bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental prediction, risk assessment and extreme events: adaptation strategies for the developing world
Authors: Webster Peter J. , Jian Jun
Published: October 2011

The uncertainty associated with predicting extreme weather events has serious implications for the developing world, owing to the greater societal vulnerability to such events. Continual exposure to unanticipated extreme events is a contributing factor for the descent into perpetual and structural rural poverty. We provide two examples of how probabilistic environmental prediction of extreme weather events can support dynamic adaptation. In the current climate era, we describe how short-term flood forecasts have been developed and implemented in Bangladesh. Forecasts of impending floods with horizons of 10 days are used to change agricultural practices and planning, store food and household items and evacuate those in peril. For the first time in Bangladesh, floods were anticipated in 2007 and 2008, with broad actions taking place in advance of the floods, grossing agricultural and household savings measured in units of annual income. We argue that probabilistic environmental forecasts disseminated to an informed user community can reduce poverty caused by exposure to unanticipated extreme events. Second, it is also realized that not all decisions in the future can be made at the village level and that grand plans for water resource management require extensive planning and funding. Based on imperfect models and scenarios of economic and population growth, we further suggest that flood frequency and intensity will increase in the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Yangtze catchments as greenhouse-gas concentrations increase. However, irrespective of the climate-change scenario chosen, the availability of fresh water in the latter half of the twenty-first century seems to be dominated by population increases that far outweigh climate-change effects. Paradoxically, fresh water availability may become more critical if there is no climate change.
Uncertainty in weather and climate prediction
Authors: Slingo Julia , Palmer Tim
Published: October 2011

Following Lorenz's seminal work on chaos theory in the 1960s, probabilistic approaches to prediction have come to dominate the science of weather and climate forecasting. This paper gives a perspective on Lorenz's work and how it has influenced the ways in which we seek to represent uncertainty in forecasts on all lead times from hours to decades. It looks at how model uncertainty has been represented in probabilistic prediction systems and considers the challenges posed by a changing climate. Finally, the paper considers how the uncertainty in projections of climate change can be addressed to deliver more reliable and confident assessments that support decision-making on adaptation and mitigation.
Don't know, can't know: embracing deeper uncertainties when analysing risks
Authors: Spiegelhalter David J. , Riesch Hauke
Published: October 2011

Numerous types of uncertainty arise when using formal models in the analysis of risks. Uncertainty is best seen as a relation, allowing a clear separation of the object, source and ‘owner’ of the uncertainty, and we argue that all expressions of uncertainty are constructed from judgements based on possibly inadequate assumptions, and are therefore contingent. We consider a five-level structure for assessing and communicating uncertainties, distinguishing three within-model levels—event, parameter and model uncertainty—and two extra-model levels concerning acknowledged and unknown inadequacies in the modelling process, including possible disagreements about the framing of the problem. We consider the forms of expression of uncertainty within the five levels, providing numerous examples of the way in which inadequacies in understanding are handled, and examining criticisms of the attempts taken by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to separate the likelihood of events from the confidence in the science. Expressing our confidence in the adequacy of the modelling process requires an assessment of the quality of the underlying evidence, and we draw on a scale that is widely used within evidence-based medicine. We conclude that the contingent nature of risk-modelling needs to be explicitly acknowledged in advice given to policy-makers, and that unconditional expressions of uncertainty remain an aspiration.
Risk, uncertainty and regulation
Authors: Krebs John R.
Published: October 2011

This paper reviews the relationship between scientific evidence, uncertainty, risk and regulation. Risk has many different meanings. Furthermore, if risk is defined as the likelihood of an event happening multiplied by its impact, subjective perceptions of risk often diverge from the objective assessment. Scientific evidence may be ambiguous. Scientific experts are called upon to assess risks, but there is often uncertainty in their assessment, or disagreement about the magnitude of the risk. The translation of risk assessments into policy is a political judgement that includes consideration of the acceptability of the risk and the costs and benefits of legislation to reduce the risk. These general points are illustrated with reference to three examples: regulation of risk from pesticides, control of bovine tuberculosis and pricing of alcohol as a means to discourage excessive drinking.
Uncertainty in quantum mechanics: faith or fantasy?
Authors: Penrose Roger
Published: October 2011

The word ‘uncertainty’, in the context of quantum mechanics, usually evokes an impression of an essential unknowability of what might actually be going on at the quantum level of activity, as is made explicit in Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, and in the fact that the theory normally provides only probabilities for the results of quantum measurement. These issues limit our ultimate understanding of the behaviour of things, if we take quantum mechanics to represent an absolute truth. But they do not cause us to put that very ‘truth’ into question. This article addresses the issue of quantum ‘uncertainty’ from a different perspective, raising the question of whether this term might be applied to the theory itself, despite its unrefuted huge success over an enormously diverse range of observed phenomena. There are, indeed, seeming internal contradictions in the theory that lead us to infer that a total faith in it at all levels of scale leads us to almost fantastical implications.
Uncertainty in macroeconomic policy-making: art or science?
Authors: Aikman David , Barrett Philip , Kapadia Sujit , King Mervyn , Proudman James , Taylor Tim , de Weymarn Iain , Yates Tony
Published: October 2011

