bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Re‐growing a tropical dry forest: functional plant trait composition and community assembly during succession
Authors: Buzzard Vanessa , Hulshof Catherine M. , Birt Trevor , Violle Cyrille , Enquist Brian J.
Published: September 2015

A longstanding goal of ecology and conservation biology is to understand the environmental and biological controls of forest succession. However, the patterns and mechanisms that guide successional trajectories, especially within tropical forests, remain unclear.

We collected leaf functional trait and abiotic data across a 110‐year chronosequence within a tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. Focusing on six key leaf functional traits related to resource acquisition and competition, along with measures of forest stand structure, we propose a mechanistic framework to link species composition, community trait distributions and forest structure. We quantified the community‐weighted trait distributions for specific leaf area, leaf dry matter concentration, leaf phosphorus concentration, leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio and leaf stable isotopic carbon and nitrogen. We assessed several prominent hypotheses for how these functional measures shift in response to changing environmental variables (soil water content, bulk density andpH) across the chronosequence.

Increasingly, older forests differed significantly from younger forests in species composition, above‐ground biomass and shifted trait distributions. Early stages of succession were uniformly characterized by lower values of community‐weighted mean specific leaf area, leaf stable nitrogen isotope and leaf phosphorus concentration. Leaf dry matter concentration and leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio were lower during earlier stages of succession, and each trait reached an optimum during intermediate stages of succession. The leaf carbon isotope ratio was the only trait to decrease linearly with increasing stand age indicating reduced water use efficiency in older forests. However, in contrast with expectations, community‐weighted trait variances did not generally change through succession, and when compared to null expectations were lower than expected.

The observed directional shift in community‐weighted mean trait values is consistent with the ‘productivity filtering’ hypothesis where a directional shift in water and light availability shifts physiological strategies from ‘slow’ to ‘fast’. In contrast with expectations arising from niche based ecology, none of the community trait distributions were over‐dispersed. Instead, patterns of trait dispersion are consistent with the abiotic filtering and/or competitive hierarchy hypotheses.
Interaction of helically wound fibre‐optic cables with plane seismic waves
Authors: Kuvshinov B.N.
Published: September 2015

Distributed acoustic sensing is a novel technology for seismic acquisition. In this technology, strain changes induced by seismic waves impinging on an optical fibre are monitored. Due to the fact that glass is relatively rigid, straight glass fibres are not sensitive to broadside waves. We suggest using distributed acoustic sensing systems with fibres helically wound around cables. One increases the fibre sensitivity to broadside waves by decreasing the fibre wrapping angle (the angle between the fibre axis and the plane normal to the cable axis). The optimal wrapping angle is chosen to minimize the impact of Rayleigh waves on the signal measured. This angle depends on the cable Poisson ratio, and it is approximately equal to 30° for cables composed of plastic. For reliable detection of seismic waves, one needs a good mechanical contact between the cable and the surrounding medium. On the other hand, the sensitivity of distributed acoustic sensing systems to primary waves can be significantly reduced if the cable is placed in a cemented borehole.
Small beetle, large‐scale drivers: how regional and landscape factors affect outbreaks of the European spruce bark beetle
Authors: Seidl Rupert , Müller Jörg , Hothorn Torsten , Bässler Claus , Heurich Marco , Kautz Markus
Published: September 2015

Unprecedented bark beetle outbreaks have been observed for a variety of forest ecosystems recently, and damage is expected to further intensify as a consequence of climate change. In Central Europe, the response of ecosystem management to increasing infestation risk has hitherto focused largely on the stand level, while the contingency of outbreak dynamics on large‐scale drivers remains poorly understood.

To investigate how factors beyond the local scale contribute to the infestation risk from Ips typographus (Col., Scol.), we analysed drivers across seven orders of magnitude in scale (from 103 to 1010 m²) over a 23‐year period, focusing on the Bavarian Forest National Park. Time‐discrete hazard modelling was used to account for local factors and temporal dependencies. Subsequently, beta regression was applied to determine the influence of regional and landscape factors, the latter characterized by means of graph theory.

We found that in addition to stand variables, large‐scale drivers also strongly influenced bark beetle infestation risk. Outbreak waves were closely related to landscape‐scale connectedness of both host and beetle populations as well as to regional bark beetle infestation levels. Furthermore, regional summer drought was identified as an important trigger for infestation pulses. Large‐scale synchrony and connectivity are thus key drivers of the recently observed bark beetle outbreak in the area.

