bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biogeographical evaluation and conservation assessment of arboreal leafhoppers in the Mexican Transition Zone biodiversity hotspot
Authors: Pinedo‐Escatel Jorge Adilson , Aragón‐Parada Juvenal , Dietrich Christopher H. , Moya‐Raygoza Gustavo , Zahniser James N. , Portillo Liberato
Published: March 2021

Aims

Mexico harbours a diverse fauna comprising more than 1,400 leafhopper species, 60% of which appear to be strictly endemic, with many apparently restricted to particular habitats and host plants. The aims of this study were to identify areas of high species richness and endemism, and determine the biogeographic affinities of species in the diverse arboreal tribe Athysanini to provide data useful for conservation prioritization.

Location

Mexico.

Methods

A data set of 643 historical occurrence records based on authoritatively identified specimens from museums, recent fieldwork, literature and digital repositories was analysed. Analyses of species richness and areas of endemism were conducted using geographic information systems.

Results

A total of 164 species belonging of 50 genera were included, of which 145 species of 31 genera are considered to be endemic. The Mexican state of Guerrero yielded the most species records (48%). The highest numbers of taxa and endemic species were concentrated along the Mexican Transition Zone (MTZ) within which the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt (TVB) province had the most species records. Endemicity analyses showed two different geographical patterns but similar species richness weights with overlapping values over the MTZ. Distribution across vegetation types was not uniform, with most athysanine species concentrated in the dry tropical forest (65%). Species were documented at elevations between sea level and 3,200 m a.s.l. with three altitudinal preference classes. Conservation assessments applying IUCN criteria categorized a majority of species (145) as endangered or critically endangered.

Main conclusions

Our findings suggest that most identified areas of high species richness throughout the territory have predominantly endemic taxa. Distributional patterns found are non‐random, influenced by richness and endemism values over the TVB province and in the MTZ with a variable dispersion among species. Data highlight a greatly threatened status by habitat loss, remarking an urgent need for an improved conservation framework.
Old Cycles and New Vulnerabilities: Financial Deregulation and the Argentine Crisis
Authors: Bortz Pablo Gabriel , Toftum Nicole , Zeolla Nicolás Hernán
Published: March 2021

After returning to financial markets in 2016, Argentina asked for IMF financing in 2018 and defaulted on its peso‐denominated short‐term debt in 2019. This article describes this latest short‐lived cycle of external indebtedness and default. The Macri administration that came into power in December 2015 embarked on a path of financial liberalization, external indebtedness, rising public utility tariffs and increased profitability in the agricultural sector, with the aim of lowering inflation, attracting foreign direct investment and promoting economic growth. Vulnerabilities arose because of the combination of financial deregulation, external indebtedness in foreign currency, inflows of volatile short‐term financial capital, capital flight by domestic residents, and the government's flawed reaction to a currency crisis in 2018. The IMF programme failed to attack the causes of the crisis, while plunging the country into a severe recession and a debt default. Notwithstanding the successful renegotiation of external debt with private creditors in 2020, the new Argentinian administration still faces serious challenges if it is to lift the economy out of stagnation.
Novel hemostatic method for non‐spouting bleeding from unidentified point in endoscopic submucosal dissection using a self‐assembling peptide solution
Authors: Sekiya Masashi , Uraoka Toshio , Tajiri Hisao
Published: March 2021

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Successful pancreatic duct cannulation using double‐guidewire technique
Authors: Yane Kei , Sumiyoshi Tetsuya , Kondo Hitoshi
Published: March 2021

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Night‐time heart rate variability identifies high‐risk people among people with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Hadad Rakin , Larsen Bjørn Strøjer , Weber Philip , Stavnem Dorte , Kristiansen Ole P. , Nielsen Olav W. , Haugaard Steen B. , Sajadieh Ahmad
Published: March 2021

Background

Low heart rate variability (HRV) reflects cardiac autonomic neuropathy, which is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Measuring HRV is challenged by environmental noise, mental stress and physical activity during daytime. Night‐time HRV during sleep may be a more valid tool to measure cardiac autonomic neuropathy and therefore may improve prediction of cardiovascular (CV) events in low‐risk people with T2DM.

Methods

Copenhagen Holter Study included 678 community‐dwelling participants aged 55–75 years who were free of previous CV disease. Day and night‐time HRV were available for 653 participants. The population included 133 people with well‐controlled T2DM and newly recognized T2DM (mean HbA1c 55 mmol/mol [7.2%]). HRV is defined as standard deviation for the mean value of normal‐to‐normal complexes (SDNN). Night‐time HRV measurements were pre‐defined from 2:00 to 2:15 AM. Cardiovascular events were defined as CV death, myocardial infarction, stroke or coronary revascularization.

