bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The introduction of simple cardiorespiratory fitness testing in overweight/obese type 2 diabetics: a pilot study
Authors: Cibičková Ľubica , Karásek David , Lukeš Jiří , Cibiček Norbert
Published: January 2018

Background

Low level of cardiorespiratory fitness has been recognized as an important independent and modifiable risk factor of increased morbidity and mortality. However, in standard outpatient settings, patients are not routinely screened for fitness and advantages of such testing for the management of type 2 diabetes have not been defined.

Aim

To describe the toleration of a fast, simple and practicable fitness test (2-min step-in-place test) by overweight/obese type 2 diabetics and their performance indicated by 2-min step-in-place test score (STS). To study short-term anthropometric, functional and metabolic changes following the implementation of the test in the selected population.

Methods

A total of 33 overweight/obese type 2 diabetics underwent, besides routine examination at the outpatient clinic, the fitness test (group A). Patients were asked to increase their regular physical activity with focus on walking without change in diet and chronic medication. Three to four months later, the subjects were tested again. An identical number of age- and sex-matched obese diabetics followed in our outpatient clinic (without fitness testing), was randomly selected from the Hospital Information System (control group B).

Findings

All patients subjected to fitness testing completed the protocol successfully. STS score was found to have a considerable range with differences between males and females at the borderline of statistical significance. The data are compliant with lower aerobic endurance of obese diabetics compared with healthy population. Within study period, the tested group presented with improvements in STS (referring especially to the males) as well as in several laboratory parameters of glucose and lipid homeostasis, glomerular function and subclinical inflammation with no reflection in anthropometry. Group B demonstrated no significant change. In conclusion, 2-min step-in-place test is fast, undemanding and well-tolerated by patients and personnel. Following its validation based on cardiopulmonary exercise testing, the test may prove recommendable for screening or self-monitoring purposes.
Cultivating climate resilience: a participatory assessment of organic and conventional rice systems in the Philippines
Authors: Heckelman Amber , Smukler Sean , Wittman Hannah
Published: January 2018

Climate change poses serious threats to agriculture. As a primary staple crop and major contributor to agriculturally derived greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, rice systems are of particular significance to building climate resilience. We report on a participatory assessment of climate resilience in organic and conventional rice systems located in four neighboring villages in Negros Occidental, Philippines. The Philippines is one of the foremost countries impacted by climate change, with an increasing incidence of climate-related disturbances and extensive coastlines, high population density and heavy dependence on agriculture. Using the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Self-evaluation and Holistic Assessment of climate Resilience of farmers and Pastoralists (SHARP) tool, we measured 13 agroecosystem indicators of climate resilience, and assessed the degree to which household, farm, and community mechanisms and outcomes impact adaptation capacity, mitigation potential and vulnerability. We used a participatory approach to situate these indicators in their socio-ecological context, and identify targeted interventions for enhancing climate resilience based on local farmer experiences and socio-ecological conditions. Comparison of climate resilience indicators across organic and conventional rice systems in this region indicated that organic rice systems are more climate resilient than their conventional counterparts. As such, increased policy support for the development of organic rice systems are critically important as an adaptive mechanism to augment food security, mitigate GHG emissions and improve climate resilience in the Philippines.
Climate change and agriculture in New York and Pennsylvania: risk perceptions, vulnerability and adaptation among farmers
Authors: Lane David , Chatrchyan Allison , Tobin Daniel , Thorn Kaila , Allred Shorna , Radhakrishna Rama
Published: January 2018

Climate change impacts on agriculture have been intensifying in the Northeastern United States. In order to encourage the adoption of climate change adaptation and mitigation practices by farmers, it is critical to understand their perspectives on the risks they face and actions they are taking. However, very few empirical studies have considered how farmers are interpreting and responding to climate impacts, risks and opportunities in the Northeast. This study investigates farmer views and decisions related to climate change using data from six farmer focus groups conducted across New York and Pennsylvania. The study examined how farmers perceived climate impacts on their farms, the practices they are willing to adopt, and how perceived risks and vulnerability affect farmers’ decision-making related to adaptation and mitigation strategies. Although farmers articulated concern regarding climate impacts, they also made clear that other business pressures, such as profitability, market conditions, labor availability or government regulations were often more critical issues that affected their decision-making. Decisions about adopting climate change adaptation and mitigation practices vary widely, and personal experience with extreme weather and changing seasons affected decision-making. The findings from this study provide improved understanding of farmers’ needs and priorities, which can help guide land-grant researchers, extension and policymakers in their efforts to develop and coordinate a comprehensive strategy to address climate change impacts on agriculture in the Northeast.
Shadow markets and hierarchies: comparing and modeling networks in the Dark Net
Authors: NORGAARD JULIA R. , WALBERT HAROLD J. , HARDY R. AUGUST
Published: January 2018

