bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Habenular connections with the dopaminergic and serotonergic system and their role in stress‐related psychiatric disorders
Authors: Metzger Martin , Souza Rudieri , Lima Leandro B. , Bueno Debora , Gonçalves Luciano , Sego Chemutai , Donato Jose , Shammah‐Lagnado Sara J.
Published: December 2019

The habenula (Hb) is a phylogenetically old epithalamic structure differentiated into two nuclear complexes, the medial (MHb) and lateral habenula (LHb). After decades of search for a great unifying function, interest in the Hb resurged when it was demonstrated that LHb plays a major role in the encoding of aversive stimuli ranging from noxious stimuli to the loss of predicted rewards. Consistent with a role as an anti‐reward center, aberrant LHb activity has now been identified as a key factor in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder. Moreover, both MHb and LHb emerged as new players in the reward circuitry by primarily mediating the aversive properties of distinct drugs of abuse. Anatomically, the Hb serves as a bridge that links basal forebrain structures with monoaminergic nuclei in the mid‐ and hindbrain. So far, research on Hb has focused on the role of the LHb in regulating midbrain dopamine release. However, LHb/MHb are also interconnected with the dorsal (DR) and median (MnR) raphe nucleus. Hence, it is conceivable that some of the habenular functions are at least partly mediated by the complex network that links MHb/LHb with pontomesencephalic monoaminergic nuclei. Here, we summarize research about the topography and transmitter phenotype of the reciprocal connections between the LHb and ventral tegmental area‐nigra complex, as well as those between the LHb and DR/MnR. Indirect MHb outputs via interpeduncular nucleus to state‐setting neuromodulatory networks will also be commented. Finally, we discuss the role of specific LHb‐VTA and LHb/MHb‐raphe circuits in anxiety and depression.
Dopamine modulates the optomotor response to unreliable visual stimuli in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Akiba Masumi , Sugimoto Kentaro , Aoki Risa , Murakami Ryo , Miyashita Tomoyuki , Hashimoto Riho , Hiranuma Anna , Yamauchi Junji , Ueno Taro , Morimoto Takako
Published: December 2019

State‐dependent modulation of sensory systems has been studied in many organisms and is possibly mediated through neuromodulators such as monoamine neurotransmitters. Among these, dopamine is involved in many aspects of animal behaviour, including movement control, attention, motivation and cognition. However, the precise neural mechanism underlying dopaminergic modulation of behaviour induced by sensory stimuli remains poorly understood. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster to show that dopamine can modulate the optomotor response to moving visual stimuli including noise. The optomotor response is the head‐turning response to moving objects, which is observed in most sight‐reliant animals including mammals and insects. First, the effects of the dopamine system on the optomotor response were investigated in mutant flies deficient in dopamine receptors D1R1 or D1R2, which are involved in the modulation of sleep‐arousal in flies. We examined the optomotor response in D1R1 knockout (D1R1 KO) and D1R2 knockout (D1R2 KO) flies and found that it was not affected in D1R1 KO flies; however, it was significantly reduced in D1R2 KO flies compared with the wild type. Using cell‐type‐specific expression of an RNA interference construct of D1R2, we identified the fan‐shaped body, a part of the central complex, responsible for dopamine‐mediated modulation of the optomotor response. In particular, pontine cells in the fan‐shaped body seemed important in the modulation of the optomotor response, and their neural activity was required for the optomotor response. These results suggest a novel role of the central complex in the modulation of a behaviour based on the processing of sensory stimulations.
Improving the risk management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus in China from the perspective of social relationships
Authors: Wang Xiaojia , Chen Mi , Xia Wei , Zhu Keyu , Zhang Shanshan , Xu Weiqun , Guan Yuxiang
Published: December 2019

In China, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasingly affecting people's health. Although many risk factors related to T2DM have been researched, the association between social relationships and risk management of T2DM in China has not been fully researched. Therefore, we obtained 2,969 valid cases from the National Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base‐Key Disease of Diabetes Mellitus Study to evaluate the role of social relationships in the risk management of T2DM. We first establish an indicators system of social relationship factors and then propose a comprehensive method that integrates subjective (analytical network process) and objective (entropy weight method) evaluations to rank the importance of the 17 social relationship factors that were the most important and commonly used. The results suggest that different social relationship factors have different effects on the risk management of T2DM. Patients and health workers should pay more attention to the high‐benefit factors and thus improve the efficiency of the risk management of T2DM. These findings provided theoretical support for patients and health workers by developing the positive effects of social relationships in improving the risk management of T2DM to the fullest degree.
Hiding from the climate: Characterizing microrefugia for boreal forest understory species
Authors: Greiser Caroline , Ehrlén Johan , Meineri Eric , Hylander Kristoffer
Published: December 2019

