bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity to Seed Germination Schedule by Scatter‐Hoarding Pére David's Rock Squirrels During Mast and Non‐Mast Years
Authors: Xiao Zhishu , Gao Xu , Zhang Zhibin
Published: March 2013

Mast seeding by oaks (Quercus) and other seed species has fundamental impacts on the behavior of individual scatter‐hoarding animals as well as their population and community dynamics. Scatter‐hoarding squirrels are highly sensitive to acorn germination schedule and stop germination by removing the embryo of non‐dormant acorns to prevent losses of energy and nutrients by rapid germination. However, we know little about how this behavior is affected by mast seeding. We investigated foraging decisions made by free‐ranging Pére David's rock squirrel (Sciurotamias davidianus) with three species that produce non‐dormant seeds and two species that produce dormant seeds (Fagaceae) during mast and non‐mast years in Central China from 2007–2010. Consistent with the food perishability hypothesis that squirrels make decisions to minimize the perishability of their caches, non‐dormant seeds were hoarded at a lower rate, but had a higher probability of embryo removal than dormant seeds. Compared with non‐mast years, a lower proportion of seeds were harvested during mast years, but a higher proportion of the harvested seeds were hoarded. In addition, the probability of embryo removal in the hoarded seeds was higher during mast years. Squirrels also dispersed seeds at shorter distances during mast years. Moreover, the interactions between mast seeding and seed germination schedule had significant effects on squirrel foraging decisions, including embryo removal. This study is the first to demonstrate that squirrels show greater sensitivity to seed germination potential when seeds are abundant.
Clinal adaptation and adaptive plasticity in Artemisia californica: implications for the response of a foundation species to predicted climate change
Authors: Pratt Jessica D. , Mooney Kailen A.
Published: March 2013

Local adaptation and plasticity pose significant obstacles to predicting plant responses to future climates. Although local adaptation and plasticity in plant functional traits have been documented for many species, less is known about population‐level variation in plasticity and whether such variation is driven by adaptation to environmental variation. We examined clinal variation in traits and performance – and plastic responses to environmental change – for the shrub Artemisia californica along a 700 km gradient characterized (from south to north) by a fourfold increase in precipitation and a 61% decrease in interannual precipitation variation. Plants cloned from five populations along this gradient were grown for 3 years in treatments approximating the precipitation regimes of the north and south range margins. Most traits varying among populations did so clinally; northern populations (vs. southern) had higher water‐use efficiencies and lower growth rates, C : N ratios and terpene concentrations. Notably, there was variation in plasticity for plant performance that was strongly correlated with source site interannual precipitation variability. The high‐precipitation treatment (vs. low) increased growth and flower production more for plants from southern populations (181% and 279%, respectively) than northern populations (47% and 20%, respectively). Overall, precipitation variability at population source sites predicted 86% and 99% of variation in plasticity in growth and flowering, respectively. These striking, clinal patterns in plant traits and plasticity are indicative of adaptation to both the mean and variability of environmental conditions. Furthermore, our analysis of long‐term coastal climate data in turn indicates an increase in interannual precipitation variation consistent with most global change models and, unexpectedly, this increased variation is especially pronounced at historically stable, northern sites. Our findings demonstrate the critical need to integrate fundamental evolutionary processes into global change models, as contemporary patterns of adaptation to environmental clines will mediate future plant responses to projected climate change.
Rapid climate driven shifts in wintering distributions of three common waterbird species
Authors: Lehikoinen Aleksi , Jaatinen Kim , Vähätalo Anssi V. , Clausen Preben , Crowe Olivia , Deceuninck Bernard , Hearn Richard , Holt Chas A. , Hornman Menno , Keller Verena , Nilsson Leif , Langendoen Tom , Tománková Irena , Wahl Johannes , Fox Anthony D.
Published: March 2013

Climate change is predicted to cause changes in species distributions and several studies report margin range shifts in some species. However, the reported changes rarely concern a species' entire distribution and are not always linked to climate change. Here, we demonstrate strong north‐eastwards shifts in the centres of gravity of the entire wintering range of three common waterbird species along the North‐West Europe flyway during the past three decades. These shifts correlate with an increase of 3.8 °C in early winter temperature in the north‐eastern part of the wintering areas, where bird abundance increased exponentially, corresponding with decreases in abundance at the south‐western margin of the wintering ranges. This confirms the need to re‐evaluate conservation site safeguard networks and associated biodiversity monitoring along the flyway, as new important wintering areas are established further north and east, and highlights the general urgency of conservation planning in a changing world. Range shifts in wintering waterbirds may also affect hunting pressure, which may alter bag sizes and lead to population‐level consequences.
Toward a More Pragmatic Multiculturalism? How the U.K. Policy Community Sees the Future of Ethnic Diversity Policies
Authors: Taylor‐Gooby Peter , Waite Edmund
Published: March 2013

