bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting life history parameters for all fishes worldwide
Authors: Thorson James T. , Munch Stephan B. , Cope Jason M. , Gao Jin
Published: July 2017

Scientists and resource managers need to know life history parameters (e.g., average mortality rate, individual growth rate, maximum length or mass, and timing of maturity) to understand and respond to risks to natural populations and ecosystems. For over 100 years, scientists have identified “life history invariants” (LHI) representing pairs of parameters whose ratio is theorized to be constant across species.LHIthen promise to allow prediction of many parameters from field measurements of a few important traits. UsingLHIin this way, however, neglects any residual patterns in parameters when making predictions. We therefore apply a multivariate model for eight variables (seven parameters and temperature) in over 32,000 fishes, and include taxonomic structure for residuals (with levels for class, order, family, genus, and species). We illustrate that this approach predicts variables probabilistically for taxa with many or few data. We then use this model to resolve three questions regarding life history parameters in fishes. Specifically we show that (1) on average there is a 1.24% decrease in the Brody growth coefficient for every 1% increase in maximum size; (2) the ratio of natural mortality rate and growth coefficient is not anLHIbut instead varies systematically based on the timing of maturation, where movement along this life history axis is predictably correlated with species taxonomy; and (3) three variables must be known per species to precisely predict remaining life history variables. We distribute our predictive model as an R package,FishLife, to allow future life history predictions for fishes to be conditioned on taxonomy and life history data for fishes worldwide. This package also contains predictions (and predictive intervals) for mortality, maturity, size, and growth parameters for all described fishes.
Division within the North American boreal forest: Ecological niche divergence between the Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) and Gray‐cheeked Thrush (C. minimus)
Authors: FitzGerald Alyssa M.
Published: July 2017

Sister species that diverged in allopatry in similar environments are expected to exhibit niche conservatism. Using ecological niche modeling and a multivariate analysis of climate and habitat data, I test the hypothesis that the Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) and Gray‐cheeked Thrush (C. mimimus), sister species that breed in the North American boreal forest, show niche conservatism. Three tree species that are important components of breeding territories of both thrush species were combined with climatic variables to create niche models consisting of abiotic and biotic components. Abiotic‐only, abiotic+biotic, and biotic‐only models were evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) criterion. Abiotic+biotic models had higher AUC scores and did not over‐project thrush distributions compared to abiotic‐only or biotic‐only models. From the abiotic+biotic models, I tested for niche conservatism or divergence by accounting for the differences in the availability of niche components by calculating (1) niche overlap from ecological niche models and (2) mean niche differences of environmental values at occurrence points. Niche background similarity tests revealed significant niche divergence in 10 of 12 comparisons, and multivariate tests revealed niche divergence along 2 of 3 niche axes. The Bicknell's Thrush breeds in warmer and wetter regions with a high abundance of balsam fir (Abies balsamea), whereas Gray‐cheeked Thrush often co‐occurs with black spruce (Picea mariana). Niche divergence, rather than conservatism, was the predominant pattern for these species, suggesting that ecological divergence has played a role in the speciation of the Bicknell's Thrush and Gray‐cheeked Thrush. Furthermore, because niche models were improved by the incorporation of biotic variables, this study validates the inclusion of relevant biotic factors in ecological niche modeling to increase model accuracy.
Social dilemma in the external immune system of the red flour beetle? It is a matter of time
Authors: Gokhale Chaitanya S. , Traulsen Arne , Joop Gerrit
Published: July 2017

Sociobiology has revolutionized our understanding of interactions between organisms. Interactions may present a social dilemma where the interests of individual actors do not align with those of the group as a whole. Viewed through a sociobiological lens, nearly all interactions can be described regarding their costs and benefits, and a number of them then resemble a social dilemma. Numerous experimental systems, from bacteria to mammals, have been proposed as models for studying such dilemmas. Here, we make use of the external immune system of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, to investigate how the experimental duration can affect whether the external secretion comprises a social dilemma or not. Some beetles (secretors) produce a costly quinone‐rich external secretion that inhibits microbial growth in the surrounding environment, providing the secretors with direct personal benefits. However, as the antimicrobial secretion acts in the environment of the beetle, it is potentially also advantageous to other beetles (nonsecretors), who avoid the cost of producing the secretion. We test experimentally if the secretion qualifies as a public good. We find that in the short term, costly quinone secretion can be interpreted as a public good presenting a social dilemma where the presence of secretors increases the fitness of the group. In the long run, the benefit to the group of having more secretors vanishes and becomes detrimental to the group. Therefore, in such seminatural environmental conditions, it turns out that qualifying a trait as social can be a matter of timing.
Early‐life foraging: Behavioral responses of newly fledged albatrosses to environmental conditions
Authors: de Grissac Sophie , Bartumeus Frederic , Cox Sam L. , Weimerskirch Henri
Published: July 2017