Synthesis and applications. Our multiscale analysis provides evidence that the risk for biotic disturbances is highly dependent on drivers beyond the control of traditional stand‐scale management. This finding highlights the importance of fostering the ability to cope with and recover from disturbance. It furthermore suggests that a stronger consideration of landscape and regional processes is needed to address changing disturbance regimes in ecosystem management.
FEDERAL SENTENCING AS A COMPLEX COLLABORATIVE PROCESS: JUDGES, PROSECUTORS, JUDGE–PROSECUTOR DYADS, AND DISPARITY IN SENTENCING
Authors: KIM BYUNGBAE , SPOHN CASSIA , HEDBERG E. C.
Published: September 2015

Investigations of how criminal justice actors contribute to variation in sentencing typically focus on the role played by the judge. We argue that sentencing should be viewed as a collaborative process involving actors other than the judge and that the role of the prosecutor is particularly salient. We also contend that the courtroom workgroup literature has suggested that sentences may vary depending on the particular judge and prosecutor to whom the case is assigned. By using a unique data set from three U.S. district courts (N = 2,686) that identifies both the judge and the prosecutor handling the case, we examine how the judge, the prosecutor, and the judge–prosecutor dyad contribute to variance in offender sentences. We do this by employing cross‐classified random‐effects models to estimate the variance components associated with judges, prosecutors, and judge–prosecutor interactions. The results indicate that disparity attributable to the prosecutor is larger than disparity from the judge. Moreover, the role that the judge plays is moderated by the prosecutor to whom the case is assigned, as the judge–prosecutor effect is consistently larger than other random effects across the models. We also find that results vary by judicial district.
Maternal Iron Deficiency Worsens the Associative Learning Deficits and Hippocampal and Cerebellar Losses in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Huebner Shane M. , Tran Tuan D. , Rufer Echoleah S. , Crump Peter M. , Smith Susan M.
Published: September 2015

Background

Gestational alcohol exposure causes lifelong physical and neurocognitive deficits collectively referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Micronutrient deficiencies are common in pregnancies of alcohol‐abusing women. Here we show the most common micronutrient deficiency of pregnancy—iron deficiency without anemia—significantly worsens neurocognitive outcomes following perinatal alcohol exposure.

Methods

Pregnant rats were fed iron‐deficient (ID) or iron‐sufficient diets from gestational day 13 to postnatal day (P) 7. Pups received alcohol (0, 3.5, 5.0 g/kg) from P 4 to P 9, targeting the brain growth spurt. At P 32, learning was assessed using delay or trace eyeblink classical conditioning (ECC). Cerebellar interpositus nucleus (IPN) and hippocampal CA1 cellularity was quantified using unbiased stereology.

Results

Global analysis of variance revealed that ID and alcohol separately and significantly reduced ECC learning with respect to amplitude (ps ≤ 0.001) and conditioned response [CR] percentage (ps ≤ 0.001). Iron and alcohol interacted to reduce CR percentage in the trace ECC task (p = 0.013). Both ID and alcohol significantly reduced IPN (ps < 0.001) and CA1 cellularity (ps < 0.005). CR amplitude correlated with IPN cellularity (delay: r = 0.871, trace: r = 0.703, ps < 0.001) and CA1 cellularity (delay: r = 0.792, trace: r = 0.846, ps < 0.001) across both tasks. The learning impairments persisted even though the offsprings' iron status had normalized.

Conclusions

Supporting our previous work, gestational ID exacerbates the associative learning deficits in this rat model of FASD. This is strongly associated with cellular reductions within the ECC neurocircuitry. Significant learning impairments in FASD could be the consequence, in part, of pregnancies in which the mother was also iron inadequate.
Systematised naevus sebaceus resulting from post‐zygotic mutation in HRAS
Authors: Hsu Chao‐Kai , Saito Ryo , Nanda Arti , Rashidghamat Ellie , Al‐Ajmi Hejab , Lee Julia Yu‐Yun , Hide Michihiro , McGrath John A
Published: September 2015

Naevus sebaceus has recently been shown to result from post‐zygotic mutations in HRAS, KRAS or occasionally NRAS. We present details of a neonate with extensive naevus sebaceus in whom we identified a pathogenic mutation in HRAS (c.37G > C; p.Gly13Arg), but only in lesional skin DNA, consistent with a mosaic RASopathy. This case highlights the clinicopathological and molecular findings of this naevoid disorder as well as the key issues in the clinical assessment and management of such patients.
Mental Health Screening in North Sulawesi, Indonesia: Kessler 6 pilot data and needs assessment results from the LearnToLive Indonesian Health Initiative
Authors: Kinzie Erik , Blake Adam , Alvares Ryan , McCormick‐Ricket Iben
Published: September 2015

Introduction

Communities around the world are increasing their focus on mental health and substance use disorders. However, the struggle to identify and treat patients remains great. The sequelae of these disorders, including severe chronic disability and suicide, are significant, and its impact is felt most in lower and middle‐income countries. In the rural and underserved region of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, there are limited data published regarding the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and other symptoms of psychological distress.

Methods

In order to characterize and quantify some specific areas of psychological distress, the LearnToLive Indonesian Health Initiative completed a retroactive review of Kessler 6 data from 697 people in rural communities of North Sulawesi.

Results

Our results demonstrate a rate of near 10% for psychological distress, particularly with anxiety and depressive symptoms. We also found that the village of Sapa scored higher on most of the subcomponents of the screen compared with the other villages in the study.