Results

Median follow‐up time was 14.4 years. During this period, 245 death and 149 CV events (CV death 36, myocardial infarction 42, revascularisation procedures 46, stroke 70) occurred in total. Among people with T2DM, 41 CV events were observed (CV death 13, myocardial infarction 13, revascularisation procedures 17, stroke 18). Night‐time SDNN was inversely associated with CV events in people with T2DM, (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.74 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.61–0.89) for each 10‐millisecond increment in SDNN after adjustment for the conventional risk factors sex, age, LDL cholesterol, smoking, systolic blood pressure and by also including glucose CRP and NT‐proBNP in adjustment. Twenty‐four‐hour HRV was not associated with CV events, but associated with all‐cause mortality in people with T2DM. Conventional risk factors had a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) value of 0.704 (95% CI 0.602–0.806) to predict CV events in people with T2DM. The prediction of CV events by conventional risk factors was improved in people with T2DM by the addition of night‐time SDNN; ROC 0.765 (95% CI 0.669–0.862), p = 0.037, but ROC was not improved by addition of CRP and NT‐proBNP in the model. In people with T2DM and night‐time SDNN ≤30 ms, the 10‐year risk of CV death and CV event rate was 12% and 45%, respectively, which re‐allocated them to a ‘very high‐risk’ group according to current guidelines.

Conclusion

Reduced night‐time HRV predicts increased risk of CV events in people with well‐controlled T2DM, thus night‐time HRV may add to traditional risk factors in predicting CV events in people with T2DM.
What is new in the 2020 International Association of Dental Traumatology emergency treatment guidelines?
Authors: Alvino Lawrence , Ha William Nguyen , Chan Wing Chuan , Rossi‐Fedele Giampiero
Published: March 2021

Over the past eight years, there have been marked changes in the recommendations for the management of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). The recently published International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) guidelines for the emergency management of TDIs provide a comprehensive manual for clinicians to refer when assessing and managing patients presenting with these types of injuries. Clinicians should be prepared to utilize these new guidelines which were released in 2020. The aim of this short communication is to support those with previous knowledge regarding the IADT guidelines, to identify the changes in treatment modality, and to provide backing for those exposed to trauma guidelines for the first time. In the present communication, the areas of TDIs have been separated into primary and permanent teeth plus avulsions, with a tabular format highlighting the main changes in the emergency management from the previous version in 2012. This format has been devised to aid the clinicians' understanding of the variations over time and facilitate recall of the new guidelines. For the first time, the 2020 IADT Guidelines present a Core Outcomes Set (COS) that includes outcomes that were relevant to all TDIs and outcomes related to only one or several TDIs. However, the COS is not the object of the present publication.
Association between red blood cell transfusion dependence and burden in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: A systematic literature review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Braga Lemos Mayra , Rodrigues Sarah Ramalho , Schroeder Thomas , Kulasekararaj Austin G. , Matos Joana E. , Tang Derek
Published: March 2021

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of malignant hematologic diseases characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, which may lead to chronic anemia and transfusion dependency, with up to 30% of patients progressing to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Studies suggest transfusion dependency may impact overall survival (OS); however, there is a lack of evidence concerning the association between transfusion status (TS) and OS in patients with MDS who become transfusion independent (TI) after treatment. In addition, the holistic impact of TS on other clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes has not been well understood. We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to understand this impact. Ten studies were included and showed consistent decrease in OS in transfusion dependent (TD) compared with TI patients. These findings were confirmed by a meta‐analysis (MA) reporting better OS prognosis for TI patients. A second SLR was conducted to understand the association between TS and other clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes. Twenty‐eight studies were included and showed better prognosis for other outcomes, including AML progression and leukemia‐free survival for TI patients. Risk of AML progression and cumulative non‐leukemic death assessed by the MA showed a trend toward worse prognosis and higher risk of AML progression for TD patients. Lower healthcare resource utilization, better quality of life, and reduced non‐leukemic death for TI patients were observed. Studies not eligible for MA also showed better clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes for TI patients. These findings contribute to understanding the association between transfusion dependence and OS among other outcomes in patients with MDS.
Untrafficked furrowed seedbed sustains soil physical quality in sugarcane mechanized fields
Authors: Barbosa Leandro Carneiro , Magalhães Paulo Sérgio Graziano , Bordonal Ricardo Oliveira , Cherubin Maurício Roberto , Castioni Guilherme Adalberto , Rossi Neto João , Franco Henrique Coutinho Junqueira , Carvalho João Luís Nunes
Published: March 2021

Management strategies that reduce machinery traffic, such as creating seedbeds, could be adopted to preserve soil health and reduce soil physical restriction to sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) growth. Field experiments on clayey and sandy loam soils were conducted along four crop seasons (2013–2017) to investigate the changes in bulk density, soil penetration resistance, macroporosity and microporosity in the row and inter‐row positions, as well as sugarcane biomass production (root and stalk yield) under different machinery traffic treatments. The experimental areas were conducted in randomized block design with two treatments and four repetitions. The evaluated treatments were: (a) regular traffic, in which all operations were performed mechanically using regular machinery traffic; and (b) without traffic, in which all field operations (except those used for sunn hemp management and for opening the sugarcane planting furrow) were performed manually without machinery traffic. No critical values of physical properties were identified in either soil type in plots without machinery traffic, indicating the lowest density and soil penetration resistance values, as well as higher macroporosity, where sugarcane seedbed zones had been established. Our findings show that seedbeds resulted in greater root growth and development in the soil profile, mainly in inter‐row positions. Overall, sugarcane stalk yield was similar between the treatments in both soil types. This study reinforces the importance of the planting furrow in keeping suitable soil conditions for plant growth and concludes that sugarcane production in untrafficked seedbeds is an effective strategy to sustain soil physical conditions over the crop cycle, without the need for tillage operations during the (re)planting period.

