bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
With a little help from my friends: Cooperation can accelerate crossing of adaptive valleys
Authors: Obolski Uri , Lewin-Epstein Ohad , Even-Tov Eran , Ram Yoav , Hadany Lilach
Published: July 2016

Natural selection favors changes that lead to genotypes possessing high fitness. A conflict arises when several mutations are required for adaptation, but each mutation is separately deleterious. The process of a population evolving from a genotype encoding for a local fitness maximum to a higher fitness genotype is termed an adaptive peak shift.

Here we suggest cooperative behavior as a factor that can facilitate adaptive peak shifts. We model cooperation in apublic goodsscenario, wherein each individual contributes resources that are later equally redistributed among all cooperating individuals. We use mathematical modeling and stochastic simulations to study the effect of cooperation on peak shifts in well-mixed populations and structured ones. Our results show that cooperation can accelerate the rate of complex adaptation. Furthermore, we show that cooperation increases the population diversity throughout the peak shift process, thus increasing the robustness of the population to drastic environmental changes.

Our work could help explain adaptive valley crossing in natural populations and suggest that the long term evolution of a species depends on its social behavior.
A monoclinic polymorph of [(Z)-N-(3-chlorophenyl)-O-methylthiocarbamato-κS](triphenylphosphane-κP)gold(I): crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis
Authors: Yeo Chien Ing , Tan Sang Loon , Tiekink Edward R. T.
Published: July 2016

The title compound, [Au(C8H7ClNOS)(C18H15P)], is a monoclinic (P21/n,Z′ = 1; form β) polymorph of the previously reported triclinic form (P-1,Z′ = 1; form α) [Tadbuppa & Tiekink (2010).Acta Cryst. E66, m664]. The molecular structures of both forms feature an almost linear gold(I) coordination geometry [P—Au—S = 175.62 (5)° in the title polymorph], being coordinated by thiolate S and phosphane P atoms, aZconformation about the C=N bond and an intramolecular Au...O contact. The major conformational difference relates to the relative orientations of the residues about the Au—S bond: the P—Au—S—C torsion angles are −8.4 (7) and 106.2 (7)° in forms α and β, respectively. The molecular packing of form β features centrosymmetric aggregates sustained by aryl-C—H...O interactions, which are connected into a three-dimensional network by aryl-C—H...π contacts. The Hirshfeld analysis of forms α and β shows many similarities with the notable exception of the influence of C—H...O interactions in form β.
Getting ready for mega disasters: the role of past experience in changing disaster consciousness
Authors: Guo Yu , Li Yiwei
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– Attempting to explore the role of direct experience in influencing disaster consciousness and public opinion, the purpose of this paper is to carry out comparative analyses of Japanese people’s knowledge, risk perception, and policy preference about large-scale earthquake disaster before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake. More importantly, aiming to provide implications regarding the application of past experience, the predictive power of direct experience on disaster consciousness is also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study analyzed parts of the data collected from two nationwide public opinion surveys among Japanese conducted by the Japanese Government. Analyses of variance were performed to examine changes in disaster consciousness. A path model was developed to examine the predicted effects of direct experience. χ2 tests were performed to examine changes in strategy preference.

Findings

– This study found significant changes in Japanese people’s knowledge of natural hazards and perception of mega disaster risk. Tests of the path model suggested significant positive effect of societal level impact on disaster consciousness and strong predictive power of knowledge on risk perception. Significant changes in strategy preference were also found.

Practical implications

– Results supported the predictive power of direct experience, highlighting the significance of recalling past experience as well as creating indirect experience to raise public consciousness and motivate appropriate actions.

Originality/value

– This is one of the few studies that investigate changes in public opinion among Japanese before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Community-based disaster communication: how does it become trustworthy?
Authors: Gultom Dwie Irmawaty
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– Trust in disaster communication is significant because a lack of trust will prevent the transformation of information into usable knowledge for an effective disaster response. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how the culture and network ties of an affected community can encourage trust and participation in disaster communication.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative case study of Jalin Merapi (JM) was conducted by interviewing 33 research participants in the Mt Merapi surroundings.

Findings

– The findings indicate that culture-embedded disaster communication plays important roles in increasing the effectiveness of disaster information and encouraging trust in the authenticity of locally based disaster information at the individual level. The findings also identify that strong ties and weak ties play different roles in disaster communication. The strong ties are more effective in facilitating information diffusion and encourage trust and community participation within the affected community. Furthermore, the weak ties are more effective in disseminating information to wider audiences, and have an indirect influence in encouraging trust by extending the offline social network owned by the affected community.

