bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Motivations for committed nature conservation action in Europe
Authors: ADMIRAAL JEROEN F. , VAN DEN BORN RIYAN J.G. , BERINGER ALMUT , BONAIUTO FLAVIA , CICERO LAVINIA , HIEDANPÄÄ JUHA , KNIGHTS PAUL , KNIPPENBERG LUUK W.J. , MOLINARIO ERICA , MUSTERS CORNELIS J.M. , NAUKKARINEN OSMA , POLAJNAR KATARINA , POPA FLORIN , SMREKAR ALES , SOININEN TIINA , PORRAS-GOMEZ CARMEN , SOETHE NATHALIE , VIVERO-POL JOSE-LUIS , DE GROOT WOUTER T.
Published: March 2017

Despite ongoing efforts to motivate politicians and publics in Europe regarding nature conservation, biodiversity continues to decline. Monetary valuation of ecosystem services appears to be insufficient to motivate people, suggesting that non-monetary values have a crucial role to play. There is insufficient information about the motivations of actors who have been instrumental in successful conservation projects. We investigated the motivations underlying these biodiversity actors using the ranking of cards and compared the results with the rankings of motivations of a second group of actors with more socially related interests. For both groups of actors, their action relating to biodiversity was supported in general by two groups of motivations related to living a meaningful life and moral values. The non-biodiversity actors also noted that their action relating to biodiversity rested more on beauty, place attachment and intrinsic values in comparison with their main non-biodiversity interests. Our results have implications for environmental policy and biodiversity conservation in that the current tendency of focusing on the economic valuation of biodiversity fails to address the motivations of successful actors, thereby failing to motivate nature conservation on an individual level.
Using extinctions in species distribution models to evaluate and predict threats: a contribution to plant conservation planning on the island of Sardinia
Authors: FOIS MAURO , BACCHETTA GIANLUIGI , CUENA-LOMBRAÑA ALBA , COGONI DONATELLA , PINNA MARIA SILVIA , SULIS ELENA , FENU GIUSEPPE
Published: March 2017

Recent extinction rates suggest that humans are now causing the sixth mass extinction, and the Mediterranean islands are at the forefront of many of the environmental issues involved. This study provides an alternative approach for investigating documented local plant extinctions that occurred in Sardinia (western Mediterranean) during the last half century. A total of 190 local extinctions of 62 plant species were used to investigate the independent effects of eight ecological and anthropogenic variables and to model the areas of potential extinctions where plant conservation efforts could be focused. If all analysed plant species were considered together, ecological factors explained local extinctions more than anthropogenic factors. The independent effects of each factor considerably varied among species of different lifeforms and altitude ranges. Accordingly, distribution models of local extinctions outscored areas that are potentially rich in plant species with conservation interest, but which are particularly affected by humans. This paper suggests a reproducible, operational framework for analysing which extinction factors may play important roles in similar contexts and where they might be relevant.
Railroad Land Grants in an Incongruous Legal System: Corporate Subsidies, Bureaucratic Governance, and Legal Conflict in the United States, 1850–1903
Authors: Kammer Sean M.
Published: March 2017

Near the end of the nineteenth century, English scholar James Bryce criticized Western railroad land grants as “often improvident” and as giving “rise to endless lobbying and intrigue, first to secure them, then to keep them from being declared forfeited in respect of some breach of the conditions imposed by Congress on the company.” Bryce also observed the extent to which grants of land to railroads allowed the beneficiary companies to exercise great power not only through their role as carriers of people and commerce, but also through their role as large landowners. This, he noted, brought them “yet another source of wealth and power” and “brought them into intimate and often perilously delicate relations with leading politicians.” From the perspective of the so-called “railroad tycoons” and their financial backers, the land grants became sources of wealth and power independent of and sometimes contrary to the interests of the railroad corporations themselves as carriers. Whereas Congress intended the railroad land grants to serve as a means to the end of railroad construction and the settlement of the federal government's expansive public domain, the railroads came to see them as an end in themselves: as independent sources of wealth and power.
Barack Obama, Organizing for Action, and Executive-Centered Partisanship
Authors: Milkis Sidney M. , York John Warren
Published: March 2017

This article examines the historical significance of Barack Obama's creation of “OFA,” a presidential grassroots organization. It attempts, as Theda Skocpol has put it, to analyze American political development “as it happens.” Born as “Obama for America” during the 2008 campaign, OFA was renamed “Organizing for America” and ensconced in the Democratic National Committee during Obama's first term, where it served as the “grassroots arm” of the party. After 2012, it was spun off as a nonprofit social-welfare entity called “Organizing for Action” dedicated to advocating for Obama's second-term objectives: immigration reform, efforts to fight climate change, gun safety legislation, LGBT rights, and the implementation of health reform in the face of continuing intense opposition. That OFA was kept intact after Obama's successful election and reelection efforts marks it as an especially pioneering effort. Making use of several personal interviews, a wealth of primary documents, and data on spending and mobilization tactics, we explain how Obama's paradigm-shifting organization marked an effort to meet the challenges of forging a new progressive coalition in a fractious polity. More broadly, the article considers how this digital age grassroots effort has been influenced by, and in turn has contributed to the advance of an executive-centered partisanship characterized by high expectations for presidential leadership in a context of widespread dissatisfaction with government, strong and intensifying political polarization, and high-stakes battles over the basic direction of domestic and foreign policy programs.
Symmetry-invariant conservation laws of partial differential equations
Authors: ANCO STEPHEN C. , KARA ABDUL H.
Published: March 2017

