bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Briquetting of Charcoal from Sesame Stalk
Authors: Gebresas Alula , Asmelash Haftom , Berhe Hadush , Tesfay Tsegay
Published: August 2015

Due to the easy availability of wood in Ethiopia, wood charcoal has been the main source fuel for cooking. This study has been started on sesame stalk biomass briquetting which can potentially solve the health problems and shortage of energy, which consequently can solve deforestation. The result of the data collection shows that, using 30% conversion efficiency of carbonizer, it was found that more than 150,000 tonnes of charcoal can be produced from the available sesame stalk in Humera, a place in north Ethiopia. The clay binders that are mixed with carbonized sesame stalk were found to have 69 liquid limits; thus, the optimum amount of clay that should be added as a binder is 15%, which results in better burning and heat holding capacity and better heating time. The developed briquetting machine has a capacity of producing 60 Kg/hr but the carbonization kiln can only carbonize 3.1 Kg in 2 : 40 hours; hence, it is a bottle neck for the briquette production. The hydrocarbon laboratory analysis showed that the calorific value of the charcoal produced with 15% clay content is 4647.75 Cal/gm and decreases as clay ratio increases and is found to be sufficient energy content for cooking.
Perceptions of Weight and Health Practices in Hispanic Children: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Foster Byron Alexander , Hale Daniel
Published: August 2015

Background.Perception of weight by parents of obese children may be associated with willingness to engage in behavior change. The relationship between parents’ perception of their child’s weight and their health beliefs and practices is poorly understood, especially among the Hispanic population which experiences disparities in childhood obesity. This study sought to explore the relationship between perceptions of weight and health beliefs and practices in a Hispanic population.Methods.A cross-sectional, mixed-methods approach was used with semistructured interviews conducted with parent-child (2–5 years old) dyads in a primarily Hispanic, low-income population. Parents were queried on their perceptions of their child’s health, health practices, activities, behaviors, and beliefs. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze participants’ discussion of health practices and behaviors.Results.Forty parent-child dyads completed the interview. Most (58%) of the parents of overweight and obese children misclassified their child’s weight status. The qualitative analysis showed that accurate perception of weight was associated with internal motivation and more concrete ideas of what healthy meant for their child.Conclusions.The qualitative data suggest there may be populations at different stages of readiness for change among parents of overweight and obese children, incorporating this understanding should be considered for interventions.
A Gene Regulatory Network-Inspired Self-Organizing Control for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Byun Heejung , Park Jaesung
Published: August 2015

Biologically inspired modeling techniques have received considerable attention for the realization of robustness, scalability, and adaptability with simple local interactions and limited information. Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) play a central role in understanding natural evolution and development of biological organisms from cells. In this paper, we employ GRN principles and propose a new GRN model for self-organizing control of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) with dual aims of energy saving and delay guarantee. Through this scheme, each sensor node schedules its state autonomously according to the controlled gene expression and protein concentration of the proposed GRN model. Simulation results also indicate that the proposed scheme achieves good performance in meeting delay requirements and conserving energy in WSN systems.
Temperature Effect on Exploitation and Interference Competition among Microcystis aeruginosa, Planktothrix agardhii and, Cyclotella meneghiniana
Authors: Gomes Andreia Maria da Anunciação , Azevedo Sandra Maria Feliciano de Oliveira e , Lürling Miquel
Published: August 2015

We studied the effect of temperature (18 and 30°C) on growth and on the exploitation and interference competition of three species: Microcystis aeruginosa (MIJAC), Planktothrix agardhii (PAT), and Cyclotella meneghiniana (CCAP). Coculturing the organisms in batch systems allowed for the examination of both competitive interactions, while the interference competition was studied in cross‐cultures. The experiments were done during 10–12 days, and samples were taken for chlorophyll‐a analysis, using PHYTO‐PAM. The temperature did not influence exploitation competition between MIJAC and other competitors and it was the best competitor in both temperatures. PAT presented higher growth rates than CCAP in competition at 18 and 30°C. The temperature influenced the interference competition. The growth of MIJAC was favored in strains exudates at 30°C, while CCAP was favored at 18°C, revealing that the optimum growth temperature was important to establish the competitive superiority. Therefore, we can propose two hypotheses: (i) different temperatures may results in production of distinct compounds that influence the competition among phytoplankton species and (ii) the target species may have different vulnerability to these compounds depending on the temperature. At last, we suggest that both the sensitivity and the physiological status of competing species can determine their lasting coexistence.
Water and Wastewater Disinfection with Peracetic Acid and UV Radiation and Using Advanced Oxidative Process PAA/UV
Authors: Beber de Souza Jeanette , Queiroz Valdez Fernanda , Jeranoski Rhuan Felipe , Vidal Carlos Magno de Sousa , Cavallini Grasiele Soares
Published: August 2015

The individual methods of disinfection peracetic acid (PAA) and UV radiation and combined process PAA/UV in water (synthetic) and sanitary wastewater were employed to verify the individual and combined action of these advanced oxidative processes on the effectiveness of inactivation of microorganisms indicators of fecal contaminationE. coli, total coliforms (in the case of sanitary wastewater), and coliphages (such as virus indicators). Under the experimental conditions investigated, doses of 2, 3, and 4 mg/L of PAA and contact time of 10 minutes and 60 and 90 s exposure to UV radiation, the results indicated that the combined method PAA/UV provided superior efficacy when compared to individual methods of disinfection.
Distributed Downlink Power Control by Message-Passing for Very Large-Scale Networks
Authors: Sohn Illsoo
Published: August 2015