Uncertainty is pervasive in economic policy-making. Modern economies share similarities with other complex systems in their unpredictability. But economic systems also differ from those in the natural sciences because outcomes are affected by the state of beliefs of the systems' participants. The dynamics of beliefs and how they interact with economic outcomes can be rich and unpredictable. This paper relates these ideas to the recent crisis, which has reminded us that we need a financial system that is resilient in the face of the unpredictable and extreme. It also highlights how such uncertainty puts a premium on sound communication strategies by policy-makers. This creates challenges in informing others about the uncertainties in the economy, and how policy is set in the face of those uncertainties. We show how the Bank of England tries to deal with some of these challenges in its communications about monetary policy.
Disgust: the disease-avoidance emotion and its dysfunctions
Authors: Davey Graham C. L.
Published: October 2011

This review analyses the accumulating evidence from psychological, psychophysiological, neurobiological and cognitive studies suggesting that the disease-avoidance emotion of disgust is a predominant emotion experienced in a number of psychopathologies. Current evidence suggests that disgust is significantly related to small animal phobias (particularly spider phobia), blood–injection–injury phobia and obsessive–compulsive disorder contamination fears, and these are all disorders that have primary disgust elicitors as a significant component of their psychopathology. Disgust propensity and sensitivity are also significantly associated with measures of a number of other psychopathologies, including eating disorders, sexual dysfunctions, hypochondriasis, height phobia, claustrophobia, separation anxiety, agoraphobia and symptoms of schizophrenia—even though many of these psychopathologies do not share the disease-avoidance functionality that characterizes disgust. There is accumulating evidence that disgust does represent an important vulnerability factor for many of these psychopathologies, but when disgust-relevant psychopathologies do meet the criteria required for clinical diagnosis, they are characterized by significant levels of both disgust and fear/anxiety. Finally, it has been argued that disgust may also facilitate anxiety and distress across a broad range of psychopathologies through its involvement in more complex human emotions such as shame and guilt, and through its effect as a negative affect emotion generating threat-interpretation biases.
Parasite stress promotes homicide and child maltreatment
Authors: Thornhill Randy , Fincher Corey L.
Published: October 2011

Researchers using the parasite-stress theory of human values have discovered many cross-cultural behavioural patterns that inform a range of scholarly disciplines. Here, we apply the theory to major categories of interpersonal violence, and the empirical findings are supportive. We hypothesize that the collectivism evoked by high parasite stress is a cause of adult-on-adult interpersonal violence. Across the US states, parasite stress and collectivism each positively predicts rates of men's and women's slaying of a romantic partner, as well as the rate of male-honour homicide and of the motivationally similar felony-related homicide. Of these four types of homicide, wealth inequality has an independent effect only on rates of male-honour and felony-related homicide. Parasite stress and collectivism also positively predict cross-national homicide rates. Child maltreatment by caretakers is caused, in part, by divestment in offspring of low phenotypic quality, and high parasite stress produces more such offspring than low parasite stress. Rates of each of two categories of the child maltreatment—lethal and non-lethal—across the US states are predicted positively by parasite stress, with wealth inequality and collectivism having limited effects. Parasite stress may be the strongest predictor of interpersonal violence to date.
Behavioural defences in animals against pathogens and parasites: parallels with the pillars of medicine in humans
Authors: Hart Benjamin L.
Published: October 2011

No other theme in animal biology seems to be more central than the concept of employing strategies to survive and successfully reproduce. In nature, controlling or avoiding pathogens and parasites is an essential fitness strategy because of the ever-present disease-causing organisms. The disease-control strategies discussed here are: physical avoidance and removal of pathogens and parasites; quarantine or peripheralization of conspecifics that could be carrying potential pathogens; herbal medicine, animal style, to prevent or treat an infection; potentiation of the immune system; and care of sick or injured group members. These strategies are seen as also encompassing the pillars of human medicine: (i) quarantine; (ii) immune-boosting vaccinations; (iii) use of medicinal products; and (iv) caring or nursing. In contrast to animals, in humans, the disease-control strategies have been consolidated into a consistent and extensive medical system. A hypothesis that explains some of this difference between animals and humans is that humans are sick more often than animals. This increase in sickness in humans leading to an extensive, cognitively driven medical system is attributed to an evolutionary dietary transition from mostly natural vegetation to a meat-based diet, with an increase in health-eroding free radicals and a dietary reduction of free-radical-scavenging antioxidants.
Infection before pregnancy affects immunity and response to social challenge in the next generation
Authors: Curno Olivia , Reader Tom , McElligott Alan G. , Behnke Jerzy M. , Barnard Chris J.
Published: October 2011