In order to survive and later recruit into a population, juvenile animals need to acquire resources through the use of innate and/or learnt behaviors in an environment new to them. For far‐ranging marine species, such as the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans, this is particularly challenging as individuals need to be able to rapidly adapt and optimize their movement strategies in response to the highly dynamic and heterogeneous nature of their open‐ocean pelagic habitats. Critical to this is the development and flexibility of dispersal and exploratory behaviors. Here, we examine the movements of eight juvenile wandering albatrosses, tracked using GPS/Argos satellite transmitters for eight months following fledging, and compare these to the trajectories of 17 adults to assess differences and similarities in behavioral strategies through time. Behavioral clustering algorithms (Expectation Maximization binary Clustering) were combined with multinomial regression analyses to investigate changes in behavioral mode probabilities over time, and how these may be influenced by variations in day duration and in biophysical oceanographic conditions. We found that juveniles appeared to quickly acquire the same large‐scale behavioral strategies as those employed by adults, although generally more time was spent resting at night. Moreover, individuals were able to detect and exploit specific oceanographic features in a manner similar to that observed in adults. Together, the results of this study suggest that while shortly after fledging juvenile wandering albatrosses are able to employ similar foraging strategies to those observed in adults, additional skills need to be acquired during the immature period before the efficiency of these behaviors matches that of adults.
Maintaining genetic integrity of coexisting wild and domestic populations: Genetic differentiation between wild and domestic Rangifer with long traditions of intentional interbreeding
Authors: Anderson David G. , Kvie Kjersti S. , Davydov Vladimir N. , Røed Knut H.
Published: July 2017

This study investigates the genetic effect of an indigenous tradition of deliberate and controlled interbreeding between wild and domestic Rangifer. The results are interpreted in the context of conservation concerns and debates on the origin of domestic animals. The study is located in Northeastern Zabaĭkal'e, Russia at approximately 57 degrees North latitude. Blood and skin samples, collected from wild and domestic Rangifer, are analyzed for their mtDNA and microsatellite signatures. Local husbandry traditions are documented ethnographically. The genetic data are analyzed with special reference to indigenous understandings of the distinctions between local domestic types and wild Rangifer. The genetic results demonstrate a strong differentiation between wild and domestic populations. Notably low levels of mtDNA haplotype sharing between wild and domestic reindeer, suggest mainly male‐mediated gene flow between the two gene pools. The nuclear microsatellite results also point to distinct differences between regional domestic clusters. Our results indicate that the Evenki herders have an effective breeding technique which, while mixing pedigrees in the short term, guards against wholesale introgression between wild and domestic populations over the long term. They support a model of domestication where wild males and domestic females are selectively interbred, without hybridizing the two populations. Our conclusions inform a debate on the origins of domestication by documenting a situation where both wild and domestic types are in constant interaction. The study further informs a debate in conservation biology by demonstrating that certain types of controlled introgression between wild and domestic types need not reduce genetic diversity.
Too hot to die? The effects of vegetation shading on past, present, and future activity budgets of two diurnal skinks from arid Australia
Authors: Grimm‐Seyfarth Annegret , Mihoub Jean‐Baptiste , Henle Klaus
Published: July 2017