Climate warming is likely to shift the range margins of species poleward, but fine‐scale temperature differences near the ground (microclimates) may modify these range shifts. For example, cold‐adapted species may survive in microrefugia when the climate gets warmer. However, it is still largely unknown to what extent cold microclimates govern the local persistence of populations at their warm range margin. We located 99 microrefugia, defined as sites with edge populations of 12 widespread boreal forest understory species (vascular plants, mosses, liverworts and lichens) in an area of ca. 24,000 km2 along the species' southern range margin in central Sweden. Within each population, a logger measured temperature eight times per day during one full year. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, we examined the differences of the populations' microclimates with the mean and range of microclimates in the landscape, and identified the typical climate, vegetation and topographic features of these habitats. Comparison sites were drawn from another logger data set (n = 110), and from high‐resolution microclimate maps. The microrefugia were mainly places characterized by lower summer and autumn maximum temperatures, late snow melt dates and high climate stability. Microrefugia also had higher forest basal area and lower solar radiation in spring and autumn than the landscape average. Although there were common trends across northern species in how microrefugia differed from the landscape average, there were also interspecific differences and some species contributed more than others to the overall results. Our findings provide biologically meaningful criteria to locate and spatially predict potential climate microrefugia in the boreal forest. This opens up the opportunity to protect valuable sites, and adapt forest management, for example, by keeping old‐growth forests at topographically shaded sites. These measures may help to mitigate the loss of genetic and species diversity caused by rear‐edge contractions in a warmer climate.
Simultaneous quantification of N2, NH3 and N2O emissions from a flooded paddy field under different N fertilization regimes
Authors: Xia Longlong , Li Xiaobo , Ma Qianqian , Lam Shu Kee , Wolf Benjamin , Kiese Ralf , Butterbach‐Bahl Klaus , Chen Deli , Li Zhian , Yan Xiaoyuan
Published: December 2019

Gaseous nitrogen (N) emissions, especially emissions of dinitrogen (N2) and ammonia (NH3), have long been considered as the major pathways of N loss from flooded rice paddies. However, no studies have simultaneously evaluated the overall response of gaseous N losses to improved N fertilization practices due to the difficulties to directly measure N2 emissions from paddy soils. We simultaneously quantified emissions of N2 (using membrane inlet mass spectrometry), NH3 and nitrous oxide (N2O) from a flooded paddy field in southern China over an entire rice‐growing season. Our field experiment included three treatments: a control treatment (no N addition) and two N fertilizer (220 kg N/ha) application methods, the traditional surface application of N fertilizer and the incorporation of N fertilizer into the soil. Our results show that over the rice‐growing season, the cumulative gaseous N losses from the surface application treatment accounted for 13.5% (N2), 19.1% (NH3), 0.2% (N2O) and 32.8% (total gaseous N loss) of the applied N fertilizer. Compared with the surface application treatment, the incorporation of N fertilizer into the soil decreased the emissions of NH3, N2 and N2O by 14.2%, 13.3% and 42.5%, respectively. Overall, the incorporation of N fertilizer into the soil significantly reduced the total gaseous N loss by 13.8%, improved the fertilizer N use efficiency by 14.4%, increased the rice yield by 13.9% and reduced the gaseous N loss intensity (gaseous N loss/rice yield) by 24.3%. Our results indicate that the incorporation of N fertilizer into the soil is an effective agricultural management practice in ensuring food security and environmental sustainability in flooded paddy ecosystems.
Developmental trap or demographic bonanza? Opposing consequences of earlier phenology in a changing climate for a multivoltine butterfly
Authors: Kerr Natalie Z. , Wepprich Tyson , Grevstad Fritzi S. , Dopman Erik B. , Chew Frances S. , Crone Elizabeth E.
Published: December 2019

A rapidly changing climate has the potential to interfere with the timing of environmental cues that ectothermic organisms rely on to initiate and regulate life history events. Short‐lived ectotherms that exhibit plasticity in their life history could increase the number of generations per year under warming climate. If many individuals successfully complete an additional generation, the population experiences an additional opportunity to grow, and a warming climate could lead to a demographic bonanza. However, these plastic responses could become maladaptive in temperate regions, where a warmer climate could trigger a developmental pathway that cannot be completed within the growing season, referred to as a developmental trap. Here we incorporated detailed demography into commonly used photothermal models to evaluate these demographic consequences of phenological shifts due to a warming climate on the formerly widespread, multivoltine butterfly (Pieris oleracea). Using species‐specific temperature‐ and photoperiod‐sensitive vital rates, we estimated the number of generations per year and population growth rate over the set of climate conditions experienced during the past 38 years. We predicted that populations in the southern portion of its range have added a fourth generation in recent years, resulting in higher annual population growth rates (demographic bonanzas). We predicted that populations in the Northeast United States have experienced developmental traps, where increases in the thermal window initially caused mortality of the final generation and reduced growth rates. These populations may recover if more growing degree days are added to the year. Our framework for incorporating detailed demography into commonly used photothermal models demonstrates the importance of using both demography and phenology to predict consequences of phenological shifts.
Production of beef cattle grazing on Brachiaria brizantha (Marandu grass)—Arachis pintoi (forage peanut cv. Belomonte) mixtures exceeded that on grass monocultures fertilized with 120 kg N/ha
Authors: Pereira José Marques , Rezende Claudia de Paula , Ferreira Borges Augusto Magno , Homem Bruno Grossi Costa , Casagrande Daniel Rume , Macedo Thasia Martins , Alves Bruno José Rodrigues , Cabral de Sant’Anna Selenobaldo Alexinaldo , Urquiaga Segundo , Boddey Robert Michael
Published: December 2019

