borer by suppressing other ant species that are the coffee berry borer's primary predators was tested.

3. It was found that removing S. geminata from coffee plots significantly increased the disappearance of adult coffee berry borer beetles from coffee berries compared with control plots. An average of 6% of beetles disappeared from plots with S. geminata whereas 23% of beetles disappeared from plots from which S. geminata was removed. This pattern was observed on two shade coffee farms with marked differences in ant species composition, one in the rainforest in central Costa Rica and one in the cloudforest in northwest Costa Rica.

4. If the results of this small‐scale study can be replicated on the farm level, then S. geminata suppression may represent a new management technique for the coffee berry borer throughout Central and South America.
Tree diversity promotes predator but not omnivore ants in a subtropical Chinese forest
Authors: STAAB MICHAEL , SCHULDT ANDREAS , ASSMANN THORSTEN , KLEIN ALEXANDRA‐MARIA
Published: July 2014

1. Epigeic ants are functionally important arthropods in tropical and subtropical forests, particularly by acting as predators. High predation pressure has been hypothesised to be a mechanism facilitating high diversity across trophic levels.

2. In this study, standardised pitfall traps were used in a highly diverse subtropical forest to test if and how ant species richness is related to tree species richness and a comprehensive set of other environmental variables such as successional age, soil properties or elevation.

3. A total of 13 441 ant individuals belonging to 3839 species occurrences and 71 species were collected, of which 26 species were exclusive predators and 45 species were omnivores.

4. Occurrence and species richness of total and omnivore ants were positively related to soil pH. Predator ant occurrence was unrelated to all environmental variables tested.

5. The species richness of predator ants increased with tree species richness but decreased with leaf functional diversity and shrub cover. Elevation negatively influenced only total ant species richness.

6. The evenness of predators increased with tree species richness, while the evenness of all ants decreased with shrub cover. Omnivore ant evenness decreased with tree evenness, but increased with successional age.

7. The results highlight the value of diverse forests in maintaining species richness and community evenness of a functionally important predator group. Moreover, the results stress the importance of analysing trophic groups separately when investigating biodiversity effects.
Burden of epilepsy in rural Kenya measured in disability‐adjusted life years
Authors: Ibinda Fredrick , Wagner Ryan G. , Bertram Melanie Y. , Ngugi Anthony K. , Bauni Evasius , Vos Theo , Sander Josemir W. , Newton Charles R.
Published: July 2014

Objectives

The burden of epilepsy, in terms of both morbidity and mortality, is likely to vary depending on the etiology (primary [genetic/unknown] vs. secondary [structural/metabolic]) and with the use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). We estimated the disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) and modeled the remission rates of active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) using epidemiologic data collected over the last decade in rural Kilifi, Kenya.

Methods

We used measures of prevalence, incidence, and mortality to model the remission of epilepsy using disease‐modeling software (DisMod II). DALYs were calculated as the sum of Years Lost to Disability (YLD) and Years of Life Lost (YLL) due to premature death using the prevalence approach, with disability weights (DWs) from the 2010 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. DALYs were calculated with R statistical software with the associated uncertainty intervals (UIs) computed by bootstrapping.

Results

A total of 1,005 (95% UI 797–1,213) DALYs were lost to ACE, which is 433 (95% UI 393–469) DALYs lost per 100,000 people. Twenty‐six percent (113/100,000/year, 95% UI 106–117) of the DALYs were due to YLD and 74% (320/100,000/year, 95% UI 248–416) to YLL. Primary epilepsy accounted for fewer DALYs than secondary epilepsy (98 vs. 334 DALYs per 100,000 people). Those taking AEDs contributed fewer DALYs than those not taking AEDs (167 vs. 266 DALYs per 100,000 people). The proportion of people with ACE in remission per year was estimated at 11.0% in males and 12.0% in females, with highest rates in the 0–5 year age group.

Significance

The DALYs for ACE are high in rural Kenya, but less than the estimates of 2010 GBD study. Three‐fourths of DALYs resulted from secondary epilepsy. Use of AEDs was associated with 40% reduction of DALYs. Improving adherence to AEDs may reduce the burden of epilepsy in this area.
High‐pressure processing of Manuka honey: brown pigment formation, improvement of antibacterial activity and hydroxymethylfurfural content
Authors: Fauzi Noor Akhmazillah , Farid Mohammed M.
Published: July 2014