Highlights

The use of seedbeds sustains soil physical quality along the crop cycle

Most of root biomass were concentrated in the crop‐row

Crop‐row position provides adequate soil physical conditions for root growth and plant development

Untrafficked furrowed seedbed sustains soil physical quality and makes no‐tillage viable
Temporal changes in spatial variation: partitioning the extinction and colonisation components of beta diversity
Authors: Tatsumi Shinichi , Iritani Ryosuke , Cadotte Marc W.
Published: March 2021

The last two decades have witnessed unprecedented changes in beta diversity, the spatial variation in species composition, from local to global scales. However, analytical challenges have hampered empirical ecologists from quantifying the extinction and colonisation processes behind these changing beta diversity patterns. Here, we develop a novel numerical method to additively partition the temporal changes in beta diversity into components that reflect local extinctions and colonisations. By applying this method to empirical datasets, we revealed spatiotemporal community dynamics that were otherwise undetectable. In mature forests, we found that local extinctions resulted in tree communities becoming more spatially heterogeneous, while colonisations simultaneously caused them to homogenise. In coral communities, we detected non‐random community disassembly and reassembly following an environmental perturbation, with a temporally varying balance between extinctions and colonisations. Partitioning the dynamic processes that underlie beta diversity can provide more mechanistic insights into the spatiotemporal organisation of biodiversity.
Hemispherectomy Outcome Prediction Scale: Development and validation of a seizure freedom prediction tool
Authors: Weil Alexander G. , Lewis Evan C. , Ibrahim George M. , Kola Olivia , Tseng Chi‐Hong , Zhou Xinkai , Lin Kao‐Min , Cai Li‐Xin , Liu Qing‐Zhu , Lin Jiu‐Luan , Zhou Wen‐Jing , Mathern Gary W. , Smyth Matthew D. , O'Neill Brent R. , Dudley Roy , Ragheb John , Bhatia Sanjiv , Delev Daniel , Ramantani Georgia , Zentner Josef , Ojemann Jeffrey , Wang Anthony C. , Dorfer Christian , Feucht Martha , Czech Thomas , Bollo Robert J. , Issabekov Galymzhan , Zhu Hongwei , Connelly Mary , Steinbok Paul , Zhang Jian‐Guo , Zhang Kai , Hidalgo Eveline Teresa , Weiner Howard L. , Wong‐Kisiel Lily , Lapalme‐Remis Samuel , Tripathi Manjari , Sarat Chandra Poodipedi , Hader Walter , Wang Feng‐Peng , Yao Yi , Olivier Champagne Pierre , Guo Qiang , Li Shao‐Chun , Budke Marcelo , Pérez‐Jiménez Maria Angeles , Raftapoulos Christian , Finet Patrice , Michel Pauline , Schaller Karl , Stienen Martin N. , Baro Valentina , Cantillano Malone Christian , Pociecha Juan , Chamorro Noelia , Muro Valeria L. , von Lehe Marec , Vieker Silvia , Oluigbo Chima , Gaillard William D. , Al Khateeb Mashael , Al Otaibi Faisal , Krayenbühl Niklaus , Bolton Jeffrey , Pearl Phillip L. , Fallah Aria
Published: March 2021

Objective

To develop and validate a model to predict seizure freedom in children undergoing cerebral hemispheric surgery for the treatment of drug‐resistant epilepsy.

Methods

We analyzed 1267 hemispheric surgeries performed in pediatric participants across 32 centers and 12 countries to identify predictors of seizure freedom at 3 months after surgery. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed based on 70% of the dataset (training set) and validated on 30% of the dataset (validation set). Missing data were handled using multiple imputation techniques.

Results

Overall, 817 of 1237 (66%) hemispheric surgeries led to seizure freedom (median follow‐up = 24 months), and 1050 of 1237 (85%) were seizure‐free at 12 months after surgery. A simple regression model containing age at seizure onset, presence of generalized seizure semiology, presence of contralateral 18‐fluoro‐2‐deoxyglucose–positron emission tomography hypometabolism, etiologic substrate, and previous nonhemispheric resective surgery is predictive of seizure freedom (area under the curve = .72). A Hemispheric Surgery Outcome Prediction Scale (HOPS) score was devised that can be used to predict seizure freedom.

