bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How do institutional pension managers consider real estate
Authors: Lekander Jon R.G.M.
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The asset allocation decision for a pension portfolio needs to consider several, sometimes conflicting, aspects. Most pension managers use models and processes that are developed for the traditional asset classes for analyzing this problem. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how real estate is included in this process, for what purpose and how the real estate portfolio is constructed.

Design/methodology/approach

Seven individuals responsible for the asset allocation process were interviewed, and their responses were analyzed with regards to organizational options and their real estate strategy.

Findings

It was found that real estate is held for three different purposes, risk diversification, inflation hedging/liability matching and return enhancement and that the allocation has increased over time. The allocation strategy has evolved at least in part in conjuncture with the organizational structure set in place to overcome real estate market frictions.

Research limitations/implications

The interviews were geographically limited to pension funds domiciled in Sweden and Finland.

Practical implications

It is concluded that the organizational capabilities of the pension fund of handling real estate is an important consideration for the ensuing real estate portfolio.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies in that it is based on interviews with individuals who are responsible for the asset allocation decision at large pension funds. The findings of the paper identify areas of interest for future research.
Metadata framework for online legal information system in Indian environment
Authors: Bhardwaj Raj Kumar , Margam Madhusudhan
Published: January 2017

Purpose

This study aims to discuss the metadata structure of an online legal information system (OLIS) developed to suit the Indian environment. The OLIS is accessible online at www.olisindia.in. It contains several types of legal information resources to help lawyers, research scholars, students and the common user. The open-access OLIS helps the users to get the required information expeditiously. Dublin Core (DC) metadata standard was selected to create records in the OLIS because of ease of use and high adoption rate.

Design/methodology/approach

The OLIS was designed using the system analysis and design method after a needs assessment survey conducted in eight major legal organizations in Delhi. The OLIS, accessible at www.olisindia.in, was accessed to identify and validate the metadata elements with the DC metadata standard.

Findings

This paper discusses in detail the metadata structures of the OLIS. The system contains 15 types of resources relating to judicial and legislative information. Each database has a different metadata framework so that information desired by the legal community can be retrieved with precision and quick recall. In addition, a number of functions, such as latest news, online help, Frequently Asked Questions, query submission, online discussion forum for help and video tutorials, have been integrated into the OLIS.

Practical implications

The study guides law libraries and library professionals to follow metadata standards in building an open-access database and also provides a legal resources metadata framework that enables them to select suitable resources for their libraries.

Originality/value

The study confirms that the metadata elements set for managing judicial and legislative information are different compared to other types of scholarly information. The study can help newly established law university libraries to build legal information systems to suit their environment and satisfy the information needs of the diverse law community.
Exchange libraries: Greece’s response to a global trend
Authors: Bikos Georgios , Papadimitriou Panagiota
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to attempt a brief presentation of book exchange practices, as these are unfolding around the world. Then, the authors focus on free exchange libraries and analyse different aspects of the phenomenon. Finally, the authors are presenting the first hesitant steps of the phenomenon in Greece, linking it with the crisis that has lately been plaguing the Greek society.

Design/methodology/approach

The widespread and constantly surging movement of exchange libraries has attracted thousands of fans around the world; also, it is multifaceted and constantly transforming. In this paper, the authors are attempting to charter the phenomenon generally and specifically in Greece through relevant sources and on-the-spot observation.

Findings

The authors believe that free exchange libraries will continue to multiply both globally and in Greece, and that, through this movement, the audience gives an answer to the economic crisis and the crisis of values, making yet another step in the course towards satisfying the demand for a better world.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the few attempts to reflect-charter the phenomenon and probably one of the first to be accomplished under a sociological spectrum.
Collective tacit knowledge generation through play
Authors: Spraggon Martin , Bodolica Virginia
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature by examining the generation of collective tacit knowledge (CTK) in organizations through social ludic activities (SLAs) as a specific form of playful micro-practice carried out by employees.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds upon socially distributed cognition (SDC) and transactive memory systems (TMS) to analyze SLAs’ contribution to CTK creation in the workplace. These theories provide conceptual underpinnings for comprehending how workers self-organize shared activities to store, retrieve and use each other’s tacit knowledge within the collective. An example is provided to illustrate SLAs’ manifestation in an agile-based software development firm.

Findings

SLAs may facilitate collective members’ knowing and learning whereby different solutions are sought and potential tactics to cope with work issues are attuned to changing conditions by the collective members at work. Four moderating factors, namely physical proximity, psychological safety, richness of communication pathways and intensity of interactions, are identified and propositions to conceptualize their role in CTK generation through SLAs are formulated.

Practical implications

SLA players’ efforts to solve dysfunctionalities at work are not merely prompted by interdependencies among work-related tasks but also driven by high levels of social embeddedness and interaction among employees. Managers should become more supportive of collective playful activities in their organizations by building a propitious corporate climate for the mobilization of CTK in the workplace. Understanding SLAs as a soft group device where CTK resides, transits, is enacted and continuously metamorphosed represents an important complement to hard devices offered by information systems.