This paper analyzes the determinants of network structure, as measured by hierarchy and monopolization, by examining various black market networks. We examine structures of networks on the Internet Dark Net (Virtual) and compare it to network structures of traditional black markets (Ground), using agent-based modeling. The purpose of modeling these two different types of illicit markets is to understand the network structure that emerges from the interactions of the agents in each environment. Traditional black markets are relatively hierarchical, with high degree and high betweenness. We compare the density and average length of the shortest path of the simulated Ground black market networks with our simulated Virtual network. We find that hierarchy and monopolization tendencies in networks are products of different transaction costs and information asymmetries. The Internet is an effective way to lower multiple aspects of network structure. We observe that the network structure surrounding the interactions in the Virtual black market is less hierarchical and slightly more monopolistic than the network structure of the Ground market.
Conditional Monte Carlo for sums, with applications to insurance and finance
Authors: Asmussen Søren
Published: January 2018

Conditional Monte Carlo replaces a naive estimateZof a numberzby its conditional expectation given a suitable piece of information. It always reduces variance and its traditional applications are in that vein. We survey here other potential uses such as density estimation and calculations for Value-at-Risk and/or expected shortfall, going in part into the implementation in various copula structures. Also the interplay between these different aspects comes into play.
TYCHONOFF HED-SPACES AND ZEMANIAN EXTENSIONS OF S4.3
Authors: BEZHANISHVILI GURAM , BEZHANISHVILI NICK , LUCERO-BRYAN JOEL , MILL JAN VAN
Published: January 2018

We introduce the concept of a Zemanian logic above S4.3 and prove that an extension of S4.3 is the logic of a Tychonoff HED-space iff it is Zemanian.
REFERENCE IN ARITHMETIC
Authors: PICOLLO LAVINIA
Published: January 2018

Self-reference has played a prominent role in the development of metamathematics in the past century, starting with Gödel’s first incompleteness theorem. Given the nature of this and other results in the area, the informal understanding of self-reference in arithmetic has sufficed so far. Recently, however, it has been argued that for other related issues in metamathematics and philosophical logic a precise notion of self-reference and, more generally, reference is actually required. These notions have been so far elusive and are surrounded by an aura of scepticism that has kept most philosophers away. In this paper I suggest we shouldn’t give up all hope. First, I introduce the reader to these issues. Second, I discuss the conditions a good notion of reference in arithmetic must satisfy. Accordingly, I then introduce adequate notions of reference for the language of first-order arithmetic, which I show to be fruitful for addressing the aforementioned issues in metamathematics.
Design and analysis of a compact quad band loaded monopole antenna with independent resonators
Authors: Abdalla Mahmoud A. , Hu Zhirun
Published: January 2018

A quad band antenna with good gain and omni-directional pattern is proposed in this paper. The antenna design is based on loading a conventional monopole antenna by three different resonators. The resonators are inspired from the shunt branch of composite right-/left-handed cell. The resonators have a simple structure and compact size. The control of the frequency bands can be achieved arbitrarily and hence the suggested design methodology can be generalized to any required bands. The fabricated antenna prototype is operating at 2.6, 3.35, 5.15, and 6.1 GHz with bandwidth wider than 100 MHz for each band. The antenna's operating principle and design procedures with the aid of electromagnetic full wave simulation are presented. Finally, the experimental results exhibit good agreement with the simulated ones which confirm the proposed designed methodology. The proposed monopole antenna has a patch size of 13.5 mm × 6.5 mm and the whole antenna size (including the feed line) is 35 mm × 32 mm. Compared to conventional single-band microstrip patch radiator size, the proposed quad band radiator has the size of 9, 15, 37.5, and 72.5% at relevant frequency bands.
When is a conflict international? Time for new control tests in IHL
Authors: Carron Djemila
Published: January 2018

This article clarifies the control a State should have over an armed group for the triggering act of an international armed conflict and for the internationalization of non-international armed conflicts in international humanitarian law. It explains the reasons for the distinction between these two types of attribution and details the specificities of each test, with an innovative approach. The author proposes new control tests for both triggering and internationalization, rejecting the effective and overall control tests regarding internationalization proposed by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. For instance, regarding the internationalization of a non-international armed conflict, a general and strict control test is proposed. Finally, this article addresses specific issues like the difficult question of the control required for an occupation through an armed group.
Eccentric placentae have reduced surface area and are associated with lower birth weight in babies small for gestational age
Authors: Ravikumar G. , Crasta J. , Prabhu J. S. , Thomas T. , Dwarkanath P. , Thomas A. , Sridhar T. S. , Kurpad A. V.
Published: January 2018

