bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virus-Host Infection Dynamics of Marine Single-Celled Eukaryotes Resolved from Metatranscriptomics
Authors: Moniruzzaman Mohammad , Wurch Louie L. , Alexander Harriet , Dyhrman Sonya T. , Gobler Christopher J. , Wilhelm Steven W.
Published: December 2016

Metatranscriptomics has emerged as a tool in microbial ecology that can resolve the functional landscape of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes within a community. In this study, we extend the potential of metatranscriptomics to probe active virus infections and virus-host relationships in marine systems. Polyadenylation-selected RNA-seq data were examined from microbial communities in two productive marine environments: a brown tide bloom event dominated by Aureococcus anophagefferens in Quantuck Bay, NY, and a diatom-dominated plankton community in Narragansett Bay, RI. Active infections by diverse giant viruses (NCLDVs) of algal and non-algal hosts were found at both sites. Ongoing infections of A. anophagefferens by a known Mimiviridae (AaV) were observed during both the peak and decline of the bloom. Bloom decline was also accompanied by increased activity for viruses other than AaV, including (+) ssRNA viruses. In Narragansett Bay, increased temporal reso’lution revealed active NCLDVs with both ‘boom-and-bust’ as well as ‘steady-state infection’-like ecologies. Statistical co-occurrence examinations of the dsDNA, ssRNA and dsRNA markers within the data revealed a broad spectrum of statistically strong and significant virus-host relationships that included both known as well as novel interactions. Our approach offers a method for screening the diversity and dynamics of active viral infections in natural systems and develops links between viruses and their potential hosts in situ.

Significance

Viruses are important partners in ecosystem scale ecology, yet their study to date is primarily limited to single virus-host infection models in the laboratory or limited to “potential-actions” derived from metagenomics analyses. Using metatranscriptomic sequences from polyadenylated-RNA selected samples, we have simultaneously captured information regarding eukaryotic diversity and active infection by viruses with dsDNA genomes, resulting in a statistical opportunity to predict “who is infecting whom”. This approach further provides concurrent insight regarding viruses with ssRNA and dsRNA genomes, capturing dynamics for the communities of viruses infecting single-celled eukaryotes. Given the central role of these plankton in global scale processes, our efforts result in a transformational step-forward regarding the study of in situ virus-host interactions.
Slice-sampled Bayesian PRF mapping
Authors: Quax Silvan C. , van Koppen Thomas C. , Jylänki Pasi , Dumoulin Serge O. , van Gerven Marcel A.J.
Published: December 2016

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) allows to non-invasively measure human brain activity at the millimeter scale. As such, it is widely used in computational neuroimaging studies that aim to build models to predict stimulus-induced neural responses in visual cortex. A popular method is population receptive field (PRF) mapping, which is able to characterize responses to a large range of stimuli. For each voxel, the PRF method estimates the best fitting receptive field properties (such as location and size in the visual field) using a coarse–to–fine approach which minimizes, but not eliminates, the risk of returning a local minimum. Here, we provide a Bayesian approach to the PRF method based on the slice sampler. Using this approach, we provide estimates of receptive field properties while at the same time being able to quantify their uncertainty. We test the performance of conventional and Bayesian approaches on simulated and empirical data.
Optimizing survey methods for spiders and harvestmen assemblages in an Amazonian upland forest
Authors: Tourinho Ana Lúcia , Dias Sidclay C. , Lo-Man-Hung Nancy F. , Pinto-da-Rocha Ricardo , Bonaldo Alexandre B. , Baccaro Fabricio B.
Published: December 2016

Invertebrates can be sampled using any of several well-established, rapid and cost-effective methods for documenting species richness and composition. Despite their many differences, different orders of arachnids have been often sampled together in various studies. Active nocturnal search has been long considered the most efficient method for sampling spiders and harvestmen in tropical forests. We compared the number of species and composition of spiders and harvestmen simultaneously sampled using three sampling methods: beating tray, active nocturnal search and Winkler traps at areas along the Urucu River, Coari, Amazonas. We found that a reasonable inventorying of harvestmen can be accomplished solely by nocturnal search, whereas the beating tray and Winkler approaches are redundant. For spiders, both the nocturnal and beating tray methods were complementary and are needed to provide a more complete picture of spider assemblages. An inventory based solely on nocturnal search saves 75% of the survey costs for harvestmen assemblages and 46% for spider assemblages. Based on our findings we propose that different taxonomic groups (e.g. harvestmen and spiders) should be sampled separately in tropical forests, especially for monitoring purposes, and different sets of methods should be combined for each according to their most efficient and best cost-benefit performance.
Defining the genetic architecture of stripe rust resistance in the barley accession HOR 1428
Authors: Clare Shaun , Kitcher William , Gardiner Matthew , Green Phon , Hubbard Amelia , Moscou Matthew J.
Published: December 2016

