bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of nutrient availability on global forest carbon balance is uncertain
Authors: Du Enzai
Published: December 2014

To the Editor — Fernández-Martínezet al.1show a chief determinant of nutrient availability on net ecosystem production (NEP) and ecosystem carbon-use efficiency (CUEe, the ratio of NEP to gross primary production i.e. GPP) in global forests. However, their conclusions depend on an improper treatment of differences in the GPP range of nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor forests (uneven sampling effect) and outliers. A statistical re-analysis of their datasets, whilesimultaneouslyexcluding the uneven sampling effect and outliers, indicates no significant control of nutrient availability on carbon (C) balance.
Conserved units of co-expression in bacterial genomes: an evolutionary insight into gene regulation
Authors: Junier Ivan , Rivoire Olivier
Published: December 2014

Genome-wide measurements of transcriptional activity in bacteria indicate that the transcription of successive genes is strongly correlated beyond the scale of operons. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly characterized and a systematic method for identifying local groups of co-transcribed genes is lacking. Here, we identify supra-operonic segments of consecutive genes by comparing gene proximity in thousands of bacterial genomes. Structurally, the segments are contained within micro-domains delineated by known nucleoid-associated proteins, and they contain operons with specific relative orientations. Functionally, the operons within a same segment are highly co-transcribed, even in the absence of regulatory factors at their promoter regions. Hence, operons with no common regulatory factor can be co-regulated if they share a regulatory factor at the level of segments. To rationalize these findings, we put forward the hypothesis supported by RNA-seq data that facilitated co-transcription, the feedback of transcription into itself involving only DNA and RNA-polymerases, may represent both an evolutionary primitive and a functionally primary mode of gene regulation.
Association between psoriasis and leisure‐time physical activity: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Authors: Do Young Kyung , Lakhani Naheed , Malhotra Rahul , Halstater Brian , Theng Colin , Østbye Truls
Published: December 2014

Despite evidence that physical activity can reduce the cardiometabolic risk of patients with psoriasis, these patients may engage in less physical activity than those without psoriasis. The aim of this study was to examine the association of the extent of psoriatic skin lesions with the likelihood of participating in leisure‐time moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and metabolic equivalent task (MET)‐minutes of MVPA amongst those who participated. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a population‐based survey among US adults. A total of 6549 persons aged 20–59 years responded to the 2003–2006 NHANES dermatology questionnaires, which asked about participation in leisure‐time MVPA and MET‐minutes of MVPA amongst those who participated. Compared with individuals without psoriasis, those with psoriasis were less likely to have engaged in leisure MVPA in the past 30 days, although this association was not statistically significant. Amongst those who participated in leisure‐time MVPA, MET‐minutes of leisure‐time MVPA were lower on average for patients currently having few to extensive cutaneous lesions (but not for those currently having little or no psoriatic patches), relative to individuals never diagnosed with psoriasis by approximately 30%. Clinicians should encourage patients with psoriasis, especially those with more severe disease, to be more physically active; they should help identify and address possible psychological and physical barriers to their patients' physical activity.
Geophysical signatures of uranium mineralization and its subsurface validation at Beldih, Purulia District, West Bengal, India: a case study
Authors: Mandal Animesh , Mohanty W.K. , Sharma S.P. , Biswas Arkoprovo , Sen Joydip , Bhatt A. K.
Published: December 2014

The Beldih open cast mine of the South Purulia Shear Zone in Eastern India is well known for apatite deposits associated with Nb–rare‐earth‐element–uranium mineralization within steeply dipping, altered ferruginous kaolinite and quartz–magnetite–apatite rocks with E–W strikes at the contact of altered mafic–ultramafic and granite/quartzite rocks. A detailed geophysical study using gravity, magnetic, and gradient resistivity profiling surveys has been carried out over ∼1 km2 area surrounding the Beldih mine to investigate further the dip, depth, lateral extension, and associated geophysical signatures of the uranium mineralization in the environs of South Purulia Shear Zone. The high‐to‐low transition zone on the northern part and high‐to‐low anomaly patches on the southeastern and southwestern parts of the Bouguer, reduced‐to‐pole magnetic, and trend‐surface‐separated residual gravity–magnetic anomaly maps indicate the possibility of highly altered zone(s) on the northern, southeastern, and southwestern parts of the Beldih mine. The gradient resistivity survey on either side of the mine has also revealed the correlation of low‐resistivity anomalies with low‐gravity and moderately high magnetic anomalies. In particular, the anomalies and modeled subsurface features along profile P6 perfectly match with subsurface geology and uranium mineralization at depth. Two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional residual gravity models along P6 depict the presence of highly altered vertical sheet of low‐density material up to a depth of ∼200 m. The drilling results along the same profile confirm the continuation of uranium mineralization zone for the low‐density material. This not only validates the findings of the gravity model but also establishes the geophysical signatures for uranium mineralization as low‐gravity, moderate‐to‐high magnetic, and low‐resistivity values in this region. This study enhances the scope of further integrated geophysical investigations along the South Purulia Shear Zone to delineate suitable target areas for uranium exploration.
How much is new information worth? Evaluating the financial benefit of resolving management uncertainty
Authors: Maxwell Sean L. , Rhodes Jonathan R. , Runge Michael C. , Possingham Hugh P. , Ng Chooi Fei , McDonald‐Madden Eve
Published: December 2014