The United Kingdom is often considered a leader in multiculturalism. However, recent statements by British politicians, community leaders, and academics question the multiculturalist direction in policymaking. This article reports interviews about multiculturalism, national identity, social cohesion, and future policy directions with leading figures in the debate, including Home Affairs Select Committee members, authors of major reports, experts, researchers, and academics. The attitudes expressed when discussing overall policy directions in most cases indicate disquiet at the assumed segregative effects of current policies. However, when specific issues (sharia law, faith schooling, dress codes including veiling, dietary practices, political representation) are considered, most interviewees express a concern to accommodate differences in cultural and traditional standpoints through dialogue. We conclude that multiculturalism in Britain is not “dead,” as some have argued. Instead it is developing in a more pragmatic direction that emphasizes the importance of interaction and accommodation rather than top‐down interventions.
Magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound evaluation of “healthy” joints in young subjects with severe haemophilia A
Authors: Di Minno M. N. D. , Iervolino S. , Soscia E. , Tosetto A. , Coppola A. , Schiavulli M. , Marrone E. , Ruosi C. , Salvatore M. , Di Minno G.
Published: March 2013

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography (US) are increasingly used in haemophilia A (HA) to detect early joint changes. A total of 40 clinically asymptomatic joints, never involved by bleeding events [“healthy joints” (HJ)], were evaluated by MRI and, in parallel, by US in 20 young subjects with severe HA (22.45 ± 2.72 years old; no history of arthritides, of viral infections or of inhibitors against factor VIII). The same joints were evaluated in 20 matched non‐haemophilic (no‐HA) subjects (mean age 23.90 ± 2.31 years, P = 0.078 vs. HA subjects). US images were obtained with specific probe positions according to validated procedures. A validated US score and progressive (P‐MRI) and additive (A‐MRI) MRI scores were employed for data collection and analysis. The US score was higher in HA than in no‐HA subjects (3.40 ± 1.72 vs. 0.80 ± 1.10, P < 0.001). Taking into account only moderate/severe alterations, joint effusion was found in 55% of HA and in 5% of no‐HA joints (P < 0.001); synovial hypertrophy was found in 20% of HA and in none of the no‐HA joints; cartilage erosion was found in 30% of HA and in none of no‐HA joints. MRI examinations confirmed these findings and the US score correlated with the A‐MRI (r = 0.732, P < 0.001) and with the P‐MRI (r = 0.598, P < 0.001) scores. MRI and US data significantly correlated as to effusion (r = 0.819, P = 0.002), synovial hypertrophy (r = 0.633, P = 0.036) and cartilage erosion (r = 0.734, P = 0.010). Despite inherent limitations, joint US examination identified subclinical abnormalities of HJ in young subjects with severe HA.
Gastric variceal bleeding from segmentary idiopathic splenic vein stenosis with left‐sided portal hypertension: An unappreciated complication of pregnancy
Authors: Addario Luigi , Tritto Giovanni , Cavaglià Enrico , Hashim Ahmed , Rotondano Gianluca
Published: March 2013

Segmentary idiopathic splenic vein stenosis is a very rare condition. We report a unique case of acute gastric variceal bleeding in a 31‐year‐old pregnant woman with left‐sided portal hypertension from segmentary idiopathic splenic vein stenosis. Hemorrhage was controlled by endoscopic acrylate glue injection and urgent cesarean section allowed successful delivery. The patient declined subsequent intervention and has been on beta‐blockers with no bleeding recurrence since then. This condition, its pathophysiological implications and management are discussed.
A Means of Honorable Support: Art and Music in Women's Education in the Mid-Nineteenth Century
Authors: Nash Margaret A.
Published: March 2013

“The value of the Art Education becomes more and more apparent as a means of honorable support and of high culture and enjoyment,” stated the catalog of Ingham University in western New York State in 1863. The Art Department there would prepare “pupils for Teachers and Practical Artists.” This statement reveals some of the vocational options for women that were concomitant with the increased popularity of music and art education in the middle decades of the nineteenth century in the United States. Practical vocational concerns, along with notions of refinement and respectable entertainment, all were aspects of the impetus for music and art education. Preparing young women for occupations, whether as teachers of art and music or as commercial artists or musicians, was a particularly prominent component of education for women in the mid-nineteenth-century United States.
Those Who Can't, Teach: The Disabling History of American Educators
Authors: Rousmaniere Kate
Published: March 2013

This essay is an exploratory history of American educators as viewed through the lens of disability studies. By this I mean that I am looking at the history of school teachers with disability as the primary marker of social relations, in much the same way that I and others have looked at the history of education through the primary lens of race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, and sexuality. Looking at the history of teachers through the analytic framework of disability studies allows us to see first, how educational systems, practices, values, and professional norms have developed in a way that excludes people with disabilities from educational employment, or assigned them to parallel and marginalized institutions of special education and second, how notions of normality have defined the work and identity of all educators. It is this latter point that is my greatest interest here: how cultural concepts of ability and disability have shaped all educators' occupational identity and experience over time.
Voluntary organisations and marketisation: a dynamic of employment degradation
Authors: Cunningham Ian , Hearne Gary , James Philip
Published: March 2013