A simple characterization of the action of symmetries on conservation laws of partial differential equations is studied by using the general method of conservation law multipliers. This action is used to define symmetry-invariant and symmetry-homogeneous conservation laws. The main results are applied to several examples of physically interest, including the generalized Korteveg-de Vries equation, a non-Newtonian generalization of Burger's equation, theb-family of peakon equations, and the Navier–Stokes equations for compressible, viscous fluids in two dimensions.
Avian population trends inScalesiaforest on Floreana Island (2004-2013): Acoustical surveys cannot detect hybrids of Darwin’s tree finchesCamarhynchusspp.
Authors: PETERS KATHARINA J. , KLEINDORFER SONIA
Published: March 2017

Floreana Island has the highest proportion of local land bird extinctions on the Galápagos Archipelago, and is home to the range-restricted and critically endangered Medium Tree FinchCamarhynchus pauper. We used acoustic surveys during 2004, 2008 and 2013 to compare the estimated population size ofC. pauperand other land bird species in a remnant patch ofScalesiaforest. First, we compared song inC. pauperandC. parvulusand the recently discoveredCamarhynchushybrid group to justify our use of acoustic surveys to detect population trends given contemporary hybridisation betweenC. pauperandC. parvulus. Song differed significantly betweenC. pauperversusC. parvulusand hybrid birds, but not betweenC. parvulusversus hybrid birds. Second, we compared population size estimates.Camarhynchus pauperdeclined by 52% between 2004 and 2013 (with a 10% increase since 2008);C. parvulus/hybrid increased by 45% between 2004 and 2013 (with 28% decrease since 2008). In 2013, there were ∼ 419C. paupermales in theScalesiaforest (estimate forScalesiahabitat only) and ∼ 2,537 males on Floreana Island (estimate for the entire available highland habitat). Not all species showed a pattern of decline in the highlandScalesiahabitat between 2004 and 2013:Dendroica petechia(+256%),Crotophaga ani(+254%)Geospiza fuliginosa(+23%), andMyiarchus magnirostris(+11%) increased, while the ground finchG. fortis(-76%) decreased. Understanding whyC. pauperis declining while other land bird species are increasing in the same habitat requires continued inquiry and monitoring efforts.
TWO NEW SPECIES OF PAPHIOPEDILUM (ORCHIDACEAE: CYPRIPEDIOIDEAE) SECTION BARBATA FROM SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Authors: Metusala D.
Published: March 2017

Two new species of Paphiopedilum from Sumatra, Indonesia, are described and illustrated. These two species belong in Paphiopedilum section Barbata and are so far known only from Aceh Province in the north of Sumatra.
Gold, Debt and the Quest for Monetary Order: The Nazi Campaign to Integrate Europe in 1940
Authors: GROSS STEPHEN G.
Published: March 2017

This article explores Nazi visions for a new monetary order in 1940 and compares these plans with European monetary integration after 1945. It shows how Nazi experts identified the same core monetary challenges facing Europe as Allied planners did during and after the Second World War, above all challenges stemming from the Great Depression and associated with the gold standard, international debts, capital scarcity and bilateral treaties. This comparison suggests a certain logic was inherent to reconstructing European monetary relations after the depression, insofar as few viable alternatives seemed open – either in 1940 or after 1945 – to some form of multilateral payment system that was divorced from gold, yet that still fixed Europe's currencies to one another. Ultimately, it argues that 1940 marks an important step in a longer process in which Europe moved away from territorial currencies toward a monetary union, and in doing so expanded the framework of fiat currency beyond national markets to encompass the continent.
Fatal severe coronary artery stenosis in Williams syndrome: decision making using late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular MRI
Authors: Voges Inga , Franklin Rodney C. , Wage Ricardo , Babu-Narayan Sonya V.
Published: March 2017

Williams syndrome is a well-recognised congenital disorder characterised by cardiovascular, connective tissue, and central nervous system abnormalities. Coronary artery abnormalities are seen in patients with supravalvar aortic stenosis, but end-stage ischaemic heart disease is rare. We report a case of end-stage ischaemic heart disease due to severe coronary arterial stenosis, highlighting how cardiovascular MRI contributed to the management.
Verbal Learning and Memory Enhancement Strategies in Schizophrenia: A Randomized, Controlled Investigation
Authors: Kurtz Matthew M. , Trask Christi L. , Rosengard Rachel , Hyman Simone , Kremen Lisa , Mehta Shyle , Olfson Rachel , Rispaud Sam , Zaidman Sofia , Choi Jimmy
Published: March 2017