Placental structure and function determine birth outcomes. Placental mass does not always correlate with fetal birth weight (BW) in uncomplicated pregnancies which raises the possibility of other variables such as placental shape and cord insertion being the determinants of placental efficiency. In total, 160 women with singleton pregnancy, recruited into a pregnancy cohort were studied. Placental weight (PW) was measured and other data were obtained from clinical records. Birth outcomes were classified as small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) based on fetal gender, gestational age (GA) and BW. High-resolution images of the chorionic plate were recorded. The shape of the placenta and the insertion of the cord were measured using eccentricity index (EI) and cord centrality index (CCI). Only placentae with eccentrically inserted cords (n=136) were included. The mean BW and PW were 2942 (±435) g and 414 (±82) g with average GA of 38.6 weeks. The mean CCI and EI was 0.483 (±0.17) and 0.482 (±0.16). Neither of these correlated with placental efficiency. However, EI showed negative correlation with placental surface area and breadth. Upon sub-grouping the cohort into SGA (n=32) and AGA (n=104), the SGA babies with the highest EI (third tertile) had significantly lower BW than those with the least eccentric placentae (first tertile). Although eccentric-shaped placentae were present in both SGA and AGA groups, the effect on BW was observed only in the SGA group.
Does Meritocracy Lead to Bureaucratic Quality? Revisiting the Experience of Prussia and Imperial and Weimar Germany
Authors: Andersen David Delfs Erbo
Published: January 2018

How do state bureaucracies become high-quality organizations? Leading comparative politics studies assume that bureaucratic quality is forged by the introduction of meritocratic personnel systems because meritocracies, in contrast to politicized bureaucracies, select the most competent applicants for the jobs at hand. However, in line with principal-agent theory I propose that without a certain level of responsiveness of bureaucrats to the government in place and its policies, the positive consequences of meritocracy for bureaucratic quality are drastically reduced. Meritocracy is likewise essential to bureaucratic quality but, given that it demands some bureaucratic autonomy, meritocracy also creates a control problem. To study the consequences of meritocracy for bureaucratic quality, I revisit bureaucratic developments in the paradigmatically important historical cases of Prussia as well as Imperial and Weimar Germany. Based on extant scholarship of Prussian and German bureaucratic history, the analysis shows that bureaucratic quality varies over time with responsiveness even when meritocraticness is constant at high and low levels, and that governments knowing this hesitate to adopt meritocratic systems despite their advantages if they believe the bureaucracy will be unresponsive. Studying Prussia and Germany historically helps distinguish between the consequences for bureaucratic quality of meritocracy from those of responsiveness. On this basis, I identify where comparative politics studies may benefit from adding, in a comparative historical perspective, responsiveness to the explanation of bureaucratic quality.
Influence of exercise and dietary omega-3 oil supplementation on interleukin 1-Ra serum concentrations in Standardbred horses
Authors: Piccione Giuseppe , Giannetto Claudia , Bruschetta Daniele , Congiu Fulvio , Arfuso Francesca , Giudice Elisabetta
Published: January 2018

In this study, the influence of fish oil eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation on serum interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) concentrations was evaluated in horses subjected to a regular racing program. IL-1Ra is an anti-inflammatory protein. It binds to IL-1 receptors blocking the attachment of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Ten regularly trained Standardbred horses (6 geldings and 4 mares, 4–5 years old, mean bodyweight 500 ± 25 kg) were used. They were randomly divided in two equal groups. The experimental group received a supplementation of 70 mL of fish oil (Omega Horse; NBF Lanes, Milan, Italy) every day for 30 days. The control group did not receive any food supplement. Every 10 days (T0, T10, T20 and T30), the horses took part in a 1600-m harness race, and blood samples were collected from each horse before the race and after the race for the measurement of IL-1Ra serum concentration. The application of general linear model-multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed an effect of race and dietary supplementation. The effect of race on serum IL-1Ra concentrations was observed starting from T20. In particular, serum IL-1Ra showed higher values after the race in both groups at T20; whereas at T30, serum IL-1Ra values increased in the control group and decreased in the experimental group. The results obtained in the present study suggest that submaximal exercise induces an increase of IL-1Ra serum concentration after 20 days of a racing program. Fish oil supplementation had a positive effect on post-exercise response of serum IL-1Ra concentration compared with the unsupplemented control group, suggesting dietary fish oil reduces the response to inflammatory processes induced by physical activity.
Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of dry-cured loin made from pigs fed Allium hookeri added whey powder and sensory trait evaluation using electronic tongue
Authors: Kim Ji-Han , Kim Jung-Ho , Jang Hyun-Joo , Lee Hyun-Jin , Lee Chi-Ho
Published: January 2018

