bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No evidence that genetic compatibility drives extra‐pair behavior in female blue‐footed boobies
Authors: Kiere Lynna Marie , Ramos Alejandra G. , Drummond Hugh
Published: May 2016

The function of female birds' extra‐pair (EP) behavior has remained an unresolved question in ornithology and behavioral ecology for > 30 yr. The genetic compatibility hypothesis (GCH) proposes that females benefit by acquiring biological sires that yield more heterozygous, and therefore fitter, offspring than their social mates. We used ten polymorphic microsatellite loci to test GCH predictions and its assumption that fitness increases with heterozygosity in blue‐footed boobies Sula nebouxii, a long‐lived tropical seabird. Our predictions were not supported. Heterozygosity was uncorrelated with quality indicators (fledging probability, fledgling or adult body size or mass, adult ornamentation, mean breeding success). Females were no more likely to have EP behavior or chicks when their social mates were less heterozygous or compatible, nor were EP males more heterozygous or compatible than the males they cuckolded. Finally, EP chicks were no more heterozygous than within‐pair chicks overall or in half‐sib comparisons, nor were within‐pair chicks from all‐within‐pair nests more heterozygous that those with EP nest‐mates. There are both methodological and biological explanations for these consistently negative results. Inadequate sample size is possible but unlikely, since our samples were comparable or larger than those of similar studies with significant findings. Lack of identity disequilibrium (within‐individual heterozygosity correlation) among our marker loci could be responsible, and suggests either insufficient marker coverage or lack of inbreeding, bottleneck, and/or admixture. An independent social pedigree revealed infrequent inbreeding, suggesting that pressure on females to select sires that maximize offspring heterozygosity may be genuinely lax. Alternatively, it is possible that the GCH is only upheld when selection on young is strongest; this would not be detected in our sample, which was taken during an extremely productive year. Whatever their cause, our results expand the taxonomic breadth of avian EP behavior analyses and should be considered in future evaluations of the GCH.
LIGHT/IFN‐γ triggers β cells apoptosis via NF‐κB/Bcl2‐dependent mitochondrial pathway
Authors: Zheng Quan‐You , Cao Zhao‐Hui , Hu Xiao‐Bo , Li Gui‐Qing , Dong Shi‐Fang , Xu Gui‐Lian , Zhang Ke‐Qin
Published: May 2016

LIGHT recruits and activates naive T cells in the islets at the onset of diabetes. IFN‐γ secreted by activated T lymphocytes is involved in beta cell apoptosis. However, whether LIGHT sensitizes IFNγ‐induced beta cells destruction remains unclear. In this study, we used the murine beta cell line MIN6 and primary islet cells as models for investigating the underlying cellular mechanisms involved in LIGHT/IFNγ – induced pancreatic beta cell destruction. LIGHT and IFN‐γ synergistically reduced MIN6 and primary islet cells viability; decreased cell viability was due to apoptosis, as demonstrated by a significant increase in Annexin V+ cell percentage, detected by flow cytometry. In addition to marked increases in cytochrome c release and NF‐κB activation, the combination of LIGHT and IFN‐γ caused an obvious decrease in expression of the anti‐apoptotic proteins Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐xL, but an increase in expression of the pro‐apoptotic proteins Bak and Bax in MIN6 cells. Accordingly, LIGHT deficiency led to a decrease in NF‐κB activation and Bak expression, and peri‐insulitis in non‐obese diabetes mice. Inhibition of NF‐κB activation with the specific NF‐κB inhibitor, PDTC (pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate), reversed Bcl‐xL down‐regulation and Bax up‐regulation, and led to a significant increase in LIGHT‐ and IFN‐γ‐treated cell viability. Moreover, cleaved caspase‐9, ‐3, and PARP (poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase) were observed after LIGHT and IFN‐γ treatment. Pretreatment with caspase inhibitors remarkably attenuated LIGHT‐ and IFNγ‐induced cell apoptosis. Taken together, our results indicate that LIGHT signalling pathway combined with IFN‐γ induces beta cells apoptosis via an NF‐κB/Bcl2‐dependent mitochondrial pathway.
Heat shock protein 70 and AMP‐activated protein kinase contribute to 17‐DMAG‐dependent protection against heat stroke
Authors: Tsai Yung‐Chieh , Lam Kwok‐Keung , Peng Yi‐Jen , Lee Yen‐Mei , Yang Chung‐Yu , Tsai Yi‐Ju , Yen Mao‐Hsiung , Cheng Pao‐Yun
Published: May 2016