Originality/value

– Most literature on disaster communication focusses on the construction of disaster messages to encourage effective disaster response. Less attention has been paid to the information receivers regarding how disaster information is considered to be trustworthy by the affected community and how it can increase collective participation in community-based disaster communication.
Factors influencing responders’ perceptions of preparedness for terrorism
Authors: Holgersson Annelie , Sahovic Dzenan , Saveman Britt-Inger , Björnstig Ulf
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse factors influencing perceptions of preparedness in the response to terrorist attacks of operational personnel in Swedish emergency organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to operational personnel from the police, rescue and ambulance services in eight Swedish counties; 864 responses were received and analysed.

Findings

– Three aspects of the perception of preparedness for terrorist attacks among Swedish emergency responders were studied: willingness to respond; level of confidence with tasks; and estimated management capability. Factors which positively influenced these perceptions were male sex, training in first aid and dealing with mass casualty incidents, terrorism-related management training (MT), table-top simulations, participation in functional exercises, and access to personal protective equipment (PPE); work experience was inversely related. Occupation in police or rescue services was positively associated with willingness to respond whereas occupation within the emergency medical services was positively associated with estimated management capability.

Practical implications

– These findings show that terrorism-related MT and access to PPE increase the perceptions of preparedness for terrorism among the emergency services, aiding judgements about investments in preparedness by crisis management planners.

Originality/value

– Limited research in disaster management and hazard preparedness has been conducted in a European context, especially regarding terrorism. Little is known about aspects of preparedness for terrorism in Sweden, particularly from the perspective of the emergency responders.
The impact of client characteristics on the time and cost performance of collaborative infrastructure projects
Authors: Manley Karen , Chen Le
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– Collaboration is thought to offer significant benefits over traditional contracts, however there is little existing research concerning how these benefits can be optimized. To address this gap, a survey investigated the impact of client characteristics on the time and cost efficiency of collaborative infrastructure projects. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The survey of experienced senior practitioners of Australian collaborative infrastructure projects yielded 320 valid responses. Cluster analysis, one-way between group ANOVA tests and independent sample t-tests were used to confirm that three client characteristics are critical to time and cost performance: client sector (public/private); client experience with asset procurement; and client approach to price competition.

Findings

– Projects procured by experienced private sector clients were found to meet targeted levels of performance, regardless of their approach to team selection. Among projects procured by experienced public sector clients, groups of relatively low and high performing projects could be distinguished, regardless of their approach to team selection. Projects run by teams selected competitively on non-price criteria prior to the pricing stage exhibited significantly better performance than those run by teams that competed on the price of the project to win the work.

Research limitations/implications

– This study focussed only on analysis of three client characteristics. Future research may consider a broader range of contextual variables. Results are based on perceptual data rather than objective data.

Practical implications

– The findings show collaborative infrastructure clients in the construction sector should be less concerned about inexperience than they might have been, and more interested in single-team selection approaches than they might have been.

Originality/value

– The results indicate significant performance differences between client types. In particular, experienced public sector clients had more polarized performance outcomes, compared to the private sector.
Social capital on mobile SNS addiction
Authors: Yang Shuiqing , Liu Yuan , Wei June
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– Social capital has been identified as a valuable resource that can lead to various positive outcomes of social activities in both online and offline communities. The purpose of this paper is to argue that social capital can also be an important ingredient in the development of adverse outcomes, such as technology addiction.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on social capital theory and prior research related to perceived integration, a research model that reflects the effects of online and offline social capitals as well as perceived integration on mobile social networking service (SNS) addiction was developed and empirically examined based on data collected from 458 mobile SNS users in China.

Findings

– The structural equation modeling analysis shows that online social interaction ties and online social supports positively affect mobile SNS addiction, whereas offline social supports and online social identification negatively affect mobile SNS addiction. In addition, perceived integration between online and offline channels by using mobile SNS positively influences online social interaction ties, offline social interaction ties, and mobile SNS addiction.

Practical implications

– From the practical perspective, the results of the study offer interesting implications for managing mobile SNS addiction. The study found that online social interaction ties and online social support positively influence mobile SNS addiction, whereas offline social support negatively influence mobile SNS addiction.

Social implications

– The mobile SNS users should invest more time to participate in offline social activities and maintain good social relationships with their family, colleagues, and friends in the real world.

Originality/value

– The present study has both theoretical and practical implications. From a theoretical perspective, unlike many previous studies tend to regard social capital as the predictor of positive outcomes of users’ social activities, the study contributes to the extant information systems literature by exploring the potential negative consequences of social capital on users’ social lives. The results of the study indicate that social capital is a significant predictor of mobile SNS addiction.
Ready for e-electioneering? Empirical evidence from Pakistani political parties’ websites
Authors: Naseer Mirza Muhammad , Mahmood Khalid
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of political party websites for e-electioneering and their impact on the outcome of the elections.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical data for the study were collected from the websites of 11 major political parties of Pakistan using modified version of the coding scheme used by Gibson, Rommele and Ward for the evaluation of functionality and delivery of websites. Data were analysed using web content analysis method to achieve the objectives of this study. The study also ranked the party websites based on points scored for functionalities and delivery.