This article uses survey data to explore how far the terms and conditions of voluntary sector staff in Scotland are undergoing a process of reform against the backdrop of the sector's greater engagement in contracting for outsourced public services and a more challenging public expenditure environment. Its findings reveal that they have been undergoing a widespread process of diminution, which would appear to be becoming both deeper and broader. They further argue that this process has been intimately connected to a harsher funding environment and therefore raise the prospect of it intensifying further as the current British government's deficit reduction programme progresses.
Labour solidarity in crisis? Lessons from General Motors
Authors: Bernaciak Magdalena
Published: March 2013

Why was the 2008–09 economic downturn not matched by an internationally coordinated trade union response? Drawing on the evidence from General Motors, this article argues that this was due to states' extraordinary involvement in the economy during the crisis, which provided strategic alternatives to labour transnationalism at the national level.
Membership, influence and voice: a discussion of trade union renewal in the French context
Authors: Milner Susan , Mathers Andrew
Published: March 2013

Union density in France has fallen to exceptionally low levels, yet unions are able to mobilise millions of supporters against government austerity measures. Some authors therefore argue that the union revitalisation literature overemphasises density over other power resources. The article first confirms the decline of density and the scale of the challenges unions face in organising in the face of restructuring and casualisation. Second, it is argued that unions have retained some policy influence by forming strategic alliances among themselves, although pressures for fragmentation remain strong. Third, unions' mobilising capacity indicates the need to find new ways of coordinating action at all levels. The article thus not only confirms the inadequacy of density alone as a measure of union vitality but also highlights the challenges, and some opportunities, facing unions in hostile economic conditions.
Speaking up: employee voice and attitudes to unions in a non‐union US multinational firm
Authors: Turner Thomas , O'Sullivan Michelle
Published: March 2013

We examine employees' experiences of exercising voice in a large non‐union US multinational plant. We find that a majority of those who took action to address a problem reported an unsatisfactory outcome and that experiencing problems at work and taking action are associated with more positive employee attitudes to unions.
The transition from individual to collective labour relations in China
Authors: Kai Chang , Brown William
Published: March 2013

The article discusses the current transformation of Chinese labour relations. The Labour Contract Law implemented in 2008 provided the legal framework for China's adjustment to individual labour relations; it also hastened the evolution of collective labour relations. The article discusses how two different aspects of the Chinese labour movement—top‐down and bottom‐up—have been interacting. Implications are drawn from the experience of the strike wave of the summer of 2010. It is argued that further legal intervention could facilitate the development of China's labour policy, but that the reform of collective labour law will require the strengthening of the collective rights of workers and the nurturing of institutions which can focus collective consciousness and organisation.
Does outpatient laboratory testing represent influenza burden and distribution in a rural state?
Authors: Thompson Deborah L. , Baumbach Joan , Jungk Jessica , Sewell C. Mack , Smelser Chad , Landen Michael
Published: March 2013

Background

Laboratory testing results are often used to monitor influenza illness in populations, but results may not be representative of illness burden and distribution, especially in populations that are geographically, socioeconomically, and racially/ethnically diverse.

Objectives

Descriptive epidemiology and chi‐square analyses using demographic, geographic, and medical condition prevalence comparisons were employed to assess whether a group of individuals with outpatient laboratory‐confirmed influenza illness during September–November 2009 represented the burden and distribution of influenza illness in New Mexico (NM).

Patients/Methods

The outpatient group was identified via random selection from those with positive influenza tests at NM laboratories. Comparison groups included those with laboratory‐confirmed H1N1‐related influenza hospitalization and death identified via prospective active statewide surveillance, those with self‐reported influenza‐like illness (ILI) identified through random digit dialing, and the NM population.

Results

This analysis included 334 individuals with outpatient laboratory‐confirmed influenza, 888 individuals with laboratory‐confirmed H1N1‐related hospitalization, 39 individuals with laboratory‐confirmed H1N1‐related death, 334 individuals with ILI, and NM population data (N = 2 036 112). The outpatient laboratory‐confirmed group had a different distribution of demographic and geographic factors, as well as prevalence of certain medical conditions as compared to the groups of laboratory‐confirmed H1N1‐related hospitalization and death, the ILI group, and the NM population.

Conclusions

The outpatient laboratory‐confirmed group may reflect provider testing practices and potentially healthcare‐seeking behavior and access to care, rather than influenza burden and distribution in NM during the H1N1 pandemic.
Le talon d'Achille de la conception à grande échelle dans l'administration de la sécurité sociale: le cas du crédit universel au Royaume‐Uni
Authors: Seddon John , O'Donovan Brendan
Published: March 2013