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) preconditioning induces thermotolerance, and adenosine monophosphate (AMP)‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a role in the process of autophagy. Here, we investigated whether 17‐dimethylaminoethylamino‐17‐demethoxy‐geldanamycin (17‐DMAG) protected against heat stroke (HS) in rats by up‐regulation of Hsp70 and phosphorylated AMPK (pAMPK). To produce HS, male Sprague–Dawley rats were placed in a chamber with an ambient temperature of 42°C. Physiological function (mean arterial pressure, heart rate and core temperature), hepatic and intestinal injury, inflammatory mediators and levels of Hsp70, pAMPK and light chain 3 (LC3B) in hepatic tissue were measured in HS rats or/and rats pre‐treated with 17‐DMAG. 17‐DMAG pre‐treatment significantly attenuated hypotension and organ dysfunction induced by HS in rats. The survival time during HS was also prolonged by 17‐DMAG treatment. Hsp70 expression was increased, whereas pAMPK levels in the liver were significantly decreased in HS rats. Following pre‐treatment with 17‐DMAG, Hsp70 protein levels increased further, and pAMPK levels were enhanced. Treatment with an AMPK activator significantly increased the LC3BII/LC3BI ratio as a marker of autophagy in HS rats. Treatment with quercetin significantly suppressed Hsp70 and pAMPK levels and reduced the protective effects of 17‐DMAG in HS rats. Both of Hsp70 and AMPK are involved in the 17‐DMAG‐mediated protection against HS. 17‐DMAG may be a promising candidate drug in the clinical setting.
Does evidence‐based health care have room for the self?
Authors: Thomas S. Joshua
Published: May 2016

Evidence‐based health care (EBHC) has consistently been attacked by opponents for being perniciously reductive. Although these attacks are overwhelmingly framed as critiques of evidence‐based medicine, they standardly target the research wing of EBHC upon which evidence‐based medicine is dependent, and increasingly extend to adjacent health care disciplines, such as nursing. One of the most persistent forms this line of attack has taken is the allegation that EBHC, with its emphasis on the hierarchy of evidence, grounded in the use of randomized controlled trials, and the clinical guidelines developed on their basis, fails to recognize the patient as the complex self she is, treating her instead as merely a quantifiable, medical‐scientific object. By reducing the patient to certain quantifiable dimensions, the patient as self is allegedly ‘erased’. In short, the complaint is that an evidence‐based approach to health care has no room for the self. Contrary to this persistently held view, it is argued here that EBHC does have room for the self. Review of these critiques suggests they can be categorized into two groups: soft critiques and strong critiques. Soft critiques tend to take a more measured tone grounded in empirical concerns about the dangers of an evidence‐based approach to health care, whereas strong critiques tend to make sweeping claims grounded in theoretical commitments to anti‐foundationalist philosophical frameworks. While both soft and strong critiques ultimately fail to make the case that EBHC has no room for the self, the empirical concerns of soft critiques nevertheless present a challenge EBHC advocates would do well to take seriously and address.
Dependence of juvenile reef fishes on semi‐arid hypersaline estuary microhabitats as nurseries
Authors: Sales N. S. , Dias T. L. P. , Baeta A. , Pessanha A. L. M.
Published: May 2016

The differences between fish assemblages in three microhabitat types, in relation to vegetation and sediment characteristics of a hypersaline estuary located in an semi‐arid zone in north‐eastern Brazil, were investigated. Fishes were collected using a beach seine during the rainy and dry seasons in 2012. A total of 78 species were recorded, with the most common families being Gerreidae, Lutjanidae and Tetraodontidae. The majority of species were represented by juveniles, with Eucinostomus argenteus, Ulaema lefroyi and Sphoeroides greeleyi being the dominant species. The fish assemblage structures differed significantly among microhabitat types, with the narrow intertidal flat adjacent to the mangrove fringe supporting the most diverse fish fauna. In addition, only 27 species were common to all of the microhabitats. The results support the hypothesis that hypersaline estuaries serve as important nursery areas for various reef fish species, due to the structural complexity provided by their macroalgae beds and mangroves.
Assessing the potential of the European Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser sturio to control bivalve invasions in Europe
Authors: Ferreira‐Rodriguez N. , Gessner J. , Pardo I.
Published: May 2016

This pilot study explored the potential of juvenile European Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser sturio to feed on two invasive bivalve species, the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea and the Eurasian zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha. Preliminary results indicate that native A. sturio were feeding on D. polymorpha at a very limited rate and their potential to prevent the establishment of invasive bivalve species, in new and previously invaded areas, is considered limited.
Titanium diffusion in shinbone of rats with osseointegrated implants
Authors: GRENÓN MIRIAM S. , ROBLEDO JOSÉ , IBÁÑEZ JUAN CARLOS , SÁNCHEZ HÉCTOR J.
Published: May 2016

Dental implants are composed of commercially pure Ti (which is actually an alloy of titanium, and minor or trace components such as aluminium and vanadium). When the implant is inserted, its surface undergoes a number of chemical and mechanical processes, releasing particles of titanium to the medium. The metabolism of free ions of titanium is uncertain; the uptaking processes in the body are not well known, nor their toxic dose. In addition, physical properties of newly formed bone, such as diffusivity and activation energy, are scarce and rarely studied. In this study, we analysed the diffusion of titanium in the titanium‐implanted shinbones of six adult male Wistar rats by spatially resolved micro x‐ray fluorescence. The measurements were carried out at the microfluorescence station of the x‐ray fluorescence (XRF) beamline of the Brazilian synchrotron facility LNLS (from Portuguese ‘Laboratorio Nacional de Luz Sincrotron’). For each sample, XRF spectra were taken by linear scanning in area near the new bone formed around the Ti implant. The scanning line shows a clear effect of titanium diffusion whereas calcium intensity presents a different behaviour. Moreover, a clear correlation among the different structures of bones is observed in the Ti and Ca intensities. The results obtained in these measurements may allow determining quantitatively the parameters of diffusion rates and other physical properties of new bone like diffusion coefficients.
A systematic review of the outcomes of educational interventions relevant to nurses with simultaneous strategies for guideline implementation
Authors: Häggman‐Laitila Arja , Mattila Lea‐Riitta , Melender Hanna‐Leena
Published: May 2016

Aims and objectives

To systematically review the literature on the outcomes of educational interventions relevant to nurses with regard to guideline implementation.