Significance

Children most likely to benefit from hemispheric surgery can be selected and counseled through the implementation of a scale derived from a multiple regression model. Importantly, children who are unlikely to experience seizure control can be spared from the complications and deficits associated with this surgery. The HOPS score is likely to help physicians in clinical decision‐making.
Phenotypic plasticity in courtship exposed to selection in a human‐disturbed environment
Authors: Candolin Ulrika , Jensen Irene
Published: March 2021

When environments change rapidly, evolutionary processes may be too slow to rescue populations from decline. Persistence then hinges on plastic adjustments of critical traits to the altered conditions. However, the degree to which species harbour the necessary plasticity and the degree to which the plasticity is exposed to selection in human‐disturbed environments are poorly known. We show that a population of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) harbours variation in plasticity in male courtship behaviour, which is exposed to selection when visibility deteriorates because of enhanced algal growth. Females in clear water show no preference for plastic males, while females in algal‐rich, turbid water switch their mate preference towards males with adaptive plasticity. Thus, while the plasticity is not selected for in the original clear water environment, it comes under selection in turbid water. However, much maladaptive plasticity is present in the population, probably because larger turbidity fluctuations have been rare in the past. Thus, the probability that the plasticity will improve the ability of the population to cope with human‐induced increases in turbidity—and possibly facilitate genetic adaptation—depends on its prevalence and genetic basis. In conclusion, our results show that rapid human‐induced environmental change can expose phenotypic plasticity to selection, but that much of the plasticity can be maladaptive, also when the altered conditions represent extremes of earlier encountered conditions. Thus, whether the plasticity will improve population viability remains questionable.
From sorting to sequencing in the molecular era: the evolution of the cancer stem cell model in medulloblastoma
Authors: Werbowetski‐Ogilvie Tamra E.
Published: March 2021

The cancer stem cell (CSC) model posits that tumors contain subpopulations that display defining features of normal stem cells including self‐renewal capacity and differentiation. Tumor cells exhibiting these features are now considered to be responsible for tumor propagation and drug resistance in a wide variety of cancers. Therefore, the identification of robust CSC markers and characterization of CSC‐specific molecular signatures may lead to the identification of novel therapeutics that selectively abolish this clinically relevant cell population while preserving normal tissue. Brain tumor researchers have been at the forefront of the CSC field. From initial in vitro cell sorting experiments to the sophisticated bioinformatic technologies that now exquisitely resolve primary brain tumors at a single‐cell level, recent glioma and medulloblastoma (MB) studies have integrated developmental state with genomic and transcriptome data to identify the spectrum of cell types that may drive tumor progression. This review will examine the last two decades of CSC studies in the field. Seminal discoveries, emerging controversies, and outstanding questions will be covered with a particular focus on MB, the most common malignant primary brain tumor in children.
Modeling short crack propagation under variable structural and thermal loadings
Authors: Bosch Alexander , Vormwald Michael
Published: March 2021

In the present work, a new concept for the prediction of fatigue life under variable structural and thermal loads is presented based on the modeling of short crack propagation by the effective cyclic J‐integral. Stresses in the range below the initial endurance limit up to plastic deformations can be considered. The development and validation of the concept is based on the large database of constant and variable amplitude loading tests for the austenitic stainless steel X6CrNiNb18‐10 (1.4550, AISI 347). Taking into account the influence of notches and welding process, tests were performed for specimens with different stress concentration factors and even with specimens of nonhomogeneous microstructure due to welding or its physical simulation (Gleeble). The input for the developed model is based on local stress–strain hysteresis in the order of their occurrence. This is the basis for considering load sequence effects; the new J‐based model considers several types of them. The model as well as the identification of the parameters will be presented in detail. Validation to experimental results is also shown against the background of common fatigue concepts. Basic aspects of the model are discussed.
Contrasting pathways of carbon sequestration in paddy and upland soils
Authors: Chen Xiangbi , Hu Yajun , Xia Yinhang , Zheng Shengmeng , Ma Chong , Rui Yichao , He Hongbo , Huang Daoyou , Zhang Zhenhua , Ge Tida , Wu Jinshui , Guggenberger Georg , Kuzyakov Yakov , Su Yirong
Published: March 2021

Paddy soils make up the largest anthropogenic wetlands on earth, and are characterized by a prominent potential for organic carbon (C) sequestration. By quantifying the plant‐ and microbial‐derived C in soils across four climate zones, we identified that organic C accrual is achieved via contrasting pathways in paddy and upland soils. Paddies are 39%–127% more efficient in soil organic C (SOC) sequestration than their adjacent upland counterparts, with greater differences in warmer than cooler climates. Upland soils are more replenished by microbial‐derived C, whereas paddy soils are enriched with a greater proportion of plant‐derived C, because of the retarded microbial decomposition under anaerobic conditions induced by the flooding of paddies. Under both land‐use types, the maximal contribution of plant residues to SOC is at intermediate mean annual temperature (15–20°C), neutral soil (pH~7.3), and low clay/sand ratio. By contrast, high temperature (~24°C), low soil pH (~5), and large clay/sand ratio are favorable for strengthening the contribution of microbial necromass. The greater contribution of microbial necromass to SOC in waterlogged paddies in warmer climates is likely due to the fast anabolism from bacteria, whereas fungi are unlikely to be involved as they are aerobic. In the scenario of land‐use conversion from paddy to upland, a total of 504 Tg C may be lost as CO2 from paddy soils (0–15 cm) solely in eastern China, with 90% released from the less protected plant‐derived C. Hence, preserving paddy systems and other anthropogenic wetlands and increasing their C storage through sustainable management are critical for maintaining global soil C stock and mitigating climate change.
Evaluation of Vapor Intrusion Risk from Ethylene Dibromide Using the Vertical Screening Distance Approach
Authors: Kolhatkar Ravi V. , Luo Hong (Emma) , Berns Erin C. , Gaule Christopher , Watterson Joe
Published: March 2021