Downlink power control is revisited by assuming very large-scale networks. In very large-scale networks, conventional centralized power control schemes quickly become impractical owing to the huge computational burden and limited backhaul capacity. Alternative distributed power control schemes have been proposed; however, these schemes suffer from poor performance when compared with the centralized power control. In this work, a completely new approach to distributed downlink power control is proposed using a belief-propagation (BP) framework. The proposed BP approach includes two tasks: first, the sum rate maximizing power control problem is modeled as a factor graph representation. Second, a message-passing algorithm is constructed on the basis of the factor graph, which efficiently computes a near-optimal solution in a distributed manner. The practical issues for implementing the proposed BP approach are extensively discussed in terms of the computational complexity, signaling overhead, convergence, and latency. Surprisingly, the simulation results verify that the average sum rate performance of the proposed BP-based power control is nearly equivalent to that of centralized power control schemes. The proposed BP-based power control even outperforms the centralized binary on/off power control and approaches the performance of geometric programming power control, which is the best-known centralized power control, within only 0.8% of the average sum rate.
GNormPlus: An Integrative Approach for Tagging Genes, Gene Families, and Protein Domains
Authors: Wei Chih-Hsuan , Kao Hung-Yu , Lu Zhiyong
Published: August 2015

The automatic recognition of gene names and their associated database identifiers from biomedical text has been widely studied in recent years, as these tasks play an important role in many downstream text-mining applications. Despite significant previous research, only a small number of tools are publicly available and these tools are typically restricted to detecting only mention level gene names or only document level gene identifiers. In this work, we report GNormPlus: an end-to-end and open source system that handles both gene mention and identifier detection. We created a new corpus of 694 PubMed articles to support our development of GNormPlus, containing manual annotations for not only gene names and their identifiers, but also closely related concepts useful for gene name disambiguation, such as gene families and protein domains. GNormPlus integrates several advanced text-mining techniques, including SimConcept for resolving composite gene names. As a result, GNormPlus compares favorably to other state-of-the-art methods when evaluated on two widely used public benchmarking datasets, achieving 86.7% F1-score on the BioCreative II Gene Normalization task dataset and 50.1% F1-score on the BioCreative III Gene Normalization task dataset. The GNormPlus source code and its annotated corpus are freely available, and the results of applying GNormPlus to the entire PubMed are freely accessible through our web-based tool PubTator.
Effects of Calcium Supplementation on Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Colorectal Adenoma Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Yang Baiyu , Gross Myron D. , Fedirko Veronika , McCullough Marjorie L. , Bostick Roberd M.
Published: August 2015

Inflammation and oxidative stress play important roles in colorectal carcinogenesis. There is strong evidence that calcium reduces risk for colorectal neoplasms, possibly through its ability to bind bile acids and prevent their colonic toxicity (which occurs via an oxidative mechanism and results in an inflammatory response). In a previously reported pilot, randomized, controlled trial among sporadic colorectal adenoma patients we found that those on 2.0 g/day of calcium, relative to those on placebo, had an estimated drop in a combined cytokine z-score of 48% (P = 0.18) over 6 months. To follow-up these promising preliminary findings, we tested the efficacy of two doses of supplemental calcium (1.0 or 2.0 g/day) relative to placebo on modulating circulating biomarkers of inflammation [C-reactive protein (CRP) and 10 cytokines] and oxidative stress (F2-isoprostanes) over a 4-month treatment period among 193 patients with previous sporadic, colorectal adenoma in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The inflammation markers were measured in plasma using electrochemiluminescence detection-based immunoassays, and F2-isoprostanes were measured in plasma using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Over a 4-month treatment period, we found no appreciable effects of calcium on CRP, cytokines, or F2-isoprostanes (P > 0.4), overall or within strata of several major risk factors for colorectal carcinogenesis, such as body mass index and regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Overall, our results provide no evidence that calcium supplementation favorably modulates concentrations of circulating biomarkers of inflammation or oxidative stress over 4 months among patients with a previous colorectal adenoma. Cancer Prev Res; 8(11); 1069–75. ©2015 AACR.
An Improved Technique Using Dental Prostheses for Field Quantification of the Force Required by Primates for the Dental Penetration of Fruit
Authors: Barnett Adrian A. , Santos Paulo J.P. , Boyle Sarah A. , Bezerra Bruna M.
Published: August 2015