Background

Previous reviews on interventions to implement guidelines have focused on particular clinical problems, but only one included nursing studies.

Design

A systematic review based on the procedure of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination.

Methods

We searched for papers published from 1 January 2008 to 26 February 2015 using the Cochrane, CINAHL and PubMed MEDLINE databases and paper references were searched manually. Quality appraisal was conducted with tools developed by Thomas et al.(Worldviews on Evidence‐based Nursing, 1, 2004, 176) and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Data were analysed with qualitative content analysis and narrative synthesis.

Results

The data included 13 studies based on a quasi‐experimental study design of 13 different educational interventions, described according to their development and realisation, learning content and teaching and learning methods. Seven interventions were supported by simultaneous strategies, 12 studies reported statistically significant outcomes for the interventions on at least one measurement area and six studies reported improvements in the quality of patient care. Interventions with multi‐dimensional content, teaching and learning methods produced several good outcomes.

Conclusion

Guidelines were implemented in a heterogeneous way and the interventions were delivered once and mainly on a local basis. In the future, we need to test these interventions in different nursing contexts, measure the outcomes on patient care and carry out randomised controlled trials on their effectiveness. It is important to standardise interventions, as this will allow them to be replicated and compared.

Relevance to clinical practice

Educational interventions to implement guidelines could be beneficial in enhancing nurses' evidence‐based decision‐making and care practice. The combination of teaching and learning methods proved useful, and educational interventions should be supported with simultaneous strategies. There remains a lack of strong evidence on the subject.
Vaginal pessaries: can an educational brochure help patients to better understand their care?
Authors: Murray Christine , Thomas Elizabeth , Pollock Wendy
Published: May 2016

Aims and objectives

Pelvic organ prolapse is a common condition, with reported incidence of up to 50%. We aimed to assess whether written information, in addition to face‐to‐face consultation, improved happiness with information, confidence to self‐manage and prolapse knowledge in women attending a pessary clinic.

Background

Little is known about the effect of adding a written information brochure on clinical outcomes of patients using pessaries.

Design

This prospective study used a pretest‐posttest method, conducted following Ethical approval.

Methods

Between February–December 2013, all women attending Pessary Clinic were eligible for participation. A questionnaire was developed to assess happiness with information, confidence regarding self‐management (using a visual analogue scale, 1–10) and prolapse knowledge (using eight multiple‐choice questions). Data were collected in person at baseline prior to distribution of a patient brochure and thereafter by telephone at one week and three months. Paired analysis was conducted using the McNemar test and related samples Wilcoxon signed‐rank test for VAS items with p < 0.05 significant.

Results

Sixty women were recruited. Fifty‐eight completed all questionnaires. Improvement in happiness with information, confidence regarding self‐management and knowledge scores occurred at one week (p < 0.05) and were maintained at three months (p < 0.05). Changes were unrelated to age (p > 0.05), education level (p > 0.05), first language (p > 0.05) or previous clinic visits (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

A written information brochure, in addition to face‐to‐face consultation, improves happiness with information, confidence to self‐manage and knowledge about pessaries compared to verbal instruction alone and helps patients better understand their care. The written brochure was equally effective in women with low education and advanced age, and occurred regardless of the number of clinic visits.
Health‐related quality of life, sense of coherence and leisure‐time physical activity in women after an acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Løvlien Mona , Mundal Liv , Hall‐Lord Marie‐Louise
Published: May 2016

Aims and objectives

To examine the relationship between leisure‐time physical activity, health‐related quality of life and sense of coherence in women after an acute myocardial infarction, and further to investigate whether these aspects were associated with age.

Background

Physical activity and health‐related quality of life are vital aspects for patients after an acute myocardial infarction.

Design

Cross‐sectional.

Method

All eligible women diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction received a postal questionnaire two to three months after hospital discharge, and 142 women were included. To measure health‐related quality of life and sense of coherence, The MacNew Heart disease questionnaire and the Sense of coherence‐13 scale was used.

Results

Respondents reporting at least one type of physical activity had significantly higher health‐related quality of life as compared to respondents reporting no kind of physical activity. Respondents reporting physical activity for at least 30 minutes twice a week had significantly higher health‐related quality of life scores than respondents being active less than twice a week. A weak association was found between physical activity level and sense of coherence. Reduction in physical activity after the acute myocardial infarction was associated with reduced health‐related quality of life and sense of coherence. Sense of coherence was significantly associated with age, as respondents 75 years and older had significantly higher scores than respondents younger than 75 years.