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with Allium hookeri (A. hookeri) added whey powder on the physicochemical characteristics of dry-cured loin (CON, basal diet; AH, addition of 1% A. hookeri; AHW, addition of 0.5% A. hookeri and 4% whey powder) during manufacturing (pre- and post-salting, drying and ripening process) and analyse their sensory characteristics using electronic tongue. Crude fat and weight yield of AH were higher (P < 0.05) than those of CON. The AH inhibited (P < 0.05) lipid oxidation and the reduction of redness during manufacturing. The percentage of some free amino acids (tyrosine, methionine, phenylalanine, isoleucine and leucine) in AHW was higher (P < 0.05) compared with those in CON. Monounsaturated fatty acid composition was the highest (P < 0.05) in AHW. Sensory evaluation by panellists did not show significant differences among the three groups (CON, AH and AHW). However, the richness of AH and AHW was significantly higher compared with that of CON based on electronic tongue analysis. Taken together, these results revealed that AH supplementation with whey powder had higher oxidative stability and enhanced dry-cured loin quality.
The influence of evolutionary history and body size on partitioning of habitat resources by mammalian herbivores in south-eastern Australia
Authors: Davis Naomi E. , Gordon Ian R. , Coulson Graeme
Published: January 2018

Habitat use is the most common dimension along which sympatric species partition resources to reduce competition. We conducted faecal pellet counts at Wilsons Promontory National Park, Victoria, to examine habitat use by an assemblage of mammalian herbivores with disparate evolutionary histories and varying body size: introduced European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and hog deer (Axis porcinus), and native eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) and common wombat (Vombatus ursinus). Overlap in habitat use was low between four pairs of species, suggesting spatial partitioning of resources to reduce the potential for interspecific competition. More generally, however, overlap in habitat use was high, particularly between native and introduced grazers. These results indicate the potential for competition if resources were limiting and suggest that assemblages of species with independent evolutionary histories have inherently less resource partitioning to facilitate coexistence than assemblages of species with common evolutionary histories. Despite evidence of high overlap in habitat use between native and introduced species at a broad scale, and variation in the competitive ability of species, coexistence was likely facilitated by niche complementarity, including temporal and fine-scale partitioning of spatial resources. There was no relationship between body size and the diversity of habitats used. In contemporary assemblages of native and introduced species, evolutionary history is likely to have a strong influence on resource partitioning.
Care-leaving in South Africa: an international and social justice perspective
Authors: Bond Sue
Published: January 2018

Internationally, the care-leaving debate began in the 1970s. The poor outcomes associated with care-leaving in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia prompted attention resulting in policy change in recent years, which continues to develop. The experience and outcomes for care leavers in South Africa reflects that of their contemporaries in other countries, however, contextual factors compound the problems that they face and there is little support available to them. This paper discusses some of the challenges facing care leavers and the development of the care-leaving debate, legislation and policy in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. A comparison of the care-leaving arena in South Africa and the support services available to care leavers in the different countries will be presented. The paper concludes by arguing that the absence of services for care leavers is a neglect of the state's responsibility as corporate parent, and represents an issue of social justice.
Primary Non-Response to Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonists is Associated with Inferior Response to Second-line Biologics in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Singh Siddharth , George John , Boland Brigid S , Vande Casteele Niels , Sandborn William J
Published: January 2018

Background and Aims

We sought to analyze whether response to a second-line biologic varies depending on the reason for discontinuation of the primary anti-TNF agent (primary non-response [PNR], secondary loss of response [LOR] after initial response, or intolerance), through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods

Through a systematic search through May 31, 2017, we identified eight randomized controlled trials [RCTs] of biologics in patients with IBD with prior exposure to anti-TNF agents, that stratified response to second-line therapy by reason for discontinuing primary anti-TNF therapy [PNR vs. LOR vs. intolerance]. We estimated relative risk [RR] (and 95% confidence interval [CI]) of achieving clinical remission in patients with PNR as compared with patients with LOR, and intolerance, through random effects meta-analysis.

Results

As compared with patients who discontinued prior anti-TNF due to intolerance, patients with prior PNR were 24% less likely to achieve remission with second-line biologics (RR,0.76 [0.61–0.96]). As compared with patients who discontinued prior anti-TNF due to LOR, patients with prior PNR were 27% less likely to achieve remission with induction therapy with second-line biologics (RR,0.73 [0.56–0.97]), particularly to ustekinumab (RR,0.64 [0.52–0.80]). There was no difference in response to vedolizumab in patients with prior PNR or LOR to anti-TNF agents (RR,1.16 [0.85–1.58]).

Conclusion

Patients with PNR to anti-TNF agents are less likely to respond to second-line non-TNF biologics, as compared with patients who discontinued therapy due to secondary LOR or intolerance. This may be attributed to underlying pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-TNF agents in patients with PNR.
Postcolonializing the
bagne
Authors: Forsdick Charles
Published: January 2018