Natural selection should favour parents that are able to adjust their offspring's life-history strategy and resource allocation in response to changing environmental and social conditions. Pathogens impose particularly strong and variable selective pressure on host life histories, and parental genes will benefit if offspring are appropriately primed to meet the immunological challenges ahead. Here, we investigated transgenerational immune priming by examining reproductive resource allocation by female mice in response to direct infection withBabesia microtiprior to pregnancy. Female mice previously infected withB. microtigained more weight over pregnancy, and spent more time nursing their offspring. These offspring generated an accelerated response toB. microtias adults, clearing the infection sooner and losing less weight as a result of infection. They also showed an altered hormonal response to novel social environments, decreasing instead of increasing testosterone production upon social housing. These results suggest that a dominance-resistance trade-off can be mediated by cues from the previous generation. We suggest that strategic maternal investment in response to an infection leads to increased disease resistance in the following generation. Offspring from previously infected mothers downregulate investment in acquisition of social dominance, which in natural systems would reduce access to mating opportunities. In doing so, however, they avoid the reduced disease resistance associated with increased testosterone and dominance. The benefits of accelerated clearance of infection and reduced weight loss during infection may outweigh costs associated with reduced social dominance in an environment where the risk of disease is high.
Why disgust matters
Authors: Curtis Valerie
Published: October 2011

The new synthesis about disgust is that it is a system that evolved to motivate infectious disease avoidance. There are vital practical and intellectual reasons why we need to understand disgust better. Practically, disgust can be harnessed to combat the behavioural causes of infectious and chronic disease such as diarrhoeal disease, pandemic flu and smoking. Disgust is also a source of much human suffering; it plays an underappreciated role in anxieties and phobias such as obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia and post-traumatic stress syndromes; it is a hidden cost of many occupations such as caring for the sick and dealing with wastes, and self-directed disgust afflicts the lives of many, such as the obese and fistula patients. Disgust is used and abused in society, being both a force for social cohesion and a cause of prejudice and stigmatization of out-groups. This paper argues that a better understanding of disgust, using the new synthesis, offers practical lessons that can enhance human flourishing. Disgust also provides a model system for the study of emotion, one of the most important issues facing the brain and behavioural sciences today.
Proactive strategies to avoid infectious disease
Authors: Stevenson Richard J. , Case Trevor I. , Oaten Megan J.
Published: October 2011

Infectious disease exerts a large selective pressure on all organisms. One response to this has been for animals to evolve energetically costly immune systems to counter infection, while another—the focus of this theme issue—has been the evolution of proactive strategies primarily to avoid infection. These strategies can be grouped into three types, all of which demonstrate varying levels of interaction with the immune system. The first concerns maternal strategies that function to promote the immunocompetence of their offspring. The second type of strategy influences mate selection, guiding the selection of a healthy mate and one who differs maximally from the self in their complement of antigen-coding genes. The third strategy involves two classes of behaviour. One relates to the capacity of the organisms to learn associations between cues indicative of pathogen threat and immune responses. The other relates to prevention and even treatment of infection through behaviours such as avoidance, grooming, quarantine, medicine and care of the sick. In humans, disease avoidance is based upon cognition and especially the emotion of disgust. Human disease avoidance is not without its costs. There is a propensity to reject healthy individuals who
just
appear sick—stigmatization—and the system may malfunction, resulting in various forms of psychopathology. Pathogen threat also appears to have been a highly significant and unrecognized force in shaping human culture so as to minimize infection threats. This cultural shaping process—moralization—can be co-opted to promote human health.
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis: A case report and review on Japanese patients
Authors: MATSUMOTO Yuka , MITSUHASHI Yoshihiko , MONMA Fumiko , KAWAGUCHI Masakazu , SUZUKI Tamio , MIYABE Chie , IGARASHI Atsuyuki , TSUBOI Ryoji
Published: October 2011

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is a fibrosing disorder that affects patients with advanced renal dysfunction and is associated with gadolinium‐based contrast media. As the number of reports increase, it is becoming clear that its clinical course and symptoms are various. We describe a 14‐year‐old boy and 71‐year‐old man with nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and review the Japanese cases documented thus far. In Japan, there are only 10 cases definitely associated with gadolinium, whereas over 500 cases have been recorded worldwide. We found a remarkable difference in clinical signs among Japanese cases. Some cases showed keratotic papules or plaques on the extremities. This group tended to develop symptoms after a shorter interval following gadolinium exposure. The remainder of the cases presented glossy and smooth surfaces, with symptoms tending to develop after a longer interval following their last gadolinium exposure. The discrepancies between the actual and the estimated number of patients, and the various clinical manifestations can be explained by the comparatively smaller dosage of gadolinium‐based contrast agents commonly administrated in Japan, in contrast to the higher dosages administrated in the USA and Europe.
Mechanisms of ellipticine‐mediated resistance in UKF‐NB‐4 neuroblastoma cells
Authors: Procházka Pavel , Libra Antonín , Zemanová Zuzana , Hřebačková Jana , Poljaková Jitka , Hraběta Jan , Bunček Martin , Stiborová Marie , Eckschlager Tomáš
Published: October 2011