Mixed grass/legume pastures are an alternative to grass monocultures for increased beef cattle production in tropical climates. The objective of this study was to evaluate the productivity of beef cattle grazing either a mixed pasture of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu grass and Arachis pintoi (forage peanut) cv. Belomonte or a Marandu monoculture, under rotational stocking. Five trials were conducted over a period of nine years in north‐eastern Brazil where the sward structure (forage, grass and legume mass) and animal performance were compared for a mixed Marandu grass/forage peanut pasture, and a Marandu grass monoculture with 120 kg N ha−1 y−1. Stocking rate was adjusted to maintain forage allowance at 4% body weight/day. A block design was used with four replicates, and warm and cool seasons within each trial were considered, using repeated measurements over time. In the warm season, the forage mass in the mixed pastures was 17% greater than in the monoculture (p = .049), and the stocking rate, average daily gain and liveweight gain per ha were 16.4%, 20.0% and 28.7% greater (p = .004, p < .001 and p < .001 respectively). The average daily gain showed a positive linear relationship with the legume proportion in the sward (p < .001). The mixed forage peanut/Marandu pasture sustained significantly greater beef cattle production (789 kg ha−1 y−1) compared to the N‐fertilized grass monoculture (655 kg ha−1 y−1). Appropriately managed, mixed pastures of forage peanut/Brachiaria pastures are sustainable and have high potential for use in the humid tropics.
The Martyrs of Córdoba: Debates around a curious case of medieval martyrdom
Authors: Ihnat Kati
Published: December 2019

Historians have long been fascinated by the almost 50 Christians who were sentenced to death by the Islamic authorities in mid‐ninth century Córdoba, in most cases for wilfully and publicly blaspheming against the Prophet. Since the single manuscript account describing the lives and actions of the so‐called martyrs of Córdoba was ‘rediscovered’ in the 16th century, interest in this seemingly singular movement has grown, as the Cordoban martyrs became symbols for everything from an undying Spanish, Christian identity under a brutal Islamic occupation to fanatical extremism in a tolerant Muslim society. Research in the last decades—particularly after the literary, spatial and material turns—has nevertheless complicated our understanding of the martyr movement, looking beyond the motivations of the actors to the social and religious context in which they were operating, as well as the cultural and literary currents that shaped the martyrdom accounts. This article traces the historiographical record that has sought to make sense of the Cordoban martyrs, leading us to question the very definition of ‘martyr’, how and why such individuals are formed.
Turkish validity and reliability of Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form A
Authors: Güzel Aysun , Turan Sevgi , Üner Sarp
Published: December 2019

Aim

The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form A.

Methods

The research is a methodological instrument validation study, and the study sample consisted of 275 participants. The data collection phase of the study was completed between 15 July and 15 September 2016. The study used data collection tools including a Personal Information Form, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form A, and the Internal‐External Locus of Control Scale. Data on sociodemographic variables are presented as percentages and means. Confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analyses were used.

Results

The Cronbach α values of the subdimensions of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form A were determined as acceptable for the internal control, the chance, and powerful other subscales. The confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable values and acceptable fit for the model fit statistics.

Conclusion

The Turkish version of Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form A was accepted as valid and reliable.
Treatment approaches in immunosuppressed patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Willenbrink T.J. , Jambusaria‐Pahlajani A. , Arron S. , Seckin D. , Harwood C.A. , Proby C.M.
Published: December 2019

Immunosuppression, both iatrogenic and disease‐related, is associated with a greatly increased incidence of cutaneous SCC (cSCC) and with aggressive cSCC and worse disease outcomes. Consequently, rapid access to skin cancer services and prudent surgical choices, such as circumferential margin assessment, is essential when treating advanced cSCC in an immunosuppressed patient. For high‐risk cancers and control of cSCC multiplicity, additional strategies should be actively considered within the multidisciplinary clinical care team. These include minimization or revision of immunosuppressive medications, systemic chemoprevention (including retinoids, nicotinamide, capecitabine) and adjuvant therapies such as radiotherapy. Unfortunately, there is a relative paucity of good evidence for many of these treatments in the immunosuppressed. Systemic treatments for metastatic cSCC are often contraindicated in organ transplant recipients, notably checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. There are also toxicity concerns with some conventional chemotherapies and EGFR inhibitors. Until recently, clinical trials have largely excluded immunosuppressed individuals. Development of more effective treatment for advanced cSCC in this high‐risk group and prospective clinical trials are now research priorities.
Histological classification of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas with different severity
Authors: Schmitz L. , Kanitakis J.
Published: December 2019