In Pierre Nora’s
Lieux de mémoire
project, there are no obvious references to the
bagne
. The omission is surprising, for this institution has long played a significant role in the French imagination. It persists in the French language in several prominent expressions, and continues to be associated with key national symbols such as the
bonnet phrygien
. This silencing is associated with representations of the penal colony in popular culture and in heritage practices, both of which tend to associate the
bagne
with ‘dangerous’ white French
bagnards
, failing accordingly to recognize the wider impact of the institution on colonized spaces. The article draws on a corpus of postcolonial representations or discussions of the
bagne
to propose a new, more enabling way of exploring (and memorializing) this essentially nineteenth-century phenomenon. Analysis of texts by Léon-Gontran Damas, Kateb Yacine, Leïla Sebbar, Anouar Benmalek, Mehdi Lallaoui, and Patrick Chamoiseau suggests that this ‘postcolonialization’ of the penal colony through new forms of creative engagement allows the recognition of transcolonial axes of penal transportation, exemplified by the banishment of Kabyle rebels to New Caledonia following their revolt against the impact of French occupation in spring 1871. The article concludes by drawing on recent postcolonial engagement with concepts such as ‘legacies’ and ‘ruins’ — particularly in the work of Ann Laura Stoler and Chamoiseau — to suggest that alternative narratives, and new critical and aesthetic approaches to the penal colony, have begun to emerge.
Highly efficient and versatile plasmid-based gene editing in primary T cells
Authors: Kornete Mara , Marone Romina , Jeker Lukas T.
Published: January 2018

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) is an important approach for basic research and emerges as an effective treatment for various diseases including infections and blood cancers. Direct genetic manipulation of primary immune cells opens up unprecedented research opportunities and could be applied to enhance cellular therapeutic products. Here, we report highly efficient genome engineering in primary murine T cells using a plasmid-based RNA-guided CRISPR system. We developed a straightforward approach to ablate genes in up to 90% of cells and to introduce precisely targeted single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in up to 25% of the transfected primary T cells. We used gene editing-mediated allele switching to quantify homology directed repair (HDR), systematically optimize experimental parameters and map a native B cell epitope in primary T cells. Allele switching of a surrogate cell surface marker can be used to enrich cells with successful simultaneous editing of a second gene of interest. Finally, we applied the approach to correct two disease-causing mutations in the Foxp3 gene. Both repairing the cause of the scurfy syndrome, a 2bp insertion in Foxp3, and repairing the clinically relevant Foxp3K276X mutation restored Foxp3 expression in primary T cells.
Descending pathways from the lateral accessory lobe and posterior slope in the brain of the silkmothBombyx mori
Authors: Namiki Shigehiro , Kanzaki Ryohei
Published: January 2018

A population of descending neurons connect the brain and thoracic motor cener, playing a critical role in controlling behavior. We examined the anatomical organization of descending neurons (DNs) in the brain of the silkmothBombyx mori. Moth pheromone orientation is a good model to investigate the neuronal mechanisms of olfactory behavior. Based on mass staining and single-cell staining, we evaluated the anatomical organization of neurite distribution by DNs in the brain. Dense innervation was observed in the posterior–ventral part of the brain, called the posterior slope (PS). We examined the morphology of DNs innervating the lateral accessory lobe (LAL), which is assumed to be important for moth olfactory behavior. We observed that the LAL DNs also innervate the PS, suggesting the integration of signals from the LAL and PS. We also identified a set of DNs innervating the PS, but not the LAL. These DNs were sensitive to sex pheromones, suggesting a role of the PS in motor control for pheromone orientation. The organization of descending pathways for pheromone orientation is discussed.
Molecular evolution of DNMT1 in vertebrates: duplications in marsupials followed by positive selection
Authors: Alvarez-Ponce David , Torres-Sánchez María , Feyertag Felix , Kulkarni Asmita , Nappi Taylen
Published: January 2018

DNA methylation is mediated by a conserved family of DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts). The human genome encodes five Dnmts: Dnmt1, Dnmt2, Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b and Dnmt3L. Despite their high degree of conservation among different species, genes encoding Dnmts have been duplicated and/or lost in multiple lineages throughout evolution, indicating that the DNA methylation machinery has some potential to undergo evolutionary change. However, little is known about the extent to which this machinery, or the methylome, varies among vertebrates. Here, we study the molecular evolution of Dnmt1, the enzyme responsible for maintenance of DNA methylation patterns after replication, in 79 vertebrate species. Our analyses show that all studied species exhibit a single copy of DNMT1, with the exception of tilapia and marsupials (tammar wallaby, koala, Tasmanian devil and opossum), each of which exhibits two apparently functional DNMT1 copies. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that DNMT1 duplicated before the divergence of marsupials (i.e., at least ~75 million years ago), thus giving rise to two DNMT1 copies in marsupials (copy 1 and copy 2). In the opossum lineage, copy 2 was lost, and copy 1 recently duplicated again, generating three DNMT1 copies: two putatively functional genes (copy 1a and 1b) and one pseudogene (copy 1ψ). Both marsupial copies (DNMT1 copies 1 and 2) are under purifying selection, and copy 2 exhibits elevated rates of evolution and signatures of positive selection, suggesting a scenario of neofunctionalization. This gene duplication might have resulted in modifications in marsupial methylomes and their dynamics.
A systematic review ofDrosophilashort-term-memory genetics: meta-analysis reveals robust reproducibility
Authors: Tumkaya Tayfun , Ott Stanislav , Claridge-Chang Adam
Published: January 2018