Originality/value

Relying on the notion of SLAs as a means to cope with work concerns, the authors integrate insights from organizational play, knowledge management, SDC and TMS literatures to advance the authors’ understanding of CTK creation through collective playful undertakings at work.
Procedural rationality in supplier selection
Authors: de Boer Luitzen
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present three heuristics for choosing supplier selection criteria. By considering the balance between the expected relative effort and benefit of using different selection criteria, the heuristics suggest which criteria should be prioritized. The heuristics serve to develop our understanding of the search and evaluation heuristics used in supplier selection and to facilitate further research.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is primarily theoretical, yet draws on empirical studies of supplier selection. The theoretical basis is Simon’s notion of procedural rationality (Simon, 1976). The author makes the general notion of procedural rationality more concrete for supplier selection by formally describing three heuristics for choosing selection criteria. The heuristics share the same logic but differ in terms of the precision of the input information required from the purchaser. The paper provides illustrations of the heuristics.

Findings

It appears that procedural rationality can be specified for the process of designing the supplier selection process by explicitly recognizing the cost and value of selection criteria. There is no one way of doing this, but at the most basic level, it requires an ordinal ranking of criteria. Already such a rudimentary, qualitative, assessment can help identifying suitable criteria. The heuristics developed appear compatible with established approaches for the subsequent selection of suppliers.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the early stage of supplier selection which has been largely ignored in the literature.
Income Inequality, TFP, and Human Capital
Authors: Sequeira Tiago Neves , Santos Marcelo , Ferreira‐Lopes Alexandra
Published: January 2017

A fruitful recent theoretical literature has related human capital and technological development to income (and wage) inequality. However, empirical assessments on the relationship are relatively scarce. We relate human capital, total factor productivity (TFP) and openness to inequality and discover that, when countries are assumed to be heterogeneous and dependent cross‐sections, human capital is the most robust determinant of inequality, contributing to increasing inequality, as predicted by theory. TFP and openness turned out to be non‐significantly related to inequality. These results are robust to a number of robustness tests on specifications and data and open up the prospect of theoretical research on the country‐specific features conditioning the effect of human capital, technology and trade on inequality.
Neonatal Limb Amputation—An Unusual Form of Postmortem Canine Predation
Authors: Omond Kimberley J. , Winskog Calle , Cala Allan , Byard Roger W.
Published: January 2017

Cases of postmortem canine predation often involve elderly recluses and their dogs. The face, head, and genitalia are targeted. Two unusual cases of postmortem canine predation of abandoned newborns are described to demonstrate an unusual alternative pattern of mutilation related to the small size of the decedents, marked decomposition, and canine scavenging behavior. Both bodies were abandoned/concealed soon after birth and were subsequently disturbed by dogs. Both were markedly decomposed with absent arms. Other injuries included skin and soft tissue defects of the torsos, with loss of distal portions of the right foot and the left lower leg in one case. No interstitial hemorrhage was observed in any of the exposed soft tissue wounds. There were no significant head or neck injuries. These cases show that patterns of postmortem canine predation will vary depending on the age, physical characteristics, degree of decomposition, and location of decedents.
Induction of P450 genes in Nilaparvata lugens and Sogatella furcifera by two neonicotinoid insecticides
Authors: Yang Yuan‐Xue , Yu Na , Zhang Jian‐Hua , Zhang Yi‐Xi , Liu Ze‐Wen
Published: January 2017

Nilaparvata lugens and Sogatella furcifera are two primary planthoppers on rice throughout Asian countries and areas. Neonicotinoid insecticides, such as imidacloprid (IMI), have been extensively used to control rice planthoppers and IMI resistance consequently occurred with an important mechanism from the over‐expression of P450 genes. The induction of P450 genes by IMI may increase the ability to metabolize this insecticide in planthoppers and increase the resistance risk. In this study, the induction of P450 genes was compared in S. furcifera treated with IMI and nitromethyleneimidazole (NMI), in two planthopper species by IMI lethal dose that kills 85% of the population (LD85), and in N. lugens among three IMI doses (LD15, LD50 and LD85). When IMI and NMI at the LD85 dose were applied to S. furcifera, the expression changes in most P450 genes were similar, including the up‐regulation of nine genes and down‐regulation of three genes. In terms of the expression changes in 12 homologous P450 genes between N. lugens and S. furcifera treated with IMI at the LD85 dose, 10 genes had very similar patterns, such as up‐regulation in seven genes, down‐regulation in one gene and no significant changes in two genes. When three different IMI doses were applied to N. lugens, the changes in P450 gene expression were much different, such as up‐regulation in four genes at all doses and dose‐dependent regulation of the other nine genes. For example, CYP6AY1 could be induced by all IMI doses, while CYP6ER1 was only up‐regulated by the LD50 dose, although both genes were reported important in IMI resistance. In conclusion, P450 genes in two planthopper species showed similar regulation patterns in responding to IMI, and the two neonicotinoid insecticides had similar effects on P450 gene expression, although the regulation was often dose‐dependent.
A systematic review of the analgesic efficacy of cannabinoid medications in the management of acute pain
Authors: Stevens A. J. , Higgins M. D.
Published: January 2017

Background

Cannabinergic medications have been postulated to demonstrate efficacy in the management of pain. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the analgesic efficacy and adverse effects of cannabinoids when used for the management of acute pain.