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common non‐melanoma skin cancer. Histology represents the gold standard to confirm the diagnosis of cSCC and is mandatory to determine important findings for tumour grading, such as tumour thickness, depth of invasion, degree of differentiation and histological subtype, perineural and vascular invasion, and assessing tumour margins. In daily clinical practice, the combination of clinical and histological features should be considered when grading the tumours and treating the patients, accordingly. This article aims to provide a structured overview of the most common histological findings of in situ and invasive cSCCs, namely those relevant to their severity, and should facilitate the understanding and evaluation of these results.
Lectin receptor kinase OsLecRK‐S.7 is required for pollen development and male fertility
Authors: Peng Xiaoqun , Wang Menglong , Li Yiqi , Yan Wei , Chang Zhenyi , Chen Zhufeng , Xu Chunjue , Yang Chengwei , Deng Xing Wang , Wu Jianxin , Tang Xiaoyan
Published: December 2019

Pollen grains are covered by exine that protects the pollen from stress and facilitates pollination. Here we isolated a male sterile mutant s13283 in rice exhibiting aborted pollen with abnormal exine and defective aperture. The mutant gene encodes a novel plasma membrane‐localized legume‐lectin receptor kinase that we named OsLecRK‐S.7. OsLecRK‐S.7 was expressed at different levels in all tested tissues and throughout anther development. In vitro kinase assay showed OsLecRK‐S.7 capable of autophosporylation. Mutation in s13283 (E560K) and mutation of the conserved ATP binding site (K418E) both knocked out the kinase activity. Mass spectrometry showed Thr376, Ser378, Thr386, Thr403, and Thr657 to be the autophosphorylation sites. Mutation of individual autophosphorylation site affected the in vitro kinase activity to different degrees, but did not abolish the gene function in fertility complementation. oslecrk‐s.7 mutant plant overexpressing OsLecRK‐S.7 recovered male fertility but showed severe growth retardation with reduced number of tillers, and these phenotypes were abolished by E560K or K418E mutation. The results indicated that OsLecRK‐S.7 was a key regulator of pollen development.
The effects of physical activity or sport‐based interventions on psychological factors in adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review
Authors: Bondár R. Z. , di Fronso S. , Bortoli L. , Robazza C. , Metsios G. S. , Bertollo M.
Published: December 2019

Background

Inactivity is a major factor contributing to adverse health in people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). While it is generally agreed that physical activity (PA)/sport‐based interventions promote cognitive and social development in the general population, little is known about their specific benefits in adults with ID. The aims of this systematic review were (a) to examine the effects of PA/sport‐based interventions on intention, motivation and attitude regarding PA/sport participation in adults with ID and (b) to investigate the influence of these psychological factors on behavioural change (e.g. PA level) and quality of life.

Methods

A systematic review has been conducted searching four electronic databases (i.e. SCOPUS, Web of Science, PubMed and Cochrane Library). Studies were included if written in English, peer reviewed, had primary research data, and measured intention, motivation, attitude, behavioural outcomes or quality of life.

Results

Thirteen articles met our inclusion criteria of which 10 explored the effects of PA/sport as part of a multi‐component intervention. Most investigated outcomes were exercise self‐efficacy and quality of life. Five studies measured exercise self‐efficacy, and four of them found significant changes. One study found a significant improvement in quality of life and another study in life satisfaction. We observed lack of sport‐based interventions, few data about people with severe ID and limited psychological measures.

Conclusions

Personal and environmental factors are key components of behavioural change. Support of caregivers and individualised instructions may benefit exercise self‐efficacy. There is lack of information about the effects of psychological factors on behavioural change and quality of life in adults with ID.
Who to Blame and How to Solve It: Mothers' Perceptions of Work–Family Conflict Across Western Policy Regimes
Authors: Collins Caitlyn
Published: December 2019

Objective

This study compares mothers' perceptions of work–family conflict in four countries that exemplify different work–family policy approaches: Sweden, Germany, Italy, and the United States.

Background

Scholars have examined the impact of culture and work–family policy on mothers cross‐nationally, primarily using quantitative methods. Thus, sociologists have a good understanding of both work–family policy structures and outcomes, but the intervening processes that play out in working mothers' daily lives are not well understood.

Method

This article begins to fill this gap, drawing on interviews with 109 middle‐class employed mothers in Stockholm, Berlin, Rome, and Washington, D.C. The author investigates how work–family conflict is mitigated—or not—in countries with policies that reflect different ideals of motherhood, employment, and gender equality.

Results

Interviews reveal confirming evidence of cross‐national variation in mothers' levels or perceived scope of conflict. Mothers also (a) attribute blame for their work–family conflict to different sources and (b) employ different solutions to resolve it.