Discussion

While the Kessler 6 screening tool is not diagnostic, our results suggest significant mental health issues in need of further exploration and research. We found that these results exist in an environment with high stigma, limited education regarding mental illness, and limited outpatient services. The results from this analysis will hopefully guide future mental health education in the region and will ultimately assist in the development of the clinical infrastructure needed to effectively identify, treat, and manage mental health conditions.
Vitamin A maintains the airway epithelium in a murine model of asthma by suppressing glucocorticoid‐induced leucine zipper
Authors: Niu C. , Liu N. , Liu J. , Zhang M. , Ying L. , Wang L. , Tian D. , Dai J. , Luo Z. , Liu E. , Zou L. , Fu Z.
Published: September 2015

Background

The effects of glucocorticoids (GCs) on the repair of the airway epithelium in asthma are controversial, and we previously reported that the GC dexamethasone (Dex) inhibits the repair of human airway epithelial cells and that this process is mediated by glucocorticoid‐induced leucine zipper (GILZ) through MAPK‐ERK signaling in vitro. Vitamin A (VA) is involved in the regulation of the MAPK‐ERK pathway but has not been widely supplied during asthma treatment. It is unclear whether VA attenuates the negative regulation of GILZ on the MAPK‐ERK pathway and maintains airway epithelium integrity during asthma treatment.

Methods

Female BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) and subsequently treated with Dex, VA or intranasal inhalation of adenovirus sh‐GILZ vectors. Indexes of airway epithelium integrity, including pathological alterations, pulmonary EGFR expression and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), were then measured. The expression of GILZ and key components of activated MAPK‐ERK signals (p‐Raf‐1, p‐MEK, and p‐Erk1/2) were also detected.

Results

Dex failed to relieve OVA‐induced asthma airway epithelium injury, as assessed through H&E staining, EGFR expression and AHR. Moreover, in the OVA‐challenged mice treated with Dex, GLIZ expression was increased, whereas the ratios of p‐Raf‐1/Raf‐1, p‐MEK/MEK and p‐Erk1/2/Erk1/2 were significantly decreased. Further study indicated that GILZ expression was decreased and that the ratios of p‐Raf‐1/Raf‐1, p‐MEK/MEK and p‐Erk1/2/Erk1/2 were up‐regulated in the GILZ‐silenced OVA‐challenged mice and VA‐fed OVA‐challenged mice, independent of Dex treatment. The airway epithelium integrity of the OVA‐challenged mice was maintained by treatment with both VA and Dex.

Conclusions

Vitamin A maintained the Dex‐treated asthma airway epithelium via the down‐regulation of GILZ expression and the activation MAPK‐ERK signaling, and these effects might contribute to improving the effects of GC therapeutics on asthma.
Parathyroidectomy in asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism reduces carotid intima‐media thickness and arterial stiffness
Authors: Cansu Güven Barış , Yılmaz Nusret , Özdem Sebahat , Balcı Mustafa Kemal , Süleymanlar Gültekin , Arıcı Cumhur , Boz Adil , Sarı Ramazan , Altunbaş Hasan Ali
Published: September 2015

Objective

Although an International Workshop has suggested that cardiovascular assessment in asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) patients is not necessary, improvements in risk factors of subclinical atherosclerosis have been shown following parathyroidectomy. The objectives of this study were to determine whether parathyroidectomy in asymptomatic PHPT patients causes any change in carotid intima‐media thickness (CIMT), arterial stiffness [pulse wave velocity (PWV)] and soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) levels.

Design

Prospective study evaluating female patients diagnosed with asymptomatic PHPT in a single centre over a 6‐month period.

Patients

A total of 48 subjects were included: 17 hypercalcaemic (HC, mean age: 51 ± 8 years, Ca: 2·73 ± 0·17 mmol/l) and 16 normocalcaemic (NC, mean age: 58 ± 7 years, Ca: 2·30 ± 0·10 mmol/l) PHPT patients, and 15 healthy controls (mean age: 52 ± 4 years, Ca: 2·27 ± 0·07 mmol/l).

Measurements

Biochemical tests, CIMT, PWV and sCD40L levels were compared at baseline and 6 months after parathyroidectomy (PTx).

Results

At baseline, CIMT and PWV values in the HC and NC patients were higher than in the control group. While there was a significant reduction in CIMT (601 ± 91 μm vs 541 ± 65 μm, P = 0·006) and PWV (9·6 ± 1·8 vs 8·4 ± 1·5 m/s, P = 0·000) in the hypercalcaemic group at the end of the 6th month after PTx, no change was observed in normocalcaemic group (P = 0·686 and P = 0·196 respectively). No differences were observed in sCD40L levels between patient and control groups or between baseline and 6 months in patients undergoing parathyroidectomy.

Conclusion

Parathyroidectomy leads to an improvement in the structural and functional impairment associated with atherosclerosis in the vascular wall in asymptomatic hypercalcaemic PHPT patients.
Dental Implants in Patients with Sjögren's Syndrome
Authors: Korfage Anke , Raghoebar Gerry M , Arends Suzanne , Meiners Petra M , Visser Anita , Kroese Frans GM , Bootsma Hendrika , Vissink Arjan
Published: September 2015

Background

Limited evidence is available for applying dental implants in Sjögren's syndrome (SS) patients.

Purpose

This study aims to retrospectively assess clinical outcome of implant therapy in a cohort of well‐classified patients with SS.