This work was undertaken to assess the effects of high‐pressure processing on brown pigment formation, antibacterial activity and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content in Manuka honey. The honey was subjected to different pressures (200–600 MPa) at ambient temperatures (25–33 °C) and with moderate temperatures (53–74 °C) for holding times (10–30 min). The brown pigment formation in high‐pressure‐treated sample showed a significant increase (0.16–0.17, P < 0.05), whereas maximum percentage inhibition of Staphylococcus epidermidis (84.34 ± 7.62%) was achieved when honey was subjected to 600 MPa as compared to the control (64.15 ± 5.86%). The percentage inhibition in high‐pressure‐treated samples correlated linearly (r = 0.941) with brown pigment. No significant increase in HMF as affected by high pressure was found (P > 0.05). Thus, high‐pressure processing has no adverse effect on the honey quality because it can control HMF concentration during process. Increasing brown pigment formation is associated with the enhancement of antibacterial activity.
Cocoa polyphenols accelerate vitamin B12 degradation in heated chocolate milk
Authors: Johns Paul W. , Das Ananya , Kuil Esther M. , Jacobs Wesley A. , Schimpf Karen J. , Schmitz Daniel J.
Published: July 2014

The rate of vitamin B12 loss was 3X greater in heated, chocolate‐flavoured milk than in unflavoured milk. Studies of B12 stability in the presence of cocoa powder components were performed to identify the reactive agents. Cocoa polyphenols with a strong capacity both for reduction and for peroxide generation accelerated B12 destruction as much as 20‐fold vs. polyphenols without both capacities. Polyphenols with both capacities include the cocoa polyphenol (+)‐catechin and oligomers thereof, but also the structurally related polyphenols gallic acid, caffeic acid and (−)‐epigallocatechin gallate. The demonstrated physical affinity of cocoa powder for B12 was a significant factor in the destructive process. B12 may exhibit decreased stability in heated, neutral pH, polyphenol‐fortified foods.
Is it Morally Wrong to Defend Unjust Causes as a Lawyer?
Authors: Rivera‐López Eduardo
Published: July 2014

The question I address in this article is whether it is morally wrong for a lawyer to represent a client whose purpose is immoral or unjust. My answer to this question is that it is wrong, prima facie. This conclusion holds, even accepting certain traditional principles of lawyer's professional ethics, such as the right of defence and the so‐called principle of ‘adversarial’ litigation. Both the adversarial system and the right of defence are sufficient to support or justify the right of potential clients (and citizens in general) to defend their interests in the judicial system and to do so with the technical assistance of a lawyer. This right includes a right to pursue unjust or immoral purposes (within the law). However, having a right to do X does not mean that it is morally permissible to do X. We can have a right to do something morally wrong. This being so, the fundamental moral reason for a lawyer not to accept representation for a client with an immoral purpose is that it is, prima facie, morally wrong to help someone do something wrong.
TNF‐α‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis contributes to cardiac dysfunction after coronary microembolization in mini‐pigs
Authors: Chen Zhang‐Wei , Qian Ju‐Ying , Ma Jian‐Ying , Chang Shu‐Fu , Yun Hong , Jin Hang , Sun Ai‐Jun , Zou Yun‐Zeng , Ge Jun‐Bo
Published: July 2014

This experimental study was designed to clarify the relationship between cardiomyocyte apoptosis and tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) expression, and confirm the effect of TNF‐α on cardiac dysfunction after coronary microembolization (CME) in mini‐pigs. Nineteen mini‐pigs were divided into three groups: sham‐operation group (n = 5), CME group (n = 7) and adalimumab pre‐treatment group (n = 7; TNF‐α antibody, 2 mg/kg intracoronary injection before CME). Magnetic resonance imaging (3.0‐T) was performed at baseline, 6th hour and 1 week after procedure. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis was detected by cardiac‐TUNEL staining, and caspase‐3 and caspase‐8 were detected by RT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, serum TNF‐α, IL‐6 and troponin T were analysed, while myocardial expressions of TNF‐α and IL‐6 were detected. Both TNF‐α expression (serum level and myocardial expression) and average number of apoptotic cardiomyocyte nuclei were significantly increased in CME group compared with the sham‐operation group. Six hours after CME, left ventricular end‐systolic volume (LVESV) was increased and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was decreased in CME group. Pre‐treatment with adalimumab not only significantly improved LVEF after CME (6th hour: 54.9 ± 2.3% versus 50.4 ± 3.9%, P = 0.036; 1 week: 56.7 ± 4.2% versus 52.7 ± 2.9%, P = 0.041), but also suppressed cardiomyocyte apoptosis and the expression of caspase‐3 and caspase‐8. Meanwhile, the average number of apoptotic cardiomyocytes nuclei was inversely correlated with LVEF (r = −0.535, P = 0.022). TNF‐α‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis is likely involved in cardiac dysfunction after CME. TNF‐α antibody therapy suppresses cardiomyocyte apoptosis and improves early cardiac function after CME.
Clinical comparison and complete cure rates of terbinafine efficacy in affected onychomycotic toenails
Authors: Shemer A. , Sakka N. , Baran R. , Scher R. , Amichai B. , Norman L. , Farhi R. , Magun R. , Brazilai A. , Daniel R.
Published: July 2014

Background

Clinical studies regarding complete cure rate of onychomycosis using oral Terbinafine have a very broad range (14–90%) based solely on response to treatment on the big toenail.