Tooth morphology is an important determinant of primate diet, setting potential limits on processable item size and material properties. Plunger-based commercial fruit firmness testers (penetrometers) have been used to estimate primate diet item hardness and, by proxy, bite force required for penetration. However, geometric forms and surface areas of penetrometer plungers and primate teeth differ considerably. Accurate bite force estimation is especially important with pitheciine primates as these penetrate fruit pericarps with their canines. To achieve more realistic bite force measures, we replaced a fruit penetrometer's standard plunger with a Cacajao calvus canine prosthesis. We compared indentation and penetration values for Hevea spruceana (Euphorbiaceae; hard-pericarp) and Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae; soft-pericarp) fruits (both natural Cacajao foods), and standard penetrometer head and canine prosthesis values for penetrating H. spruceana sulci. Compared to the canine prosthesis, a standard head overestimated the force needed to indent and penetrate H. spruceana fruit by more than twofold and, due to greater width, could not effectively penetrate a sulcus: sulcal penetrability data were easily retrieved with the canine prosthesis. We believe this new approach using dental prostheses has potential in the analysis of primate foraging mechanisms, especially for pitheciines for which canines are of paramount importance in accessing food.
Circulating MicroRNA-146a and MicroRNA-21 Predict Left Ventricular Remodeling after ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Liu Xiaoxia , Dong Yumei , Chen Song , Zhang Guangde , Zhang Mingyu , Gong Yingzi , Li Xueqi
Published: August 2015

Objectives: MicroRNA (miR)-146a and miR-21 have been reported to participate in inflammatory reactions and fibrosis. Excessive inflammation and cardiac fibrosis may play important roles in the development of left ventricular remodeling (LVR). This study assessed whether miR-146a, miR-21 and other biomarkers could predict LVR after myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: Circulating miR-146a, miR-21 and other biomarker levels were measured in 198 patients with acute MI 5 days after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). All patients were assessed by transthoracic echocardiography on day 5 and 1 year after primary PCI. Results: Concentrations of circulating miR-146a, miR-21, C-reactive protein, creatine kinase MB type and troponin I, as well as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), were significantly higher in patients with than in those without LVR (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that circulating miR-146a (odds ratio, OR = 2.127, p < 0.0001), miR-21 (OR = 1.119, p < 0.0001), eGFR (OR = 0.939, p = 0.0137) and LVEF (OR = 0.802, p = 0.0048) were independent predictors of LVR development. The area under the curve for the combination of miR-146a and miR-21 was significantly higher than for either alone. Conclusion: Circulating miR-146a and miR-21 may be novel biomarkers predictive of LVR after acute MI. Their combination may better predict LVR than either alone.
Temporal variability in the antiplatelet effects of clopidogrel and aspirin after elective drug-eluting stent implantation
Authors: Stratz Christian , Leggewie Stefan , Hochholzer Willibald , Valina Christian M. , Gick Michael , Kirtane Ajay J. , Stone Gregg W. , Neumann Franz-Josef , Trenk Dietmar , Nührenberg Thomas G.
Published: August 2015

Given conflicting data on temporal variability in pharmacodynamic platelet responses to clopidogrel, we investigated platelet reactivity on clopidogrel and aspirin for up to six months after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents. Platelet reactivity was determined in 102 patients before loading with clopidogrel and aspirin, and on maintenance therapy after PCI on day 1, at one month and six months by VerifyNow™ P2Y12 and Aspirin assays and by residual platelet aggregation (RPA) on light transmission aggregometry using adenosine diphosphate and arachidonic acid. By VerifyNow testing, median (interquartile range) P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) on clopidogrel were 166 (90–234), 195 (124–257), and 198 (141–252) on day 1, one month and six months after PCI, respectively (p=0.005 day 1 to 1 month, and p=0.86 1 month to 6 months). Using a cut-off of > 208 PRU, 35% of patients had high platelet reactivity (HPR) to clopidogrel on day 1, 43% at one month, and 46% at six months after PCI. Between day 1 and six months after PCI, 38.2% of patients changed clopidogrel responder status at least once. Other cut-offs and RPA yielded similar results. Platelet inhibition by aspirin was consistent over time with only five patients being characterised as having HPR. Considerable variation in individual on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity was present during both the subacute and the late phases of maintenance therapy after elective PCI. Hence, the utility of contemporary platelet function testing to guide antiplatelet therapy may be limited.
Tratos deposicionais e arquitetura estratigráfica de sucessões sedimentares da Bacia do Itajaí (Neoproterozoico), nordeste de Santa Catarina, Brasil
Authors: Costa Michel Silva , Nascimento Marivaldo Dos Santos
Published: August 2015

Sucessões sedimentares neoproterozoicas da Bacia do Itajaí exibem tendências deposicionais e arcabouço estratigráfico característicos de um sistema de bacia antepaís. Os ambientes de sedimentação se desenvolveram em condições bacinais que vão de contexto marinho profundo, transicional-marinho raso, a continental. A arquitetura estratigráfica compreende três tratos deposicionais (TD): TDI – sistema de leques submarinos que registra a sedimentação inicial da bacia e envolve depósitos turbidíticos frontais e distais, TDII – sistema deposicional transicional-marinho raso que representa a fase de preenchimento efetivo da bacia e inclui sucessão deltaica com planície dominada por canais entrelaçados (braided plain), e TDIII – sistemas deposicionais continentais fluvial entrelaçado e de leques aluviais que compreendem a fase de final de sedimentação na bacia. Arcóseos e grauvacas do TDI apresentam padrões de paleocorrentes unimodais e rumo geral para sul-sudeste, sugerindo áreas-fonte do Complexo Granulítico de Santa Catarina. Os arenitos e conglomerados dos TDII e TDIII apresentam padrão paleocorrente oposto que indica fonte do Complexo Metamórfico Brusque e do Batólito de Florianópolis. Os dados paleoambientais e estratigráficos em conjunto com informações prévias (U-Pb em zircão detríticos) permitiram uma interpretação da evolução sedimentar coerente com as fontes detríticas e representam avanços nas discussões sobre o conhecimento da Bacia do Itajaí e de seu significado no contexto evolutivo do Cinturão Dom Feliciano.
Aplicação da compartimentação fisiográfica e da abordagem multitemática para elaboração de mapa geoambiental: estudo de caso nos municípios de Espírito Santo do Pinhal e Santo Antônio do Jardim (SP)
Authors: Chaves Camila Jardinetti , Reis Fábio Augusto Gomes Vieira , Giordano Lucilia do Carmo , Amaral Ana Maria Carrascosa do , Corrêa Claudia Vanessa Dos Santos
Published: August 2015