Conclusion

Work–family conflict is not an inevitable feature of contemporary life. Rather, it is the product of public policies and cultural attitudes that shape women's desires, expectations, and behaviors regarding work and family. Elucidating the processes of perception, attribution, and resolution is crucial to understand the political and cultural conditions that facilitate the combination of motherhood and employment.
Language and (in)securitization: Observations from educational research and practice in conflict‐affected contexts
Authors: Zakharia Zeena
Published: December 2019

Spurred in part by violent conflict and natural disaster, the surge in global migration calls for renewed attention to the central role of language in everyday (in)securitization. In this brief response, I draw on my work in the Middle East and among Arabic‐speaking populations in the United States to offer some illustration of the instantiation of global, macro‐processes of (in)securitization and surveillance in the everyday micro‐practices of schooling—issues that are possible to “see” when language policy is the site of inquiry. In centring everyday communicative practice, sociolinguistics provides a distinctive entry point for examining the lived experience of this (in)securitization, by illuminating pervasive and mundane micro‐processes within the “extraordinary” and routinized social interactions of everyday schooling.
Ecophysiological Features of Polar Soil Unicellular Microalgae1
Authors: Shukla Satya P. , Kvíderová Jana , Adamec Lubomír , Elster Josef
Published: December 2019

Due to their ecological, physiological, and molecular adaptations to low and varying temperatures, as well as varying seasonal irradiances, polar non‐marine eukaryotic microalgae could be suitable for low‐temperature biotechnology. Adaptations include the synthesis of compounds from different metabolic pathways that protect them against stress. Production of biological compounds and various biotechnological applications, for instance, water treatment technology, are of interest to humans. To select prospective strains for future low‐temperature biotechnology in polar regions, temperature and irradiance of growth requirements (Q10 and Ea of 10 polar soil unicellular strains) were evaluated. In terms of temperature, three groups of strains were recognized: (i) cold‐preferring where temperature optima ranged between 10.1 and 18.4°C, growth rate 0.252 and 0.344 · d−1, (ii) cold‐ and warm‐tolerating with optima above 10°C and growth rate 0.162–0.341 · d−1, and (iii) warm‐preferring temperatures above 20°C and growth rate 0.249–0.357 · d−1. Their light requirements were low. Mean values Q10 for specific growth rate ranged from 0.7 to 3.1. The lowest Ea values were observed on cold‐preferring and the highest in the warm‐preferring strains. One strain from each temperature group was selected for PN and RD measurements. The PN:RD ratio of the warm‐preferring strains was less affected by temperature similarly as Q10 and Ea. For future biotechnological applications, the strains with broad temperature tolerance (i.e., the group of cold‐ and warm‐tolerating and warm‐preferring strains) will be most useful.
Critical evaluation of animal models of visceral pain for therapeutics development: A focus on irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Johnson Anthony C. , Farmer Adam D. , Ness Timothy J. , Greenwood‐Van Meerveld Beverley
Published: December 2019

The classification of chronic visceral pain is complex, resulting from persistent inflammation, vascular (ischemic) mechanisms, cancer, obstruction or distension, traction or compression, and combined mechanisms, as well as unexplained functional mechanisms. Despite the prevalence, treatment options for chronic visceral pain are limited. Given this unmet clinical need, the development of novel analgesic agents, with defined targets derived from preclinical studies, is urgently needed. While various animal models have played an important role in our understanding of visceral pain, our knowledge is far from complete. Due to the complexity of visceral pain, this document will focus on chronic abdominal pain, which is the major complaint in patients with disorders of the gut‐brain interaction, also referred to as functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Models for IBS are faced with challenges including a complex clinical phenotype, which is comorbid with other conditions including anxiety, depression, painful bladder syndrome, and chronic pelvic pain. Based upon the multifactorial nature of IBS with complicated interactions between biological, psychological, and sociological variables, no single experimental model recapitulates all the symptoms of IBS. This position paper will contextualize chronic visceral pain using the example of IBS and focus on its pathophysiology while providing a critical review of current animal models that are most relevant, robust, and reliable in which to screen promising therapeutics to alleviate visceral pain and delineate the gaps and challenges with these models. We will also highlight, prioritize, and come to a consensus on the models with the highest face/construct validity.
Respect for persons and the moral force of socially constructed norms
Authors: Valentini Laura
Published: December 2019

When and why do socially constructed norms—including the laws of the land, norms of etiquette, and informal customs—generate moral obligations? I argue that the answer lies in the duty to respect others, specifically to give them what I call “agency respect.” This is the kind of respect that people are owed in light of how they exercise their agency. My central thesis is this: To the extent that (i) existing norms are underpinned by people's commitments as agents and (ii) they do not conflict with morality, they place moral demands on us on agency‐respect grounds. This view of the moral force of socially constructed norms, I suggest, is superior to views that deny the moral force of such norms, and it elegantly explains certain instances of wrongdoing that would otherwise remain unaccounted for.
On the importance of root traits in seedlings of tropical tree species
Authors: Boonman Coline C. F. , van Langevelde Frank , Oliveras Imma , Couédon Jeremy , Luijken Natascha , Martini David , Veenendaal Elmar M.
Published: December 2019

Plant biomass allocation may be optimized to acquire and conserve resources. How trade‐offs in the allocation of tropical tree seedlings depend on different stressors remains poorly understood. Here we test whether above‐ and below‐ground traits of tropical tree seedlings could explain observed occurrence along gradients of resources (light, water) and defoliation (fire, herbivory).