Most high‐risk neuroblastomas develop resistance to cytostatics and therefore there is a need to develop new drugs. In previous studies, we found that ellipticine induces apoptosis in human neuroblastoma cells. We also investigated whether ellipticine was able to induce resistance in the UKF‐NB‐4 neuroblastoma line and concluded that it may be possible after long‐term treatment with increasing concentrations of ellipticine. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms responsible for ellipticine resistance. To elucidate the mechanisms involved, we used the ellipticine‐resistant subline UKF‐NB‐4ELLI and performed comparative genomic hybridization, multicolor and interphase FISH, expression microarray, real‐time RT‐PCR, flow cytometry and western blotting analysis of proteins. On the basis of our results, it appears that ellipticine resistance in neuroblastoma is caused by a combination of overexpression of Bcl‐2, efflux or degradation of the drug and downregulation of topoisomerases. Other mechanisms, such as upregulation of enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, cellular respiration, V‐ATPases, aerobic respiration or spermine synthetase, as well as reduced growth rate, may also be involved. Some changes are expressed at the DNA level, including gains, amplifications or deletions. The present study demonstrates that resistance to ellipticine is caused by a combination of mechanisms. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 334–341)
High microsatellite and mitochondrial diversity in Anatolian native horse breeds shows Anatolia as a genetic conduit between Europe and Asia
Authors: Koban E. , Denizci M. , Aslan O. , Aktoprakligil D. , Aksu S. , Bower M. , Balcioglu B. K. , Ozdemir Bahadir A. , Bilgin R. , Erdag B. , Bagis H. , Arat S.
Published: October 2011

The horse has been a food source, but more importantly, it has been a means for transport. Its domestication was one of the crucial steps in the history of human civilization. Despite the archaeological and molecular studies carried out on the history of horse domestication, which would contribute to conservation of the breeds, the details of the domestication of horses still remain to be resolved. We employed 21 microsatellite loci and mitochondrial control region partial sequences to analyse genetic variability within and among four Anatolian native horse breeds, Ayvacık Pony, Malakan Horse, Hınıs Horse and Canik Horse, as well as samples from indigenous horses of unknown breed ancestry. The aims of the study were twofold: first, to produce data from the prehistorically and historically important land bridge, Anatolia, in order to assess its role in horse domestication and second, to analyse the data from a conservation perspective to help the ministry improve conservation and management strategies regarding native horse breeds. Even though the microsatellite data revealed a high allelic diversity, 98% of the genetic variation partitioned within groups. Genetic structure did not correlate with a breed or geographic origin. High diversity was also detected in mtDNA control region sequence analysis. Frequencies of two haplogroups (HC and HF) revealed a cline between Asia and Europe, suggesting Anatolia as a probable connection route between the two continents. This first detailed genetic study on Anatolian horse breeds revealed high diversity among horse mtDNA haplogroups in Anatolia and suggested Anatolia’s role as a conduit between the two continents. The study also provides an important basis for conservation practices in Turkey.
Analysis of the Devonian (Frasnian) platform from Belgium: a multi‐faceted approach for basin evolution reconstruction
Authors: Da Silva Anne‐Christine , Boulvain Frédéric
Published: October 2011

This study undertakes a multi‐disciplinary approach (sedimentology, carbon isotopes, magnetic susceptibility and thickness distribution) to improve understanding of a major Palaeozoic carbonate platform, the Frasnian platform of Belgium. These combined techniques are used to reconstruct the platform history, which evolved in two main steps. During the first phase, the basin was strongly influenced by faulting, producing notable thickness and facies variations, with open ocean conditions, with good water circulation and no/or limited barrier reef. The second phase of platform development was less influenced by differential subsidence, as indicated by homogeneous facies distribution. However, this platform developed under restricted waters, with low circulation which is likely related to the development of a barrier reef.
Protective effects of kaerophyllin against liver fibrogenesis in rats
Authors: Lee Ting‐Fang , Lin Yun‐Lian , Huang Yi‐Tsau
Published: October 2011

Eur J Clin Invest 2012; 42 (6): 607–616

Background  We previously demonstrated that kaerophyllin, a lignan, isolated from a widely used traditional Chinese herb, Bupleurum scorzonerifolium, leading to the inhibition of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation in vitro. This current study evaluated the in vivo role of kaerophyllin in protecting the liver against injury and fibrogenesis caused by thioacetamide (TAA) in rats and further explored the underlying mechanisms.

Materials and methods  Liver fibrosis in Sprague‐Dawley rats was induced by intraperitoneal injection of TAA (200 mg/kg) twice per week for 6 weeks. Animals were divided into five groups: vehicle control, TAA control, TAA + low dose kaerophyllin, TAA + high dose kaerophyllin and TAA + curcumin groups. Kaerophyllin (10 or 30 mg/kg) or curcumin (150 mg/mL) was given by gavage twice per day consecutively for 4 weeks starting 2 weeks after TAA injection. Rat HSCs were used to investigate the anti‐inflammatory role of kaerophyllin against tumour necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) in vitro. Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPAR‐γ) expression was knocked down in rat HSCs using PPAR‐γ small interfering RNAs.