Materials and Methods

All SS patients attending the University Medical Center Groningen for follow‐up (n = 406) were asked whether they had implants. In SS patients with implants peri‐implant health and implant survival was recorded and compared with data from matched healthy controls. Patients' symptoms, health‐related quality of life, oral functioning, and satisfaction were assessed using validated questionnaires.

Results

Of the responding SS patients (n = 335), 21% was provided with implants. Of these 69 SS patients, 50 SS patients were willing to join our study. In SS patients, peri‐implant health was reasonably good with minor marginal bone loss and a peri‐implantitis prevalence of 14%, comparable with healthy controls. Implant survival was 97% (median follow‐up 46 months) [IQR 26;73], and overall patients' satisfaction was high. Oral functioning correlated negatively with dryness, patients' satisfaction, and chewing ability in SS patients.

Conclusions

Implant therapy is common in our cohort of SS patients. In spite of shortcomings of our retrospective analysis, implants in SS patients seem to perform comparable with implants in healthy patients.
Assessing strategies to reconcile agriculture and bird conservation in the temperate grasslands of South America
Authors: Dotta G. , Phalan B. , Silva T. W. , Green R. , Balmford A.
Published: September 2015

Globally, agriculture is the greatest source of threat to biodiversity, through both ongoing conversion of natural habitat and intensification of existing farmland. Land sparing and land sharing have been suggested as alternative approaches to reconcile this threat with the need for land to produce food. To examine which approach holds most promise for grassland species, we examined how bird population densities changed with farm yield (production per unit area) in the Campos of Brazil and Uruguay. We obtained information on biodiversity and crop yields from 24 sites that differed in agricultural yield. Density–yield functions were fitted for 121 bird species to describe the response of population densities to increasing farm yield, measured in terms of both food energy and profit. We categorized individual species according to how their population changed across the yield gradient as being positively or negatively affected by farming and according to whether the species’ total population size was greater under land‐sparing, land‐sharing, or an intermediate strategy. Irrespective of the yield, most species were negatively affected by farming. Increasing yields reduced densities of approximately 80% of bird species. We estimated land sparing would result in larger populations than other sorts of strategies for 67% to 70% of negatively affected species, given current production levels, including three threatened species. This suggests that increasing yields in some areas while reducing grazing to low levels elsewhere may be the best option for bird conservation in these grasslands. Implementing such an approach would require conservation and production policies to be explicitly linked to support yield increases in farmed areas and concurrently guarantee that larger areas of lightly grazed natural grasslands are set aside for conservation.
Current status of trans‐anal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) following the Second International Consensus Conference
Authors: Motson R. W. , Whiteford M. H. , Hompes R. , Albert M. , Miles W. F. A. ,   the Expert Group
Published: September 2015

This article documents the consensus of an expert group of surgeons from the Second International Trans‐anal Total Mesorectal Excision (TaTME) Conference held in Paris in July 2014. It outlines three facets of the TaTME procedure: (i) the technique and its indications, (ii) training and adoption, and (iii) data collection and the TaTME registry.
Ecological Effects in Cross‐Cultural Differences Between U.S. and Japanese Color Preferences
Authors: Yokosawa Kazuhiko , Schloss Karen B. , Asano Michiko , Palmer Stephen E.
Published: September 2015

We investigated cultural differences between U.S. and Japanese color preferences and the ecological factors that might influence them. Japanese and U.S. color preferences have both similarities (e.g., peaks around blue, troughs around dark‐yellow, and preferences for saturated colors) and differences (Japanese participants like darker colors less than U.S. participants do). Complex gender differences were also evident that did not conform to previously reported effects. Palmer and Schloss's (2010) weighted affective valence estimate (WAVE) procedure was used to test the Ecological Valence Theory's (EVT's) prediction that within‐culture WAVE‐preference correlations should be higher than between‐culture WAVE‐preference correlations. The results supported several, but not all, predictions. In the second experiment, we tested color preferences of Japanese–U.S. multicultural participants who could read and speak both Japanese and English. Multicultural color preferences were intermediate between U.S. and Japanese preferences, consistent with the hypothesis that culturally specific personal experiences during one's lifetime influence color preferences.
Contamination Appraisals, Pollution Beliefs, and the Role of Cultural Inheritance in Shaping Disease Avoidance Behavior
Authors: Feder Yitzhaq
Published: September 2015

Despite the upsurge of research on disgust, the implications of this research for the investigation of cultural pollution beliefs has yet to be adequately explored. In particular, the sensitivity of both disgust and pollution to a common set of elicitors (e.g., bodily emissions, disease, and death) suggests a common psychological basis, though several obstacles have prevented an integrative account, including methodological differences between the relevant disciplines. Employing a conciliatory framework that embraces both naturalistic (evolutionary) and humanistic levels of explanation, this article examines the dynamic reciprocal process by which contamination/contagion appraisals in individuals serve to shape—and are in turn shaped by—culture‐specific pollution beliefs. This complex interrelationship is illustrated by examining ancient Near Eastern and modern ethnographic documentation of pollution beliefs, highlighting the underappreciated function of these pollution beliefs as folk theories for the spread of infectious disease. By evaluating how pollution beliefs (as also modern germ theory) shape contamination appraisals in individuals, it will be argued that cultural inheritance has played a much larger role in guiding disease avoidance behavior than has been previously recognized.
The Benefits and Costs of Using Metadata to Improve Enterprise Document Search
Authors: Schymik Gregory , Corral Karen , Schuff David , St. Louis Robert
Published: September 2015