Vapor intrusion (VI) occurs when volatile contaminants in the subsurface migrate through the vadose zone into overlying buildings. The 2015 U.S. EPA petroleum VI guidance recommends that additional investigation of the VI risk from gasoline hydrocarbons at the underground storage tank (UST) sites is not necessary where the vertical distance between a building and a vapor source exceeds a recommended vertical screening distance. However, due to the lack of soil‐gas data on the attenuation of ethylene dibromide (EDB), additional VI investigations to evaluate VI risk from EDB are recommended at UST sites with leaded gasoline releases containing EDB. We analyzed soil‐gas and groundwater concentrations of EDB from eight petroleum UST sites using a new analytical method with soil‐gas detection limit <0.16 μg/m3 EDB (VI screening level at the 10−6 risk level). The analysis included (1) assessing the frequency of EDB detections ≤0.16 μg/m3 at various vertical separation distances and (2) predicting vertical screening distances for EDB using the U.S. EPA PVIScreen model for different soil types in the vadose zone above dissolved‐phase and LNAPL sources. Ranges of estimated aerobic biodegradation rate constants for EDB, air exchange rates for residential buildings, and source vapor concentrations for other constituents were combined with conservative estimates of EDB source concentrations as model inputs. Concentrations of EDB in soil‐gas indicated that the U.S. EPA recommended vertical screening distances are protective of VI risk from EDB. Conversely, vertical screening distances predicted by modeling were >6 ft (1.8 m) for sites with sand and loam soil above dissolved phase sources and >15 ft (4.6 m) for sites with sand soil above LNAPL sources. This predicted dependence on the vapor source type and soil type in the vadose zone highlights the importance of soil characterization for VI screening at sites with EDB sources.
Intra‐specific variation in migration phenology of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) in response to spring temperatures
Authors: Powers Breanna F. , Winiarski Jason M. , Requena‐Mullor Juan M. , Heath Julie A.
Published: March 2021

In migratory birds, among‐ and within‐species heterogeneity in response to climate change may be attributed to differences in migration distance and environmental cues that affect timing of arrival at breeding grounds. We used eBird observations and a within‐species comparative approach to examine whether migration distance (with latitude as a proxy) and weather predictors can explain spring arrival dates at the breeding site in a raptor species with a widespread distribution and diverse migration strategies, the American Kestrel Falco sparverius. We found an interactive effect between latitude and spring minimum temperatures on arrival dates, whereby at lower latitudes (short‐distance migrants) American Kestrels arrived earlier in warmer springs and later in colder springs, but American Kestrels at higher latitudes (long‐distance migrants) showed no association between arrival time and spring temperatures. Increased snow cover delayed arrival at all latitudes. Our results support the hypothesis that short‐distance migrants are better able to respond to conditions on the breeding ground than are long‐distance migrants, suggesting that long‐distance migrants may be more vulnerable to shifts in spring conditions that could lead to phenological mismatch between peak resources and nesting.
Climate and land‐use change drive habitat loss in a mountain bird species
Authors: Fumy Florian , Fartmann Thomas
Published: March 2021

Mountain areas still feature remnants of traditional land use and consequently constitute a large proportion of the remaining species‐rich habitats in Central Europe. However, their biodiversity is increasingly threatened by changes in climate and land use. The Alpine Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus alpestris is a typical mountain bird that has recently declined in most of its breeding range. In this study we compared the historical (1986–1987) and recent (2017) distribution of breeding Ring Ouzels in 62 randomly selected 750 × 750 ‐m plots and analysed local colonization and extinction patterns in 558 subunits (= ‘grid cells’) in the southern Black Forest (south‐western Germany). Our study revealed that habitat occupancy has decreased by about one‐third, mainly at lower elevations and in depressed landforms, during the past three decades. Local colonization amounted to 25% and extinction to 66% of the previously vacant or occupied grid cells, respectively. Habitat occupancy and local colonization and extinction were driven by climate and habitat parameters. The Ring Ouzel preferred convex landscape formations such as mountain peaks and ridges with long snow‐cover duration for breeding. Sites with high proportions of deciduous forest and abandoned pasture were avoided. Local colonization was higher at convex landscape formations and by high coniferous forest coverage and forest‐edge length. Local extinction, on the other hand, was lower at convex landscape formations and high‐elevation sites. Our results suggest that shorter persistence of snow fields caused by climate change and degradation of feeding grounds through land‐use abandonment might severely deteriorate food availability for the species, which is likely to have contributed to the observed decline. For conservation of the Alpine Ring Ouzel, we recommend adopting measures to mitigate the negative effects of climate warming and improve habitat quality. The creation of small‐scale mosaics of sparse conifer forests and regularly grazed pastures, especially on north‐ and east‐facing slopes on the lee sides of hills, mountain peaks or ridges, should be supported.
Investigation of the molecular signature of greying hair shafts
Authors: Vyumvuhore Raoul , Verzeaux Laurie , Gilardeau Sophie , Bordes Sylvie , Aymard Elodie , Manfait Michel , Closs Brigitte
Published: March 2021