Results  Kaerophyllin significantly protected liver from injury by reducing serum aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase levels and by improving the histological architecture and fibrosis score. In addition, kaerophyllin suppressed inflammation by reducing the mRNA of TNF‐α, interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) genes. In HSCs, kaerophyllin elevated PPAR‐γ activity and reduced TNF‐α‐stimulated mRNA levels of intracellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1), MCP‐1 and IL‐1β genes, which were reversed by small interfering RNA knockdown of PPAR‐γ gene.

Conclusions  Our results demonstrated that kaerophyllin protected the rat liver from TAA‐caused injury and fibrogenesis by suppressing hepatic inflammation and inhibiting HSC activation, possibly through upregulation of PPAR‐γ expression.
High genetic diversity of the endangered Iberian three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) at the Mediterranean edge of its range
Authors: ARAGUAS R. M. , VIDAL O. , PLA C. , SANZ N.
Published: October 2011

1. The three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) on the Iberian Peninsula is only distributed in freshwater habitats and has completely disappeared from most of its range, mainly as a consequence of habitat degradation and invasive fish introductions. Genetic investigations have shown that Mediterranean‐Adriatic sticklebacks constitute an evolutionarily significant unit. Here, we present the first genetic data for Iberian populations living on the southern edge of the stickleback’s range. We used microsatellite markers to study gene diversity, population structure and genetic demography of stickleback populations.

2. High genetic differentiation among collections yielded a model of four genetically homogeneous units related to geography. The observed pattern of isolation by distance resulted mainly from the hydrographical pattern and limited gene flow among rivers. Moreover, low levels of gene diversity, high isolation and recent bottleneck events, which have led to small or even critical effective population sizes in several locations, could be explained by additional recent anthropogenic fragmentation.

3. We defined at least four evolutionarily significant units threatened by habitat fragmentation in north‐eastern Iberian sticklebacks. Because they retain long evolutionary histories, these populations should be considered of high conservation priority, and urgent management measures should be implemented.
Genetic structure of a native cyprinid in a reservoir‐altered stream network
Authors: FRANSSEN NATHAN R.
Published: October 2011

1. Reservoirs modify riverine ecosystems worldwide, and often with deleterious impacts on native biota. The immediate effects of reservoirs on native fish species below dams and in impounded reaches have received considerable attention, but it is unclear how reservoirs may affect fish species at larger spatial and temporal scales. Documented declines of stream fish populations in direct tributaries of reservoirs suggest reservoir pools may reduce gene flow among historically connected populations.

2. Because of increased predator densities in reservoirs and the extent of habitat alteration in impounded reaches, I predicted reservoir habitats would reduce gene flow among small‐bodied fish populations separated by reservoir habitat. I used microsatellite markers to assess the spatial genetic structure of populations of the red shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis), in a reservoir‐fragmented stream network (Lake Texoma, U.S.A.). I also tested the prediction that populations in two direct tributaries that have experienced population declines would have low genetic diversity. Individuals were collected from six sites upstream of the reservoir, three sites in the reservoir and three sites in direct tributaries of the reservoir during 2008 and 2009.

3. Results indicate that most populations were isolated by distance with little divergence among populations. In one direct tributary population, however, there was substantial genetic divergence, and genetic diversity was significantly lower than in other populations. Gene flow also seemed to be lower in reservoir habitats than in intact stream habitats, suggesting reservoir habitats may be reducing gene flow among the reservoir‐separated populations. These results indicate that reservoirs may reduce gene flow among reservoir‐fragmented stream fish populations, altering the evolutionary trajectories of fragmented populations.
Evaluation of assisted colonization strategies under global change for a rare, fire‐dependent plant
Authors: REGAN HELEN M. , SYPHARD ALEXANDRA D. , FRANKLIN JANET , SWAB REBECCA M. , MARKOVCHICK LISA , FLINT ALAN L. , FLINT LORRAINE E. , ZEDLER PAUL H.
Published: October 2011

As a clear consensus is emerging that habitat for many species will dramatically reduce or shift with climate change, attention is turning to adaptation strategies to address these impacts. Assisted colonization is one such strategy that has been predominantly discussed in terms of the costs of introducing potential competitors into new communities and the benefits of reducing extinction risk. However, the success or failure of assisted colonization will depend on a range of population‐level factors that have not yet been quantitatively evaluated – the quality of the recipient habitat, the number and life stages of translocated individuals, the establishment of translocated individuals in their new habitat and whether the recipient habitat is subject to ongoing threats all will play an important role in population persistence. In this article, we do not take one side or the other in the debate over whether assisted colonization is worthwhile. Rather, we focus on the likelihood that assisted colonization will promote population persistence in the face of climate‐induced distribution changes and altered fire regimes for a rare endemic species. We link a population model with species distribution models to investigate expected changes in populations with climate change, the impact of altered fire regimes on population persistence and how much assisted colonization is necessary to minimize risk of decline in populations of Tecate cypress, a rare endemic tree in the California Floristic Province, a biodiversity hotspot. We show that assisted colonization may be a risk‐minimizing adaptation strategy when there are large source populations that are declining dramatically due to habitat contractions, multiple nearby sites predicted to contain suitable habitat, minimal natural dispersal, high rates of establishment of translocated populations and the absence of nonclimatic threats such as altered disturbance regimes. However, when serious ongoing threats exist, assisted colonization is ineffective.
Regulatory T cells play a role in T‐cell receptor CDR2 peptide regulation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Buenafe Abigail C. , Andrew Shayne , Offner Halina , Vandenbark Arthur A.
Published: October 2011