We grew 24 tree species occurring in five African vegetation types, varying from dry savanna to moist forest, in a glasshouse for 6 months, and measured traits associated with biomass allocation.

Classification based on above‐ground traits resulted in clusters representing savanna and forest species, with low and high shoot investment, respectively. Classification based on root traits resulted in four clusters representing dry savanna, humid savanna, dry forest and moist forest, characterized by a deep mean rooting depth, root starch investment, high specific root length in deeper soil layers, and high specific root length in the top soil layer, respectively.

In conclusion, tree seedlings in this study show root trait syndromes, which vary along gradients of resources and defoliation: seedlings from dry areas invest in deep roots, seedlings from shaded environments optimize shoot investment, and seedlings experiencing frequent defoliation store resources in the roots.
A comparison of the Trojan Y Chromosome strategy to harvesting models for eradication of nonnative species
Authors: Lyu Jingjing , Schofield Pamela J. , Reaver Kristen M. , Beauregard Matthew , Parshad Rana D.
Published: December 2019

The Trojan Y Chromosome strategy (TYC) is a promising eradication method for biological control of nonnative species. The strategy works by manipulating the sex ratio of a population through the introduction ofsupermalesthat guarantee male offspring. In the current study, we compare the TYC method with a pure harvesting strategy. We also analyze a hybrid harvesting model that mirrors the TYC strategy. The dynamic analysis leads to results on stability of solutions and bifurcations of the model. Several conclusions about the different strategies are established via optimal control methods. In particular, the results affirm that either a pure harvesting or hybrid strategy may work better than the TYC method at controlling a nonnative species population.

Recommendations for resource managers

Where harvesting is feasible, it is as effective if not more effective than the classical TYC method. Therein managers may attempt harvesting female fish while stocking males or harvesting both male and female fishes.

Managers may attempt linear harvesting, saturating density‐dependent harvesting, and unbounded density‐dependent harvesting. Linear harvesting is seen to be the most effective.

We caution against the outright use of harvesting due to various density‐dependent effects that may arise. To this end hybrid models that involve a combination of harvesting and TYC‐type methods might be a better strategy.

One may also use harvesting as a tool in mesocosm settings to predict the efficacy of the TYC strategy in the wild.
Psychiatry, risk and vulnerability: The significance of Robert Castel’s work for nursing
Authors: Paradis‐Gagné Etienne , Pariseau‐Legault Pierre
Published: December 2019

Robert Castel is an eminent figure in the social sciences because of his innovative contributions to various social and health fields. The seminal work of this poststructuralist author and social activist has influenced several research disciplines, but has not yet had a significant impact on nursing. In this article, we will present the thinking of this man, who considered himself a sociologist, philosopher and “historian of the present.” We will examine the most important issues he explored during his career, including the psychiatric apparatus, the management of risk and the social vulnerability. We believe that this thinker's perspective on diverse social issues is very relevant to nursing practice and research and to the health sciences in general. The concepts he developed and utilized with finesse provide us with a critical reading of many contemporary health issues, particularly in mental health and psychiatric nursing. Castel's critical and engaged approach incites mobilization for social justice and greater protections for marginalized and vulnerable persons. These principles of advocacy and social justice are also at the heart of the nursing profession.
Plant–microbial interactions facilitate grassland species coexistence at the community level
Authors: Li Jiahuan , Xie Shu , Wilson Gail W. T. , Cobb Adam B. , Tang Shiming , Guo Lizhu , Wang Kun , Deng Bo
Published: December 2019

Interspecific competition and plant–soil feedbacks are powerful drivers of plant community structure. However, across a range of edaphic conditions the interactive effects of these drivers on complex plant communities remain unclear. For example, plant–soil feedback studies focus on soil trained by a single plant species. We developed a method to assess effects of plant–microbial interactions (PMI) on a complex plant community. We established mesocosms with 13 grassland species, grown individually or together, in overgrazed or restored soil, with or without soil microbial inoculum collected from a productive and diverse native grassland. We assessed biomass production as influenced by edaphic conditions, interspecific competition and PMI. Furthermore, we assessed potential influences of interspecific competition and edaphic conditions on strength and direction of PMI. Our results indicate PMI drives negative growth responses for graminoids while forbs experience positive growth responses. Generally, interspecific competition did not alter the magnitude or direction of PMI‐mediated growth responses. Edaphic conditions altered the influence of soil microbial communities on individual plant growth while PMI facilitated plant evenness. In plant community mesocosms, PMI‐associated benefits were observed in overgrazed soil. However, interspecific competition overwhelmed plant growth benefits associated with soil microbial communities when plant communities were grown in restored soil. In mesocosms containing dominant grass species, interspecific competition had negative effects on species coexistence, but both positive and negative PMI partially counterbalanced this influence on plant species evenness. Understanding these mechanisms may improve our capacity to manage diverse and productive grasslands by enabling prediction of plant community composition following disturbance and subsequent restoration.
Where to spend the winter? The role of intraspecific competition and climate in determining the selection of wintering areas by migratory caribou
Authors: Le Corre Mael , Dussault Christian , Côté Steeve D.
Published: December 2019