Findings

– The study found that although Pakistani political parties have started using their websites for communication with their voters during the general elections but they have not utilized the full potential of the website functionalities for e-electioneering.

Research limitations/implications

– The study focused on content analysis of political party websites of Pakistan only. However, comparisons were made to other studies where possible to contextualize the results of this study in international perspective. It is suggested to replicate this study after ten years to study the changing behaviour of political parties.

Practical implications

– Political parties might like to improve their websites in the light of findings of this study to spread their message more effectively to larger voter base.

Social implications

– Findings of the study will help in improving the readiness of political parties for e-electioneering and improved websites will help voters in making an informed decision during election. It will overall improve the electoral process in the country where democratic system is not very strong.

Originality/value

– With the advent of internet, political parties are using their websites during elections for various purposes. This study, first ever in Pakistan on the topic, provides empirical evidence on the use of political party websites during May 2013 general election in Pakistan and presents its impact on the outcome of the election. The study will be valuable for political science researchers especially those focusing on Asia and Pakistan.
The privacy dyad
Authors: Lwin May O. , Wirtz Jochen , Stanaland Andrea J. S.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the business communication-related variables of reputation, communication quality and information sensitivity are mediated by trust and privacy concern to influence the privacy dyad (i.e. promotion- and prevention-focused privacy behaviors).

Design/methodology/approach

– Regulatory focus theory (RFT) is used to build a framework to examine antecedents of promotion- and prevention-focused privacy behaviors as well as mediators of these relationships. Hypotheses were tested using a 2 (firm reputation: strong/weak)×3 (communication quality: high/neutral/low)×2 (data sensitivity: high/low) between-subjects factorial design.

Findings

– The findings support the proposed model. Specifically, high reputation and communication quality increased promotion-focused behaviors and were mediated by trust. In contrast, low communication quality and high data sensitivity increased prevention-focused behaviors and were mediated by privacy concern. Consistent with RFT, higher trust led to promotion-focused behaviors such as willingness to invest in the relationship (e.g., by providing information to the service provider and investing time and energy) and loyalty behaviors. Furthermore, higher privacy concerns led to prevention-focused behaviors such as deflective (e.g., using privacy protection measures such as disguising one’s IP address and disabling cookies) and defensive behaviors (e.g., taking action to have one’s name removed from mailing lists).

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the literature on customer relationship management, RFT and trust and privacy in an online context.
Compulsory purchase and compensation update – 2016
Authors: Sams Gary
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to summarise and analyse reforms to the compulsory purchase compensation code which have been published for consultation by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Design/methodology/approach

– To explain each of the proposals and provide a critical assessment of each of them.

Findings

– The proposed changes comprise a further small step towards the comprehensive reform of the compensation code which is required.

Practical implications

– The proposed reforms are to be welcomed but there are a number of areas in which they need refinement following the consultation process.

Originality/value

– As the proposed reforms were published only in March 2016 there will be few other commentaries available.
The changing real estate market transparency in the European real estate markets
Authors: Newell Graeme
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– Real estate market transparency is an important factor in real estate investment and occupier decision making. The purpose of this paper is to assess real estate transparency over 2004-2014 to determine whether the European real estate markets have become more transparent in a regional and global context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the JLL real estate transparency index over 2004-2014, changes in real estate market transparency are assessed for 102 real estate markets. This JLL real estate market transparency index is also assessed against corruption levels and business competitiveness in these markets.

Findings

– Improvements in real estate transparency are clearly evident in many European real estate markets, with several of these European real estate markets seen to be the major improvers in transparency from a global real estate markets perspective.

Practical implications

– Institutional investors and occupiers see real estate market transparency as a key factor in their strategic real estate investment and occupancy decision making. By assessing changes in real estate transparency across 102 real estate markets, investors and occupiers are able to make more informed real estate investment decisions across the global real estate markets. In particular, this relates to both investors and occupiers being able to more fully understand the risk dimensions of their international real estate decisions.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first paper to assess the dynamics of real estate market transparency over 2004-2014, with a particular focus on the 33 European real estate markets in a global context to facilitate more informed real estate investment and occupancy decision making.
Liquidity in global real estate securities markets
Authors: Lux Nicole , Moss Alex
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between liquidity in listed real estate markets, company size and geography during different market cycles, specifically pre-crisis (2002-2006) and post-crisis (2010-2014). Further, the study analyses the impact of stock liquidity on stock performance. In a previous study the authors examined the impact of liquidity on the valuation of European real estate shares. The result showed that there is a strong relationship between liquidity, valuation and market capitalisation post the Global Financial Crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper studies the linkages between regional market liquidity and company size for 60 listed real estate companies globally and determines the key drivers of company stock market liquidity pre- and post-crisis as well as the impact on stock performance. Analysis of variance is used to test cross-sectional independence in market liquidity combined with the Tukey’spost hoctest. The selected test indicators of liquidity to capture market depth and market tightness are daily stock turnover as percentage of market capitalisation and daily bid-ask spreads.