The literature shows that there are many problems with enterprise document search. Studies reveal that typical knowledge workers spend between 10% and 20% of their time searching for documents they never find. While many argue that metadata can improve enterprise document search, in reality few organizations use metadata. This represents a missed opportunity. This article describes the results of two experiments that use simulation to evaluate the actual impact of metadata on the costs and benefits of enterprise search. The first study provides quantitative evidence of the increase in recall and precision that stems from the use of metadata‐enhanced document searches. The second study demonstrates that simple metadata structures can be nearly as effective as complex ones, implying that the cost of creating and maintaining metadata is likely to be lower than generally thought. This is the first study to provide explicit quantitative evidence of the gains that can be achieved from the use of metadata, and one of only a handful of studies that examines the cost of creating and maintaining metadata.
Relapsing encephalopathy with cerebellar ataxia related to an ATP1A3 mutation
Authors: Dard Rodolphe , Mignot Cyril , Durr Alexandra , Lesca Gaetan , Sanlaville Damien , Roze Emmanuel , Mochel Fanny
Published: September 2015

ATP1A3, the gene encoding the α3‐subunit of the Na+/K+‐ATPase pump, has been involved in four clinical neurological entities: (1) alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC); (2) rapid‐onset dystonia parkinsonism (RDP); (3) CAPOS (cerebellar ataxia, areflexia, pes cavus, optic atrophy, sensorineural hearing loss) syndrome; and (4) early infantile epileptic encephalopathy. Here, we report on a 34‐year‐old female presenting with a new ATP1A3‐related entity involving a relapsing encephalopathy characterized by recurrent episodes of cerebellar ataxia and altered consciousness during febrile illnesses. The term RECA is suggested – relapsing encephalopathy with cerebellar ataxia. The phenotype of this patient, resembling mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation defects, emphasizes the possible role of brain energy deficiency in patients with ATP1A3 mutations. Rather than multiple overlapping syndromes, ATP1A3‐related disorders might be seen as a phenotypic continuum.
Simulated shifts in trophic niche breadth modulate range loss of alpine butterflies under climate change
Authors: Descombes Patrice , Pradervand Jean‐Nicolas , Golay Joaquim , Guisan Antoine , Pellissier Loïc
Published: September 2015

Species currently track suitable abiotic and biotic conditions under ongoing climate change. Adjustments of trophic interactions may provide a mechanism for population persistence, an option that is rarely included in model projections. Here, we model the future distribution, of butterflies in the western Alps of Switzerland under climate change, simulating potential diet expansion resulting from adaptive behavior or new host opportunities. We projected the distribution of 60 butterfly and 298 plant species with species distribution models (SDMs) under three climate change scenarios. From known host plants, we allowed a potential diet expansion based on phylogenetic constraints. We assessed whether diet expansion could reduce the rate of expected regional species extinction under climate change. We found that the risk of species extinctions decreased with a concave upward decreasing shape when expanding the host plant range. A diet expansion to even a few phylogenetically closely related host plants would significantly decrease extinction rates. Yet, even when considering expansion toward all plant species available in the study area, the overall regional extinction risk would remain high. Ecological or evolutionary shifts to new host plants may attenuate extinction risk, but the severe decline of suitable abiotic conditions is still expected to drive many species to local extinction.
Enamel fracture in the primary dentition has no impact on children's quality of life: implications for clinicians and researchers
Authors: Feldens Carlos Alberto , Day Peter , Borges Tássia Silvana , Feldens Eliane Gerson , Kramer Paulo Floriani
Published: September 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) on oral‐health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) of preschool children, when enamel fractures were either included or excluded within the category of TDI.

Material and methods

An oral health survey was undertaken of preschool children, age 1–5 years attending public nurseries in Canoas, Brazil. Children were examined for TDI, dental caries, and malocclusion. Parents were interviewed on their perception of their child's OHRQoL (Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale—ECOHIS) and their sociodemographic background. Multivariable Poisson regression models with robust variance were fitted to assess the impacts of TDI (including and excluding enamel fractures) on OHRQoL.

Results

A full dataset was collected from 76% of the eligible population. The prevalence of TDI was 13.4% (171/1275). The prevalence of any impact (ECOHIS ≥ 1) was significantly higher in children with crown discoloration (29.7%), enamel/dentin fracture (29.2%), and avulsion (73.3%), compared to children with enamel fracture (16.2%) or without a TDI (15.8%) (P < 0.001). Enamel fractures were the most prevalent TDI (40%) but halved the proportion of children with a reported impact from their TDI. The mean increase in OHRQoL impact for those children with a TDI was 1.59 (95%CI 1.20–2.10) when enamel fracture was included, and 1.86 (95%CI 1.39–2.50) when it was excluded.