Conservation decision‐makers face a trade‐off between spending limited funds on direct management action, or gaining new information in an attempt to improve management performance in the future. Value‐of‐information analysis can help to resolve this trade‐off by evaluating how much management performance could improve if new information was gained. Value‐of‐information analysis has been used extensively in other disciplines, but there are only a few examples where it has informed conservation planning, none of which have used it to evaluate the financial value of gaining new information.

We address this gap by applying value‐of‐information analysis to the management of a declining koala Phascolarctos cinereus population. Decision‐makers responsible for managing this population face uncertainty about survival and fecundity rates, and how habitat cover affects mortality threats. The value of gaining new information about these uncertainties was calculated using a deterministic matrix model of the koala population to find the expected population growth rate if koala mortality threats were optimally managed under alternative model hypotheses, which represented the uncertainties faced by koala managers.

Gaining new information about survival and fecundity rates and the effect of habitat cover on mortality threats will do little to improve koala management. Across a range of management budgets, no more than 1·7% of the budget should be spent on resolving these uncertainties.

The value of information was low because optimal management decisions were not sensitive to the uncertainties we considered. Decisions were instead driven by a substantial difference in the cost efficiency of management actions. The value of information was up to forty times higher when the cost efficiencies of different koala management actions were similar.

Synthesis and applications. This study evaluates the ecological and financial benefits of gaining new information to inform a conservation problem. We also theoretically demonstrate that the value of reducing uncertainty is highest when it is not clear which management action is the most cost efficient. This study will help expand the use of value‐of‐information analyses in conservation by providing a cost efficiency metric by which to evaluate research or monitoring.
Adam Smith’s Mixed Prudence and the Economy of the Public Sphere
Authors: Randall David
Published: December 2014

Jürgen Habermas argues that Adam Smith believed that men used a calculative form of reason in the economic realm. Yet it was not calculative reason, but a variety of forms of prudence that animated Smith’s economic system. The individual exercise of prudence motivated mankind to labor, the collective exercise of prudence, expressed as supply and demand, disciplined mankind to labor where the disposition was lacking, and the combination of the individual and collective exercise of prudence allowed Smith’s economic system to establish the norm of a just price. The pervasive importance of prudence in Smithian thought implies that the economy of the public sphere should be aligned with a latter-day form of traditional prudence rather than with systematized and calculative rationality. This re-conception implies that Habermas’ democratic theory should be revised to consider free-market economic activity – and especially the process of price formation – one of those autonomous activities that comprise civil society, connect the lifeworld to democracy and require the protection of the democratic polity.
Domestic Unrest, Genocide and Politicide
Authors: Uzonyi Gary
Published: December 2014

Why do some state leaders engage in genocide and politicide while others do not? Extant theory focuses on how large openings in the domestic political structure of a country, such as civil or interstate war, increase the likelihood that a government will respond with violence against its civilian population. This article builds from this previous theory to argue that smaller crises can provide governments with the same incentives and opportunities to engage in political mass murder. Statistical tests of all cases of genocide and politicide since 1955 support this argument. In addition to civil wars, assassinations, coups and strikes increase the likelihood of political mass murder, especially genocide. These findings are important as they caution the international community against fixating on large-scale crises as the impetus for genocide and politicide.
Turnout, Information and Heuristics in the Scottish Health Board Elections: ‘Getting a CV with No Job Description’
Authors: Wilson Iain , Greer Scott L. , Stewart Ellen , Donnelly Peter
Published: December 2014

British public services have traditionally been overseen by appointees. The idea that many of these posts should be filled by direct election, as a means of increasing engagement with local communities and accountability to them, appears to be gaining traction. In Health Board election pilots in 2010, the Scottish government replaced appointees to regional Health Boards (serving six-figure populations) with popularly elected members. The government attempted to maintain the insulation of Health Boards from party politics by restricting the use of partisan labels. Voters were deprived of a heuristic that usually helps them to decide how to cast their votes. Many electors did not vote, while others sought alternative heuristics. Interviewees simultaneously decried partisan politics, lack of information and low turnout by the rest of the population. These dislikes seem to conflict with each other. Moreover, the experience shows how the heuristics available to voters can shape democratic governance.
Redesigning the Regulatory Framework for Ambulatory Care Services in New York
Authors: CHOKSHI DAVE A. , RUGGE JOHN , SHAH NIRAV R.
Published: December 2014

Policy Points:

The landscape of ambulatory care services in the United States is rapidly changing on account of payment reform, primary care transformation, and the rise of convenient care options such as retail clinics.