Methods

A systematic review was performed by searching the MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL databases, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform for human randomized controlled trials that assessed the analgesic efficacy of cannabinoids compared to placebo or active comparators. The reported outcomes for analgesic efficacy and adverse effects in included studies were qualitatively analysed.

Results

Seven studies, including 611 patients were included in the systematic review. In five studies, cannabinoids were found to provide equivalent analgesia to placebo, in one study the analgesia provided by cannabinoids was superior to placebo, and in one study cannabinoids provided analgesia that was inferior to that provided by placebo. No synergistic or additive analgesic effect was observed when cannabinoids were used in combination with opioids. In five of the seven studies, certain adverse effects were more frequent with cannabinoid treatment than with placebo or active comparator.

Conclusion

On the basis of the available randomized controlled trial evidence, cannabinoids have no role in the management of acute pain.
Operating unit time use is associated with anaesthesia type in below‐knee surgery in adults
Authors: Lohela T. J. , Chase R. P. , Hiekkanen T. A. , Kontinen V. K. , Hynynen M. J.
Published: January 2017

Background

Peripheral nerve blocks could reduce the operating unit and theatre time spent on high‐risk patients who are particularly vulnerable to complications of general anaesthesia or have medications that prevent application of central neuraxial blocks.

Methods

Medical record data of 617 and 254 elderly adults undergoing below‐knee surgery in Jorvi and Meilahti hospitals (Helsinki University Hospital) between January 2010 and December 2012 were used to investigate the influence of anaesthetic technique on operating theatre times and on operating unit times using flexible parametric survival models. We report operating theatre and unit exit ratios (i.e. hazard ratios but using ratios of exit rates) for different types of anaesthesia.

Results

Adjusted analyses: In Jorvi Hospital, anaesthesia type was associated with large initial differentials in operating theatre times. The theatre exit ratios remained lower for general anaesthesia and central neuraxial blocks compared to peripheral nerve blocks until 30 min. In Meilahti Hospital, anaesthesia type did not influence theatre time, but was the best predictor of operating unit times. Compared to peripheral nerve blocks, the exit ratio remained lower for general anaesthesia until five operating unit hours in both hospitals and for central neuraxial blocks until 1 h in Meilahti Hospital and until 3 h in Jorvi Hospital. Holding area was used more in Jorvi Hospital compared to Meilahti Hospital.

Conclusion

Peripheral nerve block anaesthesia reduces time spent in the operating unit and can reduce time spent in the operating theatre if induced in holding area outside of theatre.
Expression patterns of cardiac aging in Drosophila
Authors: Cannon Leah , Zambon Alexander C. , Cammarato Anthony , Zhang Zhi , Vogler Georg , Munoz Matthew , Taylor Erika , Cartry Jérôme , Bernstein Sanford I. , Melov Simon , Bodmer Rolf
Published: January 2017

Aging causes cardiac dysfunction, often leading to heart failure and death. The molecular basis of age‐associated changes in cardiac structure and function is largely unknown. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is well‐suited to investigate the genetics of cardiac aging. Flies age rapidly over the course of weeks, benefit from many tools to easily manipulate their genome, and their heart has significant genetic and phenotypic similarities to the human heart. Here, we performed a cardiac‐specific gene expression study on aging Drosophila and carried out a comparative meta‐analysis with published rodent data. Pathway level transcriptome comparisons suggest that age‐related, extra‐cellular matrix remodeling and alterations in mitochondrial metabolism, protein handling, and contractile functions are conserved between Drosophila and rodent hearts. However, expression of only a few individual genes similarly changed over time between and even within species. We also examined gene expression in single fly hearts and found significant variability as has been reported in rodents. We propose that individuals may arrive at similar cardiac aging phenotypes via dissimilar transcriptional changes, including those in transcription factors and micro‐RNAs. Finally, our data suggest the transcription factor Odd‐skipped, which is essential for normal heart development, is also a crucial regulator of cardiac aging.
Preserved Affective Sharing But Impaired Decoding of Contextual Complex Emotions in Alcohol Dependence
Authors: Grynberg Delphine , Maurage Pierre , Nandrino Jean‐Louis
Published: January 2017

Background

Prior research has repeatedly shown that alcohol dependence is associated with a large range of impairments in psychological processes, which could lead to interpersonal deficits. Specifically, it has been suggested that these interpersonal difficulties are underpinned by reduced recognition and sharing of others’ emotional states. However, this pattern of deficits remains to be clarified. This study thus aimed to investigate whether alcohol dependence is associated with impaired abilities in decoding contextual complex emotions and with altered sharing of others’ emotions.