Puccinia striiformisf. sp.hordei, the causal agent of barley stripe rust, is a destructive fungal pathogen that significantly affects barley cultivation. A major constraint in breeding resistant cultivars is the lack of mapping information of resistance (R) genes and their introgression into adapted germplasm. A considerable number ofRgenes have been described in barley toP. striiformisf. sp.hordei, but only a few loci have been mapped. Previously, Chen and Line (1999) reported two recessive seedling resistance loci in the Ethiopian landrace HOR 1428. In this study, we map two loci that confer resistance toP. striiformisf. sp.hordeiin HOR 1428, which are located on chromosomes 3H and 5H. Both loci act as additive effect QTLs, each explaining approximately 20% of the phenotypic variation. We backcrossed HOR 1428 to the cv. Manchuria and selected based on markers flanking theRpsHOR128-5Hlocus. Saturation of theRpsHOR1428-5Hlocus with markers in the region found KASP marker K_1_0292 in complete coupling with resistance toP. striiformisf. sp.hordeiand was designatedRps9. Isolation ofRps9and flanking markers will facilitate the deployment of this genetic resource into existing programs forP. striiformisf. sp.hordeiresistance.
Critical minimum temperature limits xylogenesis and maintains treelines on the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Li Xiaoxia , Liang Eryuan , Gricar Jozica , Rossi Sergio , Cufar Katarina , Ellison Aaron M.
Published: December 2016

Physiological and ecological mechanisms that define treelines are still debated. It is suggested that the absence of trees above the treeline is caused by the low temperature that limits growth. Thus, we raise the hypothesis that there is a critical minimum temperature (CTmin) preventing xylogenesis at treeline. We tested this hypothesis by examining weekly xylogenesis across three and four growing seasons in two natural Smith fir (Abies georgeivar.smithii) treeline sites on the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau. Despite differences in the timing of cell differentiation among years, minimum air temperature was the dominant climatic variable associated with xylem growth; the critical minimum temperature (CTmin) for the onset and end of xylogenesis occurred at 0.7±0.4 °C. A process-based-modeled chronology of tree-ring formation using this CTminwas consistent with actual tree-ring data. This extremely low CTminpermits Smith fir growing at treeline to complete annual xylem production and maturation and provides both support and a mechanism for treeline formation.
Reconstructing genetic history of Siberian and Northeastern European populations
Authors: Wong Emily H.M. , Khrunin Andrey , Nichols Larissa , Pushkarev Dmitry , Khokhrin Denis , Verbenko Dmitry , Evgrafov Oleg , Knowles James , Novembre John , Limborska Svetlana , Valouev Anton
Published: December 2016

Siberia and Northwestern Russia are home to over 40 culturally and linguistically diverse indigenous ethnic groups, yet genetic variation and histories of peoples from this region are largely uncharacterized. We present deep whole-genome sequencing data (∼38×) from 28 individuals belonging to 14 distinct indigenous populations from that region. We combined these data sets with additional 32 modern-day and 46 ancient human genomes to reconstruct genetic histories of several indigenous Northern Eurasian populations. We found that Siberian and East Asian populations shared 38% of their ancestry with a 45,000-yr-old Ust’-Ishim individual who was previously believed to have no modern-day descendants. Western Siberians trace 57% of their ancestry to ancient North Eurasians, represented by the 24,000-yr-old Siberian Mal'ta boy MA-1. Eastern Siberian populations formed a distinct sublineage that separated from other East Asian populations ∼10,000 yr ago. In addition, we uncovered admixtures between Siberians and Eastern European hunter-gatherers from Samara, Karelia, Hungary, and Sweden (from 8000–6600 yr ago); Yamnaya people (5300–4700 yr ago); and modern-day Northeastern Europeans. Our results provide new insights into genetic histories of Siberian and Northeastern European populations and evidence of ancient gene flow from Siberia into Europe.
Large-scale mapping of gene regulatory logic reveals context-dependent repression by transcriptional activators
Authors: van Dijk David , Sharon Eilon , Lotan-Pompan Maya , Weinberger Adina , Segal Eran , Carey Lucas B.
Published: December 2016

Transcription factors (TFs) are key mediators that propagate extracellular and intracellular signals through to changes in gene expression profiles. However, the rules by which promoters decode the amount of active TF into target gene expression are not well understood. To determine the mapping between promoter DNA sequence, TF concentration, and gene expression output, we have conducted in budding yeast a large-scale measurement of the activity of thousands of designed promoters at six different levels of TF. We observe that maximum promoter activity is determined by TF concentration and not by the number of binding sites. Surprisingly, the addition of an activator site often reduces expression. A thermodynamic model that incorporates competition between neighboring binding sites for a local pool of TF molecules explains this behavior and accurately predicts both absolute expression and the amount by which addition of a site increases or reduces expression. Taken together, our findings support a model in which neighboring binding sites interact competitively when TF is limiting but otherwise act additively.
Progeroid syndrome patients with ZMPSTE24 deficiency could benefit when treated with rapamycin and dimethylsulfoxide
Authors: Akinci Baris , Sankella Shireesha , Gilpin Christopher , Ozono Keiichi , Garg Abhimanyu , Agarwal Anil K.
Published: December 2016