Findings

– Findings confirm previous studies that market liquidity factors are correlated globally over time indicating markets interdependence. However, sample groups by company size and geography form independent samples with different sample means, thus specific liquidity levels in each market may be different. First, stock turnover levels have not recovered post-crisis to pre-crisis levels in the majority of markets while spreads have continued moving downward to nearly insignificant levels in line with the rest of the equity market. Second, with regards to stock performance, the European bias previously detected is not apparent in the USA, and there is no evidence of the small cap vs large cap effect of small companies achieving superior returns, although smaller companies have outperformed in Europe and Asia in each of the last three years (2012-2014).

Practical implications

– The key implication is that although spread levels for smaller companies are higher, implying a slight risk premium when investing in small companies, this did not manifest into consistent superior stock market returns in the periods studied. In a mature market such as the USA or UK, liquidity levels in terms of stock turnover are higher and spreads are lower thus reducing trading costs, making them more attractive for investors.

Originality/value

– This research brings together previous analysis on stock market liquidity and stock performance on a global market level. It further tests the dependence of market liquidity on two key indicators, namely, geography and company size and analyses market changes with respect to liquidity pre- and post-crisis.
Assessing the detectability of road crossing effects in streams: mark–recapture sampling designs under complex fish movement behaviours
Authors: Pépino Marc , Rodríguez Marco A. , Magnan Pierre
Published: July 2016

Most reviews of stream fish connectivity have highlighted the urgent need for standardized methods to quantify the effects of barriers such as road crossings on fish movement and incorporate the complexity of fish behaviours. A question that has not been fully addressed yet in field assessments of fish stream connectivity is which conditions influence the detectability of road crossing effects. Failure to detect existing road crossing effects can result from shortcomings in sampling design that lead to low statistical power.

Here, we propose general barrier dispersal models to allow for asymmetry in barrier permeability and changes in movement behaviours of fish confronting a barrier. Despite the increased realism of these ecological assumptions, it remains to be determined whether asymmetric barriers and altered movement behaviours can be unambiguously detected using mark–recapture trials. We used simulations within a modelling framework that explicitly incorporates barrier and behavioural effects to assess the statistical power of various mark–recapture sampling designs under different combinations of design and ecological constraints.

Key insights from our simulations are that (i) the spatial extent of the study reach critically affects detectability of barrier effects; (ii) the number of recaptured individuals that cross a barrier has greater effect on detectability than the total number of recaptures on both sides of the barrier; and (iii) detectability of asymmetry in barrier permeability and of altered movement behaviours increases with both linear fish density and effect size.

Synthesis and applications. The proposed dispersal models, incorporating asymmetric barrier permeability and changes in movement behaviours of fish confronting a barrier, are of broad importance in the quantification of habitat connectivity in streams and rivers. Our simulation approach provides precise guidelines for improving the sampling design by adjusting the spatial extent of the study reach based ona prioriknowledge of ecological constraints. This study highlights the importance of evaluating the detectability of the effects of barriers such as road crossings and carefully planning the sampling design of mark–recapture studies before conducting costly field trials and provides quantitative tools to help achieve these goals.
Phylogenetic diversity reveals hidden patterns related to population source and species pools during restoration
Authors: Khalil Mohammed I. , Gibson David J. , Baer Sara G.
Published: July 2016

A phylogenetic perspective of community assembly can reveal new insights into how variation within dominant species interacts with the local species pool to influence the structure of restored plant communities. Many studies have examined the effect of dominant species in structuring plant communities, but few have investigated their effect on phylogenetic diversity (PD).

We established grassland in a post‐agricultural field using two population sources (cultivars and local ecotypes) of three dominant grasses (Sorghastrum nutans, Andropogon gerardii and Schizachyrium scoparium) with three unique pools of subordinate species that varied in PD but not taxonomic or life‐form diversity. We tested the effect of the population source treatment on two metrics of community PD (net relatedness index [NRI] and nearest taxon index [NTI]) during the first 4 years of restoration. The NRI measures the overall pairwise phylogenetic distance between all pairs of taxa in a community. By contrast, NTI measures the pairwise distance between closely related taxa in a community.