Le présent article examine la manière dont le gouvernement britannique a conçu la réforme de l'allocation de crédit universel (CU). Il démontre qu'elle est condamnée à l'échec en raison de l'enjeu politique associé aux modalités de mise en place de cette prestation («numérique par défaut»). Selon les auteurs, un ensemble de théories liées à la gestion à grande échelle, invisibles mais omniprésentes, ont été utilisées pour déterminer le moyen dont le gouvernement entend réaliser son objectif de «rendre le travail plus attrayant». La manière dont les services d'allocations logement ont été définis au niveau local à partir de la «méthode Vanguard» cré
ée par John Seddon est ensuite étudiée à titre d'exemple pour illustrer une conception plus réussie. Ces services permettent notamment de traiter près de 50 pour cent de demandes en plus avec moins de ressources et en moitié moins de temps que celui prévu officiellement. Enfin, l'article appelle en conclusion à la mise en place d'une politique axée davantage sur les faits.
Protection vieillesse des femmes dans le régime de retraite espagnol
Authors: Cifre Concha Salvador
Published: March 2013

L'exemple de l’Espagne confirme que les régimes de retraite par répartition reproduisent les inégalités entre les sexes qui proviennent de la structure du marché du travail et du partage des responsabilités familiales. En général, les femmes au foyer ne peuvent pas percevoir de retraite et dépendent de prestations d'un montant inférieur, telles que la pension de réversion (droits dérivés) ou une pension non contributive. Les femmes qui occupent un emploi à l'extérieur accumulent quant à elles des droits inférieurs à ceux des hommes et touchent par conséquent une pension de vieillesse ou d'invalidité plus faible (droits personnels). Cet article a pour objet d'examiner les chiffres de la répartition des retraites selon le sexe en Espagne, d'étudier certaines des mesures concernant les retraites qui ont été adoptées depuis 2000 et de proposer des actions visant à accélérer la transition des droits dérivés aux droits personnels. Ces propositions sont destinées à promouvoir l'égalité entre les sexes, qui désigne ici le droit à jouir des mêmes conditions de protection sociale et de sécurité financière à l'âge de la vieillesse.
Protein phosphorylation and photorespiration
Authors: Hodges M. , Jossier M. , Boex‐Fontvieille E. , Tcherkez G.
Published: March 2013

Photorespiration allows the recycling of carbon atoms of 2‐phosphoglycolate produced by ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) oxygenase activity, as well as the removal of potentially toxic metabolites. The photorespiratory pathway takes place in the light, encompasses four cellular compartments and interacts with several other metabolic pathways and functions. Therefore, the regulation of this cycle is probably of paramount importance to plant metabolism, however, our current knowledge is poor. To rapidly respond to changing conditions, proteins undergo a number of different post‐translational modifications that include acetylation, methylation and ubiquitylation, but protein phosphorylation is probably the most common. The reversible covalent addition of a phosphate group to a specific amino acid residue allows the modulation of protein function, such as activity, subcellular localisation, capacity to interact with other proteins and stability. Recent data indicate that many photorespiratory enzymes can be phosphorylated, and thus it seems that the photorespiratory cycle is, in part, regulated by protein phosphorylation. In this review, the known phosphorylation sites of each Arabidopsis thaliana photorespiratory enzyme and several photorespiratory‐associated proteins are described and discussed. A brief account of phosphoproteomic protocols is also given since the published data compiled in this review are the fruit of this approach.
The Impact of Foreign Debt on Economic Growth in Malawi
Authors: Tchereni B.H.M. , Sekhampu T.J. , Ndovi R.F.
Published: March 2013

This study analysed the impact of foreign debt on economic growth in Malawi using time series. Data for the period 1975–2003 from the Reserve Bank of Malawi, the IMF and the National Statistical Office was regressed in basic time series analysis. The dependent variable was economic growth and independent variables included level of foreign debt as the main variable. Other variables considered are the inflation rate, exchange rate and the prime lending rate, private and public investment. The results show a statistically insignificant and negative relationship between foreign debt and economic growth for the case of Malawi. The country should strive to provide incentives to local manufacturers who would want to export rather than relying on borrowing for growth inducement. Of interest was the relationship between inflation and economic growth which was positive.
Inflation Forecasting in Angola: A Fractional Approach
Authors: Barros Carlos P. , Gil‐Alana Luis A.
Published: March 2013

This paper forecasts inflation in Angola with an ARFIMA (autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average) model. It is found that inflation in Angola is a highly persistent variable with an order of integration constrained between 0 and 1. Moreover, a structural break is found in August 1996. Using the second subsample for forecasting purposes, the results reveal that inflation will remain low, assuming that prudent macroeconomic policies are maintained.
The impact of oil shocks on China's GDP: a time series analysis
Authors: Al‐mulali Usama , Che Sab Che Normee Binti
Published: March 2013

This study examined the impact of oil shocks on China's gross domestic product (GDP) using the vector autoregressive model taking the period 1970 to 2009. The cointegration test results show that oil shocks have a negative impact on China's GDP. Moreover, the Granger causality test results show that oil prices have a negative causal relationship with China's GDP in the short run. The main recommendation of this study is that China has to increase the flexibility of its labour markets and reduce its oil consumption and its share in the industrial production. Furthermore, it has to adopt a policy that is based on a more flexible inflation targeting regime, and more effective monetary policy. All these policies might help cushion the impact of oil shocks on China's economy.
Oil price shocks and macroeconomic responses: does the exchange rate regime matter?
Authors: Al‐Abri Almukhtar S.
Published: March 2013