Geneticists use olfactory conditioning inDrosophilato identify learning genes; however, little is known about how these genes are integrated into short-term memory (STM) pathways. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that the STM evidence base is weak. We performed systematic review and meta-analysis of the field. Using metrics to quantify variation between discovery articles and follow-up studies, we found that seven genes were both highly replicated, and highly reproducible. However, ~80% of STM genes have never been replicated. While only a few studies investigated interactions, the reviewed genes could account for >1000% memory. This large summed effect size could indicate irreproducibility, many shared pathways, or that current assay protocols lack the specificity needed to identify core plasticity genes. Mechanistic theories of memory will require the convergence of evidence from system, circuit, cellular, molecular, and genetic experiments; systematic data synthesis is an essential tool for integrated neuroscience.
Filters of floristic exchange: How traits and climate shape the rain forest invasion of Sahul from Sunda
Authors: Yap Jia‐Yee S. , Rossetto Maurizio , Costion Craig , Crayn Darren , Kooyman Robert M. , Richardson James , Henry Robert
Published: January 2018

Aim

To evaluate how biogeographical and ecological processes influenced species distributions and community assembly in a continental rain forest flora with mixed biogeographical origins.

Location

Continental Australia.

Methods

We identified 795 species with Sahul ancestry (Australian rain forest flora of Gondwanan origin) and 604 species with Sunda ancestry (rain forest plant lineages of Indo‐Malaysian origin) from a total of 1,872 free‐standing Australian woody rain forest taxa. We then compared the distribution of Sunda to Sahul species in relation to variation in species richness and phylogenetic endemism at continental scale, and local species distributions in available plot data from the Tropics (Cape York and the Australian Wet Tropics in northern Queensland) and subtropics (Nightcap‐Border Ranges, Washpool and Dorrigo, in northern New South Wales). We compared the dispersal and persistence characteristics, and key functional traits (leaf size, fruit size, wood density and maximum height at maturity) of the Sunda and Sahul components of the continental rain forest flora. The influence of climate (temperature) and local environmental (altitude) factors in driving fine‐scale distributional patterns was evaluated.

Results

Sunda rain forest species richness decreased with increasing latitude but maintained high levels of endemism, including in the south. Sunda species traits suggest more efficient dispersal and faster growth than Sahul lineages. Resprouting (persistence) was less evident in species with Sunda than Sahul ancestry. We show that Sunda lineage distributions were influenced by interacting environmental and climatic factors, as well as historical contingencies.

Main conclusions

Efficient dispersal and relatively fast growth likely facilitated the establishment and spread of Sunda lineages in Australia. However, the Sunda invasion was resisted in stable, saturated communities of Sahul lineages, and in the temperate south where climate acted as a strong filter. The results highlight the importance of integrating historical biogeography and contemporary ecological processes to study continental‐scale rain forest distribution and assembly.
Vicariance versus dispersal across Beringian land bridges to explain circumpolar distribution: A case study in plants with high dispersal potential
Authors: Maguilla Enrique , Escudero Marcial , Luceño Modesto
Published: January 2018

Aim

To disentangle the importance of the Beringian land bridges during the Pliocene and Quaternary periods in order to explain the current distribution of circumpolar plants with potential for long‐distance dispersal.

Location

Circumpolar (Arctic and Antarctic).

Methods

We sampled all extant species in Carex section Glareosae (26 species and 2 subspecies) and analysed 14 DNA regions, including the nrDNA regions ETS and ITS, three nuclear single‐copy genes (CATP, G3PDH and GZF), and nine cpDNA regions: 5′trnK intron, atpIH, matK, ndhJ‐trnF, psbA‐trnH, rpl32‐trnL, rps16, trnC‐ycf6 and ycf6‐psbM. After testing for outlier proportions, we used Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and a species‐tree approach to infer phylogenetic relationships between species; divergence times were estimated using Beast2. We then performed biogeographical analyses using “BioGeoBEARS” to estimate ancestral areas by means of reticulate models. Finally, lineage through time (LTT) and diversification pattern analyses were performed using Bamm.

Results

Carex section Glareosae is a monophyletic group that diverged c. 6.56 Ma (4.54–8.51 Ma at 95% highest posterior density interval). We show that within‐area cladogenetic speciation events and anagenetic dispersal (including some vicariance events) play an important role in shaping distribution in species with potential for long‐distance dispersal. Diversification patterns show constant diversification rates over time.