Objectives: Verbal episodic memory is a key domain of impairment in people with schizophrenia with close ties to a variety of aspects of functioning and therapeutic treatment response. A randomized, blinded trial of two mnemonic strategies for verbal episodic memory deficits for people with schizophrenia was conducted. Methods: Sixty-one people with schizophrenia were assigned to one of three experimental conditions: training in a mnemonic strategy that included both visualization and narrative structure (Story Method), a condition in which participants were trained to visualize words interacting with one another (Imagery), or a non-trained control condition in which participants received equivalent exposure to training word lists and other verbal memory assessments administered in the other two conditions, but without provision of any compensatory mnemonic strategy. Participants were assessed on improvements in recall of the word list used as part of training, as well as two, standardized verbal memory assessments which included stimuli not used as part of strategy training. Results: The Story Method produced improvements on a trained word list that generalized to a non-trained, prose memory task at a 1-week follow-up. In contrast, provision of a mnemonic strategy of simple visualization of words produced little improvement on word recall of trained words or on measures of generalization relative to the performance of participants in the control condition. Conclusions: These findings support the inclusion of enriched mnemonic strategies consisting of both visualization and narrative structure in sustained and comprehensive programs of CR for enhancement of verbal episodic memory in schizophrenia. (JINS, 2017, 23, 352–357)
Socio-economic factors associated with a healthy diet: results from the E3N study
Authors: Affret Aurélie , Severi Gianluca , Dow Courtney , Rey Grégoire , Delpierre Cyrille , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Clavel-Chapelon Françoise , Fagherazzi Guy
Published: March 2017

Objective

To identify individual and contextual socio-economic factors associated with a healthy diet.

Design

Dietary data from a large cohort study were used to derive two mutually exclusive dietary patterns through a latent class analysis. Associations between dietary patterns and socio-economic factors were studied with logistic regression.

Setting

E3N, a French prospective cohort study composed of women recruited from a national health insurance plan covering people working in the national education system.

Subjects

E3N participants (n 73 031) with dietary and socio-economic data available.

Results

The ‘Healthy’ pattern was characterized by a large consumption of fruits and vegetables and the ‘Less Healthy’ pattern by a large consumption of pizza and processed meat. When all socio-economic factors were analysed together, all of the individual factors considered were associated with a healthy diet (e.g. women with three or more children were less likely to follow a healthy diet v. women with no children, OR (95 % CI): 0·70 (0·66, 0·75)) while the contextual factors associated with a healthy diet included the size of the agglomeration of residence and the area of birth and residence (e.g. women living in the West of France were less likely to follow a healthy diet v. those living in the South of France: 0·78 (0·72, 0·83)).

Conclusions

We demonstrated that individual and contextual factors are both associated with diet. Rather than focusing only on individual factors, we recommend future studies or public health and nutritional strategies on diet to consider both types of factors.
Efficient Simulation of Secondary Fluorescence Via NIST DTSA-II Monte Carlo
Authors: Ritchie Nicholas W. M.
Published: March 2017

Secondary fluorescence, the final term in the familiar matrix correction triumvirate Z·A·F, is the most challenging for Monte Carlo models to simulate. In fact, only two implementations of Monte Carlo models commonly used to simulate electron probe X-ray spectra can calculate secondary fluorescence—PENEPMA and NIST DTSA-IIa (DTSA-II is discussed herein). These two models share many physical models but there are some important differences in the way each implements X-ray emission including secondary fluorescence. PENEPMA is based on PENELOPE, a general purpose software package for simulation of both relativistic and subrelativistic electron/positron interactions with matter. On the other hand, NIST DTSA-II was designed exclusively for simulation of X-ray spectra generated by subrelativistic electrons. NIST DTSA-II uses variance reduction techniques unsuited to general purpose code. These optimizations help NIST DTSA-II to be orders of magnitude more computationally efficient while retaining detector position sensitivity. Simulations execute in minutes rather than hours and can model differences that result from detector position. Both PENEPMA and NIST DTSA-II are capable of handling complex sample geometries and we will demonstrate that both are of similar accuracy when modeling experimental secondary fluorescence data from the literature.
Tolerance of Processing Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Varieties to Halosulfuron-methyl
Authors: Mohseni-Moghadam Mohsen , Doohan Douglas
Published: March 2017

Field experiments were conducted at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, OH in 2002 and 2004 to evaluate the tolerance of tomato varieties to halosulfuron-methyl, a selective herbicide used for POST control of broadleaf weeds and nutsedge (Cyperus). POST herbicide treatments included halosulfuron-methyl at 0, 34.7 and 70 gaiha−1. Plots were evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 wk after treatment (WAT), and yield was recorded at the end of the season. Minimal crop injury was observed 1 and 3 WAT in plots treated with both halosulfuron-methyl rates only in 2002. Although the crop recovered from herbicide injury when treated with the lower rate at 6 WAT, ‘Ohio 8245’, ‘M82’, and ‘E6203’ showed injury at this interval when treated with halosulfuron-methyl at 70 g ha−1. No injury was observed with either rates in 2004. No significant yield reduction was observed in any of the varieties in the test plots. These results indicate that differential tolerance to halosulfuron-methyl does not exists among these tomato varieties with the exception of E6203 and M82.
„Ich wollte doch nur helfen“
Authors: Wirth Sandra
Published: March 2017

Zusammenfassung. War es der überraschende Schlag, oder das Erschrecken darüber, dass nicht sein kann, was nicht sein darf – die Erfahrung mit Gewalt während einer pflegerischen Tätigkeit? Die Erfahrung und Konfrontation von Gewalt und Aggression im Rahmen ihrer Arbeit prägt die Auszubildenden, manchmal ihr ganzes Berufsleben lang. Die Autorin beschäftigte sich in ihrer Bachelorarbeit mit dem Thema Aggressionsmanagement in der Altenpflegeausbildung und der Entwicklung eines zweitägigen Projektes, das erfolgreich umgesetzt wird.
Bitte nur an- und zupacken, mehr wollen wir nicht!
Authors: Bauermann Elisabeth
Published: March 2017