Eliciting T‐cell receptor (TCR) ‐specific responsiveness has been known to provide an effective autoregulatory mechanism for limiting inflammation mediated by T effector cells. Our previous use of TCR peptides derived from the CDR3 regions of a pathogenic TCR effectively reversed ongoing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in a humanized TCR transgenic model. In this study, we use the TCR BV8S2 CDR2 peptide in the non‐transgenic C57BL/6 EAE model to down‐regulate the heterogeneous TCR BV8S2+ MOG‐35‐55‐specific pathogenic T‐cell population and demonstrate successful treatment of EAE after disease onset. Suppression of disease was associated with reduced MOG‐35‐55‐specific and non‐specific T‐cell production of interleukin‐17a and interferon‐γ in the central nervous system, as well as reduced numbers of CD4+ and Foxp3+ T cells in the central nervous system. With the use of Foxp3‐GFP and Foxp3 conditional knockout mice, we demonstrate that the TCR CDR2 peptide treatment effect is dependent on the presence of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and that regulatory T cell numbers are significantly expanded in the periphery of treated mice. Hence, TCR CDR2 peptide therapy is effective in regulating heterogeneous, pathogenic T‐cell populations through the activity of the Foxp3+ regulatory T cell population.
Early postnatal development of the mandibular permanent first molar in infants with isolated cleft palate
Authors: HERMANN NUNO V. , ZARGHAM MOSTAFA , DARVANN TRON A. , CHRISTENSEN IB J. , KREIBORG SVEN
Published: October 2011

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2012; 22: 280–285

Background.  Based on measurements on dental casts, smaller permanent teeth in children with cleft palate have previously been reported in the literature; however, the early maturation of teeth and the size of the follicles and crowns have not been investigated.

Hypothesis.  The maturation of the mandibular permanent first molar (M1inf) is delayed, and the mesiodistal diameters of the follicle and crown of M1inf, respectively, are reduced in children with isolated cleft palate (ICP).

Design.  Retrospective, longitudinal. Cephalometric X‐rays were available for 2 and 22 months old children with clefts (64 children with ICP, and a control group of 38 children with unilateral incomplete cleft lip). The width of the follicle and the crown of M1inf, and the maturation of M1inf were assessed. Intra‐observer error was acceptable.

Results.  M1inf maturation was delayed in children with ICP at both 2 and 22 months of age. The mesiodistal diameter of the crown of M1inf in the ICP group was reduced. Thus, the two hypotheses could not be refuted.

Conclusions.  Children with ICP showed smaller dimensions of the M1inf, and in addition, the maturation of M1inf was delayed.
Spatial and temporal variation in pollinator effectiveness: do unmanaged insects provide consistent pollination services to mass flowering crops?
Authors: Rader Romina , Howlett Bradley G. , Cunningham Saul A. , Westcott David A. , Edwards Will
Published: October 2011

1. Recent declines in honeybee populations have focused attention on the potential for unmanaged insects to replace them as pollinators of food crops. The capacity of unmanaged pollinators to replace services currently provided by honeybees depends on the spatial and temporal variability of these services, but few quantitative assessments currently exist.

2. We investigated spatial variation in pollinator importance by comparing pollinator efficiency and effectiveness in stigmatic pollen loads, stigmatic contact and visitation rate between honeybees and the seven most abundant unmanaged taxa in 2007. We assessed temporal variability in pollinator visitation using floral visits recorded three times a day over four consecutive years (2005–2008) in 43 ‘Pak Choi’Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis mass flowering fields in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Further, we compared the aggregate effect of the unmanaged pollinator assemblage to the managed honeybee.

3. Pak Choi was visited by many insect species that vary in abundance and effectiveness as pollen transfer agents. There was spatial variation in the four measures of pollinator importance. Pollen deposited on stigmas and flower visits per minute were not significantly different comparing the unmanaged assemblage to honeybees, although stigmatic contact and visitor abundance per number of open flowers were greater in honeybees.

4. Unmanaged taxa were frequent visitors to the crop in all 4 years. The pooled services provided by the unmanaged assemblage did not differ within a day and were equal to or greater than those provided by honeybees in 2 of the 4 years. Pollinator importance changed little irrespective of the spatial and temporal variations among taxa.