O presente artigo tem como objetivo apresentar os estudos desenvolvidos para elaboração de mapeamento geoambiental por meio do uso da compartimentação fisiográfica e da abordagem multitemática, envolvendo a correlação das unidades fisiográficas, o uso e ocupação da terra, a presença de áreas de preservação permanente e a carta de chuvas intensas médias. Foram estabelecidos os municípios de Espírito Santo do Pinhal e Santo Antônio do Jardim (SP) como área de estudo, que se localizam no limite entre a Bacia Sedimentar do Paraná e o embasamento cristalino em termos geológicos e entre o Planalto Atlântico, representado pela Serra da Mantiqueira e a Depressão Periférica, na Zona do Rio Mogi Guaçu. Trata-se de uma área conhecida pela complexa organização paisagística, onde há problemas relacionados a processos de dinâmica superficial, tais como: enchentes, inundações, erosão e movimentos de massa. Os estudos foram baseados na definição das unidades de compartimentação fisiográfica na proposta metodológica de Zaine (2011). Já para a definição da carta das unidades geoambientais, foi usada a abordagem multitemática pela correlação das unidades fisiográficas de uso e ocupação da terra, das áreas de preservação permanente e de chuvas intensas médias. Os pesos para correlação das cartas multitemáticas foram estabelecidos pelo uso do Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) [Processo de Análise Hierárquica]. Pode-se concluir, pelos resultados obtidos, que a sequência metodológica usada na presente pesquisa pode ser desenvolvida com produtos cartográficos e imagens de uso público, sendo ideal para a utilização de municípios de pequeno e médio porte, pois apresenta custo baixo e tem aplicação relativamente fácil.
Adenosine Triphosphate‐Sensitive Potassium Channel Kir Subunits Implicated in Cardioprotection by Diazoxide
Authors: Henn Matthew C. , Janjua M. Burhan , Kanter Evelyn M. , Makepeace Carol M. , Schuessler Richard B. , Nichols Colin G. , Lawton Jennifer S.
Published: August 2015

Background

ATP‐sensitive potassium (

K
ATP

) channel openers provide cardioprotection in multiple models. Ion flux at an unidentified mitochondrial

K
ATP

channel has been proposed as the mechanism. The renal outer medullary kidney potassium channel subunit, potassium inward rectifying (Kir)1.1, has been implicated as a mitochondrial channel pore‐forming subunit. We hypothesized that subunit Kir1.1 is involved in cardioprotection (maintenance of volume homeostasis and contractility) of the

K
ATP

channel opener diazoxide (DZX) during stress (exposure to hyperkalemic cardioplegia [
CPG
]) at the myocyte and mitochondrial levels.

Methods and Results

Kir subunit inhibitor Tertiapin Q (TPN‐Q) was utilized to evaluate response to stress. Mouse ventricular mitochondrial volume was measured in the following groups: isolation buffer; 200 μmol/L of
ATP
; 100 μmol/L of DZX+200 μmol/L of
ATP
; or 100 μmol/L of DZX+200 μmol/L of
ATP
+TPN‐Q (500 or 100 nmol/L). Myocytes were exposed to Tyrode's solution (5 minutes), test solution (Tyrode's, cardioplegia [
CPG
],
CPG
+DZX,
CPG
+DZX+TPN‐Q, Tyrode's+TPN‐Q, or
CPG
+TPN‐Q), N=12 for all (10 minutes); followed by Tyrode's (5 minutes). Volumes were compared. TPN‐Q, with or without DZX, did not alter mitochondrial or myocyte volume. Stress (
CPG
) resulted in myocyte swelling and reduced contractility that was prevented by DZX. TPN‐Q prevented the cardioprotection afforded by DZX (volume homeostasis and maintenance of contractility).

Conclusions

TPN‐Q inhibited myocyte cardioprotection provided by DZX during stress; however, it did not alter mitochondrial volume. Because TPN‐Q inhibits Kir1.1, Kir3.1, and Kir3.4, these data support that any of these Kir subunits could be involved in the cardioprotection afforded by diazoxide. However, these data suggest that mitochondrial swelling by diazoxide does not involve Kir1.1, 3.1, or 3.4.
Dabigatran is Less Effective Than Warfarin at Attenuating Mechanical Heart Valve‐Induced Thrombin Generation
Authors: Jaffer Iqbal H. , Stafford Alan R. , Fredenburgh James C. , Whitlock Richard P. , Chan Noel C. , Weitz Jeffrey I.
Published: August 2015

Background

Patients with mechanical heart valves (
MHV
) require warfarin to prevent thromboembolism. Although dabigatran was as effective as warfarin for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation when compared with warfarin in patients with
MHV
, the study was stopped early because of more strokes and bleeding with dabigatran. To determine why dabigatran was less effective than warfarin, we compared their effects on thrombin generation induced by
MHV
.