Zusammenfassung. Schüler / innen in der Pflegefachhilfe zeigen Interesse an Teamarbeit, Selbstreflexion und Meinungsbildung, wenn sie aktiv an pflegehistorischen Themen arbeiten dürfen. Für die Entwicklung einer beruflichen Identität benötigt diese Zielgruppe Unterstützung und darf in den Veränderungsprozessen der Pflege nicht vergessen werden. Anstatt anhaltend kognitiven Wissenserwerbs sind bei diesen Auszubildenden mit häufig negativer Schulbiografie besonders ressourcenstärkende und emotionale Lernprozesse anzustoßen.
Accurate nanoelectrode recording of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for assaying drugs and modeling disease
Authors: Lin Ziliang Carter , McGuire Allister F. , Burridge Paul W. , Matsa Elena , Lou Hsin-Ya , Wu Joseph C. , Cui Bianxiao
Published: March 2017

The measurement of the electrophysiology of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes is critical for their biomedical applications, from disease modeling to drug screening. Yet, a method that enables the high-throughput intracellular electrophysiology measurement of single cardiomyocytes in adherent culture is not available. To address this area, we have fabricated vertical nanopillar electrodes that can record intracellular action potentials from up to 60 single beating cardiomyocytes. Intracellular access is achieved by highly localized electroporation, which allows for low impedance electrical access to the intracellular voltage. Herein, we demonstrate that this method provides the accurate measurement of the shape and duration of intracellular action potentials, validated by patch clamp, and can facilitate cellular drug screening and disease modeling using human pluripotent stem cells. This study validates the use of nanopillar electrodes for myriad further applications of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes such as cardiomyocyte maturation monitoring and electrophysiology-contractile force correlation.
Self-amplified Amazon forest loss due to vegetation-atmosphere feedbacks
Authors: Zemp Delphine Clara , Schleussner Carl-Friedrich , Barbosa Henrique M. J. , Hirota Marina , Montade Vincent , Sampaio Gilvan , Staal Arie , Wang-Erlandsson Lan , Rammig Anja
Published: March 2017

Reduced rainfall increases the risk of forest dieback, while in return forest loss might intensify regional droughts. The consequences of this vegetation–atmosphere feedback for the stability of the Amazon forest are still unclear. Here we show that the risk of self-amplified Amazon forest loss increases nonlinearly with dry-season intensification. We apply a novel complex-network approach, in which Amazon forest patches are linked by observation-based atmospheric water fluxes. Our results suggest that the risk of self-amplified forest loss is reduced with increasing heterogeneity in the response of forest patches to reduced rainfall. Under dry-season Amazonian rainfall reductions, comparable to Last Glacial Maximum conditions, additional forest loss due to self-amplified effects occurs in 10–13% of the Amazon basin. Although our findings do not indicate that the projected rainfall changes for the end of the twenty-first century will lead to complete Amazon dieback, they suggest that frequent extreme drought events have the potential to destabilize large parts of the Amazon forest.
Pre-plaque conformational changes in Alzheimer’s disease-linked Aβ and APP
Authors: Klementieva O. , Willén K. , Martinsson I. , Israelsson B. , Engdahl A. , Cladera J. , Uvdal P. , Gouras G. K.
Published: March 2017

Reducing levels of the aggregation-prone Aβ peptide that accumulates in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been a major target of experimental therapies. An alternative approach may be to stabilize the physiological conformation of Aβ. To date, the physiological state of Aβ in brain remains unclear, since the available methods used to process brain tissue for determination of Aβ aggregate conformation can in themselves alter the structure and/or composition of the aggregates. Here, using synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared micro-spectroscopy, non-denaturing gel electrophoresis and conformational specific antibodies we show that the physiological conformations of Aβ and amyloid precursor protein (APP) in brain of transgenic mouse models of AD are altered before formation of amyloid plaques. Furthermore, focal Aβ aggregates in brain that precede amyloid plaque formation localize to synaptic terminals. These changes in the states of Aβ and APP that occur prior to plaque formation may provide novel targets for AD therapy.
Identification of common non-coding variants at 1p22 that are functional for non-syndromic orofacial clefting
Authors: Liu Huan , Leslie Elizabeth J. , Carlson Jenna C. , Beaty Terri H. , Marazita Mary L. , Lidral Andrew C. , Cornell Robert A.
Published: March 2017

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) do not distinguish between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are causal and those that are merely in linkage-disequilibrium with causal mutations. Here we describe a versatile, functional pipeline and apply it to SNPs at 1p22, a locus identified in several GWAS for non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NS CL/P). First we amplified DNA elements containing the ten most-highly risk-associated SNPs and tested their enhancer activityin vitro, identifying three SNPs with allele-dependent effects on such activity. We then usedin vivoreporter assays to test the tissue-specificity of these enhancers, chromatin configuration capture to test enhancer–promoter interactions, and genome editingin vitroto show allele-specific effects on ARHGAP29 expression and cell migration. Our results further indicate that two SNPs affect binding of CL/P-associated transcription factors, and one affects chromatin configuration. These results translate risk into potential mechanisms of pathogenesis.
Double-stranded RNA virus outer shell assembly by bona fide domain-swapping
Authors: Sun Zhaoyang , El Omari Kamel , Sun Xiaoyu , Ilca Serban L. , Kotecha Abhay , Stuart David I. , Poranen Minna M. , Huiskonen Juha T.
Published: March 2017