Main conclusions

The Bering Strait may have played an important role in shaping the current distribution of the species in the section, facilitating dispersal between Asia and North America during glacial periods when the Beringian land bridges were open. Nevertheless, we cannot discount long‐distance dispersal as an alternative major force shaping the species distribution in the section.
Great theories of species diversity in space and why they were forgotten: The beginnings of a spatial ecology and the Nordic early 20th‐century botanists
Authors: Tjørve Even , Calf Tjørve Kathleen M. , Šizlingová Eva , Šizling Arnošt Leoš
Published: January 2018

Sometimes, we stumble over literature revealing that well‐known and groundbreaking theories have previously been proposed by earlier researchers. Going back to the 1920s and a group of Nordic botanists, we discovered that they had already accomplished much of what theoretical ecologists and biographers, especially Americans, did half a century later. In order to restore their legacy and understand why the work of the early spatial ecologists in Scandinavia and Finland was forgotten, we examined their publications, recalculated some of their results from their original data and compared these to the more recent independent discoveries of these theories. These Nordic early 20th‐century botanists worked with sample areas (mainlands) as well as island systems, examining spatial patterns and foreseeing or even building probabilistic approaches to species–area relationships (SARs), occupancy‐frequency distributions (OFDs) and species‐to‐genus (S/G) ratios. Many theories in spatial ecology and biogeography are linked to the SAR, such as MacArthur and Wilson's equilibrium theory of island biogeography (based on colonization and extinction), Darlington's rule of thumb, Preston's canonical hypothesis, Diamond's rules of reserve design, and Coleman's random‐placement theory. However, many of the most important SAR‐based theories—as the mathematical shape of both mainland and island SARs as well as rules of thumb, colonization rates on islands, and the random‐placement theory—had already been discovered or discussed in the 1920s by members of the Stockholm group which included the Swedes Gunnar Romell, Olof Arrhenius, Harald Kylin, and The Svedberg, and a Finn, Widar Brenner. The notion of stochastic S/G ratios and the idea that distance affects colonization rates can be traced back to another Finn, Alvar Palmgren. Great theories like these may disappear, if they are, as these, buried in obscure journals or written in languages other than English. There was also almost no audience in the 1920s and 30s, as mathematical theories were less acceptable at that time. Perhaps even more importantly, a devastating dispute (“The Great Polemic”) arose between the Stockholm group of theoretically and mathematically inclined botanists and the Uppsala group of descriptive phytosociologists. The fight, in which the Uppsala group won, was more a political and sociological than an intellectual one. As a result, not only the budding discipline of spatial ecology faded into oblivion but also the researchers were lost to science, at least to spatial ecology and biogeography, and descriptive and taxonomic approaches came to dominate Nordic ecology right up to the 1960s.
Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius) and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north‐western Arabia
Authors: Guagnin Maria , Shipton Ceri , el‐Dossary Sarah , al‐Rashid Moudhy , Moussa Farès , Stewart Mathew , Ott Florian , Alsharekh Abdullah , Petraglia Michael D.
Published: January 2018

Aim

Our knowledge of the prehistoric distribution of animal species is so far largely dependent on the location of excavated archaeological and palaeontological sites. In the absence of excavated faunal remains, many species that were present in the Levant and North Africa have been assumed to have been absent on the Arabian Peninsula. Here, we explore representations of four species that were identifiable in the rock art, but had not previously been reported in north‐western Arabia.

Location

Jubbah and Shuwaymis UNESCO world heritage rock art sites in Ha'il province, north‐western Saudi Arabia.

Methods

In total, the rock art panels surveyed and recorded in Jubbah and Shuwaymis contain 6,618 individual animal depictions. Species were identified based on diagnostic features of the anatomy. The resulting dataset was then compared to the faunal spectrum reported in the (archaeo)zoological literature.

Results

The rock art dataset provides evidence that the distributions of lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild camel and African wild ass (Equus africanus) extended into the north‐west of Arabia and that the engravers may have had knowledge of aurochs (Bos primigenius).

Main conclusions

The presence of previously undocumented mammal species in Arabia provides new information regarding their distribution, as well as the types of habitat and vegetation that were available in prehistoric landscapes. Moreover, the presence of kudu on the Arabian Peninsula indicates that the identification of palaeo‐distributions based exclusively on faunal remains may miss key species in the Afro‐Eurasian faunal exchange.
Spatial patterns and climate relationships of major plant traits in the New World differ between woody and herbaceous species
Authors: Šímová Irena , Violle Cyrille , Svenning Jens‐Christian , Kattge Jens , Engemann Kristine , Sandel Brody , Peet Robert K. , Wiser Susan K. , Blonder Benjamin , McGill Brian J. , Boyle Brad , Morueta‐Holme Naia , Kraft Nathan J. B. , van Bodegom Peter M. , Gutiérrez Alvaro G. , Bahn Michael , Ozinga Wim A. , Tószögyová Anna , Enquist Brian J.
Published: January 2018

Aim

Despite several recent efforts to map plant traits and to identify their climatic drivers, there are still major gaps. Global trait patterns for major functional groups, in particular, the differences between woody and herbaceous plants, have yet to be identified. Here, we take advantage of big data efforts to compile plant species occurrence and trait data to analyse the spatial patterns of assemblage means and variances of key plant traits. We tested whether these patterns and their climatic drivers are similar for woody and herbaceous plants.