Methods and Results

Thrombin generation in the absence or presence of valve leaflets or sewing ring segments (
SRS
) was quantified. Studies were done in control plasma, plasma depleted of factors (F)
XII
,
XI,
or
VII
, plasma containing varying concentrations of dabigatran, or plasma from patients on dabigatran or warfarin with varying dabigatran concentrations or international normalized ratio (
INR
) values. Mean endogenous thrombin potential (
ETP
) increased 1.2‐, 1.5‐, and 1.8‐fold in the presence of leaflets, Teflon
SRS
, and Dacron
SRS
, respectively. Whereas
ETP
in
FVII
‐depleted and control plasma was similar,
ETP
was reduced to background levels in
FXII
‐depleted plasma and abrogated in
FXI
‐depleted plasma. Dabigatran had little effect on
ETP
at concentrations below 400 ng/
mL
, whereas in plasma from warfarin‐treated patients,
ETP
was suppressed with
INR
values over 1.5.

Conclusions

MHV
induce thrombin generation via the intrinsic pathway and generate sufficient thrombin to overwhelm clinically relevant dabigatran concentrations. In contrast, warfarin is more effective than dabigatran at suppressing
MHV
‐induced thrombin generation. These data explain why dabigatran failed in
MHV
patients and suggest that strategies targeting
FXII
or
FXI
may suppress the root cause of thrombosis in such patients.
The distribution of Hemiragis aurea (Brid.) Ren. & Card. (Hookeriaceae, Musci) and related notes of interest

Authors: Kuc Marian
Published: August 2015

The horizontal and vertical range of Hemiragis aurea (Musci) is subdivided into four regions: I - N. Panama, Costa Rica, S. Nicaragua; II - circum-Caribbean; III - Guyana Highlands; IV - Andean. Ecological evidence is discussed in the context of the effects of volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, climactic changes and other factors.
Bryophytes on Fungi
Authors: Vital D. M. , Capelari M. , Gugliotta A. M. , Bodoni V. L.R.
Published: August 2015

Sixty one species of bryophytes (26 mosses, 35 liverworts) have been found growing on fungi basidiomata in Brazil.
Caudalejeunea yangambiensis (Vanden Berghen) E.W.Jones (Lejeuneaceae) with mature perianths from Ghana

Authors: Wigginton M. J.
Published: August 2015

Mature perianths of Caudalejeunea yangambiensis (Vanden Berghen) E.W.Jones (Lejeuneaceae) are described for the first time, and the species reported new to Ghana.
The identity of Calymperes campylopodioides Müll.Hal. ex Besch.

Authors: Ellis Len
Published: August 2015

Calymperes campylopodioides Müll.Hal. ex Besch. is placed in synonymy with Calymperes graeffeanum Müll.Hal., and the occurrence of the latter species in continental Africa is noted.
Epiphyllous Lejeuneaceae in Costa Rica Contributions to the altitudinal distribution of selected species

Authors: Eggers Jens
Published: August 2015

The altitudinal distribution of selected species of epiphyllous Lejeuneaceae shows 6 groups (table 1 and 2): I (only lower than 500 m) Cololejeunea setiloba; II (1-1600m) Aphanolejeunea costaricensis, A. moralesiae, Cololejeunea cardiocarpa, C. guadelupensis, C. linopteroides, C. obliqua, C. papillifera, C. standleyi, Colura verdoornii, Cyclolejeunea chitonia, C. peruviana, Diplasiolejeunea brunnea, Microlejeunea epiphylla, Rectolejeunea berteroana, R. cf. emarginuliflora, Stictolejeunea squamata; III (1-3000m) Aphanolejeunea angustissima, Colura tortifolia, Diplasiolejeunea cavifolia, D. pellucida, Drepanolejeunea inchoata, Dr. lichenicola, Lejeunea laetevirens, Odontolejeunea lunulata; IV (only 500-1600m) Aphanolejeunea cingens, A. longifolia, A. pustulosa, Cyclolejeunea accedens, C. convexistipa, Diplasiolejeunea grolleana, D. unidentata, Harpalejeunea uncinata, Lejeunea filipes, Odontolejeunea decemdentata; V (500-3000m) Anoplolejeunea conferta, Aphanolejeunea crenata, A. ephemeroides, Colura tenuicornis, Diplasiolejeunea alata, Drepanolejeunea infundibulata, Dr. mosenii, Lejeunea flava, Omphalanthus filiformis; VI (only above 1600-3000m) Aphanolejeunea camillii, Cololejeunea fefeana, Diplasiolejeunea costaricensis sp.nov., D. involuta.
Felipponea (Leucodontaceae, Musci), a new genus for Africa, to include ‘Leucodon maritimus’ and L. assimilis