The sharp fluctuations in oil prices in recent years provide an opportunity to empirically test Friedman's hypothesis that flexible exchange regimes better absorb real external shocks. This paper empirically examines whether the responses of real output, consumer prices, interest rates and real exchange rates differ across exchange rate regimes. Since the effects of oil price shocks depend on whether the economy is a net importer or a net exporter of oil, the sample used in this study is composed of nine Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development major oil‐importing countries. The results show that only consumer prices and real exchange rates exhibit relatively faster and smoother adjustment to their long‐run equilibrium when the adoptedde factoexchange rate regime is flexible, supporting Friedman's hypothesis. Also, panel Granger causality tests suggest a feedback from real effective exchange rates and inflation rates to the real oil price, supporting the argument that oil price shocks are not purely exogenous to developed economies.
Epicardial adipose tissue and cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese children and adolescents
Authors: Schusterova I. , Leenen F. H. H. , Jurko A. , Sabol F. , Takacova J.
Published: March 2013

What is already known about this subject

The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased markedly in the past 2 decades.

Abdominal fat is a better predictor of risk than body mass index.

Waist circumference (WC) as a measure of abdominal fat has limited sensitivity and specificity.

What this study adds

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) as measured by echocardiography represents a simple and reliable marker of visceral adiposity.

In children, both body mass index and EAT show a similar or better correlation with markers of cardiometabolic risk than does waist circumference.

Background

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is the visceral fat deposit around the heart and is commonly increased in obese subjects. EAT is related to cardiometabolic risk factors and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults, but this relationship is not well known in children.

Objectives

Echocardiographic assessment of EAT and its association with cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese children.

Study groups and methods

In 25 (mean age 13.0 ± 2.3) overweight and obese subjects and 24 lean controls, blood pressure (BP), WC, fasting plasma glucose and insulin, lipids, uric acid and hepatic enzymes were measured. EAT thickness was measured by transthoracic echocardiography.

Results

In overweight and obese subjects, EAT was significantly higher compared to normal weight children. Overweight and obese children had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), WC, BP, triglycerides (TAG), low‐density lipoprotein and total cholesterol, hepatic enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and γ‐glutamyl transferase, and lower high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C). EAT correlated significantly with BP, TAG, uric acid, HDL‐C, apoprotein B and ALT. Correlation coefficients were similar or better than for WC, but similar or lower than for BMI.

Conclusion

EAT thickness in children is associated with an unfavourable cardiometabolic risk profile including biochemical signs of NAFLD and hyperuricaemia, but is not a stronger indicator than BMI.
Modifying perceived variability: four laboratory and field experiments show the effectiveness of a ready‐to‐be‐used prejudice intervention
Authors: Er‐rafiy Abdelatif , Brauer Markus
Published: March 2013

We examined whether increasing individuals' perceived variability of an out‐group reduces prejudice and discrimination toward members of this group. In a series of four laboratory and field experiments, we attracted participants' attention to the heterogeneity of members of an out‐group (or not), and then measured their attitudes or behaviors. Perceived variability was manipulated by portraying the out‐group members as having diverse socio‐demographic characteristics and different personality traits and preferences. Prejudice and discrimination were measured in terms of self‐reported prejudice, stereotyping, in‐group bias, social distance, and willingness to do something for the minority group under consideration. In all experiments, perceived variability decreased prejudice and discrimination.
The aerial invertebrate fauna of subantarctic Macquarie Island
Authors: Hawes Timothy C. , Greenslade Penelope
Published: March 2013

Aim

The extent and diversity of invertebrate aerial dispersal both on remote islands and in polar regions has long been of interest to biogeographers. We therefore monitored the airborne dispersal of insects and other micro‐ and macroinvertebrates to and on Macquarie Island in order to assess (1) the magnitude and composition of local aerial dispersal activity by the island's invertebrate fauna, and (2) the potential for exotic arrival and establishment.

Location

Macquarie Island.

Methods

Two robust wind‐traps were run year‐round on Macquarie Island from 1991 to 1994 to collect airborne insects and other micro‐ and macroinvertebrates.

Results

More than 3000 invertebrates were caught in these traps over the sampling period in the most comprehensive aerial survey of subantarctic invertebrates to date. Representatives of seven orders of Insecta were captured: Psocoptera, Thysanoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. Other taxa captured included other arthropods (Arachnida and Collembola) but also terrestrial Gastropoda. Evidence of possible long‐distance dispersal (LDD) was limited to two exotic catches (one species of Collembolon, and one species of Thysanoptera). The abundance and composition of indigenous invertebrates caught in the traps indicates that the frequency of short‐distance dispersal (SDD) movements on the island far exceeds that which had previously been realized.