New York State has undertaken a redesign of regulatory policy for ambulatory care rooted in the Triple Aim (better health, higher‐quality care, lower costs)—with a particular emphasis on continuity of care for patients.

Key tenets of the regulatory approach include defining and tracking the taxonomy of ambulatory care services as well as ensuring that convenient care options do not erode continuity of care for patients.

Context

While hospitals remain important centers of gravity in the health system, services are increasingly being delivered through ambulatory care. This shift to ambulatory care is giving rise to new delivery structures, such as retail clinics and urgent care centers, as well as reinventing existing ambulatory care capacity, as seen with the patient‐centered medical home model and the movement toward team‐based care. To protect the public's interests, oversight of ambulatory care services must keep pace with these rapid changes. With this purpose, in January 2013 the New York Public Health and Health Planning Council undertook a redesign of the regulatory framework for the state's ambulatory care services. This article describes the principles undergirding the framework as well as the regulatory recommendations themselves.

Methods

We explored and analyzed the regulation of ambulatory care services in New York in accordance with the available gray and peer‐reviewed literature and legislative documents. The deliberations of the Public Health and Health Planning Council informed our review.

Findings

The vision of high‐performing ambulatory care should be rooted in the Triple Aim (better health, higher‐quality care, lower costs), with a particular emphasis on continuity of care for patients. There is a pressing need to better define the taxonomy of ambulatory care services. From the state government's perspective, this clarification requires better reporting from new health care entities (eg, retail clinics), connections with regional and state health information technology hubs, and coordination among state agencies. A uniform nomenclature also would improve consumers’ understanding of rights and responsibilities. Finally, the regulatory mechanisms employed—from mandatory reporting to licensure to regional planning to the certificate of need—should remain flexible and match the degree of consensus regarding the appropriate regulatory path.

Conclusions

Few other states have embarked on a wide‐ranging assessment of their regulation of ambulatory care services. By moving toward adopting the regulatory approach described here, New York aims to balance sound oversight with pluralism and innovation in health care delivery.
The Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH): A Comprehensive Review of US and Non‐US Studies Shows Predominantly Positive Quality and Cost Outcomes
Authors: KASH BITA A. , ZHANG YICHEN , CLINE KAYLA M. , MENSER TERRI , MILLER THOMAS R.
Published: December 2014

Policy Points:

The perioperative surgical home (PSH) is complementary to the patient‐centered medical home (PCMH) and defines methods for improving the patient experience and clinical outcomes, and controlling costs for the care of surgical patients.

The PSH is a physician‐led care delivery model that includes multi‐specialty care teams and cost‐efficient use of resources at all levels through a patient‐centered, continuity of care delivery model with shared decision making.

The PSH emphasizes “prehabilitation” of the patient before surgery, intraoperative optimization, improved return to function through follow‐up, and effective transitions to home or post‐acute care to reduce complications and readmissions.

Context

The evolving concept of more rigorously coordinated and integrated perioperative management, often referred to as the perioperative surgical home (PSH), parallels the well‐known concept of a patient‐centered medical home (PCMH), as they share a vision of improved clinical outcomes and reductions in cost of care through patient engagement and care coordination. Elements of the PSH and similar surgical care coordination models have been studied in the United States and other countries.

Methods

This comprehensive review of peer‐reviewed literature investigates the history and evolution of PSH and PSH‐like models and summarizes the results of studies of PSH elements in the United States and in other countries. We reviewed more than 250 potentially relevant studies. At the conclusion of the selection process, our search had yielded a total of 152 peer‐reviewed articles published between 1980 and 2013.

Findings

The literature reports consistent and significant positive findings related to PSH initiatives. Both US and non‐US studies stress the role of anesthesiologists in perioperative patient management. The PSH may have the greatest impact on preparing patients for surgery and ensuring their safe and effective transition to home or other postoperative rehabilitation.

There appear to be some subtle differences between US and non‐US research on the PSH. The literature in non‐US settings seems to focus strictly on the comparison of outcomes from changing policies or practices, whereas US research seems to be more focused on the discovery of innovative practice models and other less direct changes, for example, information technology, that may be contributing to the evolution toward the PSH model.

Conclusions

The PSH model may have significant implications for policymakers, payers, administrators, clinicians, and patients. The potential for policy‐relevant cost savings and quality improvement is apparent across the perioperative continuum of care, especially for integrated care organizations, bundled payment, and value‐based purchasing.
Factor analysis of metabolic syndrome components and predicting type 2 diabetes: Results of 10‐year follow‐up in a Middle Eastern population
Authors: Ayubi Erfan , Khalili Davood , Delpisheh Ali , Hadaegh Farzad , Azizi Fereidoun
Published: December 2014

Background

The relationship among components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and their association with diabetes is unclear in West Asia. The aim of the present study was to conduct factor analysis of MetS components and the effect these factors have on the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a population‐based cohort study of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS).