Conclusions

Physical activity, even at a low level, is significantly associated with increased health‐related quality of life and to some extent to sense of coherence.

Relevance to clinical practice

Tailoring women after an acute myocardial infarction about lifestyle changes must include knowledge about the benefits of leisure‐time physical activity, and that even a small amount of activity is associated with a better health‐related quality of life. The utmost important assignment is to motivate the women for regular physical activity in their leisure‐time. Older women need special attention.
Brain Connectivity and Functional Recovery in Patients With Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Almeida Sara Regina Meira , Vicentini Jessica , Bonilha Leonardo , De Campos Brunno M. , Casseb Raphael F. , Min Li Li
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND

Brain mapping studies have demonstrated that functional poststroke brain reorganization is associated with recovery of motor function. Nonetheless, the specific mechanisms associated with functional reorganization leading to motor recovery are still partly unknown. In this study, we performed a cross‐sectional evaluation of poststroke subjects with the following goals: (1) To assess intra‐ and interhemispheric functional brain activation patterns associated with motor function in poststroke patients with variable degrees of recovery; (2) to investigate the involvement of other nonmotor functional networks in relationship with recovery.

METHODS

We studied 59 individuals: 13 patients with function Rankin > 1 and Barthel < 100; 19 patients with preserved function with Rankin 0–1 and Barthel = 100; and 27 healthy controls. All subjects underwent structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (3T Philips Achieva, Holland) using the same protocol (TR = 2 seconds, TE = 30 ms, FOV = 240 × 240 × 117, slice = 39). Resting state functional connectivity was used by in‐house software, based on SPM12. Among patients with and without preserved function, the functional connectivity between the primary motor region (M1) and the contralateral hemisphere was increased compared with controls. Nonetheless, only patients with decreased function exhibited decreased functional connectivity between executive control, sensorimotor and visuospatial networks.

CONCLUSION

Functional recovery after stroke is associated with preserved functional connectivity of motor to nonmotor networks.
A Quantitative Method Using Head Noncontrast CT Scans to Detect Hyperacute Nonvisible Ischemic Changes in Patients With Stroke
Authors: Gomolka Ryszard S. , Chrzan Robert M. , Urbanik Andrzej , Nowinski Wieslaw L.
Published: May 2016

PURPOSE

Because clinical evaluation of noncontrast computed tomography (CT) has a poor sensitivity in the evaluation of acute ischemic stroke, computer‐aided diagnosis may be able to facilitate the performance. Recently, we introduced a computational method for the detection and localization of visible infarcts. Herein, we aimed to evaluate and extend a previous method, the Stroke Imaging Marker (SIM), to localize nonvisible hyperacute ischemia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

On the basis of the SIM and its components—the ratio of percentile differences in subranges of Hounsfield Unit (HU) distribution (P‐ratio), ratio of voxels count in ranges of brain CT intensity, median HU attenuation value—the infarct localization was performed in 140 early and follow‐up scans of 70 patients. In none of the early scans was the infarct visible to a radiologist or an experienced stroke neuroradiologist. The infarcted hemisphere detection rate (HDR) and sensitivity of infarct localization were measured by overlapping the region of detected tissue in the initial scan, with the gold standard set for the fully visible stroke in the follow‐up scan.

RESULTS

The best performance of the algorithm was found for the P‐ratio including seven percentile subranges within the range of 35th‐75th percentile. The modified SIM provided a 76% ischemic HDR and 54% sensitivity in spatial localization of hyperacute ischemia (68% among properly detected infarct sides).

CONCLUSION

The improved SIM is a dedicated and potentially useful tool for hyperacute nonvisible brain infarct detection from CT scans and may contribute to reduction of image‐to‐needle time in patients eligible for revascularization therapy.
Contests with Alternative Public‐Good Prizes
Authors: BAIK KYUNG HWAN
Published: May 2016

I study contests in which a society of players compete, by expending irreversible effort, over which one of alternative prizes should be awarded to them by the decision maker. The prizes are public goods and/or public bads for the players. The players choose their effort levels simultaneously and independently. I define each player's valuation spread as the difference between his valuations for the two public‐good/public‐bad prizes. I establish that the players' equilibrium effort levels depend solely on their valuation spreads, and that the players never expend positive effort for both prizes in equilibrium. Further, I establish that in equilibrium only players with the widest positive valuation spread and players with the widest negative valuation spread expend positive effort. Finally, I establish that the equilibrium effort level expended for each prize and the equilibrium total effort level are determined only by the widest positive valuation spread and the widest negative valuation spread.
The Efficiency of Tenure Contracts in Academic Employment
Authors: CATER BRUCE , LEW BYRON , PIVATO MARCUS
Published: May 2016

Academic research is a public good whose production is supported by the tuition‐paying students that a faculty's research accomplishments attract. A professor's spot contribution to the university's revenues thus depends not on her spot research production, but rather on her entire cumulative research record. We show that, under a broad range of education market conditions, a profit‐maximizing university will apply a “high” minimum retention standard to the production of a junior professor who has no record of past research, but a “zero” retention standard to the spot production of a more senior professor whose background includes accomplishments sufficient to have cleared the “high” probationary hurdle. But if and when those education market conditions change, tenure‐based contracts may cease to be optimal.
Competing for Attention: Lobbying Time‐Constrained Politicians
Authors: COTTON CHRISTOPHER
Published: May 2016