5. Synthesis and applications. The results of this study suggest that some unmanaged insect taxa are capable of providing consistent pollination services over a 4‐year period in a commercial mass flowering crop. As these taxa already contribute substantially to the pollination of food crops, they offer a safety net in the case of sudden collapse of managed honeybee hives. To optimize pollination services, we recommend pollinator‐specific farm management practices that consider the needs of both managed and unmanaged pollinator taxa.
Effects of music on depression in older people: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Chan Moon Fai , Wong Zi Yang , Onishi Hideaki , Thayala Naidu Vellasamy
Published: October 2011

Aim.  To determine the effect of music on depression levels in older adults.

Background.  Depression is a common psychiatric disorder in older adults, and its impacts on this group of people, along with its conventional treatment, merit our attention. Conventional pharmacological methods might result in dependence and impairment in psychomotor and cognitive functioning. Listening to music, which is a non‐pharmacological method, might reduce depression.

Design.  A randomised controlled study.

Method.  The study was conducted from July 2009–June 2010 at participants’ home in Singapore. In total, 50 older adults (24 using music and 26 control) completed the study after being recruited. Participants listened to their choice of music for 30 minutes per week for eight weeks.

Outcome measures.  Depression scores were collected once a week for eight weeks.

Results.  Depression levels reduced weekly in the music group, indicating a cumulative dose effect, and a statistically significant reduction in depression levels was found over time in the music group compared with non‐music group.

Conclusions.  Listening to music can help older people to reduce their depression level.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Music is a non‐invasive, simple and inexpensive therapeutic method of improving life quality in community‐dwelling older people.
Influence of chewing force on salivary stress markers as indicator of mental stress
Authors: SOEDA R. , TASAKA A. , SAKURAI K.
Published: October 2011

Summary  The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of chewing force on salivary stress markers (alpha‐amylase activity, salivary cortisol level and secretory immunoglobulin A secretion rate) as indicators of mental stress. Participants comprised 20 healthy men. The first set of saliva specimens (S1) was collected at immediately after a 20‐min rest to evaluate stress markers. As stress loading, the participants were required to perform arithmetic calculations for 20 min, after which the second set of saliva specimens (S2) was collected. Each participant was then required to chew a piece of tasteless gum for 10 min, after which the third set of saliva specimens (S3) was collected. After a 20‐min rest, the fourth set of saliva specimens (S4) was collected. Weak, habitual and strong chewing forces were assigned. Change rates of stress markers between S2 and S3, and S2 and S4 were calculated. A significant difference was observed in the change rate of cortisol levels between S2 and S3. Cortisol level decreased more under strong chewing than under weak chewing. No significant differences were observed in the change rate of amylase activity or s‐IgA secretion rate among the three chewing forces. The results suggest that differences in chewing force influence the salivary cortisol level of the three stress markers, and that a strong chewing force induces a greater reduction in mental stress than a weak one.
Differential proteolysis of sigma regulators controls cell‐surface signalling in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Draper Richard C. , Martin Lois W. , Beare Paul A. , Lamont Iain L.
Published: October 2011

Cell‐surface signalling systems are widespread in Gram‐negative bacteria. In these systems gene expression occurs following binding of a ligand, commonly a siderophore, to a receptor protein in the outer membrane. The receptor interacts with a sigma regulator protein that extends from the periplasm into the cytoplasm to control the activity of a cognate sigma factor. The mechanisms of signal transduction in cell‐surface signalling systems have not been determined. Here we investigate signal transduction in the pyoverdine, ferrichrome and desferrioxamine siderophore systems of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. When pyoverdine is present the sigma regulator FpvR undergoes complete proteolysis resulting in activation of two sigma factors PvdS and FpvI and expression of genes for pyoverdine synthesis and uptake. When pyoverdine is absent subfragments of FpvR inhibit PvdS and FpvI. Similarly, subfragments of the sigma regulators FoxR and FiuR are formed in the absence of desferrioxamine and ferrichrome. These are much less abundant when the siderophores are present and downstream gene expression takes place. In all three systems RseP (MucP/YaeL) is required for complete proteolysis of the sigma regulator and sigma factor activity. These findings indicate that regulated proteolysis is a general mechanism for signal transduction in cell‐surface signalling.
Fusobacterium nucleatumadhesin FadA binds vascular endothelial cadherin and alters endothelial integrity
Authors: Fardini Yann , Wang Xiaowei , Témoin Stéphanie , Nithianantham Stanley , Lee David , Shoham Menachem , Han Yiping W.
Published: October 2011