Location

New World (North and South America).

Methods

Using the largest currently available database of plant occurrences, we provide maps of 200 × 200 km grid‐cell trait means and variances for both woody and herbaceous species and identify environmental drivers related to these patterns. We focus on six plant traits: maximum plant height, specific leaf area, seed mass, wood density, leaf nitrogen concentration and leaf phosphorus concentration.

Results

For woody assemblages, we found a strong climate signal for both means and variances of most of the studied traits, consistent with strong environmental filtering. In contrast, for herbaceous assemblages, spatial patterns of trait means and variances were more variable, the climate signal on trait means was often different and weaker.

Main conclusion

Trait variations for woody versus herbaceous assemblages appear to reflect alternative strategies and differing environmental constraints. Given that most large‐scale trait studies are based on woody species, the strikingly different biogeographic patterns of herbaceous traits suggest that a more synthetic framework is needed that addresses how suites of traits within and across broad functional groups respond to climate.
Preoperative Cognitive Impairment As a Predictor of Postoperative Outcomes in a Collaborative Care Model
Authors: Zietlow Kahli , McDonald Shelley R. , Sloane Richard , Browndyke Jeffrey , Lagoo‐Deenadayalan Sandhya , Heflin Mitchell T.
Published: January 2018

Objectives

To compare postoperative outcomes of individuals with and without cognitive impairment enrolled in the Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) program at Duke University, a comanagement model involving surgery, anesthesia, and geriatrics.

Design

Retrospective analysis of individuals enrolled in a quality improvement program.

Setting

Tertiary academic center.

Participants

Older adults undergoing surgery and referred to POSH (N = 157).

Measurements

Cognitive impairment was defined as a score less than 25 out of 30 (adjusted for education) on the St. Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) Examination. Median length of stay (LOS), mean number of postoperative complications, rates of postoperative delirium (POD, %), 30‐day readmissions (%), and discharge to home (%) were compared using bivariate analysis.

Results

Seventy percent of participants met criteria for cognitive impairment (mean SLUMS score 20.3 for those with cognitive impairment and 27.7 for those without). Participants with and without cognitive impairment did not significantly differ in demographic characteristics, number of medications (including anticholinergics and benzodiazepines), or burden of comorbidities. Participants with and without cognitive impairment had similar LOS (P = .99), cumulative number of complications (P = .70), and 30‐day readmission (P = .20). POD was more common in those with cognitive impairment (31% vs 24%), but the difference was not significant (P = .34). Participants without cognitive impairment had higher rates of discharge to home (80.4% vs 65.1%, P = .05).

Conclusion

Older adults with and without cognitive impairment referred to the POSH program fared similarly on most postoperative outcomes. Individuals with cognitive impairment may benefit from perioperative geriatric comanagement. Questions remain regarding the validity of available measures of cognition in the preoperative period.
Advances and current challenges in calcium signaling
Authors: Kudla Jörg , Becker Dirk , Grill Erwin , Hedrich Rainer , Hippler Michael , Kummer Ursula , Parniske Martin , Romeis Tina , Schumacher Karin
Published: January 2018

Content

Summary
414

I.
Introduction
415

II.
Ca2+ importer and exporter in plants
415

III.
The Ca2+ decoding toolkit in plants
415

IV.
Mechanisms of Ca2+ signal decoding
417

V.
Immediate Ca2+ signaling in the regulation of ion transport
418

VI.
Ca2+ signal integration into long‐term ABA responses
419

VII
Integration of Ca2+ and hormone signaling through dynamic complex modulation of the CCaMK/CYCLOPS complex
420

VIII
Ca2+ signaling in mitochondria and chloroplasts
422

IX
A view beyond recent advances in Ca2+ imaging
423

X
Modeling approaches in Ca2+ signaling
424

XI
Conclusions: Ca2+ signaling a still young blooming field of plant research
424

Acknowledgements
425

ORCID
425

References
425

Temporally and spatially defined changes in Ca2+ concentration in distinct compartments of cells represent a universal information code in plants. Recently, it has become evident that Ca2+ signals not only govern intracellular regulation but also appear to contribute to long distance or even organismic signal propagation and physiological response regulation. Ca2+ signals are shaped by an intimate interplay of channels and transporters, and during past years important contributing individual components have been identified and characterized. Ca2+ signals are translated by an elaborate toolkit of Ca2+‐binding proteins, many of which function as Ca2+ sensors, into defined downstream responses. Intriguing progress has been achieved in identifying specific modules that interconnect Ca2+ decoding proteins and protein kinases with downstream target effectors, and in characterizing molecular details of these processes. In this review, we reflect on recent major advances in our understanding of Ca2+ signaling and cover emerging concepts and existing open questions that should be informative also for scientists that are currently entering this field of ever‐increasing breath and impact.