We develop a model of lobbying in which a time and resource constrained policymaker first chooses which policy proposals to learn about, before choosing which to implement. The policymaker reviews the proposals of the interest groups who provide the highest contributions. We study how policy outcomes and contributions depend on policymaker constraints and the design of the “Contest for Attention.” Among other results, awarding attention to the highest contributors generally guarantees the first best policy outcome. It can also lead to the highest possible contributions, suggesting that a policymaker may not need to sacrifice policy in order to maximize contributions. Our results also give insight into other settings where agents compete for a decision maker's attention.
Sleep–wake profiles predict longitudinal changes in manic symptoms and memory in young people with mood disorders
Authors: Robillard Rébecca , Hermens Daniel F. , Lee Rico S. C. , Jones Andrew , Carpenter Joanne s. , White Django , Naismith Sharon L. , Southan James , Whitwell Bradley , Scott Elizabeth M. , Hickie Ian B.
Published: May 2016

Mood disorders are characterized by disabling symptoms and cognitive difficulties which may vary in intensity throughout the course of the illness. Sleep–wake cycles and circadian rhythms influence emotional regulation and cognitive functions. However, the relationships between the sleep–wake disturbances experienced commonly by people with mood disorders and the longitudinal changes in their clinical and cognitive profile are not well characterized. This study investigated associations between initial sleep–wake patterns and longitudinal changes in mood symptoms and cognitive functions in 50 young people (aged 13–33 years) with depression or bipolar disorder. Data were based on actigraphy monitoring conducted over approximately 2 weeks and clinical and neuropsychological assessment. As part of a longitudinal cohort study, these assessments were repeated after a mean follow‐up interval of 18.9 months. No significant differences in longitudinal clinical changes were found between the participants with depression and those with bipolar disorder. Lower sleep efficiency was predictive of longitudinal worsening in manic symptoms (P = 0.007). Shorter total sleep time (P = 0.043) and poorer circadian rhythmicity (P = 0.045) were predictive of worsening in verbal memory. These findings suggest that some sleep–wake and circadian disturbances in young people with mood disorders may be associated with less favourable longitudinal outcomes, notably for subsequent manic symptoms and memory difficulties.
The influence of physical and biological processes on the ichthyoplankton communities in the Gulf of Sirte (Southern Mediterranean Sea)
Authors: Cuttitta Angela , Bonomo Sergio , Zgozi Salem , Bonanno Angelo , Patti Bernardo , Quinci Enza Maria , Torri Marco , Hamza Mohamed , Fatah Abdul , Haddoud Daw , El Turki Akram , Ramadan Abdul Bari , Genovese Simona , Mazzola Salvatore
Published: May 2016

This paper reports on the first study on the ichthyoplankton community structure in the Gulf of Sirte and its spatial distribution in relation to environmental conditions and zooplankton abundance. The results make an important contribution to the future management of fisheries in this unexplored, but much exploited, area. Biological samples were collected in July 2008 using a Bongo40 net. In total, 1914 larvae were found and 1652 of these were identified. In particular, bathypelagic taxa were the most abundant, followed by demersal, mesopelagic, pelagic and epipelagic taxa. The ichthyoplankton community had a patchwork distribution influenced by oligotrophic conditions, the bottom depth and oceanographical features. The results suggest that environmental forcings were able to transport the ichthyoplankton to productive areas. Indeed, maximum fish egg densities were found in coastal stations in correspondence with the Atlantic Tunisian Current inflow, whereas larvae were mainly concentrated in the east side of the Gulf, probably as a result of advection by the anticyclonic circulation. Additionally, the distribution patterns of the total larvae density and the different assemblages were well matched with the abundance of the zooplankton, probably determining final larval survival, growth and recruitment.
Roads and bats: a meta‐analysis and review of the evidence on vehicle collisions and barrier effects
Authors: Fensome Amy Grace , Mathews Fiona
Published: May 2016

Roads are a potential threat to bat conservation. In addition to the direct risk of collision of bats with vehicles, roads could pose a threat to bat populations as a result of habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, and could act as barriers to movements of bats between habitats.

We performed a systematic review of the literature and conducted meta‐analyses to assess the threat posed by roads to bats as a result of 1) collisions between bats and vehicles and 2) roads acting as barriers to movements of bats.

Based on collated records of 1207 bat road casualties in Europe, we found that low‐flying species are more prone to collisions than high‐flying species, and that juveniles are more vulnerable to collisions than adults. In addition, meta‐analysis identified a significant bias towards male casualties. Casualties included rare species such as Barbastella barbastellus and geographically restricted species such as Rhinolophus species.

The bias towards male casualties could be indicative of greater natal philopatry or lower dispersal among females, or of sexual segregation in habitats of varying quality, i.e. females may occupy better quality habitats than males, and road density may be lower in better quality habitats.

Whether or not roads act as barriers to the movement of bats depends on a complex interplay of habitat and species‐specific behaviour. For example, the presence of favourable habitat for bats – notably woodland – was found in this review to be linked with significantly reduced barrier effects but a heightened risk of collision.