Behavioral thermoregulation is an important mechanism allowing ectotherms to respond to thermal variations. Its efficiency might become imperative for securing activity budgets under future climate change. For diurnal lizards, thermal microhabitat variability appears to be of high importance, especially in hot deserts where vegetation is highly scattered and sensitive to climatic fluctuations. We investigated the effects of a shading gradient from vegetation on body temperatures and activity timing for two diurnal, terrestrial desert lizards, Ctenotus regius, and Morethia boulengeri, and analyzed their changes under past, present, and future climatic conditions. Both species’ body temperatures and activity timing strongly depended on the shading gradient provided by vegetation heterogeneity. At high temperatures, shaded locations provided cooling temperatures and increased diurnal activity. Conversely, bushes also buffered cold temperature by saving heat. According to future climate change scenarios, cooler microhabitats might become beneficial to warm‐adapted species, such as C. regius, by increasing the duration of daily activity. Contrarily, warmer microhabitats might become unsuitable for less warm‐adapted species such as M. boulengeri for which midsummers might result in a complete restriction of activity irrespective of vegetation. However, total annual activity would still increase provided that individuals would be able to shift their seasonal timing towards spring and autumn. Overall, we highlight the critical importance of thermoregulatory behavior to buffer temperatures and its dependence on vegetation heterogeneity. Whereas studies often neglect ecological processes when anticipating species’ responses to future climate change the strongest impact of a changing climate on terrestrial ectotherms in hot deserts is likely to be the loss of shaded microhabitats rather than the rise in temperature itself. We argue that conservation strategies aiming at addressing future climate changes should focus more on the cascading effects of vegetation rather than on shifts of species distributions predicted solely by climatic envelopes.
Influences of thermal environment on fish growth
Authors: Boltaña Sebastián , Sanhueza Nataly , Aguilar Andrea , Gallardo‐Escarate Cristian , Arriagada Gabriel , Valdes Juan Antonio , Soto Doris , Quiñones Renato A.
Published: July 2017

Thermoregulation in ectothermic animals is influenced by the ability to effectively respond to thermal variations. While it is known that ectotherms are affected by thermal changes, it remains unknown whether physiological and/or metabolic traits are impacted by modifications to the thermal environment. Our research provides key evidence that fish ectotherms are highly influenced by thermal variability during development, which leads to important modifications at several metabolic levels (e.g., growth trajectories, microstructural alterations, muscle injuries, and molecular mechanisms). In Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), a wide thermal range (ΔT 6.4°C) during development (posthatch larvae to juveniles) was associated with increases in key thermal performance measures for survival and growth trajectory. Other metabolic traits were also significantly influenced, such as size, muscle cellularity, and molecular growth regulators possibly affected by adaptive processes. In contrast, a restricted thermal range (ΔT 1.4°C) was detrimental to growth, survival, and cellular microstructure as muscle growth could not keep pace with increased metabolic demands. These findings provide a possible basic explanation for the effects of thermal environment during growth. In conclusion, our results highlight the key role of thermal range amplitude on survival and on interactions with major metabolism‐regulating processes that have positive adaptive effects for organisms.
Mechanisms underlying spruce budworm outbreak processes as elucidated by a 14‐year study in New Brunswick, Canada
Authors: Royama T. , Eveleigh E. S. , Morin J. R. B. , Pollock S. J. , McCarthy P. C. , McDougall G. A. , Lucarotti C. J.
Published: July 2017

We conducted a 14‐yr intensive study of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)) survivorship at three study plots in largely balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) stands in New Brunswick, Canada, to elucidate certain key mechanisms underlying spruce budworm outbreak cycles. The study covered a peak‐to‐declining phase (from 1981 and 1994) of the budworm outbreak cycle that had started in the early 1960s. Frequent sampling was carried out in each plot‐year to construct a practically continuous survivorship curve, and the annual variation in population density was estimated. We found a high level of correlation between the studied phase of the outbreak cycle and annual variations in the survivorship over the postdiapause period, suggesting that postdiapause survivorship was the chief determinant of the cycle. We found the annual changes in population density in the present study to be closely similar in pattern to those from the provincial budworm surveys conducted in much larger areas. This implies that the mechanism underlying the population process found in the few study plots in largely balsam fir stands also applies to the process in much larger areas of diverse stand types. The main source of postdiapause mortality is found to be natural enemies. The impacts of parasitoids and disease are evaluated by rearing budworm samples in the laboratory. Hymenopteran and dipteran parasitoids are by far the major sources of mortality, and microsporidians are the most prevalent pathogen. Occurrences of other entomopathogenic fungi and viruses were insignificant throughout the study. Seasonal changes in laboratory survivorship are compared with the corresponding field survivorship to estimate the effect of predation. No major mortality factor is found to singly play a predominant role in determining the outbreak cycle. Conversely, some minor factors are shown to have played significant roles. Thus, the importance of recognizing the action of natural enemies as a complex is emphasized for understanding the budworm outbreak cycle. Finally, centered on the roles played by the chronological succession of natural enemies in the present study, the results of budworm research in New Brunswick since the mid‐1940s are synthesized to outline basic mechanisms underlying the outbreak processes as a guide for further studies.
Hydroaminomethylation of oleochemicals: A comprehensive overview
Authors: Vanbésien Théodore , Le Nôtre Jérôme , Monflier Eric , Hapiot Frédéric
Published: July 2017