Methods

The present study enrolled 1861 men and 2706 women (20–60 years of age), from Tehran (Iran) who were free of diabetes at baseline and followed them for 10 years. A principal component analysis was performed to extract standardized factors from MetS components. Logistic regression was used to detect associations between the extracted factors and the incidence of diabetes. A propensity score was used to correct differential selection bias resulting from loss to follow‐up.

Results

Factor analysis identified three factors (blood pressure, lipids and glycemia). Waist circumference was shared in three all factors. Blood pressure, lipids and glycemia were related to the incidence of diabetes with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 2.23 (1.31–3.78), 1.89 (1.27–3.67), and 7.54 (4.09–13.91), respectively, in men and 2.13 (1.34–3.40), 2.06 (1.35–3.15), and 13.91 (7.29–26.51), respectively, in women for the third versus the first tertile of these standardized factors.

Conclusions

Central adiposity may have a pivotal role in MetS linking other risk factors together. Glycemia had a high impact on the incidence of diabetes, whereas blood pressure and lipid had a similar moderate effect on the incidence of diabetes.
Management of scrotal arteriovenous malformation with transcatheter embolisation coils and percutaneous sclerotherapy under angiographic guidance
Authors: So Wing Lung Alvin , Chaganti Joga , Waugh Richard , Ferguson Richard J
Published: December 2014

Arteriovenous malformations of the scrotum are infrequent and are usually treated by a combination of endovascular embolisation and surgery. We present a case of scrotal arteriovenous malformation treated effectively by a combination of endovascular and direct percutaneous techniques.
New primers for DNA barcoding of digeneans and cestodes (Platyhelminthes)
Authors: Van Steenkiste Niels , Locke Sean A. , Castelin Magalie , Marcogliese David J. , Abbott Cathryn L.
Published: December 2014

Digeneans and cestodes are species‐rich taxa and can seriously impact human health, fisheries, aqua‐ and agriculture, and wildlife conservation and management. DNA barcoding using the COI Folmer region could be applied for species detection and identification, but both ‘universal’ and taxon‐specific COI primers fail to amplify in many flatworm taxa. We found that high levels of nucleotide variation at priming sites made it unrealistic to design primers targeting all flatworms. We developed new degenerate primers that enabled acquisition of the COI barcode region from 100% of specimens tested (n = 46), representing 23 families of digeneans and 6 orders of cestodes. This high success rate represents an improvement over existing methods. Primers and methods provided here are critical pieces towards redressing the current paucity of COI barcodes for these taxa in public databases.
Joblessness, taxable income and regional divergence over time
Authors: Corliss Michael , Lewis Phil
Published: December 2014

The debate over regional inequality and economic growth is ongoing. Previous research has shown that economic growth reduces regional disparity in the unemployment rate and increases regional disparity in income as measured by Census data. This paper examines the jobless rate and income from taxation data to further explore the effect economic growth has had upon regional inequalities. Here, we find while economic growth acts to significantly reduce jobless rates, the differences between statistical local areas is much more stubborn particularly for remote regions. Additionally, we show a much stronger link between economic growth and regional divergence in market income, with changes in economic growth impacting mostly upon statistical local areas with higher median incomes located in capital cities and remote regions.
Does the Inflow of FDI Stock Matter? Evidence from SAARC Countries
Authors: Basnet Hem C. , Pradhan Gyan
Published: December 2014

This paper examines the influence of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth in five SAARC member countries – Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Using time series data from 1990 to 2010, an empirical model is estimated in which growth of real GDP depends on FDI, investment, openness, tax policy and inflation. After establishing the stationarity of the data series, cointegration tests are performed, and an error correction model is developed and estimated. The empirical results indicate that, unlike investment and openness to international trade, FDI has not played a significant role in promoting economic growth in these countries. We conclude that the effectiveness of FDI may depend in part on the size of the inflows, as well as the level of economic development.
How Does Influence Activity Affect the Allocation of Firms’ Internal Capital? Evidence from Australia
Authors: Mishra Vinod , Banerjee Rajabrata , Dey Tania
Published: December 2014