Conclusion

Enamel fractures have no significant impact on young children's quality of life. Including enamel fractures within the diagnosis of TDI increases the prevalence of TDI while reducing the OHRQoL impact of TDI for the primary dentition.
Two Decades of E‐Learning Policy Evolution at EU Level: motivations, institutions and instruments
Authors: Salajan Florin D. , Roumell Elizabeth A.
Published: September 2015

This article records and documents the historical development of e‐learning policies at EU level by conducting a discourse and content analysis of four key e‐learning policy documents drafted and implemented by the European Commission over the past 20 years: Learning in the Information Society: Action Plan for a European Education Initiative (1996), the eLearning Action Plan (2001), the eLearning Programme (2003) and the Lifelong Learning Programme (2006). The themes teased out from the analysis reveal a gradual consolidation of e‐learning policy at EU level, indicating the emergence of an increasingly coherent and formal approach to supporting e‐learning initiatives for the benefit of actors at Member State level. The forging of a ‘European dimension’ in e‐learning projects represents the hallmark of these EU policies, but it remains to be seen whether the EU institutions will continue to devote similar attention to and place particular focus on e‐learning as a distinct policy priority in the years to come.
The ketogenic diet compensates forAGC1 deficiency and improves myelination
Authors: Dahlin Maria , Martin Daniel A. , Hedlund Zandra , Jonsson Monica , von Döbeln Ulrika , Wedell Anna
Published: September 2015

The brain aspartate‐glutamate carrier (AGC1) is specifically expressed in neurons, where it transports aspartate from the mitochondria to the cytosol, and plays a role in transfer of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)‐reducing equivalents into the mitochondria as a part of the malate‐aspartate shuttle. Deficient function ofAGC1 underlies an inborn error of metabolism that presents with severe hypotonia, arrested psychomotor development, and seizures from a few months of age. InAGC1 deficiency, there is secondary hypomyelination due to lack of N‐acetylaspartate (NAA), which is normally generated by acetylation of aspartate in the neuron and required for fatty acid synthesis by the adjacent oligodendrocyte. Based on experiences fromAGC2 deficiency, we predicted that reduced glycolysis should compensate for the metabolic defect and allow resumed myelination inAGC1 deficiency. Carbohydrate restriction was therefore initiated in a patient withAGC1 deficiency at 6 years of age by introducing a ketogenic diet. The response was dramatic, clinically as well as radiologically. Psychomotor development showed clear improvement, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated resumed myelination. This is the first successful treatment of secondary hypomyelination reported. BecauseAGC1 is driven by the proton gradient generated by the neuronal mitochondrial respiratory chain, the results have potential relevance for secondary hypomyelination in general.
Is the Gender Gap in College Enrollment Influenced by Nonmarital Birth Rates and Father Absence?
Authors: Doherty William J. , Willoughby Brian J. , Wilde Jason L.
Published: September 2015

There is considerable academic and popular concern about the increasing gender gap in higher education enrollment in the United States. Males now constitute just 43% of the postsecondary enrollment. This research focused on nonmarital birth and father absence as predictors of lower levels of college enrollment for boys versus girls. The authors present two studies. In Study 1, using population data on college attendance and nonmarital birth rates, they found a strong positive association between nonmarital birth rates and the gender gap in college enrollment 18 years later. In Study 2, they examined individual‐level data on father absence from birth and college enrollment among young adults. The results indicated that males were at greater risk than females of not attending college if they had experienced father absence from birth. Taken together, the 2 studies suggest that changes in family structure may have contributed to the widening gender gap in higher education.
Land use change affects macroinvertebrate community size spectrum in streams: the case of Pinus radiata plantations
Authors: Martínez Aingeru , Larrañaga Aitor , Miguélez Andrea , Yvon‐Durocher Gabriel , Pozo Jesús
Published: September 2015

In low‐order forested streams, catchment‐scale land‐use modifications to vegetation can affect energy inputs into streams and trophic interactions within these donor‐controlled food webs.

We examined the effects of Pinus radiata plantations on the intercept and slope of the size spectrum (the relationship between log‐mass and log‐density) of macroinvertebrate communities in low‐order forested streams. We compared three streams draining pine plantations with three draining native deciduous forests, all without significant differences in water physicochemical characteristics.

While size spectrum intercept was similar between the two stream types, the slope of the size spectrum was shallower in pine than in deciduous streams based on a decline in the density of the smaller individuals.

The shredder feeding guild showed the largest changes, with a significant reduction in their total density and, specifically, in the density of the smaller individuals from the deciduous to the pine streams. This alteration is explained by the change in very specialist shredders, such as plecopterans and trichopterans, but not in those with highly mobile crustaceans or more generalist dipterans.

The effect detected for shredders might have scaled up to higher trophic levels as the density of invertebrate predators (small and big) was lower in streams under pine, suggesting a response to prey limitation.