Methods

Forty‐one alcohol‐dependent individuals (ADI) and 37 matched healthy individuals completed the Multifaceted Empathy Test, in which they were instructed to identify complex emotional states expressed by individuals in contextual scenes and to state to what extent they shared them.

Results

Compared to healthy individuals, ADI were impaired in identifying negative (Cohen's d = 0.75) and positive (Cohen's d = 0.46) emotional states but, conversely, presented preserved abilities in sharing others’ emotional states.

Conclusions

This study shows that alcohol dependence is characterized by an impaired ability to decode complex emotional states (both positive and negative), despite the presence of complementary contextual cues, but by preserved emotion‐sharing. Therefore, these results extend earlier data describing an impaired ability to decode noncontextualized emotions toward contextualized and ecologically valid emotional states. They also indicate that some essential emotional competences such as emotion‐sharing are preserved in alcohol dependence, thereby offering potential therapeutic levers.
Cross‐sectional study shows that impaired bone mineral status and metabolism are found in nonmosaic triple X syndrome
Authors: Stagi Stefano , Di Tommaso Mariarosaria , Scalini Perla , Sandini Elena , Masoni Fabrizio , Chiarelli Francesco , Verrotti Alberto , Giglio Sabrina , Romano Silvia , de Martino Maurizio
Published: January 2017

Aim

The effect of a supernumerary X chromosome on bones has not been reported, and this study evaluated bone mineral status and metabolism in nonmosaic triple X syndrome.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study comprised 19 girls, with a median age of 10.9 years, with nonmosaic triple X syndrome and a control group matched for age and body size. We studied ionised and total calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone (PTH), 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D, osteocalcin, bone alkaline phosphatase levels and urinary deoxypyridinoline concentrations. We also measured the phalangeal amplitude‐dependent speed of sound (AD‐SoS) and the bone transmission time (BTT) Z‐scores.

Results

Patients with nonmosaic triple X syndrome showed significantly reduced AD‐SoS (p < 0.005) and BTT Z‐scores (p < 0.0001) compared to the control group, and these results persisted when we divided the sample into prepubertal and pubertal patients (p < 0.05). These patients also had significantly reduced ionised calcium (p < 0.005) and 25(OH)D levels (p < 0.005) and higher phosphate (p < 0.0001) and PTH (p < 0.0001) levels.

Conclusion

Subjects with nonmosaic triple X syndrome exhibited a significant impairment in bone mineral status and metabolism similar to other X polisomy, such as Klinefelter's syndrome. This suggests the presence of a primary bone deficit and the need for regular and close monitoring of these subjects.
Cement‐associated peri‐implant mucositis. A 1‐year follow‐up after excess cement removal on the peri‐implant tissue of dental implants
Authors: Korsch Michael , Walther Winfried , Bartols Andreas
Published: January 2017

Background

Methacrylate‐based cements seem to promote peri‐implant tissue inflammation even in the absence of excess cement.

Purpose

The present study deals with the question of whether the removal of methacrylate cement from the peri‐implant sulcus will lead to peri‐implant tissues free of inflammation on a 1‐year follow‐up basis.

Material and Methods

Implant supported suprastructures that had been in the mouth for at least 3.5 years either cemented with methacrylate (premier implant cement [PIC]) or zinc eugenol (temp bond [TB]) cement were compared. All superstructures in 33 patients with a total of 61 implants (35 with PIC and 26 with TB) were removed and excess cement, bleeding on probing (BOP), suppurationen and probing depth were documented. Excess cement found was removed, and in all cases the suprastructure was recemented with TB. Patients were followed up after 4 weeks (F1) and 1 year (F2).

Results

Excess cement was found around 60% of the implants with PIC. No excess cement was found around implants with TB. At the time of revision therapy, BOP was found around 100% of the implants with PIC and excess cement (PIC+), 93% around implants with PIC but no excess cement (PIC−), and around 42% of the TB‐cemented implants (Chi‐squared P < .01). Suppuration was observed in 86% of the PIC+ implants, in 14% of the PIC− implants and in 0% of the TB implants (Chi‐squared P < .01). At the time of both F1 and F2, the inflammation parameters, that is BOP and suppuration, on implant level were significantly reduced in the PIC+ cases (McNemar‘s test P < .01). For PIC−, BOP was significantly reduced at both points in time (P < .05). For TB no differences were found. Probing depth at F2 had significantly decreased in all groups (t test P < .05).