The present review explores the historical background of the rhodium‐catalyzed hydroaminomethylation (HAM) of vegetable oils and the recent developments in this field. The reaction conditions are especially discussed and commented upon. Various amines have been grafted onto alkyl chains of vegetable oils, thus giving rise to a wide range of bio‐based HAM‐products. A focus is on bifunctional HAM‐products as they have potential as monomers in polymer chemistry. The nature of the ligands stabilizing the rhodium catalytic species is also discussed. The catalytic results obtained with phosphanes and amines are analyzed and compared. The goal of this review is to convince the reader that HAM of vegetable oils is a simple and effective synthetic pathway to access valuable functionalized bio‐based compounds with industrial potential.

Practical applications: Products resulting from hydroaminomethylation of vegetable oils have potential as monomers in polymer chemistry and as bio‐based surface‐active agents.

The functionalization of the carbon–carbon double bonds of vegetable oils by amino groups is easily carried out via rhodium‐catalyzed hydroaminomethylation (HAM).
Temperature‐Dependent Dynamics of Push–Pull Rotor Systems Based on Acridinylidene Cyanoacetic Esters
Authors: Krick Marcel , Holstein Julian J. , Wuttke Axel , Mata Ricardo A. , Clever Guido H.
Published: July 2017

A series of asymmetrically substituted acridinylidene cyanoacetic esters was synthesized and analyzed for dynamic behavior and spectroscopic features. Although formally connected by a C=C double bond, the cyanoacetic ester groups behave as molecular rotors due to the electronic push–pull situation in the system. The donor–acceptor character lowers the rotational barrier and allows controlling the rotational rate by adjusting the electronic contribution of the ester substituent and changing the solvent polarity. Besides rotation, a much faster flipping motion can be assigned to the tricyclic acridinylidene motif, both of which lead to a rapid interconversion between axially chiral conformers of the system. Treatment with acid induces an intense fluorescence of the system, due to protonation of the C=C carbon on the rotor site, concomitant with the formation of a fluorescent acridinium ion. The dynamic, fluorogenic, and electrochemical behavior of three systems is compared with the aid of NMR, UV/Vis and fluorescence measurements, X‐ray structural analysis, cyclic voltammetry, and molecular modelling.
Detection of growth rate‐dependent product formation in miniaturized parallel fed‐batch cultivations
Authors: Glauche Florian , Glazyrina Julia , Cruz Bournazou Mariano Nicolas , Kiesewetter Gregor , Cuda Fabian , Goelling Detlef , Raab Andreas , Lang Christine , Neubauer Peter
Published: July 2017

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a popular expression system for recombinant proteins. In most cases, production processes are performed as carbon‐limited fed‐batch cultures to avoid aerobic ethanol formation. Especially for constitutive expression systems, the specific product formation rate depends on the specific growth rate. The development of optimal feeding strategies strongly depends on laboratory‐scale cultivations, which are time and resource consuming, especially when continuous experiments are carried out. It is therefore beneficial for accelerated process development to look at alternatives. In this study, S. cerevisiae AH22 secreting a heterologous endo‐polygalacturonase (EPG) was characterized in microwell plates with an enzyme‐based fed‐batch medium. Through variation of the glucose release rate, different growth profiles were established and the impact on EPG secretion was analyzed. Product formation rates of 200–400 U (gx h)−1 were determined. As a reference, bioreactor experiments using the change‐stat cultivation technique were performed. The growth‐dependent product formation was analyzed over dilution rates of D = 0.01–0.35 with smooth change of D at a rate of 0.003 h−2. EPG production was found to be comparable with a qp of 400 U (gx h)−1 at D = 0.27 h−1. The presented results indicate that parallel miniaturized fed‐batch cultures can be applied to determine product formation profiles of putative production strains. With further automation and parallelization of the concept, strain characterization can be performed in shorter time.
Enzymes Suitable for Biorefinery to Coproduce Hexaric Acids and Electricity from Hexuronic Acids Derived from Biomass
Authors: Sakuta Riku , Takeda Kouta , Igarashi Kiyohiko , Ohno Hiroyuki , Nakamura Nobuhumi
Published: July 2017