These results indicate that the change of in‐stream resource quality arising from the replacement of deciduous vegetation by pine plantations can trigger size‐specific responses of macroinvertebrates and target specialised feeding guilds such as shedders, and can elicit a bottom‐up reaction in the organisation of food webs.
Toward an integrated monitoring framework to assess the effects of tropical forest degradation and recovery on carbon stocks and biodiversity
Authors: Bustamante Mercedes M. C. , Roitman Iris , Aide T. Mitchell , Alencar Ane , Anderson Liana O. , Aragão Luiz , Asner Gregory P. , Barlow Jos , Berenguer Erika , Chambers Jeffrey , Costa Marcos H. , Fanin Thierry , Ferreira Laerte G. , Ferreira Joice , Keller Michael , Magnusson William E. , Morales‐Barquero Lucia , Morton Douglas , Ometto Jean P. H. B. , Palace Michael , Peres Carlos A. , Silvério Divino , Trumbore Susan , Vieira Ima C. G.
Published: September 2015

Tropical forests harbor a significant portion of global biodiversity and are a critical component of the climate system. Reducing deforestation and forest degradation contributes to global climate‐change mitigation efforts, yet emissions and removals from forest dynamics are still poorly quantified. We reviewed the main challenges to estimate changes in carbon stocks and biodiversity due to degradation and recovery of tropical forests, focusing on three main areas: (1) the combination of field surveys and remote sensing; (2) evaluation of biodiversity and carbon values under a unified strategy; and (3) research efforts needed to understand and quantify forest degradation and recovery. The improvement of models and estimates of changes of forest carbon can foster process‐oriented monitoring of forest dynamics, including different variables and using spatially explicit algorithms that account for regional and local differences, such as variation in climate, soil, nutrient content, topography, biodiversity, disturbance history, recovery pathways, and socioeconomic factors. Generating the data for these models requires affordable large‐scale remote‐sensing tools associated with a robust network of field plots that can generate spatially explicit information on a range of variables through time. By combining ecosystem models, multiscale remote sensing, and networks of field plots, we will be able to evaluate forest degradation and recovery and their interactions with biodiversity and carbon cycling. Improving monitoring strategies will allow a better understanding of the role of forest dynamics in climate‐change mitigation, adaptation, and carbon cycle feedbacks, thereby reducing uncertainties in models of the key processes in the carbon cycle, including their impacts on biodiversity, which are fundamental to support forest governance policies, such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.
The influence of historical climate changes on Southern Ocean marine predator populations: a comparative analysis
Authors: Younger Jane L. , Emmerson Louise M. , Miller Karen J.
Published: September 2015

The Southern Ocean ecosystem is undergoing rapid physical and biological changes that are likely to have profound implications for higher‐order predators. Here, we compare the long‐term, historical responses of Southern Ocean predators to climate change. We examine palaeoecological evidence for changes in the abundance and distribution of seabirds and marine mammals, and place these into context with palaeoclimate records in order to identify key environmental drivers associated with population changes. Our synthesis revealed two key factors underlying Southern Ocean predator population changes; (i) the availability of ice‐free ground for breeding and (ii) access to productive foraging grounds. The processes of glaciation and sea ice fluctuation were key; the distributions and abundances of elephant seals, snow petrels, gentoo, chinstrap and Adélie penguins all responded strongly to the emergence of new breeding habitat coincident with deglaciation and reductions in sea ice. Access to productive foraging grounds was another limiting factor, with snow petrels, king and emperor penguins all affected by reduced prey availability in the past. Several species were isolated in glacial refugia and there is evidence that refuge populations were supported by polynyas. While the underlying drivers of population change were similar across most Southern Ocean predators, the individual responses of species to environmental change varied because of species specific factors such as dispersal ability and environmental sensitivity. Such interspecific differences are likely to affect the future climate change responses of Southern Ocean marine predators and should be considered in conservation plans. Comparative palaeoecological studies are a valuable source of long‐term data on species’ responses to environmental change that can provide important insights into future climate change responses. This synthesis highlights the importance of protecting productive foraging grounds proximate to breeding locations, as well as the potential role of polynyas as future Southern Ocean refugia.
TheCenozoic biogeographical evolution of woody angiosperms inferred from fossil distributions
Authors: Xing Yaowu , Gandolfo Maria A. , Linder H. Peter
Published: September 2015

Aim

We test whether the modern regionalization of the angiosperm flora is the result ofCenozoic barriers to dispersal.

Location

Global.

Methods

We used a database ofCenozoic woody angiosperm fossils to build a matrix of family and genus occurrence at 11 continents/regions for five time periods of theCenozoic, thus defining 55 floras. We used ordinations and cluster analyses to infer the relationships among these floras. We tested for the effects of time, land connections and dispersal barriers on the similarities between these woody angiosperm floras.

Results

For all time periods of theCenozoic the world's woody angiosperm floras were grouped into three large clusters: a very compactNorthernHemisphere cluster (NorthAmerica,Europe, temperateAsia andPalaeogene southChina), a somewhat less compactPalaeotropical cluster (Africa,India,SoutheastAsia andNeogene southChina) and a rather diffuseGondwanan cluster (Antarctica,Australia,NewZealand, temperateSouthAmerica and theNeotropics). The primary clustering is evidently geographical, and reflects the barriers formed by theTethys and the southern Atlantic–southernIndian oceans. There is evidence that the more recent Gondwanan floras are more divergent than the older floras, possibly due to long isolation by oceans and multiple extinction events, whereas the similarities amongNorthernHemisphere floras increased during theNeogene.