Population sources had a transitory effect on community phylogenetic structure over time. Local ecotypes decreased the abundance of closely related eudicots, monocots (low +NRI and +NTI values) and volunteer species (−NTI) more than cultivars. However, population sources did not affect ecologically conservative species (i.e. species with intermediate‐to‐poor ecological tolerance and a high degree of fidelity to prairie habitats). Thus, cultivars might have a positive effect on community phylogenetic diversity more than local ecotypes by decreasing the abundance of a phylogenetically diverse community of less closely related volunteer species. Differences in PD of seed mixes were maintained in the community of high‐fidelity species, but did not affect PD of the unsown (volunteer) species in the assembling community.

Synthesis and applications. This is the first experiment to show consequences of using different seed sources on phylogenetic diversity (PD) in grassland restoration. Phylogenetics can reveal the effects of population sources on the abundance of volunteer species not evident through traditional analyses of species diversity. The PD of seed mixes or establishing communities, or other assessments of phylogenetic relationships, by restoration practitioners is recommended as a metric to allow consequences of the evolutionary patterns among species to be included in conservation planning. Increased accessibility of phylogenetic tools will allow the application of PD in restoration monitoring.
Drought responses by individual tree species are not often correlated with tree species diversity in European forests
Authors: Forrester David I. , Bonal Damien , Dawud Seid , Gessler Arthur , Granier André , Pollastrini Martina , Grossiord Charlotte
Published: July 2016

Drought frequency and intensity are predicted to increase in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere and the effects of such changes on forest growth and tree mortality are already evident in many regions around the world. Mixed‐species forests and increasing tree species diversity have been put forward as important risk reduction and adaptation strategies in the face of climate change. However, little is known about whether the species interactions that occur in diverse forests will reduce drought susceptibility or water stress.

In this study, we focused on the effect of drought on individual tree species (n = 16) within six regions of Europe and assessed whether this response was related to tree species diversity and stand density, and whether community‐level responses resulted from many similar or contrasting species‐level responses. For each species in each plot, we calculated the increase in carbon isotope composition of latewood from a wet to a dry year (Δδ13C) as an estimate of its drought stress level.

When significant community‐level relationships occurred (three of six regions), there was only one species within the given community that showed a significant relationship (three of 25 species–region combinations), showing that information about a single species can be a poor indicator of the response of other species or the whole community.

There were many two‐species mixtures in which both species were less water‐stressed compared with their monocultures, but also many mixtures where both species were more stressed compared with their monocultures. Furthermore, a given species combination responded differently in different regions.

Synthesis and applications. Our study shows that drought stress may sometimes be reduced in mixed‐species forests, but this is not a general pattern, and even varies between sites for a given combination. The management or prediction of drought stress requires consideration of the physiological characteristics of the mixed species, and how this complements the water‐related climatic and edaphic features of the site, rather than species richness.
Stoichiometric modelling of assimilatory and dissimilatory biomass utilisation in a microbial community
Authors: Hunt Kristopher A. , Jennings Ryan deM. , Inskeep William P. , Carlson Ross P.
Published: July 2016

Assimilatory and dissimilatory utilisation of autotroph biomass by heterotrophs is a fundamental mechanism for the transfer of nutrients and energy across trophic levels. Metagenome data from a tractable, thermoacidophilic microbial community in Yellowstone National Park was used to build an in silico model to study heterotrophic utilisation of autotroph biomass using elementary flux mode analysis and flux balance analysis. Assimilatory and dissimilatory biomass utilisation was investigated using 29 forms of biomass‐derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) including individual monomer pools, individual macromolecular pools and aggregate biomass. The simulations identified ecologically competitive strategies for utilizing DOC under conditions of varying electron donor, electron acceptor or enzyme limitation. The simulated growth environment affected which form of DOC was the most competitive use of nutrients; for instance, oxygen limitation favoured utilisation of less reduced and fermentable DOC while carbon‐limited environments favoured more reduced DOC. Additionally, metabolism was studied considering two encompassing metabolic strategies: simultaneous versus sequential use of DOC. Results of this study bound the transfer of nutrients and energy through microbial food webs, providing a quantitative foundation relevant to most microbial ecosystems.
Enzymes involved in the anaerobic degradation of ortho‐phthalate by the nitrate‐reducing bacterium Azoarcus sp. strain PA01
Authors: Junghare Madan , Spiteller Dieter , Schink Bernhard
Published: July 2016