Patients with progeroid syndromes such as mandibuloacral dysplasia, type B (MADB) and restrictive dermopathy (RD) harbor mutations in zinc metalloproteinase (ZMPSTE24), an enzyme essential for posttranslational proteolysis of prelamin A to form mature lamin A. Dermal fibroblasts from these patients show increased nuclear dysmorphology and reduced proliferation; however, the efficacy of various pharmacological agents in reversing these cellular phenotypes remains unknown. In this study, fibroblasts from MADB patients exhibited marked nuclear abnormalities and reduced proliferation that improved upon treatment with rapamycin and dimethylsulfoxide but not with other agents, including farnesyl transferase inhibitors. Surprisingly, fibroblasts from an RD patient with a homozygous null mutation in ZMPSTE24, resulting in exclusive accumulation of prelamin A with no lamin A on immunoblotting of cellular lysate, exhibited few nuclear abnormalities and near-normal cellular proliferation. An unbiased proteomic analysis of the cellular lysate from RD fibroblasts revealed a lack of processing of vimentin, a cytoskeletal protein. Interestingly, the assembly of the vimentin microfibrils in MADB fibroblasts improved with rapamycin and dimethylsulfoxide. We conclude that rapamycin and dimethylsulfoxide are beneficial for improving nuclear morphology and cell proliferation of MADB fibroblasts. Data from a single RD patient's fibroblasts also suggest that prelamin A accumulation by itself might not be detrimental and requires additional alterations at the cellular level to manifest the phenotype.
Curved crystal morphology, photoreactivity and photosalient behaviour of mononuclear Zn(II) complexes
Authors: Mulijanto Caroline Evania , Quah Hong Sheng , Tan Geok Kheng , Donnadieu Bruno , Vittal Jagadese J.
Published: December 2016

A dramatic effect of crystal morphology, photoreactivity and photosalient property is observed in a zinc(II) complex due to solvent effects and fluorine substitution at the backbone of the ligand. Of the two crystal forms with a 3-fluoro derivative, one yielded a curved morphology of single crystals and the second form shows photoreactivity in the solid state, whereas crystals of the 2-fluoro derivative pop during the [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reaction. This is the first report documenting curved single crystals of metal complexes obtained naturally during crystallization, although such bent crystals have been observed in extended solids naturally, or bent by mechanical force or by UV irradiation.
Two closely related {4-[(N-substituted amino)(diethoxyphosphoryl)methyl]phenyl}boronic acids
Authors: Zhang Rui , Zhang Yundi , Ge Chunhua , Miao Jinpeng , Zhang Xiangdong
Published: December 2016

Organic phosphonic acids and organic phosphonic acid esters have been of much interest due to their applications in the fields of medicine, agriculture and industrial chemistry. Boronic acids can act as synthetic intermediates and building blocks and are used in sensing, protein manipulation, therapeutics, biological labelling and separation. The additional introduction of an aminophosphonic acid group into a boronic acid may give new opportunities for application. To study the structure of such multifunctional compounds, we prepared two new derivatives which can be easily converted to the corresponding phosphonic acids. In the title compounds, {4-[(butylamino)(diethoxyphosphoryl)methyl]phenyl}boronic acid monohydrate, C15H27BNO5P·H2O, (I), and {4-[(diethoxyphosphoryl)(4-nitroanilino)methyl]phenyl}boronic acid, C17H22BN2O7P, (II), three different substituents are attached to a central C—H group, namely 4-boronophenyl, diethoxyphosphoryl and amine. Compound (I) crystallizes as a monohydrate and OB—H...N hydrogen bonds link neighbouring molecules into chains along the [001] direction. The solvent water molecule connects two such chains running in opposite directions. Compound (II) crystallizes as an ansolvate and classical hydrogen bonds result in a layer structure in the (001) plane.
Beyond thermal limits: comprehensive metrics of performance identify key axes of thermal adaptation in ants
Authors: Penick Clint A. , Diamond Sarah E. , Sanders Nathan J. , Dunn Robert R.
Published: December 2016

How species respond to temperature change depends in large part on their physiology. Physiological traits, such as critical thermal limits (CTmax and CTmin), provide estimates of thermal performance but may not capture the full impacts of temperature on fitness. Rather, thermal performance likely depends on a combination of traits—including thermal limits—that vary among species.

Here, we examine how thermal limits correlate with the main components that influence fitness in ants. First, we compare how temperature affected colony survival and growth in two ant species that differ in their responses to warming in the field—Aphaenogaster rudis (heat‐intolerant) and Temnothorax curvispinosus (heat‐tolerant). We then extended our study to compare CTmax, thermal requirements of brood and yearly activity season among a broader set of ant species.