Hexarates are platform chemicals. Methods to produce d‐glucarate and d‐mannarate are desirable because these hexarates can be gained by oxidation of the corresponding hexuronates, which are abundantly found in algae and plants as the units of polyuronates. Oxidative production of the hexarates can be combined with a reductive reaction to coproduce electricity. An enzymatic biofuel cell is a device that enables this coproduction. To construct the cell, it is necessary to find enzymes that catalyze platform chemical production and are also suitable as anode catalysts. Here, we show the production of d‐glucarate and d‐mannarate from d‐glucuronate and d‐mannuronate, with both reactions catalyzed by pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)‐dependent glucose dehydrogenase, in addition to the production of d‐glucarate from l‐guluronate by the PQQ domain of pyranose dehydrogenase from Coprinopsis cinerea. The enzymes are suitable as anode catalysts in biofuel cells that coproduce these hexarates and electricity.
Efficient and Stable Inverted Planar Perovskite Solar Cells Employing CuI as Hole‐Transporting Layer Prepared by Solid–Gas Transformation
Authors: Wang Haoxin , Yu Ze , Jiang Xiao , Li Jiajia , Cai Bin , Yang Xichuan , Sun Licheng
Published: July 2017

The inorganic p‐type semiconductor CuI possesses several unique characteristics such as high transparency, low‐production cost, high hole mobility, and good chemical stability and is a promising hole‐transporting material candidate that can be explored in solar‐cell devices. Herein, we adopt a simple solid–gas reaction method to fabricate a uniform CuI film by exposing a thermally evaporated copper film to iodine vapor and apply it as a hole‐transporting layer (HTL) in inverted planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The optimized devices display a promising power conversion (PCE) efficiency of 14.7 %, with an open‐circuit voltage of 1.04 V, a short‐circuit current density of 20.9 mW cm−2, and a fill factor of 0.68. This is one of the highest PCE values reported so far for CuI‐based HTL in PSCs. Moreover, the devices studied also exhibit good long‐term stability at ambient atmosphere, arising from the hydrophobicity of CuI HTL. The results highlight that CuI fabricated using the simple and low‐temperature processing method presented here holds great promise as low‐cost alternative HTL material for the development of efficient and stable inverted planar PSCs in the future.
Spectral variations of underwater river sounds
Authors: Geay T. , Belleudy P. , Laronne J.B. , Camenen B. , Gervaise C.
Published: July 2017

Passive acoustic monitoring of the self‐generated noise of particle impacts has been shown to be correlated to bedload flux and bedload size. However, few studies have concentrated on the role of acoustic wave propagation in a river. For the first time, the river environment is modeled as a Pekeris waveguide, where a wave number integration technique is used to predict the transformation of sounds through their propagation paths. Focusing on the distance of a hydrophone from the channel bed and cutting off the low frequencies produced by impacts between gravel particles, we demonstrate that acoustic propagation modifies the spectral content of bedload‐generated sound. Acoustic signals analyzed with the proposed model are interpreted by comparison to Helley–Smith bedload data obtained during flood conditions on the large gravel‐bedded Arc‐en‐Maurienne River, France.