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy of Terbinafine in all affected onychomycotic toenails and, furthermore, to evaluate differences in mycological, clinical and complete cure rate between affected onychomycotic toenails.

Patients and methods

Inclusion criteria are as follows: distolateralsubungual onychomycotic involvement of the hallux and additional involvement of at least two more toenails of the same foot. Exclusion criteria are as follows: patients with nail traumata and hypersensitivity to Terbinafine. Patients were treated with oral Terbinafine 250 mg/day for 16 weeks. Mycological analysis was performed using direct microscopy and culture. Clinical improvement was assessed using digital photography.

Results

Statistically significant difference was found in clinical improvement between the great toenail and all other involved toenails. The rate of complete cure (100% clinical cure and mycological cure) of the big toenail was lower (23%) as compared to the second (65%), third (51%) and the fourth toenail (67%).

Limitations

This is a case series study that was based on a single‐centre cohort.

Conclusions

Our results support findings that efficacy of Terbinafine should be based on all involved onychomycotic toenails; the big toenail is not superior in response compared to other affected toenails.
Testing the correlated response hypothesis for the evolution and maintenance of male mating preferences in Drosophila serrata
Authors: Gosden T. P. , Rundle H. D. , Chenoweth S. F.
Published: July 2014

Mate preferences are abundant throughout the animal kingdom with female preferences receiving the most empirical and theoretical attention. Although recent work has acknowledged the existence of male mate preferences, whether they have evolved and are maintained as a direct result of selection on males or indirectly as a genetically correlated response to selection for female choice remains an open question. Using the native Australian species Drosophila serrata in which mutual mate choice occurs for a suite of contact pheromones (cuticular hydrocarbons or CHCs), we empirically test key predictions of the correlated response hypothesis. First, within the context of a quantitative genetic breeding design, we estimated the degree to which the trait values favoured by male and female choice are similar both phenotypically and genetically. The direction of sexual selection on male and female CHCs differed statistically, and the trait combinations that maximized male and female mating success were not genetically correlated, suggesting that male and female preferences target genetically different signals. Second, despite detecting significant genetic variance in female preferences, we found no evidence for genetic variance in male preferences and, as a consequence, no detectable correlation between male and female mating preferences. Combined, these findings are inconsistent with the idea that male mate choice in D. serrata is simply a correlated response to female choice. Our results suggest that male and female preferences are genetically distinct traits in this species and may therefore have arisen via different evolutionary processes.
Time‐scale of deformation and intertectonic phases revealed byP–T–D–trelationships in the orogenic middle crust of the Orlica‐Śnieżnik Dome, Polish/Czech Central Sudetes
Authors: Skrzypek E. , Lehmann J. , Szczepański J. , Anczkiewicz R. , Štípská P. , Schulmann K. , Kröner A. , Białek D.
Published: July 2014