Main conclusions

The modern regionalization is mainly the result of dispersal barriers that existed at diverse times in theCenozoic, resulting in several woody angiosperm floras that evolved in parallel. Climatic change and dispersal also played important roles in shaping biogeographical patterns ofCenozoic woody angiosperms.
Expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Sen Subhalakshmi , Carnelio Sunitha
Published: September 2015

Aims

To study the expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) by immunohistochemistry and investigate its association with various clinicopathological parameters, including patient survival.

Methods and results

This cross‐sectional study was carried out on 60 histologically confirmed cases of OSCC. EpCAM expression was evaluated by the indirect streptavidin–biotin method and was then assessed semiquantitatively in terms of staining proportion, staining intensity and total staining. The immunoprofile of EpCAM was correlated with clinicopathological parameters such as gender, habit, tumour size, site, regional lymph node and distant metastasis, clinical stage, histological grade, local tumour recurrence and patient survival. EpCAM expression was found to be absent in normal oral mucosa. However, positive staining was seen in 51 of 60 OSCC cases and EpCAM overexpression in 11 specimens. Overexpression of EpCAM was associated significantly with tumour size, histological grade, local recurrence of tumour and patient survival.

Conclusions

EpCAM serves as a potential biomarker of prognostic significance that could be used to identify patients at high risk and to predict patient survival. Moreover, EpCAM antigen represents an attractive target for immunotherapeutic approaches in a subgroup of patients with EpCAM‐positive OSCC.
Problems and pitfalls in grading of bone marrow fibrosis, collagen deposition and osteosclerosis – a consensus‐based study
Authors: Kvasnicka Hans Michael , Beham‐Schmid Christine , Bob Roshanak , Dirnhofer Stephan , Hussein Kais , Kreipe Hans , Kremer Marcus , Schmitt‐Graeff Annette , Schwarz Stephan , Thiele Juergen , Werner Martin , Stein Harald
Published: September 2015

Aims

In the era of potentially disease‐modifying agents such as Janus kinase inhibitors, accurate grading and differentiation of bone marrow (BM) fibrosis has become more relevant to assess staging of disease and therapeutic effects. However, different fibrosis grading models have been used in the past without uniformity, including the proposal by the World Health Organization. Current scoring systems are based only on reticulin fibrosis. Therefore, additional assessment of collagen and the grade of osteosclerosis appear to be essential to discriminate all components of the complex BM fibrous matrix.

Methods and results

We evaluated problems and pitfalls regarding staining techniques and the interpretation of reticulin fibrosis on a total of 352 samples. Furthermore, we propose a minor modification of the current grading and separate scoring for collagen deposition and osteosclerosis. Reproducibility of gradings was tested among 11 haematopathologists in a blinded assessment. Overall, the inter‐rater reliability of all three grading systems ranged between 0.898 and 0.926.

Conclusions

A standardized assessment of BM fibrosis with differentiation between reticulin, collagen and osteosclerosis is recommended to evaluate the various components of the fibrous matrix which may be delinked after therapy. In this regard, quality of staining and application of laboratory standards enable a highly reproducible scoring.
Augmentation cystoplasty: Urodynamic and metabolic outcomes at 10‐year follow‐up
Authors: Cheng Kwun‐Chung , Kan Chi‐Fai , Chu Peggy Sau‐Kwan , Man Chi‐Wai , Wong Bill Tak‐Hing , Ho Lap‐Yin , Au Wing‐Hang
Published: September 2015

Objective

To review the urodynamic outcomes, renal function and metabolic complications after augmentation cystoplasty with at least 10 years of follow‐up.

Methods

Augmentation cystoplasty performed in two tertiary referral centers from 1995 to 2004 were reviewed. Ten years or more postoperative course was studied by review of the clinical notes, urodynamic reports and laboratory results.

Results

A total of 40 patients were included in this study. The mean age at surgery was 43 years, and 47.5% of patients were female. Median follow up was 13 years. Bladder capacity significantly increased from 283 ± 151 to 492 ± 123 mL (P < 0.01), with a percentage change of +130%. The compliance of the bladder was increased by 87%, and detrusor overactivity decreased by 54.2%. There were no significant changes in preoperative and postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (68.3 mL/min vs 76.6 mL/min, P = 0.798). Three patients (7.5%) had more than one episode of symptomatic urinary tract infection per year.

Conclusion

The present study confirms the effectiveness of augmentation cystoplasty in increasing bladder capacity, improving bladder compliance and reducing detrusor overactivity. The preservation of renal function and low metabolic complication rate provide solid evidence for carrying out this time‐honored procedure in patients with neurogenic or non‐neurogenic bladder dysfunction.
Asset Pricing with Garbage
Authors: SAVOV ALEXI
Published: September 2015

A new measure of consumption, garbage, is more volatile and more correlated with stocks than the canonical measure, National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) consumption expenditure. A garbage‐based consumption capital asset pricing model matches the U.S. equity premium with relative risk aversion of 17 versus 81 and evades the joint equity premium‐risk‐free rate puzzle. These results carry through to European data. In a cross‐section of size, value, and industry portfolios, garbage growth is priced and drives out NIPA expenditure growth.