The pathway of anaerobic degradation of o‐phthalate was studied in the nitrate‐reducing bacterium Azoarcus sp. strain PA01. Differential two‐dimensional protein gel profiling allowed the identification of specifically induced proteins in o‐phthalate‐grown compared to benzoate‐grown cells. The genes encoding o‐phthalate‐induced proteins were found in a 9.9 kb gene cluster in the genome of Azoarcus sp. strain PA01. The o‐phthalate‐induced gene cluster codes for proteins homologous to a dicarboxylic acid transporter, putative CoA‐transferases and a UbiD‐like decarboxylase that were assigned to be specifically involved in the initial steps of anaerobic o‐phthalate degradation. We propose that o‐phthalate is first activated to o‐phthalyl‐CoA by a putative succinyl‐CoA‐dependent succinyl‐CoA:o‐phthalate CoA‐transferase, and o‐phthalyl‐CoA is subsequently decarboxylated to benzoyl‐CoA by a putative o‐phthalyl‐CoA decarboxylase. Results from in vitro enzyme assays with cell‐free extracts of o‐phthalate‐grown cells demonstrated the formation of o‐phthalyl‐CoA from o‐phthalate and succinyl‐CoA as CoA donor, and its subsequent decarboxylation to benzoyl‐CoA. The putative succinyl‐CoA:o‐phthalate CoA‐transferase showed high substrate specificity for o‐phthalate and did not accept isophthalate, terephthalate or 3‐fluoro‐o‐phthalate whereas the putative o‐phthalyl‐CoA decarboxylase converted fluoro‐o‐phthalyl‐CoA to fluoro‐benzoyl‐CoA. No decarboxylase activity was observed with isophthalyl‐CoA or terephthalyl‐CoA. Both enzyme activities were oxygen‐insensitive and inducible only after growth with o‐phthalate. Further degradation of benzoyl‐CoA proceeds analogous to the well‐established anaerobic benzoyl‐CoA degradation pathway of nitrate‐reducing bacteria.
Syntrophic associations from hypersaline soda lakes converting organic acids and alcohols to methane at extremely haloalkaline conditions
Authors: Sorokin Dimitry Y. , Abbas Ben , Geleijnse Mitchell , Kolganova Tatjana V. , Kleerebezem Robbert , van Loosdrecht Mark C. M.
Published: July 2016

Until now anaerobic oxidation of VFA at high salt‐pH has been demonstrated only at sulfate‐reducing conditions. Here, we present results of a microbiological investigation of anaerobic conversion of organic acids and alcohols at methanogenic conditions by syntrophic associations enriched from hypersaline soda lakes in Central Asia. Sediment incubation experiments showed active, albeit very slow, methane formation from acetate, propionate, butyrate and C2C4 alcohols at pH 10 and various levels of salinity. Enrichments of syntrophic associations using hydrogenotrophic members of the genus Methanocalculus from soda lakes as partners resulted in several highly enriched cultures converting acetate, propionate, butyrate, benzoate and EtOH to methane. Most syntrophs belonged to Firmicutes, while the propionate‐oxidizer formed a novel lineage within the family Syntrophobacteraceae in the Deltaproteobacteria. The acetate‐oxidizing syntroph was identified as ‘Ca. Syntrophonatronum acetioxidans’ previously found to oxidize acetate at sulfate‐reducing conditions up to salt‐saturating concentrations. Butyrate and a benzoate‐degrading syntrophs represent novel genus‐level lineages in Syntrophomonadales which are proposed as Candidatus taxons ‘Syntrophobaca’, ‘Syntrophocurvum’ and ‘Syntropholuna’. Overall, despite very slow growth, the results indicated the presence of a functionally competent syntrophic community in hypersaline soda lakes, capable of efficient oxidation of fermentation products to methane at extremely haloalkaline conditions.
Constituency Demands and Limited Supplies: Comparing Personal Issue Emphases in Co‐sponsorship of Bills and Legislative Speech
Authors: Baumann Markus
Published: July 2016

Parliamentary party groups typically comprise members of parliament (MPs) with diverse preferences and different personal issue emphases. At the same time, speaking in plenary debates is a scarce resource controlled and allocated by parliamentary party group leaders. This has led recent research to investigate how speakers for plenary debates are selected. This contribution connects with this literature by asking whether MPs’ personal issue emphases deviate from their parliamentary party groups’ issue emphases. In order to answer this question, the issue emphases which individual MPs devote to a set of issues in an open access parliamentary instrument is measured and compared to the emphases MPs devote to these issues in speeches. The results for the 2005–9 legislative period of the Norwegian Storting indicate that MPs differ in how closely aligned their issue emphases are in these two instruments and that these differences vary in a way consistent with theories on candidate selection and individualized MP behaviour.
Total Body Mass Estimation from Anthropometric Measurements in Modern Young Adult U.S. Populations with Healthy Body Fat Percentages (NHANES III)
Authors: Schaffer William C.
Published: July 2016

This study presents a method by which to estimate total body mass in modern young adult U.S. populations who self‐identified as non‐Hispanic U.S. White, non‐Hispanic U.S. Black, and Mexican American with anthropometric measurements from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) 1988–1994 dataset (N = 2532). Correlations of stature and bi‐iliac breadth with total body mass were stronger among males (r = 0.717–0.774) than among females (r = 0.549–0.661), yet these results were more accurate assessments of total body mass than existing techniques. This study also examined additional anthropometric measurements to estimate total body mass using an information‐theoretic approach demonstrating that some error in the stature–bi‐iliac breadth method is attributed to a nonsupported model with multimodel inference. The limitations of the current total body mass technique are discussed as well as the need for future studies to validate the method.
Plateau: a new method for ecologically plausible climate envelopes for species distribution modelling
Authors: Brewer Mark J. , O'Hara Robert B. , Anderson Barbara J. , Ohlemüller Ralf
Published: July 2016