Depicted as predictable movements, migrations can, however, show important interannual variations, making the conservation of migratory species particularly challenging. Plasticity in migratory behaviour allows individuals to adjust their migratory tactics to maximize their fitness. Destination of migration, and therefore migration patterns, may vary according to climatic and environmental conditions encountered during migration or at the arrival site but also according to competition. In northern‐Québec and Labrador, Canada, fall migration patterns of caribou from the Rivière‐George (RGH) and the Rivière‐aux‐Feuilles (RFH) herds have varied greatly during the last decades. Meanwhile, both herds have shown large fluctuations in abundance. We assessed the influence of environmental factors and changes in population size on wintering area selection. Based on 649 fall migrations of 284 females equipped with ARGOS collars, we used a machine‐learning algorithm, the random forests, to assess how climate, resources and population size affected the selection of four different wintering areas. Individuals followed over several years switched to a different wintering area 45% of the time between consecutive years, and this probability increased at high population size. The main determinant of wintering area selection was the population size for both herds, suggesting intra‐ and inter‐herd competition for wintering areas. The long migrations of RGH toward the western wintering areas, also used by RFH, were favoured when the herd was abundant and when the availability of resources was low at the departure. The migrations of RFH toward the south‐western area increased as RGH declined, possibly because the past presence of RGH in this area reduced access for caribou from RFH. These results highlight the flexibility in the migratory behaviour of caribou in response to variation in competition. Our study is the first to suggest that wintering area selection can be determined by competition between populations of the same ungulate species.
Population fragmentation drives up genetic diversity in signals of individual identity
Authors: Dytham Calvin , Thom Michael D. F.
Published: December 2019

Many species advertise their unique identity to conspecifics using dedicated individuality signals: one familiar example is human faces. But how unique in the global population do these signals need to be? While human faces are highly variable, each person interacts with many fewer individuals than are found in the total population. This raises the question of how evolutionary mechanisms drive up population‐wide diversity when selection occurs at such a local level. We use an individual‐based model in which individuals broadcast their identity and quality in separate, genetically‐coded signals. Mimicking, for example, scent marking mammal species, females in the model assess males using the quality signal, then attempt to relocate the highest quality male using his identity signal. We ask how population fragmentation affects genetic diversity in the individual identity‐signalling region under sexual selection, predicting one of two opposing outcomes: 1) divided populations evolve fewer signal variants globally, since repetition of signals is not costly when individuals interact only with local conspecifics, or 2) stochasticity in mutation and selection cause divergence among subpopulations, increasing the global number of signal variants. We show that local selection drives up global genetic diversity substantially in fragmented populations, even with extremely low rates of dispersal. Because new signal variants arise by mutation and then sweep through their subpopulation, a fragmented population has more global signal variation. This result furthers our understanding of how high levels of diversity in individuality signals are maintained.
Suppression of NB‐LRR genes by miRNAs promotes nitrogen‐fixing nodule development in Medicago truncatula
Authors: Sós‐Hegedűs Anita , Domonkos Ágota , Tóth Tamás , Gyula Péter , Kaló Péter , Szittya György
Published: December 2019

Plant genomes contain two major classes of innate immune receptors to recognize different pathogens. The pattern recognition receptors perceive conserved pathogen‐associated molecular patterns and the resistance genes with nucleotide‐binding (NB) and leucine‐rich repeat (LRR) domains recognize specific pathogen effectors. The precise regulation of resistance genes is important since the unregulated expression of NB‐LRR genes can inhibit growth and may result in autoimmunity in the absence of pathogen infection. It was shown that a subset of miRNAs could target NB‐LRR genes and act as an important regulator of plant immunity in the absence of pathogens. Plants not only interact with pathogens, but they can also establish symbiotic interactions with microbes. Nitrogen‐fixing symbiotic interaction and nodule formation of legumes may also require the suppression of host defence to prevent immune responses. We found that upon symbiotic interactions, miRNAs repressing NB‐LRR expression are upregulated in the developing nodules of Medicago truncatula. Furthermore, we show that the suppression of the activity of the NB‐LRR genes targeted by these miRNAs is important during nodule development. Our results suggest that the downregulation of NB‐LRR resistance genes in the developing nodule produces a suitable niche that facilitates bacterial colonization and the development of an N‐fixing nodule.
Consequences of the reduction of the Photosystem II antenna size on the light acclimation capacity of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Bielczynski Ludwik W. , Schansker Gert , Croce Roberta
Published: December 2019