This paper analyses how influence activities in the form of signal jamming affect the capital budgeting process of corporate organisations in Australia. Empirical results suggest that investment sensitivity (the relationship between investment in the smallest segment and its past performances) is positive for Australian firms. However, when influence problems within a firm become more severe, mixed evidence is obtained for different measures of influence activity. With an increase in the number of segments, influence activity becomes more severe and headquarters relies more on a public signal. In contrast, with the increase in relatedness across segments, the influence problem increases and headquarters relies more on private information from the manager of the large segment. Evidence suggests that Australian firms provide high short‐term incentive payments to managers of large segments to mitigate the influence activity problems, and thus rely more on managerial recommendations for investing in the smallest segment.
Bank Fundamentals, Executive Compensation and Public Perception of Banks in Australia
Authors: Jain Ameeta , Guo John , Lin Chien‐Ting
Published: December 2014

Public perception of banks in Australia is relatively poor compared to firms in other major services sectors. This study explores a number of potential sources of negative public opinion. We find that bank profits are similar to firms in other sectors after adjustment for firm size. Average bank executive remuneration as a proportion of total staff costs are also lower than those in other sectors. Finally, Australian banks not only pay a higher average effective tax rate than their counterparts in OECD countries but are also closest to their statutory corporate tax rates. Our findings therefore suggest that poor public perception of banks is based on the flawed claims of generating excessive profits, overpaying bank executives, and underpaying taxes and is not justified.
Explaining the Australian Local Government Infrastructure Expenditure Backlog: A Market Failure Approach
Authors: Simmons Phil , Dollery Brian
Published: December 2014

Most local government systems across the developed world exhibit significant local infrastructure backlogs andAustralian local government is no exception. While most of the scholarly literature has focused on ameliorating the problem, comparatively little effort has been expended on explaining the emergence of the local infrastructure backlogs. This paper addresses this question by employing a market failure theoretical framework to better understand gaps occurring in local government infrastructure both inAustralia and elsewhere. We show how these gaps indicate local authorities are discounting infrastructure investment at higher rates than for local services.
Update on rupatadine in the management of allergic disorders
Authors: Mullol J. , Bousquet J. , Bachert C. , Canonica G. W. , Giménez‐Arnau A. , Kowalski M. L. , Simons F. E. R. , Maurer M. , Ryan D. , Scadding G.
Published: December 2014

In a review of rupatadine published in 2008, the primary focus was on its role as an antihistamine, with a thorough evaluation of its pharmacology and interaction with histamine H1‐receptors. At the time, however, evidence was already emerging of a broader mechanism of action for rupatadine involving other mediators implicated in the inflammatory cascade. Over the past few years, the role of platelet‐activating factor (PAF) as a potent mediator involved in the hypersensitivity‐type allergic reaction has gained greater recognition. Rupatadine has dual affinity for histamine H1‐receptors and PAF receptors. In view of the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma group's call for oral antihistamines to exhibit additive anti‐allergic/anti‐inflammatory properties, further exploration of rupatadine's anti‐PAF effects was a logical step forward. New studies have demonstrated that rupatadine inhibits PAF effects in nasal airways and produces a greater reduction in nasal symptoms than levocetirizine. A meta‐analysis involving more than 2500 patients has consolidated the clinical evidence for rupatadine in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in adults and children (level of evidence Ia, recommendation A). Other recent advances include observational studies of rupatadine in everyday clinical practice situations and approval of a new formulation (1 mg/ml oral solution) for use in children. In this reappraisal, we revisit some key properties and pivotal clinical studies of rupatadine and examine new clinical data in more detail including studies that measured health‐related quality of life and studies that investigated the efficacy and safety of rupatadine in other indications such as acquired cold urticaria, mosquito bite allergy and mastocytosis.
Adaptation to climate change and resettlement inRwanda
Authors: Gebauer Claudia , Doevenspeck Martin
Published: December 2014

During the last ten years, adaptation to climate change has emerged as a prominent new paradigm in environmental politics in developing countries in general and inAfrica in particular. Yet, this new paradigm and its effects are not unproblematic, as the empirical research inRwanda presented in this paper indicates. The paper analyses why forced resettlement of farmers is considered an innovative action among the climate change adaptation efforts and argues that the concept of adaptation to climate change is a travelling idea that is constantly translated and used politically to frame environmental and developmental interventions in concrete places that heavily impact the everyday lives of rural dwellers. Drawing on actor‐network theory and its concept of translation, we provide an alternative view of adaptation to climate change by providing a critical assessment of the linkages between global climate change governance and concrete local adaptation measures, revealing that adaptation to climate change does not always have positive effects on people's livelihoods.
A Fine Balance: Reconsidering Patient Autonomy in Light of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Authors: Craigie Jillian
Published: December 2014

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is increasingly seen as driving a paradigm shift in mental health law, particularly in relation to the understanding that it requires a shift from substituted to supported decisions. This article identifies two competing moral commitments implied by this shift, both of which appeal to the notion of autonomy. It is argued that because of these commitments the Convention is in tension with more general calls in the medical ethics literature for preserving patient autonomy through support. The competing commitments within the Convention also present a particular challenge in putting the support it requires into practice. A discursive control account of freedom is used to develop some practical guidelines for navigating this new moral territory.
When threats foreign turn domestic: Two ways for distant realistic intergroup threats to carry over into local intolerance
Authors: Bouman Thijs , van Zomeren Martijn , Otten Sabine
Published: December 2014