Main conclusions

More than half the total catch (53%) was of flightless (i.e. passively dispersed) invertebrates, with 84% of them flightless in one of the two traps. The extent of passive dispersal movements is consistent, with most invertebrates being widely distributed at a whole‐island scale. Aerial dispersal may act as a conduit for non‐indigenous arrivals but this occurs infrequently. Other explanations for exotic species in traps are equally likely. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to terrestrial invertebrate biogeography.
Microinflammation in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Shikata Kenichi , Makino Hirofumi
Published: March 2013

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end‐stage renal failure in developed countries. Furthermore, diabetic nephropathy is related to the risk of cardiovascular diseases and an increase in mortality of diabetic patients. Several factors are involved in the development of nephropathy, including glomerular hyperfiltration, oxidative stress, accumulation of advanced glycation end‐products, activation of protein kinase C, acceleration of the polyol pathway and over‐expression of transforming growth factor‐β. Recently, accumulated data have emphasized the critical roles of chronic low‐grade inflammation, ‘microinflammation’, in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, suggesting that microinflammation is a common mechanism in the development of diabetic vascular complications. Expression of cell adhesion molecules, chemokines and pro‐inflammatory cytokines are increased in the renal tissues of diabetic patients and animals. Deficiency of pro‐inflammatory molecules results in amelioration of renal injuries after induction of diabetes in mice. Plasma and urinary levels of cytokines, chemokines and cell adhesion molecules, are elevated and correlated with albuminuria. Several kinds of drugs that have anti‐inflammatory actions as their pleiotropic effects showed renoprotective effects on diabetic animals. Modulation of the inflammatory process prevents renal insufficiency in diabetic animal models, suggesting that microinflammation is one of the promising therapeutic targets for diabetic nephropathy, as well as for cardiovascular diseases.
Increased risk of pemphigoid following scabies: a population‐based matched‐cohort study
Authors: Chung S.‐D. , Lin H.‐C. , Wang K.‐H.
Published: March 2013

Background

No prior study has investigated the possibility that scabies patients may be at an increased risk for developing pemphigoid.

Objective

To evaluate the risk of pemphigoid following scabies during a 3‐year follow‐up period using a Taiwanese population‐based claims database and taking clinical and demographic characteristics into consideration.

Methods

This investigation consisted of a study group of 6793 subjects with a diagnosis of scabies and 33 965 randomly selected subjects used as a comparison group. Each patient was tracked for 3 years following their index dates to identify those who received a subsequent diagnosis of pemphigoid. Stratified Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to compute the hazard ratio (HR) of pemphigoid during the 3‐year follow‐up period.

Results

Of the 40 758 subjects, 52 (0.13%) had received a diagnosis of pemphigoid during the 3‐year follow‐up period; 33 (0.49% of the study group) were from the study group and 19 (0.06% of the comparison group) were from the comparison group. Compared to subjects without scabies, the HR for pemphigoid for subjects with scabies was 5.93 within the 3‐year follow‐up period following the index date after adjusting for monthly income, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, psoriasis, stroke, dementia, Parkinson's disease, coronary heart disease, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and after censoring those that died during the follow‐up period.

Conclusions

This study detected an increased risk for pemphigoid among patients suffering from scabies. Physicians treating elderly patients with a history of scabies should be alert to the development of pemphigoid.
Circulating endothelial cell levels in psoriatic patients and their modification after an anti‐TNF‐alpha (Etanercept) treatment
Authors: De Simone C. , Caldarola G. , Coco V. , Palumbo S. , Pocino K. , Sgambato A. , Maiorino A. , Corbi M. , Sandri M.T. , Vendittelli F. , Capoluongo E.
Published: March 2013

Background

Endothelial function in psoriatic patients has been mainly evaluated through a high‐resolution ultrasound measurement of flow‐mediated vasodilation in the brachial artery, which is an operator‐dependent and technically demanding technique: this characteristic, together with different patient selection criteria, could account for the conflicting results emerging from different studies. Recently, Circulating Endothelial Cells (CECs) level has been suggested as a novel biomarker of vascular injury.

Methods

The number of CECs was determined by a semi‐automated immunomagnetic system (CellSearch system) in peripheral blood of psoriatic patients (n = 48) and healthy subjects (n = 50). In 15 patients, CEC level was also evaluated after 6 months of treatment with an anti–TNF‐alpha agent, Etanercept. The plasma levels of high‐sensitivity C‐reactive Protein (CRP), E‐selectin, VEGF and PAI‐1 were measured by ELISA. The psoriasis severity was assessed by PASI score.

Results

A statistically significant difference (P = 0.001) was found between CEC level in psoriatic patients (10.6 ± 9.4 cells/mL) vs. the control group (3.9 ± 0.9 cells/mL). This count inversely correlated with sE‐selectin levels (r2 = 0.16; P = 0.03). After 6 months of therapy, patients experienced a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in CEC levels (3.4 ± 1.3 cells/mL) and in PASI score (from 11.7 ± 8.1 to 2.1 ± 4.0).