A section of the orogenic middle crust (Orlica‐Śnieżnik Dome, Polish/Czech Central Sudetes) was examined to constrain the duration and significance of deformation (D) and intertectonic (I) phases. In the studied metasedimentary synform, three deformation events produced an initial subhorizontal foliation S1 (D1), a subsequent subvertical foliation S2 (D2) and a late subhorizontal axial planar cleavage S3 (D3). The synform was intruded by pre‐, syn‐ and post‐D2granitoid sheets. Crystallization–deformation relationships in mica schist samples document I1–2garnet–staurolite growth, syn‐D2staurolite breakdown to garnet–biotite–sillimanite/andalusite, I2–3cordierite blastesis and late‐D3chlorite growth. Garnet porphyroblasts show a linear Mn–Ca decrease from the core to the inner rim, a zone of alternating Ca–Y‐ and P‐rich annuli in the inner rim, and a Ca‐poor outer rim. The Ca–Y‐rich annuli probably reflect the occurrence of the allanite‐to‐monazite transition at conditions of the staurolite isograd, whereas the Ca‐poor outer rim is ascribed to staurolite demise. The reconstructedP–Tpath, obtained by modelling the stability of parageneses and garnet zoning, documents near‐isobaric heating from ~4 kbar/485 °C to ~4.75 kbar/575 °C during I1–2. This was followed by a progression to 4–5 kbar/580–625 °C and a subsequent pressure decrease to 3–4 kbar during D2. Pressure decrease below 3 kbar is ascribed to I2–3, whereas cooling below ~500 °C occurred during D3. In the dated mica schist sample, garnet rims show strong Lu enrichment, oscillatory Lu zoning and a slight Ca increase. These features are also related to allanite breakdown coeval with staurolite appearance. As Lu‐rich garnet rims dominate the Lu–Hf budget, the 344 ± 3 Ma isochron age is ascribed to garnet crystallization at staurolite grade, near the end of I1–2. For the dated sample of amphibole–biotite granitoid sheet, a Pb–Pb single zircon evaporation age of 353 ± 1 Ma is related to the onset of plutonic activity. The results suggest a possible Devonian age for D1, and a Carboniferous burial‐exhumation cycle in mid‐crustal rocks that is broadly coeval with the exhumation of neighbouringHProcks during D2. In the light of published ages, a succession of telescoping stages with time spans decreasing fromc. 10 to 2–3 Ma is proposed. The initially long period of tectonic quiescence (I1–2phase,c. 10 Ma) inferred in the middle crust contrasts with contemporaneous deformation at deeper levels and points to decoupledP–T–Dhistories within the orogenic wedge. An elevated gradient of ~30 °C km−1and assumed high heating rates ofc. 20 °C Ma−1are explained by the protracted intrusion of granitoid sheets, with or without deformation, whereas fast vertical movements (2–3 Ma, D2phase) in the crust require the activity of deformation phases.
On fragmenting, densely mineralised acellular protrusions into articular cartilage and their possible role in osteoarthritis
Authors: Boyde A. , Davis G. R. , Mills D. , Zikmund T. , Cox T. M. , Adams V. L. , Niker A. , Wilson P. J. , Dillon J. P. , Ranganath L. R. , Jeffery N. , Jarvis J. C. , Gallagher J. A.
Published: July 2014

High density mineralised protrusions (HDMP) from the tidemark mineralising front into hyaline articular cartilage (HAC) were first described in Thoroughbred racehorse fetlock joints and later in Icelandic horse hock joints. We now report them in human material. Whole femoral heads removed at operation for joint replacement or from dissection room cadavers were imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dual echo steady state at 0.23 mm resolution, then 26‐μm resolution high contrast X‐ray microtomography, sectioned and embedded in polymethylmethacrylate, blocks cut and polished and re‐imaged with 6‐μm resolution X‐ray microtomography. Tissue mineralisation density was imaged using backscattered electron SEM (BSE SEM) at 20 kV with uncoated samples. HAC histology was studied by BSE SEM after staining block faces with ammonium triiodide solution. HDMP arise via the extrusion of an unknown mineralisable matrix into clefts in HAC, a process of acellular dystrophic calcification. Their formation may be an extension of a crack self‐healing mechanism found in bone and articular calcified cartilage. Mineral concentration exceeds that of articular calcified cartilage and is not uniform. It is probable that they have not been reported previously because they are removed by decalcification with standard protocols. Mineral phase morphology frequently shows the agglomeration of many fine particles into larger concretions. HDMP are surrounded by HAC, are brittle, and show fault lines within them. Dense fragments found within damaged HAC could make a significant contribution to joint destruction. At least larger HDMP can be detected with the best MRI imaging ex vivo.
First Report of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens Causing Cowpea Bacterial Wilt in Iran
Authors: Osdaghi Ebrahim , Pakdaman Sardrood Babak , Bavi Majed , Akbari Oghaz Nima , Kimiaei Shabnam , Hadian Saideh
Published: July 2014

During surveys in cowpea fields of Marand County, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, in the summer of 2013, a suspected bacterial disease was observed on cowpea leaves as tan spots and interveinal necrotic lesions surrounded by chlorotic margins. The disease was of high incidence where some fields had been fully destroyed and severity of the disease in some fields had reached up to 70%. Gram‐positive, yellow‐pigmented, coryneform bacteria were isolated from infected leaves. Pathogenicity of isolates was confirmed on 20‐day‐old cowpea (cv. Khoy) plants, and they were identified as Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens based on biochemical test results confirmed using specific PCR primers. This is the first report of C. flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens, the causal agent of cowpea bacterial wilt in Iran.