While thermal limits were higher for workers of T. curvispinosus than A. rudis, T. curvispinosus colonies also required higher temperatures for survival and colony growth. This pattern generalized across 17 ant species, such that species whose foragers had a high CTmax also required higher temperatures for brood development. Finally, species whose foragers had a high CTmax had relatively short activity seasons compared with less heat‐tolerant species.

The relationships between CTmax, thermal requirements of brood and seasonal activity suggest two main strategies for growth and development in changing thermal environments: one where ants forage at higher temperatures over a short activity season and another where ants forage at lower temperatures for an extended activity season. Where species fall on this spectrum may influence a broad range of life‐history characteristics and aid in explaining the current distributions of ants as well as their responses to future climate change.

A lay summary is available for this article.
Admixture is a driver rather than a passenger in experimental invasions
Authors: Hufbauer Ruth A.
Published: December 2016

Genetic admixture propels invasions of Callosobruchus maculatus across experimental landscapes.

In Focus: Wagner, N.K., Ochocki, B.M., Crawford, K.M., Compagnoni, A. & Miller, T.E.X. (2017) Genetic mixture of multiple source populations accelerates invasive range expansion. Journal of Animal Ecology, 86, 21–34.

In this issue of Journal of Animal Ecology, Wagner et al. (2017) demonstrate that genetic diversity can alter the course of spread of biological invasions. They employ Callosobruchus seed beetles in a clever array of linked habitat patches to compare experimental invasions using individuals from single population sources or from mixes of two, four or six population sources. By taking a model‐selection approach, they find that any amount of mixture propels growth rates and spread of introduced populations. This suggests that heterosis alone can alter the course of an invasive range expansion.
Density dependence and marine bird populations: are wind farm assessments precautionary?
Authors: Horswill Cat , O'Brien Susan H. , Robinson Robert A.
Published: December 2016

Although density‐dependent regulation of population growth is thought to be relatively widespread in nature, density‐independent models are often used to project the population response to drivers of change. Such models are often considered to provide a maximum estimate of mortality and therefore offer a precautionary approach to impact assessment. However, this perception assumes that density dependence operates as compensatory (negative density dependence), and overlooks that other forms of density dependence, such as depensation (positive density dependence), would generate a contrasting population response.

Currently, there is debate about including density‐dependent mechanisms in models that assess the impact of offshore wind farms on marine bird populations. Density dependence is considered poorly understood for this group of species. Consequently, it is either excluded from assessments, or incorporated in a compensatory form that has little empirical validation.

We reviewed the evidence for compensatory and depensatory regulation of 31 marine bird species, and conducted a meta‐analysis to examine the functional shape of density‐dependent population growth. The evidence was also evaluated in relation to established species‐specific indices of wind farm vulnerability in order to assess whether compensatory mechanisms are likely to offset losses associated with collision or displacement.

Compensatory regulation was reported across all of the demographic processes and focal groups considered, and was attributed to a variety of causal mechanisms. The strength of compensatory population growth appeared consistent between colonies; however, the regulation of productivity was highly context‐dependent with a similar number of studies reporting compensatory, depensatory and insignificant effects. Depensation was consistently attributed to increased rates of predation at lower population densities.

Synthesis and applications. We conclude that among marine bird species with high vulnerability to wind farms, compensatory regulation is unlikely to offset large and sustained losses from the breeding population. In addition, depensation has the potential to accelerate population declines and generate local or regional extinctions, especially in smaller colonial species. Consequently, density‐independent models will not offer a consistently precautionary approach for assessing the potential impact of wind farms on marine bird populations. Instead, assessments should examine the potential population response using a range of density‐dependent structures.
Measuring and predicting the influence of traits on the assembly processes of wood‐inhabiting fungi
Authors: Abrego Nerea , Norberg Anna , Ovaskainen Otso
Published: December 2016

The identification of traits that influence the responses of the species to environmental variation provides a mechanistic perspective on the assembly processes of ecological communities. While much research linking functional ecology with assembly processes has been conducted with animals and plants, the development of predictive or even conceptual frameworks for fungal functional community ecology remains poorly explored. Particularly, little is known about the contribution of traits to the occurrences of fungal species under different environmental conditions.

Wood‐inhabiting fungi are known to strongly respond to habitat disturbance, and thus provide an interesting case study for investigating to what extent variation in occurrence patterns of fungi can be related to traits. We apply a trait‐based joint species distribution model to a data set consisting of fruit‐body occurrence data on 321 wood‐inhabiting fungal species collected in 22 460 dead wood units from managed and natural forest sites.

Our results show that environmental filtering plays a big role on shaping wood‐inhabiting fungal communities, as different environments held different communities in terms of species and trait compositions. Most importantly, forest management selected against species with large and long‐lived fruit‐bodies as well as late decayers, and promoted the occurrences of species with small fruit‐bodies and early decayers. A strong phylogenetic signal in the data suggested the existence of also some other functionally important traits than the ones we considered.