Our data suggest that roads do pose a threat to bats. Future research should assess the contribution of traffic noise and street lighting to the barrier effect of roads. Where new road schemes are monitored by ecological practitioners, it is vital that consistent protocols are employed to ensure that bat activity can be compared before and after the road is built. Evidence from such research should be used to minimize the risks for bats of any roads built in the future, and to design safe crossing points for bats.
The importance of replicating genomic analyses to verify phylogenetic signal for recently evolved lineages
Authors: Fraser Ceridwen I. , McGaughran Angela , Chuah Aaron , Waters Jonathan M.
Published: May 2016

Genomewide SNP data generated by nontargeted methods such as RAD and GBS are increasingly being used in phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses. When these methods are used in the absence of a reference genome, however, little is known about the locations and evolution of the SNPs. In using such data to address phylogenetic questions, researchers risk drawing false conclusions, particularly if a representative number of SNPs is not obtained. Here, we empirically test the robustness of phylogenetic inference based on SNP data for closely related lineages. We conducted a genomewide analysis of 75 712 SNPs, generated via GBS, of southern bull‐kelp (Durvillaea). Durvillaea chathamensis co‐occurs with D. antarctica on Chatham Island, but the two species have previously been found to be so genetically similar that the status of the former has been questioned. Our results show that D. chathamensis, which differs from D. antarctica ecologically as well as morphologically, is indeed a reproductively isolated species. Furthermore, our replicated analyses show that D. chathamensis cannot be reliably distinguished phylogenetically from closely related D. antarctica using subsets (ranging in size from 400 to 10 000 sites) of the 40 912 parsimony‐informative SNPs in our data set and that bootstrap values alone can give misleading impressions of the strength of phylogenetic inferences. These results highlight the importance of independently replicating SNP analyses to verify that phylogenetic inferences based on nontargeted SNP data are robust. Our study also demonstrates that modern genomic approaches can be used to identify cases of recent or incipient speciation that traditional approaches (e.g. Sanger sequencing of a few loci) may be unable to detect or resolve.
Metabarcoding reveals environmental factors influencing spatio‐temporal variation in pelagic micro‐eukaryotes
Authors: Brannock Pamela M. , Ortmann Alice C. , Moss Anthony G. , Halanych Kenneth M.
Published: May 2016

Marine environments harbour a vast diversity of micro‐eukaryotic organisms (protists and other small eukaryotes) that play important roles in structuring marine ecosystems. However, micro‐eukaryote diversity is not well understood. Likewise, knowledge is limited regarding micro‐eukaryote spatial and seasonal distribution, especially over long temporal scales. Given the importance of this group for mobilizing energy from lower trophic levels near the base of the food chain to larger organisms, assessing community stability, diversity and resilience is important to understand ecosystem health. Herein, we use a metabarcoding approach to examine pelagic micro‐eukaryote communities over a 2.5‐year time series. Bimonthly surface sampling (July 2009 to December 2011) was conducted at four locations within Mobile Bay (Bay) and along the Alabama continental shelf (Shelf). Alpha‐diversity only showed significant differences in Shelf sites, with the greatest differences observed between summer and winter. Beta‐diversity showed significant differences in community composition in relation to season and the Bay was dominated by diatoms, while the Shelf was characterized by dinoflagellates and copepods. The northern Gulf of Mexico is heavily influenced by the Mobile River Basin, which brings low‐salinity nutrient‐rich water mostly during winter and spring. Community composition was correlated with salinity, temperature and dissolved silicate. However, species interactions (e.g. predation and parasitism) may also contribute to the observed variation, especially on the Shelf, which warrants further exploration. Metabarcoding revealed clear patterns in surface pelagic micro‐eukaryote communities that were consistent over multiple years, demonstrating how these techniques could be greatly beneficial to ecological monitoring and management over temporal scales.
Higher‐Order Defeat is Object‐Independent
Authors: DiPaolo Joshua
Published: May 2016

Higher‐order defeat occurs when one loses justification for one's beliefs as a result of receiving evidence that those beliefs resulted from a cognitive malfunction. Several philosophers have identified features of higher‐order defeat that distinguish it from familiar types of defeat. If higher‐order defeat has these features, they are data an account of rational belief must capture. In this article, I identify a new distinguishing feature of higher‐order defeat, and I argue that on its own, and in conjunction with the other distinguishing features, it favors an account of higher‐order defeat grounded in non‐evidential, ‘state‐given reasons’ for belief.
Neonatal Alopecia Due to Birth Trauma: Case Report and Trichoscopic Findings
Authors: Liberati Giulia , Starace Michela , Patrizi Annalisa , Piraccini Bianca Maria
Published: May 2016

A 4‐day‐old boy was referred for evaluation of an oval patch of occipital alopecia associated with caput succedaneum and ipsilateral eyelid ecchymoses. Based on the history of a prolonged, difficult labor with vacuum‐assisted delivery, the diagnosis of neonatal alopecia associated with birth trauma was made. Trichoscopy showed purple dots corresponding to blood extravasation and follicular ostia. We also review the trichoscopic differential diagnosis of focal neonatal alopecia.
Maternal Pre‐pregnancy Body Mass Index and Autism Spectrum Disorder among Offspring: A Population‐Based Case–Control Study
Authors: Getz Kelly D. , Anderka Marlene T. , Werler Martha M. , Jick Susan S.
Published: May 2016

Background

Previous studies have attributed high maternal weight gain during pregnancy and pre‐pregnancy obesity to a higher risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Maternal underweight was not previously explored with respect to ASD risk.