Conclusions

The elevated CECs level that we found in a sample of high selected psoriatic patients could be expression of endothelial damage. Lowering of CECs count after treatment with Etanercept support the hypothesis that an effective systemic therapy of psoriasis may also improve the endothelial function.
Mating compatibility of wild and sterile melon flies, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) treated with entomopathogenic fungi
Authors: Sookar P. , Bhagwant S. , Khayrattee F. B. , Chooneea Y. , Ekesi S.
Published: March 2013

Field cage tests were carried out to determine the mating compatibility of sterile and wild melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), males that were treated or not treated with entomopathogenic fungi. The melon flies were irradiated at 70 Gy, and the adults were treated with dry conidia of either Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) or Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin 1 day before the mating test. Our results demonstrate that sterile melon flies treated with either B. bassiana or M. anisopliae showed mating compatibility with the wild flies. Inoculation of the flies with the fungi did not significantly affect the mean time of copulation (323–567 min) as compared to mating involving only wild flies (407–518 min). Treatment of the flies with either B. bassiana or M. anisopliae did not significantly affect the propensity of mating. Wild females mated indiscriminately with sterile, sterile B. bassiana‐treated or sterile M. anisopliae‐treated males. Irrespective of the treatment combinations, mean percentage remating was significantly higher for sterile females with sterile males (7.72–27.12%) as compared to wild females with sterile males (0.76–14.90%). The possibility of using sterile melon flies as vectors of the entomopathogenic fungi to enhance an SIT programme is discussed.
The influence of sociocultural factors on the eating attitudes of Lebanese and Cypriot students: a cross‐cultural study
Authors: Zeeni N. , Gharibeh N. , Katsounari I.
Published: March 2013

Background

The present comparative cross‐cultural study aimed to explore the relationship between eating behaviour and sociocultural influences with respect to appearance and body image in female university students from two cultural contexts, namely Cyprus and Lebanon.

Methods

The Dutch Eating Behavior questionnaire (DEBQ) and the Perceived Sociocultural Influences on Body Image and Body Change Questionnaire were used to assess sociocultural influences and body image, respectively, in 200 students from each country.

Results

The results indicated that the Lebanese students were more likely to engage in emotional and external eating and their body image was impacted to a larger extent by sociocultural agents, including media influences, compared to the Cypriot students. Also, a positive relationship was found between emotional and external eating in both cultures. Finally, sociocultural influences correlated positively with external eating only in the Cypriot sample.

Conclusions

Culture‐specific factors, such as the societal values and norms, as well as the Westernisation history of each country, are discussed as underpinnings for the differences found. These findings are significant for understanding the rise of eating pathology in these two cultures and provide evidence for a need to consider cultural environment when designing public health policies addressing the negative aspects of nutrition transition.
Avoidance of meat and poultry decreases intakes of omega‐3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc in young women
Authors: Fayet F. , Flood V. , Petocz P. , Samman S.
Published: March 2013

Background

Inadequate nutrient intake and physical inactivity may have adverse health consequences. The present study aimed to describe young female students' dietary intake, food choices and physical activity (PA) patterns, and also to determine the influence of dietary avoidance of meat and poultry on nutrient intake.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study of female university students was conducted. Questionnaires were used to measure dietary intakes, food habits and PA. Anthropometric measurements of participants included height, weight and calculated body mass index (BMI).

Results

There were 308 participants with a mean (SD) age of 22.9 (3.9) years and a BMI of 21.5 (2.8) kg m–2; 78% were in the BMI range 18.5–24.9 kg m–2. Of those who responded to the PA questionnaire (n = 218), 53% reported activity ≥150 min per week, with walking being the largest contributor. Completed food frequency questionnaires were returned by 256 participants. National recommendations for servings of cereals, vegetables, meat, fish and energy‐dense ‘extra foods’ were not met by the majority of participants. Avoidance of animal foods was reported in 23% of women, and resulted in lower intakes of omega‐3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc (P < 0.05) compared to non‐avoidance. Iron intake from animal sources decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with the increase in meat and poultry avoidance.

Conclusions

Female students had a healthy weight and reported adequate physical activity. However, in comparison to meat and poultry consumers, the avoidance of these foods was associated with a lower intake of some micronutrients. A sustained low intake of micronutrients may lead to adverse health effects in the longer‐term, such as compromised immune function and iron deficiency anaemia.
A Respecified Fama French Three‐Factor Model for the New European Union Member States
Authors: Foye James , Mramor Dušan , Pahor Marko
Published: March 2013

This study uses factor models to explain stock market returns in the Eastern European (EE) countries that joined the European Union (EU) in 2004. In line with other studies, we find that the market value of equity component in the Fama French (1993) three‐factor model performs poorly when applied to our emerging markets dataset. We propose a significant amendment to the standard three‐factor model by replacing the market value of equity factor with a term that proxies for accounting manipulation. We show that our three‐factor model is able to explain returns in the EE EU nations significantly better than the Fama French (1993) three‐factor model, hereby offering an alternative model for use in the numerous markets in which previous studies have found little correlation between market value of equity and equity returns.
Public Sector Debt Dynamics: The Persistence and Sources of Shocks to Debt in 10 EU Countries
Authors: ANTONINI MASSIMO , LEE KEVIN , PIRES JACINTA
Published: March 2013