We found that those species groups that were more prevalent in natural conditions had more associations to other species than species groups that were tolerant to or benefitted from forest management. Therefore, the changes that forest management causes on wood‐inhabiting fungal communities influence ecosystem functioning through simplification of interactive associations among the fungal species.

Synthesis. Our results show that functional traits are linked to the responses of wood‐inhabiting fungi to variation in their environment, and thus environmental changes alter ecosystem functions via promoting or reducing species with different fruit‐body types. However, further research is needed to identify other functional traits and to provide conclusive evidence for the adaptive nature of the links from traits to occurrence patterns found here.
The Development of the Mozambican Banking Sector and Strategic Fit of Mergers and Acquisitions: A Two‐Stage DEA Approach
Authors: Wanke Peter , Barros Carlos P. , Azad Md. Abul Kalam , Constantino Dercio
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the strategic fit of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Mozambican banks, using a two‐stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to compute the impact of contextual variables on efficiency scores and returns to scale of the resulting virtual merged banks. In an ‘M&A DEA’ model, different pairs of bidder and target companies are considered. In the first stage an M&A DEA model is used. Simplex regression is adopted in the second stage. The results reveal that ownership (public or foreign) impacts virtual efficiency levels. However, the findings also show that care must be exercised with M&A because the resultant banking organization could be oversized when foreign ownership is predominant, especially when public ownership is low. Given the relative sizes of the markets in terms of productive resources, M&A involving Mozambican banks can easily lead to decreasing returns to scale. Thus, a greater emphasis should be given to merging purely public banks with foreign ones and vice versa.
Recruiting CEOs in Local Government: A ‘Game of Musical Chairs’?
Authors: Hutchinson Jacquie , Walker Elizabeth , McKenzie Fiona Haslam
Published: December 2016

This article focusses on leadership in local government and the attributes valued in a CEO. It draws on a series of interviews with both Mayors/Shire Presidents and incumbent CEOs undertaken as the local government sector is faced with a number of complex challenges that is expanding the traditional role and responsibilities from the regulated organisational delivery of ‘rates, roads, and rubbish’, to one that is involved in long‐term more market‐driven delivery of a diverse range of services. The analysis raises the question as to whether both political and organisational leaders have fully understood the impact of the changing sector, and the consequential type of organisational leadership required. Further, the article argues that long established formal power structures and processes of local government and specifically the apparent unencumbered power of Mayors and elected members over all aspects of CEO employment, especially recruitment, may in fact compromise leadership appointments and organisational performance.
THE BIGGEST CHOICE
Authors: Birkinshaw Julian
Published: December 2016

This year's EU Referendum shook the UK, and uncertainty remains about the future of ‘Brexit’ – the vote to leave. But at least, says Julian Birkinshaw, we can learn timeless lessons from those hectic days
LOSS LEADERS
Authors: Nicholson Nigel
Published: December 2016

Sometimes frontrunners should be put on the backburner. Nigel Nicholson identifies five different kinds of leader – and how they can go bad
GAME THEORIES
Authors: Johnston Anna , Jolly Richard
Published: December 2016

Athletes are routinely used as models of business leadership. But Richard Jolly warns that we should observe their differences as well as similarities
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE LEADING CHANGE
Authors: Cable Dan
Published: December 2016

Dan Cable recommends you stop and ask seven important questions before implementing your grand change ambitions
PERSIAN POWERHOUSE
Authors: Kamangar Xanyar , Brilioth Per
Published: December 2016

After a decade of international isolation, Iran is open for business – and Xanyar Kamangar and Per Brilioth are leading the way
Letter: vedolizumab for the management of inflammatory bowel disease in patients after liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: Hartery K. , O'Reilly S. , Houlihan D. , Doherty G. , Mulcahy H. , Cullen G. , Sheridan J.
Published: December 2016

Linked Content

This article is linked to Stallmach et al paper. To view this article visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13813.
Letter: proton pump inhibitors and prognosis of cirrhosis – searching for the balance point
Authors: Schiavon L. L. , Silva T. E. , Fischer J. , Narciso‐Schiavon J. L.
Published: December 2016

Linked Content

This article is linked to Dultz et al paper. To view this article visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13061.
Green governance? Local politics and ethical businesses in Great Britain
Authors: Bradley Tony , Ziniel Curtis
Published: December 2016

One of the least understood aspects of the world‐wide “greening of markets” is the emergence of local “ethical marketplaces” and the subset of alternative business models described as “ethical businesses.” But previous research has demonstrated the ability of local politicians to encourage their regions toward more ethical marketplaces. This paper explores the impact radical centrist third party representation has on the emergence of ethical businesses across Great Britain. To understand this relationship, we utilize a novel data set of organizations with membership in Ethical Junction, the United Kingdom's largest network for ethical businesses. We use a zero‐inflated Poisson regression to model the connection, and find a meaningful relationship, between third‐party political representation on British local councils and the presence of ethical businesses within local authorities. This presents an example of the way in which radical political change may be part of a wider social movement toward greening markets.
Bridging the gap: How sustainable development can help companies create shareholder value and improve financial performance
Authors: Gómez‐Bezares Fernando , Przychodzen Wojciech , Przychodzen Justyna
Published: December 2016