Authors: O’Shea Brian J.
Published: August 2015

Felipponea assimilis (Müll.Hal.) O’Shea is the correct name to be used for all African collections of Felipponea, a species found in Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, southern and eastern Africa and the East African islands. Hypnum maritimum Müll.Hal. and Cladomnion montevidensis Müll.Hal. are new synonyms. Lectotypes are selected for Neckera assimilis Müll.Hal., Cladomnion montevidensis Müll.Hal. and Braunia peristomata Dixon in Sim & Dixon.
Morphological and molecular characterization of Hydrolithon rupestre (Corallinaceae, Corallinales, Rhodophyta): first report from the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Wolf M.A. , Maneveldt G. W. , Kaleb S. , Moro I. , Falace A.
Published: August 2015

The genera Hydrolithon and Porolithon are the most discussed taxa of non-geniculate Corallinaceae, as well as the most poorly known. Anatomical observations based usually on thallus construction, number of epithallial cell layers, trichocyte arrangement, occurrence of vegetative filaments between the trichocytes, and presence/absence of cell fusions and secondary pit connections led to different interpretations mainly due to the lack of available reproductive material from type specimens. Recently molecular surveys on the phylogeny of the Corallinales supported the hypothesis of considering Hydrolithon and Porolithon as two distinct genera but, up to now, several taxonomic questions remain in part unanswered. For these reasons identification of species belonging to these genera is still very difficult and can often lead to misidentification of taxa. In this study we report the discovery of a species of the Hydrolithon group found along the coast of Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea. Samples were identified through morpho-anatomical examinations and the phylogenetic position of this species was investigated through molecular analyses based on the nuclear nSSU and the plastidial psbA markers. This finding represents the first report for the Mediterranean Sea of Hydrolithon rupestre, one of the few encrusting coralline algae reported to overgrow live corals. The species can represent a possible threat to populations of Adriatic scleractinian corals.
Integrative taxonomic revision of mantellid frogs of the genus Aglyptodactylus (Anura: Mantellidae)
Authors: KÖHLER JÖRN , GLAW FRANK , PABIJAN MACIEJ , VENCES MIGUEL
Published: August 2015

Molecular genetic studies have in recent years revealed the presence of hidden species diversity in Madagascar's amphibians, and numerous genera contain candidate species awaiting description. We here revise the taxonomy of one such genus within the endemic Malagasy-Comorian family Mantellidae. The target taxon, Aglyptodactylus, is classified in the subfamily Laliostominae and to date contained three recognized nominal species. We focus in particular on clarifying the status of three candidate species proposed for the genus, and for this purpose integrate evidence from molecular genetics, bioacoustics and morphology. We furthermore summarize the information available for all species in the genus concerning their taxonomic identities, distributions and advertisement calls. Our analyses of advertisement calls revealed significant differences coinciding with major clades revealed by phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. Together with the new molecular dataset this provides clear evidence for evolutionary lineage divergence and supports the three candidate species previously characterized by mtDNA divergence of single specimens only. We also observed morphological differences among some of the lineages but these were in most cases not unambiguously diagnostic. As a taxonomic consequence we describe two new species: Aglyptodactylus australis sp. nov. from Andohahela rainforest in southeastern Madagascar, which so far is the largest species known in the genus with females reaching 82.5 mm snout-vent length; and Aglyptodactylus chorus sp. nov. from northeastern lowland rainforests in the Maroantsetra region. For the third proposed and confirmed candidate species we resurrect the name Rana inguinalis Günther, 1877 as Aglyptodactylus inguinalis (Günther, 1877) from the synonymy of A. madagascariensis. This name is applied to populations distributed in lowlands along most of the east coast of Madagascar, from Marojejy in the north southward to Tolagnaro. Genetic data indicate strong differentiation of A. inguinalis with three sub-lineages receiving support, and we cannot exclude that A. inguinalis as defined herein is a complex of species warranting further partition in the future. As a result of the revised taxonomy, A. madagascariensis remains restricted to rainforests at higher elevations (650‒1500 m a.s.l.) ranging from northern to south-central Madagascar, and showing some further differentiation with respect to a northern and a southern sub-lineage. Difficulties in the assignment of historical type specimens are discussed, as well as the biogeography and conservation status of the recognized species.
Heterangaeus Alexander, 1925 crane flies (Diptera: Pediciidae) of Korea
Authors: PODENAS SIGITAS , PODENIENE VIRGINIJA , BYUN HYE-WOO
Published: August 2015

The Korean crane fly species of the genus Heterangaeus Alexander, 1925 (Diptera: Pediciidae) is taxonomically revised. H. gloriosus gloriosus (Alexander, 1924) is redescribed. A new species Heterangaeus koreanus n. sp., which is the first species of Pediciidae from South Korea, is described and illustrated.
Records of Pauropoda (Pauropodidae, Brachypauropodidae, Eurypauropodidae, Sphaeropauropodidae) from China, with a key to the species and descriptions of three new species of Decapauropus
Authors: QIAN CHANGYUAN , DONG YAN , BERNARD ERNEST C. , SUN HONGYING
Published: August 2015

The arthropod class Pauropoda was not recognized from China until 1988, but currently 36 known species are now recorded from 27 sites in 18 provinces. This paper contains descriptions of three new species of Decapauropus Remy, 1931: D. biclavula sp. n., D. annulcordatus sp. n. and D. tribulosus sp. n. from Jiangsu, Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangxi Provinces, respectively. These three new species bring the known pauropod fauna of China to 39 species in 11 genera and four families. In addition, Dasongius (Sun & Guo, 2010) nom. nov. is proposed to replace the invalid junior homonym of Songius Sun & Guo, 2010.
Mahseers genera Tor and Neolissochilus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from southern Vietnam
Authors: HOÀNG HUY ĐỨC , PHẠM HÙNG MẠNH , DURAND JEAN-DOMINIQUE , TRẦN NGÂN TRỌNG , PHAN PHÚC ĐÌNH
Published: August 2015