Correct outer protein shell assembly is a prerequisite for virion infectivity in many multi-shelled dsRNA viruses. In the prototypic dsRNA bacteriophage φ6, the assembly reaction is promoted by calcium ions but its biomechanics remain poorly understood. Here, we describe the near-atomic resolution structure of the φ6 double-shelled particle. The outer T=13 shell protein P8 consists of two alpha-helical domains joined by a linker, which allows the trimer to adopt either a closed or an open conformation. The trimers in an open conformation swap domains with each other. Our observations allow us to propose a mechanistic model for calcium concentration regulated outer shell assembly. Furthermore, the structure provides a prime exemplar of bona fide domain-swapping. This leads us to extend the theory of domain-swapping from the level of monomeric subunits and multimers to closed spherical shells, and to hypothesize a mechanism by which closed protein shells may arise in evolution.
Negative association between acrylamide exposure and body composition in adults: NHANES, 2003–2004
Authors: Chu P-L , Lin L-Y , Chen P-C , Su T-C , Lin C-Y
Published: March 2017

Background/Objectives:

Acrylamide is present in mainstream cigarette smoke and in some food prepared at high temperature. Animal studies have shown that acrylamide exposure reduces body weight. Prenatal exposure to acrylamide also has been linked to reduced birth weight in human. Whether acrylamide exposure is associated with altered body compositions in adults is not clear.

Subjects/Methods:

We selected 3623 subjects (aged ⩾20 years) from a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2003–2004 to determine the relationship among hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide (HbAA), hemoglobin adducts of glycidamide (HbGA) and body composition (body measures, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)). Data were adjusted for potential confounding variables.

Results:

The geometric means and 95% CI concentrations of HbAA and HbGA were 60.48 (59.32–61.65) pmol/g Hb and 55.64 (54.40–56.92) pmol/g Hb, respectively. After weighting for sampling strategy, we identified that one-unit increase in natural log-HbAA, but not HbGA, was associated with reduction in body measures (body weight, body mass index (BMI), subscapular/triceps skinfold), parameters of BIA (fat-free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, total body water) and parameters of DXA (android fat mass, android percent fat, gynoid fat/lean mass, gynoid percent mass, android to gynoid ratio). Subgroup analysis showed that these associations were more evident in subjects at younger age, male gender, whites, lower education level, active smokers and those with lower BMI.

Conclusions:

Higher concentrations of HbAA are associated with a decrease in body composition in the US general population. Further studies are warranted to clarify this association.
Overweight and obesity in Mexican children and adolescents during the last 25 years
Authors: Hernández-Cordero S , Cuevas-Nasu L , Morales-Ruán M C , Méndez-Gómez Humarán I , Ávila-Arcos M A , Rivera-Dommarco J A
Published: March 2017

Background/Objective:

The objective of the study was to provide current estimates of the prevalence and trends of overweight and obesity (OW+OB) in Mexican children and adolescents.

Subjects/Methods:

Body mass index objectively measured was analyzed for 37 147 children and adolescents aged 0–19 years obtained in 2012 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT-2012), a nationally representative sample of the Mexican population. In addition, data from previous National Nutrition Surveys obtained in 1988, 1999 and 2006 were compared with analyze trends over a 24-year period (1988–2012) for children <5 years of age and adolescents and over a 13-year period (1999–2012) for school-age children. World Health Organization Child Growth Standard was used to define OW+OB.

Results:

In 2012, 33.5% of children <5 years of age (both sexes) were at risk of overweight or were overweight (OW); 32% and 36.9% of girls and boys 5–11 years of age were OW+OB, respectively, and 35.8% and 34.1% of female and male adolescents were OW+OB, respectively. Statistically significant trends were documented for all age groups during the study period. Overall change in the combined prevalence in preschool children was 6.3±1.0 percentage points (pp; P<0.001; 0.26 pp per year) in the last 24 years, showing the highest increase between 1988 and 1999, whereas for school-age girls (from 1999 to 2012) and adolescent females (from 1988 to 2012), OW+OB increased across all periods at a declining trend, with an overall change of 0.5 and 1.0 pp per year, respectively. Changes in the prevalence of OW+OB were highest among children and adolescents in the lowest quintile of the household living condition index.

Conclusions:

Prevalence of OW+OB among children and adolescents increased significantly during the last 13–24 years. The rate of increase has declined in the last 6 years in all age groups. Changes in prevalence of OW+OB presented here suggest that, in Mexico, the burden of obesity is shifting toward the groups with lower socioeconomic level.
Knockdown of long non-coding RNA XIST increases blood–tumor barrier permeability and inhibits glioma angiogenesis by targeting miR-137
Authors: Yu H , Xue Y , Wang P , Liu X , Ma J , Zheng J , Li Z , Li Z , Cai H , Liu Y
Published: March 2017