Objective

Hair greying (i.e. canitie) is a physiological process occurring with the loss of melanin production and deposition within the hair shafts. Many studies reported the oxidation as the main biological process underlying this defect of pigmentation. Even though the overall appearance and biomechanical properties of hairs are reported to be altered with greying, there is a lack of information about molecular modifications occurring in grey hair shafts.

The aim of this study was thus to investigate the molecular signature and associated changes occurring in greying hair shafts by confocal Raman microspectroscopy.

Methods

This study was conducted on pigmented, intermediate (i.e. grey) and unpigmented hairs taken from 29 volunteers. Confocal Raman microspectroscopy measurements were acquired directly on hair shafts.

Results

Automatic classification of Raman spectra revealed 5 groups displaying significant differences. Hence, the analysis of the molecular signature highlighted the existence of 3 sub‐groups within grey hair: light, medium and dark intermediate. Among molecular markers altered in the course of greying, this study identified for the first time a gradual modification of lipid conformation (trans/gauche ratio) and protein secondary structure (α‐helix/β‐sheet ratio), referring respectively to an alteration of barrier function and biomechanical properties of greying hair.

Conclusion

This study thus reports for the first time a highly specific molecular signature as well as molecular modifications within grey hair shaft.
THE WELL‐BEING OF NATIONS: ESTIMATING WELFARE FROM INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
Authors: Lee Sanghoon , Lee Seung Hoon , Lin Jeffrey
Published: March 2021

The limitations of GDP as a measure of welfare are well known. We propose a new method of estimating the well‐being of nations. Using gross bilateral international migration flows and a discrete choice model in which everyone in the world chooses a country in which to live, we estimate each country's overall quality of life. Our estimates, by relying on revealed preference, complement previous estimates of well‐being that consider only income or a small number of factors, or rely on structural assumptions about how these factors contribute to well‐being.
Caring for cancer patients during COVID‐19 global pandemic: Risk factors and precautionary principle
Authors: Yashavantha Rao H. C. , Siddeeqh Salman , Taqui Syed Noeman
Published: March 2021

The current global pandemic COVID‐19 challenges oncologists to reorganise cancer care in order to strikingly reduce hospital visits and admissions. Cancer patients are more susceptible to infections and likely to get severe consequences compared with other patients. Health‐care facility services are quickly changing their systems and workflow in response to the global pandemic COVID‐19 crisis. These alterations mitigate infection risks and give profound effects on crucial aspects of care, including patients with cancer. Here, we discuss the current situations and a roadmap for cancer care during the COVID‐19 crisis. In the prevalence of global cancer and higher transmission of pandemic COVID‐19, there is an urgent need to realise the effect of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and their related life‐threatening outcomes specifically for cancer patients.
Improved transient silencing of gene expression in the mosquito female Aedes aegypti
Authors: McFarlane M. , Laureti M. , Levée T. , Terry S. , Kohl A. , Pondeville E.
Published: March 2021

Gene silencing using RNA interference (RNAi) has become a widely used genetic technique to study gene function in many organisms. In insects, this technique is often applied through the delivery of dsRNA. In the adult female Aedes aegypti, a main vector of human‐infecting arboviruses, efficiency of gene silencing following dsRNA injection varies greatly according to targeted genes. Difficult knockdowns using dsRNA can thus hamper gene function analysis. Here, by analysing silencing of three different genes in female Ae. aegypti (p400, ago2 and E75), we show that gene silencing can indeed be dsRNA sequence dependent but different efficiencies do not correlate with dsRNA length. Our findings suggest that silencing is likely also gene dependent, probably due to gene‐specific tissue expression and/or feedback mechanisms. We demonstrate that use of high doses of dsRNA can improve knockdown efficiency, and injection of a transfection reagent along with dsRNA reduces the variability in efficiency between replicates. Finally, we show that gene silencing cannot be achieved using siRNA injection in Ae. aegypti adult females. Overall, this work should help future gene function analyses using RNAi in adult females Ae. aegypti, leading toward a better understanding of physiological and infectious processes.
Dynamic production and pricing decisions in the presence of the snob effect
Authors: Sogo Keita , Matsubayashi Nobuo
Published: March 2021