Conclusion

The removal of excess cement and recementation with TB had an anti‐inflammatory effect on the peri‐implant tissues after 1 year.
First words: speech and language interventions in cerebral palsy
Authors: Novak Iona , Spirit‐Jones Amanda , Morgan Catherine
Published: January 2017

This commentary is on the systematic review by Chorna et al. on pages 355–360 of this issue.
A framework for how environment contributes to cancer risk
Authors: Hochberg Michael E. , Noble Robert J.
Published: January 2017

Evolutionary theory explains why metazoan species are largely protected against the negative fitness effects of cancers. Nevertheless, cancer is often observed at high incidence across a range of species. Although there are many challenges to quantifying cancer epidemiology and assessing its causes, we claim that most modern‐day cancer in animals – and humans in particular – are due to environments deviating from central tendencies of distributions that have prevailed during cancer resistance evolution. Such novel environmental conditions may be natural and/or of anthropogenic origin, and may interface with cancer risk in numerous ways, broadly classifiable as those: increasing organism body size and/or life span, disrupting processes within the organism, and affecting germline. We argue that anthropogenic influences, in particular, explain much of the present‐day cancer risk across life, including in humans. Based on a literature survey of animal species and a parameterised mathematical model for humans, we suggest that combined risks of all cancers in a population beyondc. 5% can be explained to some extent by the influence of novel environments. Our framework provides a basis for understanding how natural environmental variation and human activity impact cancer risk, with potential implications for species ecology.
Emergence patterns of novelty in European vegetation assemblages over the past 15 000 years
Authors: Finsinger Walter , Giesecke Thomas , Brewer Simon , Leydet Michelle
Published: January 2017

Plant communities are not stable over time and biological novelty is predicted to emerge due to climate change, the introduction of exotic species and land‐use change. However, the rate at which this novelty may arise over longer time periods has so far received little attention. We reconstruct the emergence of novelty in Europe for a set of baseline conditions over the past 15 000 years to assess past rates of emergence and investigate underlying causes. The emergence of novelty is baseline specific and, during the early‐Holocene, was mitigated by the rapid spread of plant taxa. Although novelty generally increases as a function of time, climate and human‐induced landscape changes contributed to a non‐linear post‐glacial trajectory of novelty with jumps corresponding to periods of rapid changes. Emergence of novelty accelerated during the past 1000 years. Historical cultural landscapes experienced a faster novelty development due to the contribution from anthropogenic land‐cover changes.
Stream macroinvertebrate assemblage uniformity and drivers in a tropical bioregion
Authors: Pearson Richard G. , Christidis Faye , Connolly Niall M. , Nolen Jacqui A. , St Clair Rosalind M. , Cairns Andi , Davis Linda
Published: January 2017

Understanding spatial and environmental drivers of undisturbed stream assemblages is important for separating natural and human‐induced changes, but has rarely been attempted for an entire tropical bioregion.

We sampled riffle macroinvertebrate assemblages and measured associated biophysical variables in post‐wet and dry seasons from 68 streams of orders 1–5 across the Australian Wet Tropics, a small bioregion (18 497 km2) defined by its warm moist climate and closed‐forest vegetation.

As climate and landscape were relatively uniform across the bioregion, we predicted that assemblages would be similar, with turnover (beta diversity) unrelated to distance, and with composition determined mainly by habitat.

We identified 93 higher taxa. Density and richness of macroinvertebrates were greatest in the dry season because of habitat contraction and minimal flow disturbance. Richness was greatest in higher order streams.

Relative abundance and richness of functional groups showed minor effects of catchment, lithology and stream order, and a positive relationship with altitude for richness of collectors, predators and shredders, and for abundance of shredders.

Distance‐based linear modelling showed that among‐assemblage differences were explained by landscape‐scale variables (9.5% of the variation), stream size (13.0%), riparian characteristics (9.6%), water quality (4.6%), substratum (21.1%) and organic resources (22.4%); for models of individual taxa and functional groups, habitat and organic‐resource variables also predominated.

Similarities among site assemblages differed little among catchments and there was no relationship between pairwise similarities of catchments and their geographical distances. Nestedness analysis confirmed that samples and catchment groupings were nested subsets of the total set of samples.

Across the Australian Wet Tropics, uniformity of assemblages (identified to family or above) conformed to the bioregional classification, probably as a result of the great age of the region. The habitat variables that most influenced macroinvertebrate assemblages support the idea that a suite of biophysical influences is common to stream macroinvertebrate assemblages globally.
γδ T cells are indispensable for interleukin‐23‐mediated protection against Concanavalin A‐induced hepatitis in hepatitis B virus transgenic mice
Authors: Meng Ziyu , Wang Jingya , Yuan Yifang , Cao Guangchao , Fan Shuobing , Gao Chao , Wang Li , Li Zheng , Wu Xiaoli , Wu Zhenzhou , Zhao Liqing , Yin Zhinan
Published: January 2017

Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers are highly susceptible to liver injury triggered by environmental biochemical stimulation. Previously, we have reported an inverse correlation between γδ T cells and liver damage in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV). However, whether γδ T cells play a role in regulating the hypersensitivity of HBsAg carriers to biochemical stimulation‐induced hepatitis is unknown. In this study, using HBV transgenic (HBs‐Tg) and HBs‐Tg T‐cell receptor‐δ‐deficient (TCR‐δ−/−) mice, we found that mice genetically deficient in γδ T cells exhibited more severe liver damage upon Concanavalin A (Con A) treatment, as indicated by substantially higher serum alanine aminotransferase levels, further elevated interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) levels and more extensive necrosis. γδ T‐cell deficiency resulted in elevated IFN‐γ in CD4+ T cells but not in natural killer or natural killer T cells. The depletion of CD4+ T cells and neutralization of IFN‐γ reduced liver damage in HBs‐Tg and HBs‐Tg‐TCR‐δ−/− mice to a similar extent. Further investigation revealed that HBs‐Tg mice showed an enhanced interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) signature. The administration of exogenous IL‐23 enhanced IL‐17A production from Vγ4 γδ T cells and ameliorated liver damage in HBs‐Tg mice, but not in HBs‐Tg‐TCR‐δ−/− mice. In summary, our results demonstrated that γδ T cells played a protective role in restraining Con A‐induced hepatitis by inhibiting IFN‐γ production from CD4+ T cells and are indispensable for IL‐23‐mediated protection against Con A‐induced hepatitis in HBs‐Tg mice. These results provided a potential therapeutic approach for treating the hypersensitivity of HBV carriers to biochemical stimulation‐induced liver damage.
Variable drivers of primary versus secondary nesting; density‐dependence and drought effects on greater sage‐grouse
Authors: Blomberg Erik J. , Gibson Daniel , Atamian Michael T. , Sedinger James S.
Published: January 2017

Organisms seek to maximize fitness by balancing reproductive allocations against mortality risk, given selection pressures inherent to the environment. However, environmental conditions are often dynamic and unpredictable, which complicates the ability to achieve such a balance, and may require reproductive adjustments depending on prevailing conditions. We evaluated the effects of density‐dependent, density‐independent (drought), and individual (age, body condition) factors on nesting decisions of female greater sage‐grouse in the American Great Basin. We obtained relocations and recorded reproductive histories from 287 radio‐marked females over a period of 10 yr, and applied these data to a multi‐state model that estimated probabilities of initiating a first nest (primary nesting rate) or a second nest, given loss of a first (secondary nesting rate). This approach allowed us to evaluate the relative association between nesting rates and covariates while accounting for imperfect detection of nests. Sage‐grouse primary and secondary nesting were influenced differently by density dependence and drought. Primary nesting was high and relatively constant among years despite variable drought conditions, but was negatively associated with population size (density dependence). Secondary nesting was lower and more variable compared to primary nesting, was similarly influenced by density‐dependence, and was also sensitive to drought conditions. Females known to initiate second nests were in better body condition than females that only initiated first nests, and females of intermediate age had higher primary nesting rates, whereas secondary nesting was unaffected by age. Our results suggest that females were more flexible and responded more readily to changing conditions when allocating resources to second nests. These results are consistent with patterns that have been demonstrated for female allocation to clutch size in this system, and suggest that when conditions are poor second nests reflect a tipping point where reproductive costs (increased mortality) outweigh benefits (offspring reproductive value).
Morphological and molecular evolution and their consequences for conservation and taxonomy in the Le Conte's thrasher Toxostoma lecontei
Authors: Vázquez‐Miranda Hernán , Griffin Josie A. , Sheppard Jay M. , Herman Jordan M. , Rojas‐Soto Octavio , Zink Robert M.
Published: January 2017

We evaluated geographic variation and subspecific taxonomy in the Le Conte's thrasher Toxostoma lecontei by analyzing DNA sequences from 16 nuclear loci, one mitochondrial DNA locus, and four study skin characters, and compared these data sets with previously published data on plumage coloration and different mtDNA genes. Morphological support for the southernmost taxon, T. l. arenicola, is relatively weak: multivariate analyses of morphometrics or back coloration do not provide diagnostic support, although one color character differs statistically. However, combined DNA analyses indicate that T. l. arenicola is diagnosable and reciprocally monophyletic, diverging from T. l. lecontei at least 140 000 yr ago. Little to no past introgression across a very short geographic distance despite the long period of isolation is strong evidence of independently evolving taxa. We suggest that the lack of morphological divergence in traits related to niche use has prevented the two taxa from invading each other's range. Despite relatively weak morphological differences we suggest that these two deeply divergent lineages merit species status, and we suggest Vizcaíno thrasher for the common name corresponding to T. l. arenicola. The population size of T. l. arenicola is small and the taxon is in need of preservation attention.
A comparative study of insect abundance and reproductive success of barn swallows Hirundo rustica in two urban habitats
Authors: Teglhøj Peter Györkös
Published: January 2017