Fusobacterium nucleatumis a Gram‐negative oral anaerobe, capable of systemic dissemination causing infections and abscesses, often in mixed‐species, at different body sites. We have shown previously thatF. nucleatumadheres to and invades host epithelial and endothelial cells via a novel FadA adhesin. In this study, vascular endothelial (VE)‐cadherin, a member of the cadherin family and a cell–cell junction molecule, was identified as the endothelial receptor for FadA, required forF. nucleatumbinding to the cells. FadA colocalized with VE‐cadherin on endothelial cells, causing relocation of VE‐cadherin away from the cell–cell junctions. As a result, the endothelial permeability was increased, allowing the bacteria to cross the endothelium through loosened junctions. This crossing mechanism may explain why the organism is able to disseminate systemically to colonize in different body sites and even overcome the placental and blood–brain barriers. Co‐incubation ofF. nucleatumandEscherichia colienhanced penetration of the endothelial cells by the latter in the transwell assays, suggestingF. nucleatummay serve as an ‘enabler’ for other microorganisms to spread systemically. This may explain whyF. nucleatumis often found in mixed infections. This study reveals a possible novel dissemination mechanism utilized by pathogens.
The Wolinella succinogenes mcc gene cluster encodes an unconventional respiratory sulphite reduction system
Authors: Kern Melanie , Klotz Martin G. , Simon Jörg
Published: October 2011

Assimilatory and dissimilatory sulphite reductions are key reactions in the biogeochemical sulphur cycle and several distinct sirohaem‐containing sulphite reductases have been characterized. Here, we describe that the Epsilonproteobacterium Wolinella succinogenes is able to grow by sulphite respiration (yielding sulphide) with formate as electron donor. Sulphite is reduced by MccA, a prototypical member of an emerging new class of periplasmic cytochrome c sulphite reductases that, phylogenetically, belongs to a multihaem cytochrome c superfamily whose members play crucial roles in the global sulphur and nitrogen cycles. Within this family, MccA represents an unconventional octahaem cytochrome c containing a special haem c group that is bound via two cysteine residues arranged in a unique CX15CH haem c binding motif. The phenotypes of numerous W. succinogenes mutants producing MccA variants underlined the structural importance of this motif. Several open reading frames of the mcc gene cluster were individually inactivated and characterization of the corresponding mutants indicated that the predicted iron‐sulphur protein MccC, the putative quinol dehydrogenase MccD (a member of the NrfD/PsrC family) as well as a peptidyl‐prolyl cis‐trans isomerase, MccB, are essential for sulphite respiration. MccA synthesis in W. succinogenes was found to be induced by sulphite (but not by thiosulphate or sulphide) and repressed in the presence of fumarate or nitrate. Based on the results, a sophisticated model of respiratory sulphite reduction by the Mcc system is presented.
Competition among Hfq‐binding small RNAs in Escherichia coli
Authors: Moon Kyung , Gottesman Susan
Published: October 2011

A major class of small bacterial RNAs (sRNAs) regulate translation and mRNA stability by pairing with target mRNAs, dependent upon the RNA chaperone Hfq. Hfq, related to the Lsm/Sm families of splicing proteins, binds the sRNAs and stabilizes them in vivo and stimulates pairing with mRNAs in vitro. Although Hfq is abundant, the sRNAs, when induced, are similarly abundant. Therefore, Hfq may be limiting for sRNA function. We find that, when overexpressed, a number of sRNAs competed with endogenous sRNAs for binding to Hfq. This correlated with lower accumulation of the sRNAs (presumably a reflection of the loss of Hfq binding), and lower activity of the sRNAs in regulating gene expression. Hfq was limiting for both positive and negative regulation by the sRNAs. In addition, deletion of the gene for an expressed and particularly effective competitor sRNA improved the regulation of genes by other sRNAs, suggesting that Hfq is limiting during normal growth conditions. These results support the existence of a hierarchy of sRNA competition for Hfq, modulating the function of some sRNAs.
Genetic diversity of Fusarium oxysporum and related species pathogenic on tomato in Algeria and other Mediterranean countries
Authors: Edel‐Hermann V. , Gautheron N. , Steinberg C.
Published: October 2011

In order to characterize the pathogen(s) responsible for the outbreak of fusarium diseases in Algeria, 48 Fusarium spp. isolates were collected from diseased tomato in Algeria and compared with 58 isolates of Fusarium oxysporum originating from seven other Mediterranean countries and 24 reference strains. Partial sequences of the translation elongation factor EF‐1α gene enabled identification of 27 isolates as F. oxysporum, 18 as F. commune and three as F. redolens among the Algerian isolates. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that all isolates were pathogenic on tomato, with disease incidence greater at 28°C than at 24°C. All isolates were characterized using intergenic spacer (IGS) DNA typing, vegetative compatibility group (VCG) and PCR detection of the SIX1 (secreted in xylem 1) gene specific to F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL). No DNA polymorphisms were detected in the isolates of F. redolens or F. commune. In contrast, the 27 Algerian isolates of F. oxysporum were shown to comprise nine IGS types and 13 VCGs, including several potentially new VCGs. As none of the isolates was scored as SIX1+, the 27 isolates could be assigned to F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis‐lycopersici (FORL). Isolates from Tunisia were also highly diverse but genetically distinct from the Algerian isolates. Several Tunisian isolates were identified as FOL by a PCR that detected the presence of SIX1. The results show that isolates from European countries were less diverse than those from Tunisia. Given the difference between Algerian populations and populations in other Mediterranean countries, newly emergent pathogenic forms could have evolved from local non‐pathogenic populations in Algeria.