This study shows that careful attention to acoustic propagation effects is required when estimating bedload grain size distribution with hydrophones in rivers, especially for rivers with slopes higher than 1%. Bedload monitoring with a hydrophone is particularly appropriate for large gravel‐bed rivers – especially so during large floods, when in situ sampling is difficult or impractical and the impact of acoustic propagation is weaker relative to the self‐generated noise of bedload impacts. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gender and Minority Achievement Gaps in Science in Eighth Grade: Item Analyses of Nationally Representative Data
Authors: Qian Xiaoyu , Nandakumar Ratna , Glutting Joseph , Ford Danielle , Fifield Steve
Published: July 2017

In this study, we investigated gender and minority achievement gaps on 8th‐grade science items employing a multilevel item response methodology. Both gaps were wider on physics and earth science items than on biology and chemistry items. Larger gender gaps were found on items with specific topics favoring male students than other items, for example, an earth science item requiring visual–spatial ability. Minority students were more likely than White students to score lower on harder constructed‐response (CR) items. Some teachers were more likely to reduce minority achievement gaps on easier CR items than other teachers. Implications for instruction in terms of improving visual–spatial awareness, efficacy of female students, and modeling scientific literacy for minority students were discussed.
Projection of population structure in China using least squares support vector machine in conjunction with a Leslie matrix model
Authors: Li Shuang , Yang Zewei , Li Hongsheng , Shu Guangwen
Published: July 2017

China is a populous country that is facing serious aging problems due to the single‐child birth policy. Debate is ongoing whether the liberalization of the single‐child policy to a two‐child policy can mitigate China's aging problems without unacceptably increasing the population. The purpose of this paper is to apply machine learning theory to the demographic field and project China's population structure under different fertility policies. The population data employed derive from the fifth and sixth national census records obtained in 2000 and 2010 in addition to the annals published by the China National Bureau of Statistics. Firstly, the sex ratio at birth is estimated according to the total fertility rate based on least squares regression of time series data. Secondly, the age‐specific fertility rates and age‐specific male/female mortality rates are projected by a least squares support vector machine (LS‐SVM) model, which then serve as the input to a Leslie matrix model. Finally, the male/female age‐specific population data projected by the Leslie matrix in a given year serve as the input parameters of the Leslie matrix for the following year, and the process is iterated in this manner until reaching the target year. The experimental results reveal that the proposed LS‐SVM‐Leslie model improves the projection accuracy relative to the conventional Leslie matrix model in terms of the percentage error and mean algebraic percentage error. The results indicate that the total fertility ratio should be controlled to around 2.0 to balance concerns associated with a large population with concerns associated with an aging population. Therefore, the two‐child birth policy should be fully instituted in China. However, the fertility desire of women tends to be low due to the high cost of living and the pressure associated with employment, particularly in the metropolitan areas. Thus additional policies should be implemented to encourage fertility.
De‐extinction and Conservation Genetics in the Anthropocene
Authors: Sandler Ronald
Published: July 2017

One interesting feature of de‐extinction—particularly with respect to long‐extinct species such as the passenger pigeon, thylacine, and mammoth—is that it does not fit neatly into the primary rationales for adopting novel ecosystem‐management and species‐conservation technologies and strategies: efficiency and necessity. The efficiency rationale is that the new technology or strategy enables conservation biologists to do what they already do more effectively. Why should researchers embrace novel information technologies? Because they allow scientists to better track, monitor, map, aggregate, and analyze species behaviors, biological systems, and human‐environment interactions. This enables better decision‐making about how to protect species, which areas to conserve, and how to reduce anthropogenic impacts on ecological systems. Many projects in conservation genomics are justified in this way. But de‐extinction is not a more efficient or necessary means to some conservation aim that is already recognized as acceptable or important. In fact, because it is focused on reconstituting approximations of nonexistent species, rather than maintaining extant ones, the social and ethical assessment of de‐extinction is not limited to asking whether it is a good means. We can ask as well whether de‐extinction is a worthwhile “conservation” goal in the first place.
The Spectacular Garden: Where Might De‐extinction Lead?
Authors: Kaebnick Gregory E.
Published: July 2017

The emergence of de‐extinction is a study in technological optimism. What has already been accomplished in recovering ancient genomes, recreating them, and reproducing animals with engineered genomes is amazing but also has a long ways to go to achieve “de‐extinction” as most people would understand that term. Still, with some caveats in place, creating a functional replacement for an extinct species may sometimes be doable, and given the right goals, might sometimes make sense. The International Union for Conservation of Nature guidelines for de‐extinction do a reasonable job of keeping the caveats in place and clarifying the goals. In fact, given the right caveats about what de‐extinction can accomplish, we should pay a lot of attention to the technology and should think carefully about the goals. Not only has the technology been advancing, but our environmental standards have been getting looser and more flexible, providing less guidance for implementing the technology.