Few studies have quantified the relative reproductive success of passerines in urban habitats. I studied food availability and reproductive success of barn swallows Hirundo rustica in two urban habitats during 2012–2015. Barn swallows breeding in the town center experienced lower insect densities than those in the town periphery. Lower food availability resulted in reduced feeding rates per capita, lower nestling body mass, longer nestling periods, longer inter‐clutch intervals, fewer first and second brood fledglings and a lower total number of fledglings produced during the breeding season in comparison to barn swallows breeding in the town periphery. I hypothesize that the lower intra‐specific competition for nest sites and fitness advantages linked to the solitary breeding in urban habitats balanced the apparent costs of reproduction in more urbanized habitats.
Effects of experimental night lighting on the daily timing of winter foraging in common European songbirds
Authors: Silva Arnaud Da , Diez‐Méndez David , Kempenaers Bart
Published: January 2017

The ecological effects of light pollution are becoming better understood, especially in birds. Recent studies have shown that several bird species can use street lighting to extend activity into the night during the breeding season. However, most of these studies are correlational and little is known about the effects of artificial night lighting on the timing of activities outside the breeding season. During winter, low temperatures and short days may limit foraging opportunities and can negatively affect survival of resident birds. However, night lighting may allow them to expand the time niche available for foraging. Here, we report on a study where we repeatedly manipulated the amount of night lighting during early winter at automated feeding stations in a natural forest. We used video‐recordings at the feeders to determine the time of the first (at dawn) and last (at dusk) foraging visits for six songbird species. We predicted that all species, and in particular the naturally early‐foraging species, would advance their daily onset of foraging during the mornings with night lighting, but would show minimal or no delays in their daily cessation of foraging during the lighted evenings. We found that two early‐foraging species, the blue tit and the great tit, started foraging earlier during the experimentally lighted mornings. However, in great tits, this effect was weak and restricted to nights with inclement weather. The light treatment did not have any effect on the start of foraging in the willow/marsh tit, the nuthatch, the European jay, and the blackbird. Artificial night lighting did not cause later foraging at dusk in any of the six species. Overall, our results suggest that artificial light during winter has only small effects on timing of foraging. We discuss these findings and the importance of temperature and winter weather in shaping the observed foraging patterns.
‘Same procedure as last year?‘ Repeatedly tracked swifts show individual consistency in migration pattern in successive years
Authors: Wellbrock A. H. J. , Bauch C. , Rozman J. , Witte K.
Published: January 2017

Individual migration pattern during non‐breeding season is still a black box in many migratory birds. However, knowledge on both individual level and population level in migration and overwintering is fundamental to understand the life cycle of these birds and the constraints affecting them. We showed in a highly aerial migrant, the common swift Apus apus, that repeatedly tracked birds breeding at one site in Germany used the same individual‐specific migration routes and wintering areas in subsequent years. In contrast, different individuals from the same breeding colony showed diverse movement patterns during non‐breeding season suggesting that several suitable areas for overwintering coexist. We found lower variation in timing of autumn and spring migration within than between individuals. Our findings provide first indication of individual consistency but between‐individual variation in migration pattern in a small non‐passerine bird revealed by geolocators. This supports that swifts have diverse but individual‐specific ‘step‐by‐step’ migration patterns revealing high flexibility through individual strategies.
House sparrows offset the physiological trade‐off between immune response and feather growth by adjusting foraging behavior
Authors: Ben‐Hamo Miriam , Downs Cynthia J. , Burns Darren J. , Pinshow Berry
Published: January 2017

Growing feathers and mounting immune responses are both energetically costly for birds. According to the life history trade‐off hypothesis, it has been posited that the costs of feather growth lead to temporal isolation between molt and other expensive activities, reproduction for example. In contrast to life cycle events, the need to mount an immune response can occur at any time, including during feather growth. Thus, we hypothesized that mounting an immune response during feather growth may divert energy and resources from feather growth and impair feather renewal. To test this hypothesis, we clipped or plucked the same feathers of male house sparrows Passer domesticus biblicus. In the clipped group (n = 16), the feathers were absent with no regrowth; in the plucked group (n = 14), feathers were absent and regrowth was initiated. We also had an intact control group of 15 sparrows. We then initiated an inflammatory immune response by subcutaneous injection over the left breast muscle of the birds with a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and quantified behavioral and physiological responses. We predicted that sparrows with plucked feathers would incur the highest energetic costs while mounting an immune response, and would increase their foraging effort to offset this cost. We found no difference in body mass and resting metabolic rates among sparrows subjected to the different feather and immune treatments. However, we did find that while sparrows with plucked feathers increased foraging efficiency following the immune challenge by paying fewer but longer visits to the food tray, allowing them to maintain food consumption. Foraging efficiency in sparrows with clipped feathers was reduced. We also found that quality of newly grown feathers after the immune challenge was poorer in the plucked group, suggesting that mounting an immune response competes with feather growth for resources.
Ultraconserved elements resolve the phylogeny of potoos (Aves: Nyctibiidae)
Authors: White Noor D. , Mitter Charles , Braun Michael J.
Published: January 2017