This study examines the effect of integrating sustainability into corporate strategy on various aspects of shareholder value creation and financial performance in the British capital market. The employed method is based on the content analysis of corporate disclosures and a new technique for assessing the adoption of the corporate sustainability concept (embracing the environmental, social, and financial aspects of a company's policies at the same time). Using extensive data of FTSE 350 firms covering the years 2006–2012, 65 companies were selected as meeting corporate sustainability criteria. For the above period, we find that these firms were characterized by higher financial risk exposure, lower asset growth rates, lower BV/MV ratios, lower EVA ratios, and higher MVA ratios. Such relations were generally present among different size and industry groupings. The results support the thesis that firms that incorporate sustainability issues into their business operations are better able to leverage their resources toward stronger financial performance and shareholder value creation than other companies. The paper contributes to the literature by offering a more holistic approach to corporate sustainable performance measurement and shedding additional light on its relation to financial performance in the context of the recent global financial crisis and its direct aftermath.
The Shifting Meanings of Race in China: A Case Study of the African Diaspora Communities in Guangzhou
Authors: LAN SHANSHAN
Published: December 2016

Based on archival research and multi‐sited fieldwork among Chinese and migrants from Africa in Guangzhou, Yiwu (China), and Lagos (Nigeria), this research explores the contradictions and unevenness in the racialization of black African identity in South China. I argue that racism against black Africans in Guangzhou needs to be contextualized within larger contexts such as the rise of China as a global economic power, its changing relations with Africa under the Mao and post‐Mao regimes, the intersection of internal and international migration in global cities such as Guangzhou, and the persistent influence of Western racial ideology in popular media. [African Migrants; China; Blackness; Race; Racism]
Bringing Farmer Knowledge and Learning into Agricultural Research: How Agricultural Anthropologists Transformed Strategic Research at the International Rice Research Institute
Authors: Price Lisa Leimar , Palis Florencia G.
Published: December 2016

During the post‐Green Revolution period of rice research at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a wide range of innovative methodologies were introduced by anthropologists that transformed the way rice research is conducted, with a particular focus on valuing farmer knowledge, criteria, and practices, and on bringing farmers into the research process. This study presents a historic account of the contributions of eight practicing agricultural anthropologists at IRRI, one of the 15 world Consortium for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers, between 1978 and 2010. The types of research undertaken reflect how anthropologists work in the area of strategic research, with the mandate to contribute upstream to basic science and downstream to applied outcomes. We document the innovations of IRRI anthropologists, including methodologies by which integrated pest management interventions and other technical tools are adapted by and for farmers; as well as the development of Farmer Field Schools, farmer‐to‐farmer training, and other innovations drawing on anthropological skill sets.
From “Genetic Resources” to “Ecosystems Services”: A Century of Science and Global Policies for Crop Diversity Conservation
Authors: Fenzi Marianna , Bonneuil Christophe
Published: December 2016

Combining the cultural history of science and the sociology of social problems, this article analyzes the trajectory of policies and approaches for the conservation of crop diversity through a mosaic of international arenas from the early 20th century to the present time. We discuss how the concepts of “plant genetic resources” and “genetic erosion” became major policy issues in the 1960s. We show how these concepts emerged and evolved within a wider range of knowledges, imaginaries, and forms of life governance. We trace the evolution of the problem of disappearing local varieties from concerns about loss of genes as resources, to notions of “crop diversity” and “ecosystem services.” We analyze the effect of this new framing centered on the dynamic conservation of crop diversity within farming systems. Finally, we stress how, despite efforts to revise the concept of diversity as materials to exploit, this vision is still present today, shaping crop diversity conservation, and use.
A Latina Luthercostal Invitation Into an Ecclesial Estuary
Authors: Ortiz Leila M.
Published: December 2016

Drawing from ethnographic and meta‐ethnographic research, this article analyzes the hermeneutic, and resulting ecclesiology, of Latina Luthercostal women in Latino/a Lutheran congregations in New York and Philadelphia. Preliminary findings suggest that Latina Luthercostal hermeneutics mirror Martin Luther's own hermeneutical approach. This particular hermeneutical lens invites the church into an ecclesial estuary where seemingly opposed traditions meet and are drawn by the Holy Spirit into a messy, meaningful, and necessary experience of death and resurrection for the purposes of transformation and renewal.
Joan as Jesus: A Feminist Theological Analysis of Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc
Authors: Guðmundsdóttir Arnfríður
Published: December 2016