This paper characterizes the time‐series properties of debt:GDP ratios in 10 EU countries over 1982–2009 and measures the size and source of the permanent effects of shocks as they evolve over time. The analysis shows debt dynamics in the EU10 are complicated, involving important intercountry interactions and protracted adjustment periods of about 10 years. We find evidence of asymmetries in the effects of different forms of “fiscal consolidation,” with unanticipated reductions in government spending having a more permanent effect than unanticipated increases in government revenue. Unanticipated business cycle fluctuations also have important long‐term effects on the ratio.
Inventory‐Theoretic Money Demand and Relative Price Dynamics
Authors: SUDO HIROKAZU ISHISE NAO
Published: March 2013

We construct a two‐goods inventory‐theoretic money demand model and find that the model implies, in a monetary contraction, the decline in the prices of low cash‐intensity goods, durables, or luxuries outpaces that of high cash‐intensity goods, nondurables, or necessities. Using U.S. data, we show that our model’s predictions are consistent with the data.
Alternative Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Structural Vector Autoregressive Models Partially Identified with Short‐Run Restrictions
Authors: JANG KYUNGHO
Published: March 2013

This paper presents an alternative maximum likelihood estimation method for partially identified vector autoregressive models. This method might be especially useful to handle very large systems of variables by reducing the dimension of the likelihood space. As an application, we consider an open economy model to investigate the effects of monetary policy on exchange rates and term structures. We find that exchange rates tend to overshoot and term structures have hump‐shaped responses to monetary policy shocks.
House Prices and Fundamentals: 355 Years of Evidence
Authors: AMBROSE BRENT W. , EICHHOLTZ PIET , LINDENTHAL THIES
Published: March 2013

This paper examines the long‐run relation between prices and rents for houses in Amsterdam from 1650 to 2005. We estimate the deviation of house prices from fundamentals and find that these deviations can be persistent and long‐lasting. Furthermore, we look at the feedback mechanisms between housing market fundamentals and prices, and find that market correction of the mispricing occurs mainly through prices not rents. This correction back to equilibrium, however, can take decades.
Obstetric cholestasis: Outcome with active management
Authors: Jain Reenu , Suri Vanita , Chopra Seema , Chawla Yogesh K. , Kohli Krishan Kumar
Published: March 2013

Aim

To study the nature and clinical outcome of pregnancies with obstetric cholestasis on active management and to correlate perinatal outcome to gestational age at delivery.

Material and Methods

This prospective randomized study included 69 women with obstetric cholestasis. Fetal surveillance began at 34 weeks or later at diagnosis and included daily maternal record of fetal movements, and biophysical profile (i.e. non stress test, the four quadrant amniotic fluid index). Fetal monitoring was conducted weekly before 36 weeks and biweekly after that. Randomization into two groups was done where one group was planned for delivery at 37 weeks whereas in the other group, pregnancy was carried to 38 weeks under surveillance. The primary outcome variable was correlation of fetal and neonatal complication rates to gestational age at delivery.

Results

There were no stillbirths in the study. No episode of fetal asphyxia or bradycardia was observed. The overall rate of meconium passage was 7.46% (5/67). However, there was no case of meconium aspiration syndrome. Women delivering at or after 38 weeks had a lower incidence of cesarean section (17.85% vs 25.8%), neonatal nursery admission (17.85% vs 22.5%), and neonatal jaundice (17.85% vs 19.35%) compared to those delivering at 37 weeks. The differences between the two groups were, however, not found to be statistically significant.

Conclusion

The current study demonstrates that with active intervention, pregnancies with obstetric cholestasis can be carried to a later gestation under surveillance.
Alternative Mechanisms of Astringency – What is the Role of Saliva?
Authors: Gibbins H.L. , Carpenter G.H.
Published: March 2013

Astringency is described as a “dry puckering‐like sensation” in the mouth following consumption of tannins including tea polyphenols. The current model describing astringency is based on precipitation of salivary proline‐rich proteins by polyphenols and/or altered salivary lubrication. Because dryness from astringency is detected by oral tissues this suggests other interactions, possibly through direct alteration of the lubricating mucosal pellicle, which may also expose the oral mucosa below. A loss of mucosal lubrication is likely to be fundamental in astringency development and it seems likely that astringent stimuli alter the salivary bulk, saliva rheology and the saliva pellicle leading to an increase of friction in the oral cavity.

Practical Applications

For the consumer, high levels of astringency in foods may lead to them becoming unpalatable. However, as the health benefits of many plant‐based astringent molecules, such as polyphenols, have become more apparent there is a desire to increase their levels in the diet. Currently, because of the complexity of astringency and the likelihood of multiple mechanisms occurring simultaneously, there is still a gap in knowledge regarding how these mechanisms affect each other and how these lead to altered mouthfeel after consumption of astringent stimuli. A good understanding of astringency development in the oral cavity may lead to an advancement of mechanisms that may prevent the astringency without reducing levels of the astringent molecules in food.