Antiangiogenic therapy plays a significant role in combined glioma treatment. However, poor permeability of the blood–tumor barrier (BTB) limits the transport of chemotherapeutic agents, including antiangiogenic drugs, into tumor tissues. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in various diseases, especially malignant tumors. The present study found that lncRNA X-inactive-specific transcript (XIST) was upregulated in endothelial cells that were obtained in a BTB model in vitro. XIST knockdown increased BTB permeability and inhibited glioma angiogenesis. The analysis of the mechanism of action revealed that the reduction of XIST inhibited the expression of the transcription factor forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) and zonula occludens 2 (ZO-2) by upregulating miR-137. FOXC1 decreased BTB permeability by increasing the promoter activity and expression of ZO-1 and occludin, and promoted glioma angiogenesis by increasing the promoter activity and expression of chemokine (C–X–C motif) receptor 7b (CXCR7). Overall, the present study demonstrates that XIST plays a pivotal role in BTB permeability and glioma angiogenesis, and the inhibition of XIST may be a potential target for the clinical management of glioma.
Development of Customized [18F]Fluoride Elution Techniques for the Enhancement of Copper-Mediated Late-Stage Radiofluorination
Authors: Mossine Andrew V. , Brooks Allen F. , Ichiishi Naoko , Makaravage Katarina J. , Sanford Melanie S. , Scott Peter J. H.
Published: March 2017

In a relatively short period of time, transition metal-mediated radiofluorination reactions have changed the PET radiochemistry landscape. These reactions have enabled the radiofluorination of a wide range of substrates, facilitating access to radiopharmaceuticals that were challenging to synthesize using traditional fluorine-18 radiochemistry. However, the process of adapting these new reactions for automated radiopharmaceutical production has revealed limitations in fitting them into the confines of traditional radiochemistry systems. In particular, the presence of bases (e.g. K2CO3) and/or phase transfer catalysts (PTC) (e.g. kryptofix 2.2.2) associated with fluorine-18 preparation has been found to be detrimental to reaction yields. We hypothesized that these limitations could be addressed through the development of alternate techniques for preparing [18F]fluoride. This approach also opens the possibility that an eluent can be individually tailored to meet the specific needs of a metal-catalyzed reaction of interest. In this communication, we demonstrate that various solutions of copper salts, bases, and ancillary ligands can be utilized to elute [18F]fluoride from ion exchange cartridges. The new procedures are effective for fluorine-18 radiochemistry and, as proof of concept, have been used to optimize an otherwise base-sensitive copper-mediated radiofluorination reaction.
Cockles, barnacles and ascidians compose a subtidal facilitation cascade with multiple hierarchical levels of foundation species
Authors: Yakovis Eugeniy , Artemieva Anna
Published: March 2017

Facilitation cascades occur when multiple foundation species in a community are involved in a hierarchy of positive interactions, and consist of a primary facilitator which positively affects secondary facilitators, each supporting a suit of dependent species. There is no theoretical limit to the number of levels in a facilitation cascade, yet the existence of more than two has rarely been examined. We manipulated biogenic substrate produced by a primary facilitator (cockle shells) and a secondary facilitator (barnacles and their empty tests) in a space-limited subtidal community to test the hypothesis that solitary ascidians would be the third-level facilitator. In the field, most ascidians were found on barnacles, and most barnacles occupied cockle shells. To produce this pattern, barnacles could nurse ascidians (a longer ‘facilitation chain’) or outcompete them from cockle shells (a shorter chain). Experimental results clearly supported the nursing hypothesis providing evidence for a facilitation cascade with three hierarchical levels of foundation species. Our findings confirm that like predation and competition, positive interspecific interactions nest into multi-tier hierarchies with numerous levels. While the number of foundation species should increase community stability and resilience as it increases diversity and reduces environmental stress, facilitation chain length may have the opposite effect.
Geographic distribution of cadmium and its interaction with the microbial community in the Longjiang River: risk evaluation after a shocking pollution accident
Authors: Zhang MingJiang , Huang FuKe , Wang GuangYuan , Liu XingYu , Wen JianKang , Zhang XiaoSheng , Huang YaoSi , Xia Yu
Published: March 2017

A shocking Longjiang River cadmium pollution accident occurred in 2012, the effects of which on microbial communities remain unclear. Alkaline precipitation technology was applied for remediation, but concerns rose about the stability of this technology. To understand the geographic distribution of cadmium and its correlation with microbes, in this study, 39 water samples and 39 sludge samples from this river and 2 soil samples from the nearby farmland were collected for chemical and microbial analyses. The Cd concentrations of all water samples were lower than 0.005 mg/L and reached the quality standards for Chinese surface water. A ranking of sludge samples based on Cd contents showed sewage outfall > dosing sites > farmland, all of which were higher than the quality standard for soil. Alkaline precipitation technology was effective for Cd precipitation. Cd was unstable; it was constantly dissolving and being released from the sludge. The Cd content of each phase was mainly influenced by the total Cd content. Over 40,000 effective sequences were detected in each sample, and a total of 59,833 OTUs and 1,273 genera were found using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Two phyla and 39 genera were notably positively correlated with the Cd distribution, while the cases of 10 phyla and 6 genera were the opposite.
Two LEAFY homologs ILFY1 and ILFY2 control reproductive and vegetative developments in Isoetes L.
Authors: Yang Tao , Du Ming-fang , Guo You-hao , Liu Xing
Published: March 2017