Ecologists often wish to describe mathematical relationships between response variables and climate covariates in spatial models of species distribution; these relationships are commonly termed climate envelopes. There are many situations when the functional form of the envelopes should be either unimodal or monotonic, but current practice tends towards the use of either low‐degree single‐variable spline curves fitted as part of a Generalised Additive Model (GAM) or piecewise linear forms in software such as maxent.

We argue that such curves are often inappropriate, as they: (i) can easily produce relationships which are ecologically implausible and (ii) frequently ignore interactions between multiple climate variables in a general regression context. We propose an novel alternative parametric form for climate envelopes that appeals to ecological plausibility and can encompass realistic features of species' presence/climate relationships on several variables simultaneously.

The proposed plateau climate envelope function is applied via a spatial Bayesian species distribution model to data on two European tree species to demonstrate the approach. For Fagus sylvatica, a complete climate envelope is estimable, but for Quercus coccifera, only a partial climate envelope can be estimated as the geographical extent of the data set does not cover the full environmental niche for the species. We show that such an approach is practical, produces climate envelopes with an ecologically meaningful form and furthermore allows the inclusion of information external to the data set being analysed.

We discuss the use of this new plateau climate envelope function in the context of ecological niche modelling and argue that in some instances ecological realism should be regarded as more important than the use of formal model comparison statistics.
Research trends and perspectives of male infertility: a bibliometric analysis of 20 years of scientific literature
Authors: Zhang Y. , Xiao F. , Lu S. , Song J. , Zhang C. , Li J. , Gu K. , Lan A. , Lv B. , Zhang R. , Mo F. , Jiang G. , Zhang X. , Yang X.
Published: July 2016

To carry out an in‐depth analysis of the scientific research on male infertility, we performed the first bibliometric analysis focusing on studies involving male infertility worldwide during the period 1995–2014. Analysis of 6357 articles in the field of male infertility showed a significant increasing trend in the number of publications over the period 1995–2014. Obstetrics and Gynecology was an important subject category and Multidisciplinary Sciences was the newest interest. Authors were mainly from Europe and USA, with researchers from Cleveland Clinic producing the most articles, and those from the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and the University of Utah having the highest‐quality articles. The USA contributed the most independent and international collaborative articles. The Cleveland Clinic and the University of Munster were the most productive institutions. The Cleveland Clinic and the University of Giessen had the most international collaboration publications. Harvard University had the most collaborators. The most common interests were pathogenesis and therapy, and new interests were hypogonadism, obesity, and cryopreservation. In conclusion, rapid development of the male infertility field was observed. Overall, collaborative and multidisciplinary science research has become more popular. The USA and its institutions play a dominant role, followed by European countries. Thanks to the common research focus worldwide, more insight into male fertility has been gained in the scientific literature over the past 20 years. [Correction added on September 21, 2016, after online publication: the term “institute” has been replaced by the term “institution” throughout the text.]
Pfannenstiel laparoendoscopic reduced‐port radical nephrectomy
Authors: Yamasaki Mutsushi , Shin Toshitaka , Sato Ryuta , Hirai Kenichi , Kan Tomoko , Fujinami Hiroyuki , Mori Kenichi , Sumino Yasuhiro , Nomura Takeo , Sato Fuminori , Masuda Hitoshi , Yonese Junji , Mimata Hiromitsu
Published: July 2016

Introduction

We previously reported cases of laparoendoscopic single‐site nephrectomy performed through an umbilical or pararectal incision. To improve cosmesis and operability, we performed three Pfannenstiel laparoendoscopic reduced‐port nephrectomies.

Materials and Surgical Technique

In the first case, a GelPOINT access was placed through a 2‐cm umbilical incision, and two additional 3‐mm trocars were inserted. The specimen was extracted through a 4‐cm Pfannenstiel incision. In the second and third cases, a GelPOINT access was placed through a 5‐cm Pfannenstiel incision, and two additional 3‐mm trocars were inserted. The specimens were extracted without additional skin incisions. In all cases, the endoscope and vessel‐sealing device were inserted through the GelPOINT access. We used 3‐mm scissors, dissecting forceps, and bipolar forceps.