The aim of this article is to explore Carl Theodor Dreyer's portrayal of Joan of Arc in his film The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) as a female Christ‐figure. At the same time I argue that the film can serve as an important dialogue partner in ongoing christological discourse. The conclusion is that Dreyer's Joan provides a vivid image of Jesus Christ that challenges our fixation on Jesus’ maleness, and helps us to understand better what we really mean when we claim that God, dressed in flesh, became human, like us, female or male.
Financing Channels and Monetary Policy in a Dual Banking System: Evidence from Islamic Banks in Indonesia
Authors: Zulkhibri Muhamed , Sukmana Raditya
Published: December 2016

Using Indonesian Islamic banking data from 2003 to 2014, this article employs a panel regression methodology to investigate the responses of Islamic banks to changes in financing rates and monetary policy, which may differ depending on their characteristics. The results suggest that the financing rate has a negative impact on financing at Islamic banks, while bank‐specific characteristics have a positive influence on it. The size and amount of capital have a greater impact than liquidity on financing at Islamic banks. However, changes in monetary policy are insignificant on bank financing, which implies that the transmission of monetary policy through the Islamic segment of the banking sector is weak. Furthermore, the weak impact of monetary policy on bank financing can be explained by the dramatic expansion of Islamic banks during the sample period, which contributed to a substantial increase in deposit growth and a high liquidity position.
Seasonality of salt foraging in honey bees (Apis mellifera)
Authors: BONOAN RACHAEL E. , TAI TAYLOR M. , TAGLE RODRIGUEZ MARLEN , FELLER LAINE , DADDARIO SALVATORE R. , CZAJA REBECCA A. , O'CONNOR LUKE D. , BURRUSS GEORGIANA , STARKS PHILIP T.
Published: December 2016

1. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) prefer foraging at compound‐rich, ‘dirty’, water sources over clean water sources. As a honey bee's main floral diet only contains trace amounts of micronutrients – likely not enough to sustain an entire colony – it was hypothesised that honey bees forage in dirty water for physiologically essential minerals that their floral diet, and thus the colony, may lack.

2. While there are many studies regarding macronutrient requirements of honey bees, few investigate micronutrient needs. For this study, from 2013 to 2015, a series of preference assays were conducted in both summer and autumn.

3. During all field seasons, honey bees exhibited a strong preference for sodium in comparison to deionised water. There was, however, a notable switch in preferences for other minerals between seasons.

4. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium – three minerals most commonly found in pollen – were preferred in autumn when pollen was scarce, but were avoided in summer when pollen was abundant. Thus, as floral resources change in distribution and abundance, honey bees similarly change their water‐foraging preferences.

5. Our data suggest that, although they are generalists with relatively few gustatory receptor genes, honey bee foragers are fine‐tuned to search for micronutrients. This ability likely helps the foragers in their search for a balanced diet for the colony as a whole.
Characterization of the pore structure and cementing substances of soil aggregates by a combination of synchrotron radiation X‐ray micro‐computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy
Authors: Yu X. , Fu Y. , Lu S.
Published: December 2016

Pore characteristics and chemical composition of soil aggregates from two contrasting soil types (Fe‐rich Alisol and SOM‐rich Phaeozem) were determined with synchrotron radiation X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (SR‐mCT) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometer (SEM–EDS). Data fusion to combine 3‐D SR‐mCT images and 2‐D SEM–EDS data was used to establish the relation between pore structure and cementing substances within the soil aggregates. The SR‐mCT analysis showed that Phaeozem aggregates had greater total measurable porosity and were more anisotropic (DA) than Alisol aggregates. Soil aggregates of 5–10, 2–5 and 0.5–2 mm diameter were measured and found to have a similar pore‐size distribution (PSD) across a range of pore sizes for the Alisol, but not for the Phaeozem. The SEM–EDS mapping revealed that Fe‐rich areas in Alisol aggregates were connected, whereas the carbon‐rich areas in Phaeozem aggregates were isolated. Wavelet analysis suggested that the Alisol aggregates might have been formed by global interactions among microaggregates and iron oxides, whereas the Phaeozem aggregates were formed by localized interactions among microaggregates and carbon, the main cementing agent. The heatmap analysis showed that iron oxide not only acts as a binding agent in Alisol aggregates, but also affects the pore size in addition to the pore shapes, whereas carbon functions only as a binding agent and has little effect on pore structure of the Phaeozem aggregates. The combination of SR‐mCT and SEM–EDS techniques provides a powerful tool for quantifying the pore characteristics of soil aggregates and investigating the interactions between the pore structure and cementing substances within the aggregates.

Highlights

The effects of different cementing substances on the pore structure of Fe‐rich and SOM‐rich soil aggregates.

A multi‐scale analysis and data fusion method were applied to data from synchrotron imaging and SEM.

Iron oxides affected only the pore structure of the Fe‐rich soil aggregates.