This study analyzes the production and pricing strategy of a monopoly firm in the presence of the snob effect, whereby consumers value a product more when its availability is lower. Real‐world firms often intentionally cause the snob effect by strategically reducing supply quantities or even causing shortages. This observation suggests the existence of a trade‐off between utilizing the snob effect and avoiding opportunity costs. We consider a general multiperiod model in which a monopoly firm determines the dynamic paths of price and sales quantity; although consumers are not forward looking, they evaluate past stockouts with a discount factor. We find that the optimal dynamic paths of the price and output level vary depending on the degree of consumer sensitivity to stockouts, the consumer's discount factor on past shortage, and the firm's discount factor on future profit. Nevertheless, the total profit monotonically increases with the degree of consumer sensitivity to stockouts.
Molecular dynamics study on the co‐doping effect of Al2O3 and fluorine to reduce Rayleigh scattering of silica glass
Authors: Urata Shingo , Nakamura Nobuhiro , Tada Tomofumi , Hosono Hideo
Published: March 2021

Further attenuation of Rayleigh scattering of silica glass is required to extend the capacity of long‐distance optical fiber communication. To theoretically examine the effect of aluminum and fluorine co‐doping on the density fluctuations of silica glass, which is related to Rayleigh scattering, a set of force‐matching potentials (FMP) for simulating F‐doped aluminosilicates was developed using Bayesian optimization based on density functional theory calculations. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the new FMP could evaluate the densities of silica glasses to which a small amount of fluorine was doped and those of aluminosilicate glasses with a wide range of aluminum contents within reasonable accuracy. The FMP successfully represents the changing role of aluminum from a network former without a compensating cation (threefold coordination) to that with a compensating cation and a charge compensator in the aluminosilicates. Indeed, relative concentrations of four, five, and sixfold‐coordinated aluminum observed by NMR measurements were reproduced better than the original Teter potential at a high aluminum content. At an aluminum content lower than 1 mol%, threefold‐coordinated aluminum was observed, which is consistent with ESR measurements. After careful validations of the FMP, the effect of the co‐doping of alumina and fluorine on the density fluctuations of silica glass was computationally examined. Consequently, it was expected that the co‐doping might not sufficiently attenuate the Rayleigh scattering, even though 1 wt% fluorine would be able to reduce the density fluctuations of aluminosilicate glasses for some extent. This is because more alumina‐doping increases density fluctuations of silica glass if the drawing temperature and procedure are the same with those for silica glass fiber. Thereby, a possible fabrication process to sufficiently attenuate the Rayleigh scattering of the F‐doped aluminosilicate glass was proposed, according to the density fluctuation analysis at high temperature.
Europium‐doped barium chloride storage phosphor plate synthesized by pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Bond Charles W. , Jin Yu , McDearman John C. , Howansky Adrian F. , Leonard Russell L. , Lubinsky Anthony R. , Petford‐Long Amanda K. , Johnson Jacqueline A.
Published: March 2021

In computed radiography, scattering of the stimulation light by the storage phosphor crystals in the imaging plates negatively impacts spatial resolution. Storage phosphor plates with thinner phosphor layers have been developed to reduce scattering distance and increase spatial resolution, although at the expense of reduced x‐ray absorption. The authors hypothesize that a transparent or translucent nanostructured film, containing a much higher percentage of storage phosphor crystals than achievable in bulk glass‐ceramic materials made by conventional methods, may have acceptable photostimulated luminescence efficiency and imaging performance characteristics greater than commercial imaging plates. Films were produced via pulsed laser deposition by alternating target materials of the storage phosphor BaCl2:Eu2+ and either silica or silicon. X‐ray diffraction and photoluminescence characterization were conducted to confirm the presence of BaCl2:Eu2+ crystallites. The films were able to store optical data and be read out to produce x‐ray radiographs demonstrating 50‐µm spatial resolution. The performance of the experimental storage phosphor plates was compared to commercially available imaging plates. The authors demonstrate for the first time the synthesis of a glass‐ceramic imaging plate for computed radiography by pulsed laser deposition.
Behavioural response to songs between genetically diverged allopatric populations of Darwin’s small tree finch in the Galápagos
Authors: Colombelli‐Négrel Diane , Kleindorfer Sonia
Published: March 2021