LEAFY (LFY) is a plant-specific transcription factor, which is found in algae and all land plants. LFY homologs exert ancestral roles in regulating cell division and obtain novel functions to control floral identity. Isoetes L. is an ancient genus of heterosporous lycophytes. However, characters about LFY homologs in lycophytes remain poorly investigated. In this study, two LFY homologs, ILFY1 and ILFY2, were cloned from five Isoetes species, including I. hypsophila, I. yunguiensis, I. sinensis, I. orientalis, and I. taiwanensis. The full length of ILFY1 was 1449–1456 bp with an open reading frame (ORF) of 927–936 bp. The full length of ILFY2 was 1768 bp with ORF of 726 bp. Phylogenetic tree revealed that ILFY1 and ILFY2 were separated into two clades, and I. hypsophila were separated with the others. Expression analysis demonstrated that IsLFY1 and IsLFY2 for I. sinensis did not show functional diversity. The two transcripts were similarly accumulated in both vegetative and reproductive tissues and highly expressed in juvenile tissues. In addition, the IsLFY1 and IsLFY2 transgenic Arabidopsis similarly did not promote precocious flowering, and they were inactive to rescue lfy mutants. The results facilitate general understandings about the characteristics of LFY in Isoetes and evolutionary process.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes act as a chemokine and recruit macrophages by activating the PLC/IP3/CRAC channel signaling pathway
Authors: Li Hui , Tan Xiao-Qiu , Yan Li , Zeng Bo , Meng Jie , Xu Hai-Yan , Cao Ji-Min
Published: March 2017

The impact of nanomaterials on immune cells is gaining attention but is not well documented. Here, we report a novel stimulating effect of carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNTs) on the migration of macrophages and uncover the underlying mechanisms, especially the upstream signaling, using a series of techniques including transwell migration assay, patch clamp, ELISA and confocal microscopy. c-MWCNTs dramatically stimulated the migration of RAW264.7 macrophages when endocytosed, and this effect was abolished by inhibiting phospholipase C (PLC) with U-73122, antagonizing the IP3 receptor with 2-APB, and blocking calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channels with SK&F96365. c-MWCNTs directly activated PLC and increased the IP3 level and [Ca2+]i level in RAW264.7 cells, promoted the translocation of the ER-resident stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) towards the membranous calcium release-activated calcium channel modulator 1 (Orai1), and increased CRAC current densities in both RAW264.7 cells and HEK293 cells stably expressing the CRAC channel subunits Orai1 and STIM1. c-MWCNTs also induced dramatic spatial polarization of KCa3.1 channels in the RAW264.7 cells. We conclude that c-MWCNT is an activator of PLC and strongly recruits macrophages via the PLC/IP3/CRAC channel signaling cascade. These novel findings may provide a fundamental basis for the impact of MWCNTs on the immune system.
Enhancing studies of the connectome in autism using the autism brain imaging data exchange II
Authors: Di Martino Adriana , O’Connor David , Chen Bosi , Alaerts Kaat , Anderson Jeffrey S. , Assaf Michal , Balsters Joshua H. , Baxter Leslie , Beggiato Anita , Bernaerts Sylvie , Blanken Laura M. E. , Bookheimer Susan Y. , Braden B. Blair , Byrge Lisa , Castellanos F. Xavier , Dapretto Mirella , Delorme Richard , Fair Damien A. , Fishman Inna , Fitzgerald Jacqueline , Gallagher Louise , Keehn R. Joanne Jao , Kennedy Daniel P. , Lainhart Janet E. , Luna Beatriz , Mostofsky Stewart H. , Müller Ralph-Axel , Nebel Mary Beth , Nigg Joel T. , O’Hearn Kirsten , Solomon Marjorie , Toro Roberto , Vaidya Chandan J. , Wenderoth Nicole , White Tonya , Craddock R. Cameron , Lord Catherine , Leventhal Bennett , Milham Michael P.
Published: March 2017

The second iteration of the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE II) aims to enhance the scope of brain connectomics research in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Consistent with the initial ABIDE effort (ABIDE I), that released 1112 datasets in 2012, this new multisite open-data resource is an aggregate of resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and corresponding structural MRI and phenotypic datasets. ABIDE II includes datasets from an additional 487 individuals with ASD and 557 controls previously collected across 16 international institutions. The combination of ABIDE I and ABIDE II provides investigators with 2156 unique cross-sectional datasets allowing selection of samples for discovery and/or replication. This sample size can also facilitate the identification of neurobiological subgroups, as well as preliminary examinations of sex differences in ASD. Additionally, ABIDE II includes a range of psychiatric variables to inform our understanding of the neural correlates of co-occurring psychopathology; 284 diffusion imaging datasets are also included. It is anticipated that these enhancements will contribute to unraveling key sources of ASD heterogeneity.
Comprehensive RNA-seq transcriptomic profiling in the malignant progression of gliomas
Authors: Zhao Zheng , Meng Fanlin , Wang Wen , Wang Zheng , Zhang Chuanbao , Jiang Tao
Published: March 2017

Gliomas are the most common and lethal intracranial tumours. RNA sequencing technologies and advanced data analyses recently enabled the characterization of transcriptomic information, including protein-coding gene expression, non-coding gene expression, alternative splicing, and fusion gene detection, to facilitate detection of diseases and altered phenotypes. As a part of the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) project, our aim was to delineate comprehensive transcriptome profiling in the malignant progression of human gliomas. Three hundred twenty five gliomas with different grades were collected over the past twelve years. Using the Illumina HiSeq 2,000 system, over 92 million high quality 101-bp paired-end reads were generated per sample, yielding a total of 30 billion reads. This comprehensive dataset will be useful to deepen the comprehensive understanding of gliomas, providing an opportunity to generate new therapies, diagnoses, and preventive strategies.
High-resolution data on the impact of warming on soil CO2 efflux from an Asian monsoon forest
Authors: Liang Naishen , Teramoto Munemasa , Takagi Masahiro , Zeng Jiye
Published: March 2017