In times of economic downturn, perceived realistic intergroup threats (e.g., labour competition) often dominate political and media discourse. Although local outgroups (e.g., local immigrants) can be experienced as sources of realistic threats, we propose that such threats can also be perceived to be caused by distant outgroups (e.g., European Union members perceiving Greece to threaten their economies) and that such distant threats can carry over into local intolerance (e.g., increasing intolerance towards local immigrant groups). We predicted and found in two studies that perceived distant realistic threats carried over into local intolerance via two different pathways. First, direct reactions towards the distant outgroup can generalize to culturally similar local outgroups (the group‐based association pathway). Secondly, Study 2 indicated that when the distant threat was attributed to stereotypical outgroup traits (e.g., being lazy), distant realistic threats activated local realistic threats, which subsequently influenced local intolerance (the threat‐based association pathway). Taken together, our studies indicate that perceived realistic threats foreign can turn domestic, but in two different ways.
The Messinian salinity crisis in Cyprus: a further step towards a new stratigraphic framework for Eastern Mediterranean
Authors: Manzi Vinicio , Lugli Stefano , Roveri Marco , Dela Pierre Francesco , Gennari Rocco , Lozar Francesca , Natalicchio Marcello , Schreiber B. Charlotte , Taviani Marco , Turco Elena
Published: December 2014

A revised stratigraphic framework for the Messinian succession of Cyprus is proposed demonstrating that the three‐stage model for the Messinian salinity crisis recently established for the Western Mediterranean also applies to the Eastern Mediterranean, at least for its marginal basins. This analysis is based on a multidisciplinary study of the Messinian evaporites and associated deposits exposed in the Polemi, Pissouri, Maroni/Psematismenos and Mesaoria basins. Here, we document for the first time that the base of the unit usually referred to the ‘Lower Evaporites’ in Cyprus does not actually correspond to the onset of the Messinian salinity crisis. The basal surface of this unit rather corresponds to a regional‐scale unconformity, locally associated with an angular discordance, and is related to the erosion and resedimentation of primary evaporites deposited during the first stage of the Messinian salinity crisis. This evidence suggests that the ‘Lower Evaporites’ of the southern basins of Cyprus actually belong to the second stage of the Messinian salinity crisis; they can be thus ascribed to the Resedimented Lower Gypsum unit that was deposited between 5.6 and 5.5 Ma and is possibly coeval to the halite deposited in the northern Mesaoria basin. Primary,in situevaporites of the first stage of the Messinian salinity crisis were not preserved in Cyprus basins. Conversely, shallow‐water primary evaporites deposited during the third stage of the Messinian salinity crisis are well preserved; these deposits can be regarded as the equivalent of the Upper Gypsum of Sicily. Our study documents that the Messinian stratigraphy shows many similarities between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean marginal basins, implying a common and likely coeval development of the Messinian salinity crisis. This could be reflected also in intermediate and deep‐water basins; we infer that the Lower Evaporites seismic unit in the deep Eastern Mediterranean basins could well be mainly composed of clastic evaporites and that its base could correspond to the Messinian erosional surface.
Activating killer immunoglobulin-like receptors genes are associated with increased susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis
Authors: Díaz-Peña R , Vidal-Castiñeira J R , Mulero J , Sánchez A , Queiro R , López-Larrea C
Published: December 2014

The aim of this study was to analyse the association of specific killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genes and haplotypes with susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and its different clinical manifestations in a Spanish population. The presence or absence of all KIR genes was studied for their association with AS. A total of 176 patients with AS and 435 healthy control subjects were selected for this study based on clinical criteria. The commercial KIR-sequence-specific oligonucleotides (SSO) typing kit was used to investigate KIR typing. Frequencies of KIR2DS1 and KIR3DS1 genes were increased significantly in patients compared with healthy controls [52·8 versus 38·2%, PBonf < 0·01, odds ratio (OR) = 1·81 (1·28–2·59); 51·7 versus 37·5%, PBonf < 0·01, OR = 1·79 (1·25–2·54)]. Moreover, the frequency of activating genotypes in the AS patient group was significantly higher than in the healthy control group (P < 0·05). KIR2DS1 and KIR3DS1, in addition to human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AS. However, we show that the contribution of the KIR genes to AS susceptibility extends beyond the association with individual KIRs, with an imbalance between activating and inhibitory KIR genes seeming to influence the susceptibility to AS.
Whole exome sequencing is an efficient, sensitive and specific method for determining the genetic cause of short‐rib thoracic dystrophies
Authors: McInerney‐Leo A.M. , Harris J.E. , Leo P.J. , Marshall M.S. , Gardiner B. , Kinning E. , Leong H.Y. , McKenzie F. , Ong W.P. , Vodopiutz J. , Wicking C. , Brown M.A. , Zankl A. , Duncan E.L.
Published: December 2014