Two new species and two new basin records of mahseers in the genera Tor and Neolissochilus are described from the upper Krong No and middle Đồng Nai drainages of the Langbiang Plateau in southern Vietnam. These new species and new records are known from streams and rivers in montane mixed pine and evergreen forests between 140 and 1112 m. Their populations are isolated in the Sre Pok River of the Mekong basin, the middle of the Đồng Nai basin, and the An Lão River. Both new species are differentiated from their congeners by a combination of the following characters: 23–24 lateral scales, 9–10 predorsal scales, 2/7 or 1/8 pelvic-fin rays, mouth position, median lobe of lower lip, rostral hood, colour in life and by divergent mitochondrial DNA. Tor mekongensis sp. nov. is differentiated from Tor dongnaiensis sp. nov. by the number of transverse scale rows (3/1/2 vs. 4/1/2), number of pelvic-fin rays (2/7 vs. 1/8), a blunt rostral hood vs. pointed, caudal-fin lobes that are equal vs. unequal, and by mitochondrial DNA (0.7% sequence divergence). Molecular evidence identifies both species as members of the genus Tor and distinct from all congeners sampled (uncorrected sequence divergences >1.9% for all Tor species for which homologous COI sequences are available). Tor sinensis is recorded in the Krong No and the Sre Pok rivers, further south of its known distribution. Polymorphism is described in Neolissochilus stracheyi with a Tor-like morph and a Neolissochilus-like morph.
Water under a Changing and Uncertain Climate: Lessons from Climate Model Ensembles*
Authors: Boehlert Brent , Solomon Susan , Strzepek Kenneth M.
Published: August 2015

Climate change and rapidly rising global water demand are expected to place unprecedented pressures on already strained water resource systems. Successfully planning for these future changes requires a sound scientific understanding of the timing, location, and magnitude of climate change impacts on water needs and availability—not only average trends but also interannual variability and quantified uncertainties. In recent years, two types of large-ensemble runs of climate projections have become available: those from groups of more than 20 different climate models and those from repeated runs of several individual models. These provide the basis for novel probabilistic evaluation of both projected climate change and the resulting effects on water resources. Using a broad range of available ensembles, this research explores the spatial and temporal patterns of high confidence as well as uncertainty in projected river runoff, irrigation water requirements, basin storage yield, and cost estimates of adapting regional water systems to maintain historical supply. Projections of river runoff show robust between-ensemble agreement in regional drying (e.g., southern Africa and southern Europe) and wetting trends (e.g., northeastern United States). By integrating runoff over space and time, the economic effects of adapting supply systems to 2050 water availability show still broader trend agreement across ensembles. That agreement, obtained across such a wide range of multiple-member climate model ensembles in some locations, suggests a high degree of confidence in direction of change in water availability and provides clearer signals for longer-term investment decisions in water infrastructure.
The Relative Influence of Tropical Sea Surface Temperatures and Radiative Forcing on the Amundsen Sea Low
Authors: Fogt Ryan L. , Wovrosh Alex J.
Published: August 2015

Recent studies suggest that warming trends across West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula and sea ice loss in the adjacent Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas are linked to changes in the regional atmospheric circulation, represented by the Amundsen Sea low (ASL). Importantly, changes in the ASL have similarly been tied to forcing from the tropics. Here, several model simulations from the Community Atmosphere Model, version 4, are investigated in order to understand the relative roles of tropical sea surface temperature variability and radiative forcing on the variations in trends in the ASL. In comparing across the simulations, it is observed that the addition of time-varying extratropical SSTs and sea ice conditions in general have a much smaller impact on the ASL than tropical SSTs or radiative forcing. Tropical forcing alone explains much of the climatological variability and extreme intensities of the ASL (both strong and weak relative central pressures). The role of radiative forcing is best observed in the ASL trends, with this simulation leading to a marked deepening of the ASL and pressures across the Southern Hemisphere that is consistent with atmospheric reanalysis in austral summer. In austral winter, the simulation with radiative forcing produces stronger trends than observed in reanalysis data, perhaps reflecting the need to couple to an ocean–ice model in order to more realistically simulate the ASL changes. Together, the results suggest that models need to include both the effects from tropical SST variations and radiative forcing when understanding historic and future variations in the ASL.
A Vector Autoregressive ENSO Prediction Model
Authors: Chapman David , Cane Mark A. , Henderson Naomi , Lee Dong Eun , Chen Chen
Published: August 2015

The authors investigate a sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA)-only vector autoregressive (VAR) model for prediction of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). VAR generalizes the linear inverse method (LIM) framework to incorporate an extended state vector including many months of recent prior SSTA in addition to the present state. An SSTA-only VAR model implicitly captures subsurface forcing observable in the LIM residual as red noise. Optimal skill is achieved using a state vector of order 14–17 months in an exhaustive 120-yr cross-validated hindcast assessment. It is found that VAR outperforms LIM, increasing forecast skill by 3 months, in a 30-yr retrospective forecast experiment.
The Chicago School and Ecology
Authors: Wahl-Jorgensen Karin
Published: August 2015