The data fusion method has potential for understanding the key features of soil at the aggregate scale.
Silence as a Response to Everyday Violence: Understanding Domination and Distress Through the Lens of Fantasy
Authors: Gammeltoft Tine M.
Published: December 2016

Across the world, existing research indicates that many women respond with silence to marital abuse. This article offers an ethnographic investigation of the social and psychic forces behind Vietnamese women's silencing of violence and a theoretical exploration of how the psychoanalytic concept of fantasy—understood as unconscious or subconscious mental processes—may contribute to the analysis of everyday violence and psychic distress. Distinguishing between what I term deliberate and subconscious silence, I explore the role that fantasy plays when Vietnamese women silently endure intimate partner violence. Closer ethnographic attention to the fantasy‐constructions that sustain day‐to‐day lives can, I argue, strengthen the capacity of anthropology to comprehend how systems of everyday violence are upheld and rendered socially invisible.
Public Anxieties and Projective Identification: Therapeutic Encounters Between Danish Clairvoyants and Their Clients
Authors: Steffen Vibeke
Published: December 2016

The capacity to receive occult messages and look into the future is claimed by individuals in most societies and probably always has been. In Denmark, clairvoyance is a popular service offered at the alternative market for counseling and healing. During my fieldwork among Danish spiritualist mediums in 2007–08, I was often puzzled by the way in which clairvoyants and clients seemed to share the same kinds of problems. This observation steered my interests toward understanding how personal sensations and feelings are exchanged in therapeutic encounters and raised questions about who is doing what to whom. Drawing on Jung's concept of the wounded healer to highlight the clairvoyant's role as a channel for societal anxieties and Melanie Klein's concept of projective identification as a framework for understanding the defense mechanisms at stake in object relations, I argue that psychoanalysis may add an important critical dimension to the anthropology of therapeutic encounters.
From Filial Piety to Forgiveness: Managing Ambivalent Feelings in a Beijing House‐Church
Authors: Bregnbæk Susanne
Published: December 2016

This article is based on fieldwork in a Chinese Protestant house‐church in Beijing—more specifically, it focuses on a form of group therapy, which took place in the vicinity of the church. It combines two phenomena usually studied separately, namely the popularity of Chinese underground churches and China's so‐called “psycho‐boom.” Drawing on attachment theory, I focus on the psychic conflicts that draw certain people, in this case a young woman, Lin, to this kind of therapeutic/ritual context. Filial piety, the moral value that children should respect and honor their parents, who have sacrificed so much for them, remains a strong social norm in Chinese society. I argue that forbidden feelings such as anger directed at parents found expression in this Chinese house‐church. The ritual and therapeutic context can be understood as a cultural defense mechanism, which celebrates an inversion of dominant societal norms.
Ambivalent Attachment — Melancholia and Political Activism in Contemporary Palestine
Authors: Segal Lotte Buch
Published: December 2016

This article argues that over the course of the past three decades a mood change has occurred in terms of how Palestinians relate to the ideal of an independent Palestinian state. During the first Intifada, from 1987 to 1993, which constitutes the golden age of Palestinian resistance towards Israel's occupation, the Palestinian resistance movement was characterized by a passionate belief in the possibility of a revolutionary transformation. Due to the consistent stalemate and even worsening of the conflict that have followed in the wake of the Second Intifada, from 2000 to 2003, this passionate belief in the realization of a Palestinian state has been replaced by ambivalence toward that ideal. Based on insights from my intermittent fieldwork with families of Palestinian political prisoners from 2004 to 2011, this article suggests that the contemporary ambivalence surrounding the revolutionary project can be meaningfully analyzed using Freud's notion of melancholia. In Freud, melancholia accounts for the relation between a feeling of indeterminate loss and ambivalent attachment. The notion of melancholia thereby provides anthropology with a concept that can be used to name and explore the frayed attachment to the ideal of a Palestinian state in the context of an ongoing colonial occupation. The passionate politics of the First Intifada enabled a fusing of Palestinian personhood with the overall political project into a subject characterized by active resistance. In contrast, the ambivalent attachment that marks the link between self and state project in the Palestinian territories after the Second Intifada leads to a mood of melancholia. By analyzing the attachment to the political project as an indeterminate loss in the melancholic's ego, I argue that the Palestinian political project is part of the self and keeps its adherents in a repetitive temporal fold from which they are unable to escape, because they are obliged and compelled to keep fighting for a state that does not seem to materialize. Conceptually, melancholia has the capacity to elucidate the emotional and deeply intersubjective toll it takes to live and aspire to an ideal that seems further from realization by the hour.
Ultrasound diagnosis of injuries of the cranial meniscotibial ligament of the medial meniscus
Authors: Moiroud C. H. , Denoix J.‐M.
Published: December 2016

Ultrasonographic examination of the femorotibial joint is now commonly performed for investigating hindlimb lamenesses. Different types of meniscal injuries have been described using this technique. In our practice, the cranial meniscotibial ligament of the medial meniscus (CrMTL‐MM) is the most frequently affected soft tissue structure of the stifle. This article describes the technique to image this ligament, normal images and the ultrasonographic manifestations of desmopathies and enthesopathies of the CrMTL‐MM.