Short‐rib thoracic dystrophies (SRTDs) are congenital disorders due to defects in primary cilium function. SRTDs are recessively inherited with mutations identified in 14 genes to date (comprising 398 exons). Conventional mutation detection (usually by iterative Sanger sequencing) is inefficient and expensive, and often not undertaken. Whole exome massive parallel sequencing has been used to identify new genes for SRTD (WDR34, WDR60 and IFT172); however, the clinical utility of whole exome sequencing (WES) has not been established. WES was performed in 11 individuals with SRTDs. Compound heterozygous or homozygous mutations were identified in six confirmed SRTD genes in 10 individuals (IFT172, DYNC2H1, TTC21B, WDR60, WDR34 and NEK1), giving overall sensitivity of 90.9%. WES data from 993 unaffected individuals sequenced using similar technology showed two individuals with rare (minor allele frequency <0.005) compound heterozygous variants of unknown significance in SRTD genes (specificity >99%). Costs for consumables, laboratory processing and bioinformatic analysis were <AU$850 per sample. WES is sensitive, specific, efficient and cost‐effective for mutation screening as well as gene discovery in SRTDs and can be considered a first‐line methodology for mutation identification in affected individuals.
A systems approach to resilience in the built environment: the case of Cuba
Authors: Lizarralde Gonzalo , Valladares Arturo , Olivera Andres , Bornstein Lisa , Gould Kevin , Barenstein Jennifer Duyne
Published: December 2014

Through its capacity to evoke systemic adaptation before and after disasters, resilience has become a seductive theory in disaster management. Several studies have linked the concept with systems theory; however, they have been mostly based on theoretical models with limited empirical support. The study of the Cuban model of resilience sheds light on the variables that create systemic resilience in the built environment and its relations with the social and natural environments. Cuba is vulnerable to many types of hazard, yet the country's disaster management benefits from institutional, health and education systems that develop social capital, knowledge and other assets that support construction industry and housing development, systematic urban and regional planning, effective alerts, and evacuation plans. The Cuban political context is specific, but the study can nonetheless contribute to systemic improvements to the resilience of built environments in other contexts.
Noninvasive study of coronary microcirculation response to a cold pressor test
Authors: Pham Isabelle , Nguyen Minh‐Tuan , Valensi Paul , Rousseau Hélène , Nitenberg Alain , Vicaut Eric , Cosson Emmanuel
Published: December 2014

Background

The aims of this study were to noninvasively (i) assess the coronary microcirculation changes in response to a cold pressor test (CPT) in control subjects, nondiabetic obese patients and patients with type 2 diabetes and (ii) investigate the response of the coronary microcirculation in patients with diabetes according to the presence or the absence of silent myocardial ischaemia (SMI), asymptomatic coronary stenosis (CS) and left ventricle hypertrophy (LVH).

Methods

The mean left anterior descending coronary flow velocity (mCFV) was measured using transthoracic Doppler before and after a CPT in 16 control subjects, 11 obese and 66 asymptomatic diabetic patients with a high cardiovascular risk. Patients with diabetes were screened for SMI using stress myocardial scintigraphy and/or echocardiography. A coronary angiography was performed in those with SMI.

Results

At baseline, pressure–rate product (PRP) was correlated with mCFV (r = 0·23; P < 0·05) and left ventricle mass (r = 0·26; P < 0·05) in the whole population. Changes in PRP and mCFV during CPT were correlated with controls (r = 0·58, P < 0·05), obese (r = 0·75, P < 0·01) and diabetic patients without CS (r = 0·56, P < 0·0001) or without LVH (r = 0·63, P < 0·05) but not in diabetic patients with CS or with LVH. In patients with diabetes, SMI was associated with mCFV changes, independent of other parameters (P < 0·05).

Conclusion

Transthoracic coronary Doppler allows noninvasive study of changes in the coronary microcirculation during CPT. In asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes, this method showed that SMI was associated with mCFV changes during CPT and the presence of CS or LVH was associated with a mismatch between coronary microcirculation and myocardial oxygen demand.
Bees use honest floral signals as indicators of reward when visiting flowers
Authors: Knauer A. C. , Schiestl F. P.
Published: December 2014