Methods

We evaluated the association between maternal pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and ASD occurrence among singletons born into the General Practice Research Database from 1993 to 2008. Case subjects were children with a diagnosis of ASD from birth to 2010. Up to four control subjects were matched to each case subject on birth year, sex, and general practice. Restricted cubic splines were used to assess the non‐linearity of the association between maternal BMI and ASD. All study subjects were classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese based on maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI using the WHO Classification Standard. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate unadjusted and multivariable adjusted odds ratios for the association between categorical BMI (reference=normal weight) and the occurrence of ASD.

Results

The association between maternal BMI and ASD occurrence was non‐linear and J‐shaped. The adjusted ORs for maternal underweight and obesity were 1.43 (95% CI 1.01, 2.04) and 1.54 (95% CI 1.26, 1.89) respectively.

Conclusions

Results suggest that extremes in maternal BMI may be associated with modest increases in the risk for ASD among offspring.
Prepulse inhibition deficits in women with PTSD
Authors: Pineles Suzanne L. , Blumenthal Terry D. , Curreri Andrew J. , Nillni Yael I. , Putnam Katherine M. , Resick Patricia A. , Rasmusson Ann M. , Orr Scott P.
Published: May 2016

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is an automatic and preattentive process, whereby a weak stimulus attenuates responding to a sudden and intense startle stimulus. PPI is a measure of sensorimotor filtering, which is conceptualized as a mechanism that facilitates processing of an initial stimulus and is protective from interruption by a later response. Impaired PPI has been found in (a) healthy women during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and (b) individuals with types of psychopathology characterized by difficulty suppressing and filtering sensory, motor, or cognitive information. In the current study, 47 trauma‐exposed women with or without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) completed a PPI session during two different phases of the menstrual cycle: the early follicular phase, when estradiol and progesterone are both low, and the midluteal phase, when estradiol and progesterone are both high. Startle stimuli were 100 dB white noise bursts presented for 50 ms, and prepulses were 70 dB white noise bursts presented for 20 ms that preceded the startle stimuli by 120 ms. Women with PTSD showed deficits in PPI relative to the healthy trauma‐exposed participants. Menstrual phase had no effect on PPI. These results provide empirical support for individuals with PTSD having difficulty with sensorimotor filtering. The potential utility of PPI as a Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) phenotype is discussed.
Why do True Beliefs Differ in Epistemic Value?
Authors: Hu Xingming
Published: May 2016

Veritism claims that only true beliefs are of basic epistemic value. Michael DePaul argues that veritism is false because it entails the implausible view that all true beliefs are of equal epistemic value. In this paper, I discuss two recent replies to DePaul's argument: one offered by Nick Treanor and the other by Kristoffer Ahlstrom‐Vij and Stephen Grimm. I argue that neither of the two replies is successful. I propose a new response to DePaul's argument and defend my response against a possible objection.
Linking changes in knowledge and attitudes with successful land restoration in indigenous communities
Authors: Hartman Brett D. , Cleveland David A. , Chadwick Oliver A.
Published: May 2016

Successful land restoration in impoverished rural environments may require adoption of new resource management strategies; however, feedbacks between local knowledge and introduced restoration technologies have rarely been articulated. We used interview scenarios to analyze the role of local knowledge in land restoration at a large‐scale, long‐term watershed rehabilitation and wet meadow restoration program in the highland Andes. Indigenous communities built over 30,000 check dams, terraces and infiltration ditches, and the density of erosion control structures and visible restoration varied greatly across participant communities. We developed a survey reaching across the highest restoration management intensity, lowest restoration management intensity, and non‐project (control) communities. We interviewed 49 respondents using 14 scenarios based on photos depicting biophysical phenomena related to land degradation and restoration. The scenarios generated 5,828 statements that were coded into 964 distinct concepts. As expected, respondents that built more erosion control structures had more detailed knowledge of check dam construction and ecosystem development following physical interventions. More significantly, there was a shift in the conceptualization of and attitudes toward land degradation and restoration. Respondents who built more erosion control structures were more likely to: attribute wetland hydrology to groundwater recharge rather than myth constructs about seeps and springs; attribute land degradation to human rather than mythological causes; and have more proactive attitudes regarding land restoration. Evidence suggests that when addressing severe land degradation or restoring ecosystem processes not readily observable by indigenous people, such as groundwater flow and wetland recharge, restoration success will depend on combining local and scientific knowledge.
The Role of Middle Class in Economic Development: What Do Cross‐Country Data Show?
Authors: Chun Natalie , Hasan Rana , Rahman Muhammad Habibur , Ulubaşoğlu Mehmet Ali
Published: May 2016