In this study, we apply a genome‐scale set of molecular markers, ultraconserved elements, to fully resolve the phylogeny of a family of secretive, nocturnal birds, the potoos (Nyctibiidae). This dataset provides an opportunity to explore some challenges of phylogenetic analyses of genome‐scale datasets, which we address in several ways. We generate data matrices ranging between 2610–4175 loci (1 477 319–3 848 295 aligned base pairs) that represent versions of the data differing in whether or not alignments were trimmed prior to concatenation, and whether 100 or 75% of all taxa were required to be represented by data for inclusion of a given locus. These matrices are analyzed with both maximum likelihood and coalescent algorithms, to check for artifacts of concatenation. Then, we subsample our data matrix by locus into randomly‐selected replicates of 125–1000 loci, and compare the topologies and statistical support of the resulting trees to look for evidence of systematic error. In analyses of complete matrices, we find strong statistical support for all ingroup nodes of the tree with no evidence for systematic error introduced by alignment trimming, missing data, or concatenation. We find further support for that topology in our subsampling analyses and statistical topology tests. The earliest branch of the tree separates Nyctibius bracteatus from the rest of the potoos, followed successively by N. grandis and N. aethereus. Two pairs of species, N. jamaicensis plus N. griseus, and N. leucopterus plus N. aethereus comprise the distal tips of the tree. Finally, we compare our strongly supported topology to those of previous studies, and use the phylogeny to examine the evolutionary history of potoos.
Early arrival is not associated with more extra‐pair fertilizations in a long‐distance migratory bird
Authors: Tomotani Barbara M. , Caglar Ezra , de la Hera Iván , Mateman A. Christa , Visser Marcel E.
Published: January 2017

When assessing the benefits of early arrival date of migratory birds, a hidden and often ignored component of males’ fitness is the higher chance of early‐arriving birds to obtain extra‐pair fertilizations. Here we investigated how extra‐pair paternity might affect the relationship between male arrival date and number of fertilizations in a model study system, the European pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca. For this purpose, we sampled and genotyped breeding pairs, unpaired males and offspring (including embryos from unhatched eggs when possible) of a Dutch pied flycatcher population. Detailed information on arrival date of males, egg laying date of their social mates and nest success was also recorded. Early‐arriving males had early‐laying females and males with early‐laying females had a higher probability of siring extra‐pair eggs and obtain more fertilizations. However, male arrival date alone did not correlate with the probability to gain extra‐pair paternity and neither to the amount of fertilized eggs. Both early‐ and late‐arriving males had a higher probability of losing paternity in their own nest compared to birds with an intermediate arrival date. Finally, late‐arriving males were more likely to remain unpaired but, interestingly, a few of these birds obtained paternity via extra‐pair copulations. Because earlier arrival date did not lead to more extra‐pair fertilizations and because such relationship seems to be driven mainly by the female's laying date, we conclude that the contribution of extra‐pair paternity to the overall fitness benefits of early male arrival date is relatively small.
Addition of Ezetimibe to statins for patients at high cardiovascular risk: Systematic review of patient‐important outcomes
Authors: Fei Yutong , Guyatt Gordon Henry , Alexander Paul Elias , El Dib Regina , Siemieniuk Reed A.C. , Vandvik Per Olav , Nunnally Mark E. , Gomaa Huda , Morgan Rebecca L. , Agarwal Arnav , Zhang Ying , Bhatnagar Neera , Spencer Frederick A.
Published: January 2017

Ezetimibe is widely used in combination with statins to reduce low‐density lipoprotein. We sought to examine the impact of ezetimibe when added to statins on patient‐important outcomes. Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and CENTRAL were searched through July, 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ezetimibe combined with statins versus statins alone that followed patients for at least 6 months and reported on at least one of all‐cause mortality, cardiovascular deaths, non‐fatal myocardial infarctions (MI), and non‐fatal strokes were included. Pairs of reviewers extracted study data and assessed risk of bias independently and in duplicate. Quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. We conducted a narrative review with complementary subgroup and sensitivity analyses. IMPROVE‐IT study enrolled 93% of all patients enrolled in the 8 included trials. Our analysis of the IMPROVE‐IT study results showed that in patients at high risk of cardiovascular events, ezetimibe added to statins was associated with i) a likely reduction in non‐fatal MI (17 fewer/1000 treated over 6 years, moderate certainty in evidence); ii) a possible reduction in non‐fatal stroke (6 fewer/1000 treated over 6 years, low certainty); iii) no impact on myopathy (moderate certainty); iv) potentially no impact on all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular death (both moderate certainty); and v) possibly no impact on cancer (low certainty). Addition of ezetimibe to moderate‐dose statins is likely to result in 17 fewer MIs and possibly 6 fewer strokes/1000 treated over 6 years but is unlikely to reduce all‐cause mortality or cardiovascular death. Patients who place a high value on a small absolute reduction in MI and are not adverse to use of an additional medication over a long duration may opt for ezetimibe in addition to statin therapy. Our analysis revealed no increased specific harms associated with addition of ezetimibe to statins.