Pollinators visit flowers for rewards and should therefore have a preference for floral signals that indicate reward status, so called ‘honest signals’. We investigated honest signalling in Brassica rapa L. and its relevance for the attraction of a generalised pollinator, the bumble bee Bombus terrestris (L.). We found a positive association between reward amount (nectar sugar and pollen) and the floral scent compound phenylacetaldehyde. Bumble bees developed a preference for phenylacetaldehyde over other scent compounds after foraging on B. rapa. When foraging on artificial flowers scented with synthetic volatiles, bumble bees developed a preference for those specific compounds that honestly indicated reward status. These results show that the honesty of floral signals can play a key role in their attractiveness to pollinators. In plants, a genetic constraint, resource limitation in reward and signal production, and sanctions against cheaters may contribute to the evolution and maintenance of honest signalling.
Predicting phytoplankton biomass and estimating critical N:P ratios with piecewise models that conform to Liebig's law of the minimum
Authors: Dolman Andrew M. , Wiedner Claudia
Published: December 2014

The influence of nitrogen and phosphorus on the development of phytoplankton biomass is typically such that when one nutrient is limiting, variation in the availability of the other has little effect; this is known as Liebig's law of the minimum.

However, statistical models used to quantify the dependence of phytoplankton biomass on both nitrogen and phosphorus availability have typically assumed multiplicative effects of the two nutrients.

Here, we demonstrate that a new statistical model, which conforms to this law of the minimum, better describes the response of biomass to nitrogen and phosphorus and in addition provides an estimate of the ratio at which lake phytoplankton communities typically transition between nitrogen and phosphorus limitation.

This improvement holds for three large independent sets of lakes, and we conclude that the previous mismatch between the nature of resource limitation and the models used to investigate it may have contributed to an underestimation of the influence of nitrogen on freshwater phytoplankton biomass.
Microbial models with data‐driven parameters predict stronger soil carbon responses to climate change
Authors: Hararuk Oleksandra , Smith Matthew J. , Luo Yiqi
Published: December 2014

Long‐term carbon (C) cycle feedbacks to climate depend on the future dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC). Current models show low predictive accuracy at simulating contemporarySOCpools, which can be improved through parameter estimation. However, major uncertainty remains in global soil responses to climate change, particularly uncertainty in how the activity of soil microbial communities will respond. To date, the role of microbes inSOCdynamics has been implicitly described by decay rate constants in most conventional global carbon cycle models. Explicitly including microbial biomass dynamics into C cycle model formulations has shown potential to improve model predictive performance when assessed against globalSOCdatabases. This study aimed to data‐constrained parameters of two soil microbial models, evaluate the improvements in performance of those calibrated models in predicting contemporary carbon stocks, and compare theSOCresponses to climate change and their uncertainties between microbial and conventional models. Microbial models with calibrated parameters explained 51% of variability in the observed totalSOC, whereas a calibrated conventional model explained 41%. The microbial models, when forced with climate and soil carbon input predictions from the 5th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), produced stronger soil C responses to 95 years of climate change than any of the 11CMIP5 models. The calibrated microbial models predicted between 8% (2‐pool model) and 11% (4‐pool model) soil C losses compared withCMIP5 model projections which ranged from a 7% loss to a 22.6% gain. Lastly, we observed unrealistic oscillatorySOCdynamics in the 2‐pool microbial model. The 4‐pool model also produced oscillations, but they were less prominent and could be avoided, depending on the parameter values.
Impact of agronomic uncertainty in biomass production and endogenous commodity prices on cellulosic biofuel feedstock composition
Authors: Dumortier Jerome
Published: December 2014

This study evaluates the effect of agronomic uncertainty on bioenergy crop production as well as endogenous commodity and biomass prices on the feedstock composition of cellulosic biofuels under a binding mandate in the United States. The county‐level simulation model focuses on both field crops (corn, soybean, and wheat) and biomass feedstocks (corn stover, wheat straw, switchgrass, and Miscanthus). In addition, pasture serves as a potential area for bioenergy crop production. The economic model is calibrated to 2022 in terms of yield, crop demand, and baseline prices and allocates land optimally among the alternative crops given the binding cellulosic biofuel mandate. The simulation scenarios differ in terms of bioenergy crop type (switchgrass and Miscanthus) and yield, biomass production inputs, and pasture availability. The cellulosic biofuel mandates range from 15 to 60 billion L. The results indicate that the 15 and 30 billion L mandates in the high production input scenarios for switchgrass and Miscanthus are covered entirely by agricultural residues. With the exception of the low production input for Miscanthus scenario, the share of agricultural residues is always over 50% for all other scenarios including the 60 billion L mandate. The largest proportion of agricultural land dedicated to either switchgrass or Miscanthus is found in the southern Plains and the southeast. Almost no bioenergy crops are grown in the Midwest across all scenarios. Changes in the prices for the three commodities are negligible for cellulosic ethanol mandates because most of the mandate is met with agricultural residues. The lessons learned are that (1) the share of agricultural residue in the feedstock mix is higher than previously estimated and (2) for a given mandate, the feedstock composition is relatively stable with the exception of one scenario.