This paper investigates the channels through which the middle class may matter for consumption growth. Using several different middle‐class measures and a panel of 105 developing countries spanning the period 1985–2013, we find that a larger middle class influences consumption growth primarily through higher levels of human capital accumulation. There is also a significant direct effect of middle‐class size on consumption growth, which is more pronounced in the latter half of the sample, the 2000–2013 period.
Nostalgia Isn't What it Used to Be: Partisan Polarization in Views on the Past*
Authors: Hibbing Matthew V. , Hayes Matthew , Deol Raman
Published: May 2016

Objective

In this article, we seek to extend our understanding of the partisan lenses through which Americans view politics by investigating if there is partisan polarization in views of the past. Current political issues are frequently contextualized with references to the past. Despite these frequent evocations of the past, public opinion scholars’ knowledge of how citizens view earlier eras is incomplete.

Methods

We evaluate competing explanations of the effect of the past on present political attitudes: generational effects, partisanship, and ideology. To do this, we administered a novel battery of questions to a nationally representative sample drawn from the 2012 Cooperative Campaign Analysis Project.

Results

The data show evidence of generational effects, but also of partisanship in the case of opinions of governmental performance, and of ideology in the case of evaluations of culture and quality of life.

Conclusion

This study suggests that Americans are divided not just in their views of the present, but also in their views on the past. To the extent that peoples’ evaluations are shaped by how well government is performing relative to some past era of good performance, polarization in views of the past could have long‐lasting effects on how Americans evaluate the government.
It's Not Race, It's Politics! A Natural Experiment Examining the Influence of Race in Electoral Politics*
Authors: Meyer Chase B. , Woodard J. David
Published: May 2016

Objective

Minority candidates for office must overcome numerous hurdles in order to win elective office, with one such hurdle being the racial resentment of voters. This article tests the impact racial resentment has on white support for a minority candidate in relation to a similar white candidate.

Method

This article employs a natural experiment provided by the 2014 South Carolina Senate elections. Examining these elections, this article examines what impact a voter's racial resentment has on his or her support for the two candidates.

Results

The results show that voters who score highly on the racial resentment scale are just as likely to support a minority Republican as they are to support a white Republican.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that racial resentment scores may not adequately measure a person's true feelings on race, particularly when the minority candidate is a Republican.
The Trump Hypothesis: Testing Immigrant Populations as a Determinant of Violent and Drug‐Related Crime in the United States*
Authors: Green David
Published: May 2016

Objectives

To test the “Trump Hypothesis”: whether immigrants are responsible for higher levels of violent and drug‐related crime in the United States, as asserted by Donald Trump in his 2015 presidential campaign announcement. This is achieved using recent crime and immigration data, thus testing the common public perception linking immigrants to crime, and providing an updated assessment of the immigrant‐crime nexus.

Methods

Rates of violent crime and drug arrests by state are pooled for 2012–2014. These are compared against pooled statistics on foreign‐born and Mexican nationals living in the United States, as well as estimates of undocumented foreign and undocumented Mexican population by state. The data are analyzed using correlation and multivariate regressions.

Results

Data uniformly show no association between immigrant population size and increased violent crime. However, there appears to be a small but significant association between undocumented immigrant populations and drug‐related arrests.

Conclusions

Results largely contradict the Trump Hypothesis: no evidence links Mexican or undocumented Mexican immigrants specifically to violent or drug‐related crime. Undocumented immigrant associations with drug‐related crime are minimal, though significant. The Trump Hypothesis consequently appears to be biased toward rhetoric rather than evidence.
Preoperative anaemia is associated with increased allogeneic pack red cell transfusion in revision hip and knee joint arthroplasty: a retrospective analysis of 5387 patients over a 10‐year period at a single high volume centre
Authors: Kasivisvanathan R. , Ramesh V. , Rao Baikady R. , Nadaraja S.
Published: May 2016

Objectives

To estimate the prevalence of preoperative World Health Organization (WHO) defined anaemia in patients presenting for revision hip and knee arthroplasty and its association with transfusion of allogeneic packed red blood cells (PRBC).

Background

Studies have mainly investigated the prevalence of preoperative anaemia in primary and not revision hip and knee joint arthroplasty.

Methods

An analysis of a prospectively collected patient data for 5387 patients having revision hip or knee arthroplasty over a 10‐year period at a single high volume centre was conducted. Logistic regression was used to assess whether the presence of WHO defined preoperative anaemia as well as other risk factors were associated with inpatient allogeneic PRBC transfusion.

Results

There were 5387 patients assessed of which 3021 (56·01%) patients had revision total hip replacements and 2366 (43·09%) had revision total knee arthroplasty. Of these patients 1956 (36·03%) had preoperative WHO defined anaemia. A total of 2034 (37·08%) patients received at least one unit of allogeneic PRBC during their primary hospital admission. In the final model preoperative WHO defined anaemia was independently associated with allogeneic PRBC transfusion in hip and knee revision surgery OR 4·042 (4·012–4·072 95% CI)

Conclusions

Preoperative anaemia is common in patients presenting for revision hip and knee arthroplasty and independently associated with transfusion of allogeneic PRBC.