Discussion

The operating time and estimated blood loss were 228, 280, and 155 min and 10, 410, and 5 mL, respectively. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. The 3‐mm forceps showed similar efficacy as the conventional 5‐mm forceps. Therefore, a Pfannenstiel reduced‐port nephrectomy using 3‐mm working trocars is a safe and feasible procedure with good cosmesis.
Sixty‐twelve = Seventy‐two? A cross‐linguistic comparison of children's number transcoding
Authors: Van Rinsveld Amandine , Schiltz Christine
Published: July 2016

We compared French‐ and English‐speaking fifth‐grade (10‐year‐old) children's performance in number transcoding. Whereas English two‐digit number names follow the decimal structure (base 10), the structure of French two‐digit number words over 60 follow a vigesimal structure (base 20). Children undertook two number transcoding tasks. While children were generally successful at the tasks, English‐speaking children significantly outperformed French‐speaking children for numbers following a vigesimal structure in French compared to a decimal structure in English (i.e., numbers >60). Our findings show that verbal number name structures influence children's performance in numerical tasks, even though fifth‐grade children have well passed the initial stage of acquiring transcoding skills for two‐digit numbers. These findings highlight the importance of language specificities in children's number transcoding.

Statement of contribution

What is already known?

Previous research reports that language influences number processing in young children.

Number transcoding performances can be conditioned by the linguistic structure of number words.

What does this study add?

Our results show how the structure of French vigesimal number words impacts number transcoding.

They demonstrate that these language influences also affect children who already master basic number competencies.
Predicting subtype selectivity of dopamine receptor ligands with three‐dimensional biologically relevant spectrum
Authors: Kuang Zheng‐Kun , Feng Shi‐Yu , Hu Ben , Wang Dong , He Song‐Bing , Kong De‐Xin
Published: July 2016

We applied a novel molecular descriptor, three‐dimensional biologically relevant spectrum (BRS‐3D), in subtype selectivity prediction of dopamine receptor (DR) ligands. BRS‐3D is a shape similarity profile calculated by superimposing the objective compounds against 300 template ligands from sc‐PDB. First, we constructed five subtype selectivity regression models between DR subtypes D1‐D2, D1‐D3, D2‐D3, D2‐D4, and D3‐D4. The models’ 10‐fold cross‐validation‐squared correlation coefficient (Q2, for training sets) and determination coefficient (R2, for test sets) were in the range of 0.5–0.7 and 0.6–0.8, respectively. Then, four pair‐wise (D1‐D2, D2‐D3, D2‐D4, and D3‐D4) and a multitype (D2, D3, and D4) classification models were developed with the prediction accuracies around or over 90% (for test sets). Lastly, we compared the performances of the models developed on BRS‐3D and classical descriptors. The results showed that BRS‐3D performed similarly to classical 2D descriptors and better than other 3D descriptors. Combining BRS‐3D and 2D descriptors can further improve the prediction performance. These results confirmed the capacity of BRS‐3D in the prediction of DR subtype‐selective ligands.
Risk factors and a clinical prediction model for low maternal thyroid function during early pregnancy: two population‐based prospective cohort studies
Authors: Korevaar Tim I.M. , Nieboer Daan , Bisschop Peter H.L.T. , Goddijn Mariette , Medici Marco , Chaker Layal , de Rijke Yolanda B. , Jaddoe Vincent W.V. , Visser Theo J. , Steyerberg Ewout W. , Tiemeier Henning , Vrijkotte Tanja G. , Peeters Robin P.
Published: July 2016

Background

Low maternal thyroid function during early pregnancy is associated with various adverse outcomes including impaired neurocognitive development of the offspring, premature delivery and abnormal birthweight.

Aim

To aid doctors in the risk assessment of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy, we set out to investigate clinical risk factors and derive a prediction model based on easily obtainable clinical variables.

Methods

In total, 9767 women during early pregnancy (≤18 week) were selected from two population‐based prospective cohorts: the Generation R Study (N = 5985) and the ABCD study (N = 3782). We aimed to investigate the association of easily obtainable clinical subject characteristics such as maternal age, BMI, smoking status, ethnicity, parity and gestational age at blood sampling with the risk of low free thyroxine (FT4) and elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), determined according to the 2·5th–97·5th reference range in TPOAb negative women.

Results

BMI, nonsmoking and ethnicity were risk factors for elevated TSH levels; however, the discriminative ability was poor (range c‐statistic of 0·57–0·60). Sensitivity analysis showed that addition of TPOAbs to the model yielded a c‐statistic of 0·73–0·75. Maternal age, BMI, smoking, parity and gestational age at blood sampling were risk factors for low FT4, which taken together provided adequate discrimination (range c‐statistic of 0·72–0·76).

Conclusions

Elevated TSH levels depend predominantly on TPOAb levels, and prediction of elevated TSH levels is not possible with clinical characteristics only. In contrast, the validated clinical prediction model for FT4 had high discriminative value to assess the likelihood of low FT4 levels.