This paper describes a project for evaluation of global warming’s impacts on soil carbon dynamics in Japanese forest ecosystems. We started a soil warming experiment in late 2008 in a 55-year-old evergreen broad-leaved forest at the boundary between the subtropical and warm-temperate biomes in southern Japan. We used infrared carbon-filament heat lamps to increase soil temperature by about 2.5 °C at a depth of 5 cm and continuously recorded CO2 emission from the soil surface using a multichannel automated chamber system. Here, we present details of the experimental processes and datasets for the CO2 emission rate, soil temperature, and soil moisture from control, trenched, and warmed trenched plots. The long term of the study and its high resolution make the datasets meaningful for use in or development of coupled climate-ecosystem models to tune their dynamic behaviour as well as to provide mean parameters for decomposition of soil organic carbon to support future predictions of soil carbon sequestration.
Replication data collection highlights value in diversity of replication attempts
Authors: DeSoto K. Andrew , Schweinsberg Martin
Published: March 2017

Researchers agree that replicability and reproducibility are key aspects of science. A collection of Data Descriptors published in Scientific Data presents data obtained in the process of attempting to replicate previously published research. These new replication data describe published and unpublished projects. The different papers in this collection highlight the many ways that scientific replications can be conducted, and they reveal the benefits and challenges of crucial replication research. The organizers of this collection encourage scientists to reuse the data contained in the collection for their own work, and also believe that these replication examples can serve as educational resources for students, early-career researchers, and experienced scientists alike who are interested in learning more about the process of replication.
A standard database for drug repositioning
Authors: Brown Adam S. , Patel Chirag J.
Published: March 2017

Drug repositioning, the process of discovering, validating, and marketing previously approved drugs for new indications, is of growing interest to academia and industry due to reduced time and costs associated with repositioned drugs. Computational methods for repositioning are appealing because they putatively nominate the most promising candidate drugs for a given indication. Comparing the wide array of computational repositioning methods, however, is a challenge due to inconsistencies in method validation in the field. Furthermore, a common simplifying assumption, that all novel predictions are false, is intellectually unsatisfying and hinders reproducibility. We address this assumption by providing a gold standard database, repoDB, that consists of both true positives (approved drugs), and true negatives (failed drugs). We have made the full database and all code used to prepare it publicly available, and have developed a web application that allows users to browse subsets of the data (http://apps.chiragjpgroup.org/repoDB/).
Collocated observations of cloud condensation nuclei, particle size distributions, and chemical composition
Authors: Schmale Julia , Henning Silvia , Henzing Bas , Keskinen Helmi , Sellegri Karine , Ovadnevaite Jurgita , Bougiatioti Aikaterini , Kalivitis Nikos , Stavroulas Iasonas , Jefferson Anne , Park Minsu , Schlag Patrick , Kristensson Adam , Iwamoto Yoko , Pringle Kirsty , Reddington Carly , Aalto Pasi , Äijälä Mikko , Baltensperger Urs , Bialek Jakub , Birmili Wolfram , Bukowiecki Nicolas , Ehn Mikael , Fjæraa Ann Mari , Fiebig Markus , Frank Göran , Fröhlich Roman , Frumau Arnoud , Furuya Masaki , Hammer Emanuel , Heikkinen Liine , Herrmann Erik , Holzinger Rupert , Hyono Hiroyuki , Kanakidou Maria , Kiendler-Scharr Astrid , Kinouchi Kento , Kos Gerard , Kulmala Markku , Mihalopoulos Nikolaos , Motos Ghislain , Nenes Athanasios , O’Dowd Colin , Paramonov Mikhail , Petäjä Tuukka , Picard David , Poulain Laurent , Prévôt André Stephan Henry , Slowik Jay , Sonntag Andre , Swietlicki Erik , Svenningsson Birgitta , Tsurumaru Hiroshi , Wiedensohler Alfred , Wittbom Cerina , Ogren John A. , Matsuki Atsushi , Yum Seong Soo , Myhre Cathrine Lund , Carslaw Ken , Stratmann Frank , Gysel Martin
Published: March 2017

Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentrations alongside with submicrometer particle number size distributions and particle chemical composition have been measured at atmospheric observatories of the Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure (ACTRIS) as well as other international sites over multiple years. Here, harmonized data records from 11 observatories are summarized, spanning 98,677 instrument hours for CCN data, 157,880 for particle number size distributions, and 70,817 for chemical composition data. The observatories represent nine different environments, e.g., Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean maritime, boreal forest, or high alpine atmospheric conditions. This is a unique collection of aerosol particle properties most relevant for studying aerosol-cloud interactions which constitute the largest uncertainty in anthropogenic radiative forcing of the climate. The dataset is appropriate for comprehensive aerosol characterization (e.g., closure studies of CCN), model-measurement intercomparison and satellite retrieval method evaluation, among others. Data have been acquired and processed following international recommendations for quality assurance and have undergone multiple stages of quality assessment.