Empirical data that identify contemporary mechanisms of divergence shed light on how species could multiply. In this study, we measured population genetic structure, song syllable diversity and response to simulated intruder song in Darwin's small tree finch (Camarhynchus parvulus) on Santa Cruz and Floreana Islands, Galápagos archipelago. Our aim was to test whether the magnitude of contemporary behavioural response in resident birds was consistent with patterns of genetic or cultural differences between populations. We analysed genetic structure and the occurrence of song syllable types, and experimentally measured the response of resident birds to intruder bird song from different geographical origin (i.e., island) or syllable type. We discovered a weak signal of population genetic structure between Santa Cruz and Floreana Islands. Although some song syllables occurred on both islands, others were unique to each island; Santa Cruz Island males used more unique syllables than Floreana Island males. Both Santa Cruz and Floreana resident males discriminated their response towards a simulated intruder song based on the geographical origin of the intruder song, but not on the syllable type sung by the intruder. We conclude that the populations are diverging in genetic and cultural traits and identified a signal of contemporary behavioural response that could maintain divergence upon secondary contact.
Hybridization, ecogeographical displacement and the emergence of new lineages – A genotyping‐by‐sequencing and ecological niche and species distribution modelling study ofSempervivum tectorumL. (Houseleek)
Authors: Fabritzek Armin G. , Griebeler Eva Maria , Kadereit Joachim W.
Published: March 2021

Ecogeographical displacement of homoploid hybrid lineages from their parents is well documented and considered an important mechanism to achieve reproductive isolation. In this study, we investigated the origin of the flowering plant speciesSempervivum tectorumin the Massif Central (France) through homoploid hybridization between lineages of the species from the Rhine Gorge area (Germany) and the Pyrenees (France). We used genotyping‐by‐sequencing genetic data as evidence for the hybrid origin of the Massif Central lineage, and WorldClim climatic data and soil pH and soil temperature data collected by us for ecological niche and species distribution modelling. We could show that the Massif Central lineage shows hybrid admixture and that the niche of this lineage is significantly different from those of the parental lineages. In comparison with the parental niches, different variables of the niche of the hybrid lineage are intermediate, parental‐combined or extreme. The different niche of the Massif Central populations thus can plausibly be interpreted as hybridization‐derived. Our species distribution modelling for the Last Glacial Maximum and Mid‐Holocene showed that the potential distribution of the hybrid lineage at the likely time of its origin in the Quaternary possibly was parapatric in relation to the largely sympatric distributions of the parental lineages. We hypothesize that reproductive isolation of the hybrid lineage from the parental lineages resulted from the segregation of distribution ranges by a differential response of the three lineages to a warming climate.
Taxonomic revision and redescription of Microphysogobio hsinglungshanensis, the type species of MicrophysogobioMori, 1934 (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae)
Authors: Sun Zhi‐Xian , Kawase Seigo , Zhang Rui , Zhao Ya‐Hui
Published: March 2021

The genus Microphysogobio was established by Mori [Mori, T. (1934). The fresh water fishes of Jehol. In Report of the first scientific expedition to Manchoukuo. 1: pp. 1–61] based on a single specimen (Microphysogobio hsinglungshanensis) collected in the Luanhe River basin, Xinglong County, Hebei Province, China. Because the genus characteristics were derived from its type species, M. hsinglungshanensis, the detailed description is essential. In addition, to distinguish M. hsinglungshanensis and Microphysogobio chinssuensis, the description based on holotype and more specimens is needed. M. hsinglungshanensis can be distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: mouth shallow arc shaped and inferior; medial pad on lower lip inverted trapezoid and usually grooved; barbel short, 6.9%–14.3% in head length; lateral‐line scales 38–39; ventral region between pectoral‐fin origin and pelvic‐fin origin scaleless; scales above lateral line 4–4.5; predorsal scales 10–11; vertebrae 4 + 32 – 34; caudal‐fin membrane with two or three rows of irregular black spots. The characteristics of this genus were redefined based on M. hsinglungshanensis in this study.
VAT Treatment of the Financial Services: Implications for the Real Economy
Authors: BAYDUR ISMAIL , YILMAZ FATIH
Published: March 2021

Financial institutions are exempt from the value‐added tax (VAT) in most countries. We develop a general equilibrium model with endogenous firm entry and a banking sector to accommodate three key distortions related to exempt treatment: (i) self‐supply bias in the banking sector, (ii) under‐taxation of payment services, and (iii) input distortions in the business sector and tax cascading. We calibrate our model to the average of Germany, France, and the UK data. Our results show that repealing exempt treatment always increases tax revenues. However, welfare gains occur only at low VAT rates due to the hump‐shaped VAT Laffer curve.
Preface to an editorial controversy on α‐synuclein: How good are cellular models?
Authors: Hausmann Laura , Schulz Jörg B.
Published: March 2021

In many scientific disputes, research evidence may support one side or the other of a working hypothesis, and even in case of largely coherent hypotheses, arguments may be in favor of discrepant points of view. In the case of α‐synuclein pathology and specific mechanisms of disease progression, various animal and cellular models have been established to pinpoint the physiological and pathological mechanisms. In the present ‘Editorial controversy’, two well‐reputed researchers, Hilal Lashuel and Tiago F. Outeiro, discuss—with view to findings from their own and others’ groups in the context of current status of knowledge—the question of how well models on α‐synuclein pathology can reflect actual pathomechanisms, and derive recommendations for future research from it that shall help advance our understanding not only of α‐synuclein‐related pathologies and its role in the formation of Lewy bodies in particular, but of cellular or animal models in general.

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