In several systems, from plant's canopy to algal bioreactors, the decrease of the antenna size has been proposed as a strategy to increase the photosynthetic efficiency. However, still little is known about possible secondary effects of such modifications. This is particularly relevant because the modulation of the antenna size is one of the most important light acclimation responses in photosynthetic organisms. In our study, we used an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant (dLhcb2), which has a 60% decrease of Lhcb1 and Lhcb2, the two main components of the major Photosystem II antenna complex. We show that the mutant maintains the photosynthetic and photoprotective capacity of the Wild Type (WT) and adapts to different light conditions by remodelling its photosynthetic apparatus, but the regulatory mechanism differs from that of the WT. Surprisingly, it does not compensate for the decreased light‐harvesting capacity by increasing other pigment‐protein complexes. Instead, it lowers the ratio of the cytochrome b6f and ATP synthase to the photosystems, regulating linear electron flow and maintaining the photosynthetic control at the level of these complexes as in the WT. We show that targeting the reduction of two specific antenna proteins, Lhcb1 and Lhcb2, represents a viable solution to obtain plants with a truncated antenna size, which still maintain the capacity to acclimate to different light conditions.
An ectomycorrhizal fungus alters sensitivity to jasmonate, salicylate, gibberellin, and ethylene in host roots
Authors: Basso Veronica , Kohler Annegret , Miyauchi Shingo , Singan Vasanth , Guinet Frédéric , Šimura Jan , Novák Ondřej , Barry Kerrie W. , Amirebrahimi Mojgan , Block Jonathan , Daguerre Yohann , Na Hyunsoo , Grigoriev Igor V. , Martin Francis , Veneault‐Fourrey Claire
Published: December 2019

The phytohormones jasmonate, gibberellin, salicylate, and ethylene regulate an interconnected reprogramming network integrating root development with plant responses against microbes. The establishment of mutualistic ectomycorrhizal symbiosis requires the suppression of plant defense responses against fungi as well as the modification of root architecture and cortical cell wall properties. Here, we investigated the contribution of phytohormones and their crosstalk to the ontogenesis of ectomycorrhizae (ECM) between grey poplar (Populus tremulax alba) roots and the fungusLaccaria bicolor. To obtain the hormonal blueprint of developing ECM, we quantified the concentrations of jasmonates, gibberellins, and salicylate via liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Subsequently, we assessed root architecture, mycorrhizal morphology, and gene expression levels (RNA sequencing) in phytohormone‐treated poplar lateral roots in the presence or absence ofL. bicolor. Salicylic acid accumulated in mid‐stage ECM. Exogenous phytohormone treatment affected the fungal colonization rate and/or frequency of Hartig net formation. Colonized lateral roots displayed diminished responsiveness to jasmonate but regulated some genes, implicated in defense and cell wall remodelling, that were specifically differentially expressed after jasmonate treatment. Responses to salicylate, gibberellin, and ethylene were enhanced in ECM. The dynamics of phytohormone accumulation and response suggest that jasmonate, gibberellin, salicylate, and ethylene signalling play multifaceted roles in poplarL. bicolorectomycorrhizal development.
Improved cognitive apprenticeship clinical teaching after a faculty development program
Authors: Konishi Eri , Saiki Takuya , Kamiyama Hiroshi , Nishiya Katsumi , Tsunekawa Koji , Imafuku Rintaro , Fujisaki Kazuhiko , Suzuki Yasuyuki
Published: December 2019

Background

While it is well known that the cognitive apprenticeship is an effective workplace‐based teaching approach for clinical teachers, the effects of faculty development (FD) have not been analyzed from that perspective. The purpose of this study was to investigate self‐assessment by clinical teachers of their educational perceptions and behaviors after a FD program using the cognitive apprenticeship model.

Methods

Board‐certified pediatricians who participated in a 3‐day FD program on practical clinical teaching were asked to complete questionnaires. Fifty participants completed two questionnaires prior to and 3 and 6 months after the FD program: the first was on the participants' general perceptions and behaviors in relation to their own clinical education and the second was a self‐assessment using the Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire (MCTQ) that was developed based on the cognitive apprenticeship model.

Results

The general survey demonstrated that 78% of the participants experienced positive changes in their educational perceptions 6 months after FD. Self‐assessment using the MCTQ showed that the scores in the categories of “articulation,” “exploration,” and “safe learning environment” remained significantly improved 6 months after the FD program.

Conclusions

The participants' self‐perceived improvement in behaviors was sustainable for 6 months after participation the FD program. The results of the MCTQ show that through their experiences in the FD program, the participants seemingly transformed their clinical teaching to become interactive facilitators, encouraging self‐directed learning. Our results also suggest that the MCTQ can be used for self‐assessment of clinical teachers and to enhance the effectiveness of the FD program.