The Chicago School’s use of ecological metaphors has much to offer scholars interested in the complexities of the contemporary media environment. This article considers how the use of ecological metaphors enabled the Chicago School to build an empirical approach to the study of human forms of organization and traces how the use of ecological metaphors has evolved in subsequent scholarship on media and communication. It examines the interest of media ecology scholars in the environment created by technologies, and discusses how proponents of actor network theory have expanded the view of networked actors to encompass technologies, objects, and human agents. The article subsequently traces a more recent proliferation of ecological metaphors as a way of understanding globalized and networked media practices. This approach, in turn, enables the reconfiguration of questions around the relationship between media, democracy, and citizenship. This article suggests that the use of ecological approaches enables scholars to pay attention to the complexities of networked interactions in communities that are geographically bounded but globally connected. This, in turn, points the continued importance of grounded, nitty-gritty empirical work tracing the variety of communicative practices within particular communities, and the ways in which these practices are shaped by relationships between a variety of actors within and beyond these communities.
The Effects of Collective Bargaining Rights on Public Employee Compensation
Authors: Frandsen Brigham R.
Published: August 2015

Widespread public-sector unionism emerged only in the 1960s, as individual states opened the door to collective bargaining for state and municipal workers. In this study, the author exploits differences in timing of legislative reforms across states to construct estimates of the causal effects of public-sector collective bargaining rights on pay, benefits, and employment for teachers, firefighters, and police. Perhaps surprisingly, estimates that allow for state fixed effects and state-specific trends show little effect on teachers’ pay, benefits, or employment, despite significantly increasing union presence among teachers. For firefighters, the results show a substantial positive effect on wages. For police, the wage effect was more modest but the workweek was significantly shortened.
Alfaxalone–butorphanol versus alfaxalone–morphine combination for immersion anaesthesia in oriental fire-bellied toads (Bombina orientalis)
Authors: Adami Chiara , d’Ovidio Dario , Casoni Daniela
Published: August 2015

Oriental fire-bellied toads ( Bombina orientalis) are small semi-aquatic anuran species popular as both pets and laboratory animals. Although they are commonly anaesthetized to undergo clinical and experimental procedures, very little is known about their anaesthetic management. The aims of this prospective, randomized, cross-over experimental trial were to establish effective butorphanol and morphine concentrations to be added to alfaxalone for immersion anaesthesia (pilot study), and to compare the anaesthetic and antinociceptive effects of the two drug mixtures (alfaxalone–butorphanol and alfaxalone–morphine), in Bombina orientalis toads. For the actual trial, the toads were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: AB and AM, with seven animals in each group, which received alfaxalone–butorphanol and alfaxalone–morphine combinations, respectively, at the concentrations established during the pilot study. Heart rate, respiratory rate, von Frey filament threshold and response to nociceptive withdrawal (NWR), righting and myotactic reflexes were measured at 5 min intervals until return of righting reflex was observed. The investigator who carried out all the measurements was blinded to the treatment. Any undesired effect or complication was noted and recorded. The two treatments were found to be comparable in terms of onset and duration of anaesthesia, and occurrence of undesired effects. However, group AM resulted in lower NWR scores and higher von Frey filament thresholds than group AB. It is concluded that, at the investigated concentrations and in combination with alfaxalone by immersion, morphine provides better antinociception than butorphanol in oriental fire-bellied toads.
Jewish New Age and the Middle Class: Jewish Identity Politics in Israel under Neoliberalism
Authors: Kaplan Dana , Werczberger Rachel
Published: August 2015

This article asks why middle-class Israeli seculars have recently begun to engage with Jewish religiosity. We use the case of the Jewish New Age (JNA) as an example of the middle class’s turn from a nationalised to a spiritualised version of Judaism. We show, by bringing together the sociology of religion’s interest in emerging spiritualities and cultural sociology’s interest in social class, how after Judaism was deemed socially significant in identity-based struggles for recognition, Israeli New Agers started culturalising and individualising Jewish religiosity by constructing it in a spiritual, eclectic, emotional and experiential manner. We thus propose that what may be seen as cultural and religious pluralism is, in fact, part of a broader system of class reproduction.
Cultural vs Economic Capital: Symbolic Boundaries within the Middle Class
Authors: Jarness Vegard
Published: August 2015

This article concerns an insufficiently studied link in cultural class analysis, namely that between class-structured lifestyle differences and social closure. It employs a modified version of Michèle Lamont’s promising, yet under-theorised approach to the study of symbolic boundaries – the conceptual distinctions made by social actors in categorising people, practices, tastes, attitudes and manners in everyday life. Drawing on 46 qualitative interviews with people from the city of Stavanger, Norway, the analysis focuses particularly on a horizontal boundary-drawing dynamic between middle-class interviewees. It is argued that entanglements of different types of status judgements work both to construct and reinforce social boundaries between class fractions. The findings draw attention to what Pierre Bourdieu has termed the capital composition principle of social differentiation. Though fundamental to Bourdieu’s model of the social space, such systematic intra-class divisions have seldom been discussed in detail in contemporary cultural-stratification research.