The guiding ideals for conservation are often explained as a choice between John Muir, founder of The Sierra Club, and Gifford Pinchot, who helped create the U.S. Forest Service. Muir argued for preserving some places in the world in their natural state because of their great value and beauty. Pinchot, by contrast, was bluntly utilitarian. He argued for trying to keep some natural places more or less undamaged so that we could use them later. There has long been dissatisfaction with this choice, and in the last couple of decades, a number of prominent voices have proposed a “gardening ethic” as a new standard that combines elements of Muir and Pinchot. A gardening ethic is supposed to both celebrate the land and declare that it must now be managed. But what would good gardening mean when it comes to de‐extinction?
Neural signature of inattentional deafness
Authors: Durantin Gautier , Dehais Frederic , Gonthier Nicolas , Terzibas Cengiz , Callan Daniel E.
Published: July 2017

Inattentional deafness is the failure to hear otherwise audible sounds (usually alarms) that may occur under high workload conditions. One potential cause for its occurrence could be an attentional bottleneck that occurs when task demands are high, resulting in lack of resources for processing of additional tasks. In this fMRI experiment, we explore the brain regions active during the occurrence of inattentional deafness using a difficult perceptual‐motor task in which the participants fly through a simulated Red Bull air race course and at the same time push a button on the joystick to the presence of audio alarms. Participants were instructed to focus on the difficult piloting task and to press the button on the joystick quickly when they noticed an audio alarm. The fMRI results revealed that audio misses relative to hits had significantly greater activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus IFG and the superior medial frontal cortex. Consistent with an attentional bottleneck, activity in these regions was also present for poor flying performance (contrast of gates missed versus gates passed for the flying task). A psychophysiological interaction analysis from the IFG identified reduced effective connectivity to auditory processing regions in the right superior temporal gyrus for missed audio alarms relative to audio alarms that were heard. This study identifies a neural signature of inattentional deafness in an ecologically valid situation by directly measuring differences in brain activity and effective connectivity between audio alarms that were not heard compared to those that were heard. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5440–5455, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cortical connectivity modulation during sleep onset: A study via graph theory on EEG data
Authors: Vecchio Fabrizio , Miraglia Francesca , Gorgoni Maurizio , Ferrara Michele , Iberite Francesco , Bramanti Placido , De Gennaro Luigi , Rossini Paolo Maria
Published: July 2017

Sleep onset is characterized by a specific and orchestrated pattern of frequency and topographical EEG changes. Conventional power analyses of electroencephalographic (EEG) and computational assessments of network dynamics have described an earlier synchronization of the centrofrontal areas rhythms and a spread of synchronizing signals from associative prefrontal to posterior areas. Here, we assess how “small world” characteristics of the brain networks, as reflected in the EEG rhythms, are modified in the wakefulness–sleep transition comparing the pre‐ and post‐sleep onset epochs. The results show that sleep onset is characterized by a less ordered brain network (as reflected by the higher value of small world) in the sigma band for the frontal lobes indicating stronger connectivity, and a more ordered brain network in the low frequency delta and theta bands indicating disconnection on the remaining brain areas. Our results depict the timing and topography of the specific mechanisms for the maintenance of functional connectivity of frontal brain regions at the sleep onset, also providing a possible explanation for the prevalence of the frontal‐to‐posterior information flow directionality previously observed after sleep onset. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5456–5464, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The impact of T1 versus EPI spatial normalization templates for fMRI data analyses
Authors: Calhoun Vince D. , Wager Tor D. , Krishnan Anjali , Rosch Keri S. , Seymour Karen E. , Nebel Mary Beth , Mostofsky Stewart H. , Nyalakanai Prashanth , Kiehl Kent
Published: July 2017

Spatial normalization of brains to a standardized space is a widely used approach for group studies in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Commonly used template‐based approaches are complicated by signal dropout and distortions in echo planar imaging (EPI) data. The most widely used software packages implement two common template‐based strategies: (1) affine transformation of the EPI data to an EPI template followed by nonlinear registration to an EPI template (EPInorm) and (2) affine transformation of the EPI data to the anatomic image for a given subject, followed by nonlinear registration of the anatomic data to an anatomic template, which produces a transformation that is applied to the EPI data (T1norm). EPI distortion correction can be used to adjust for geometric distortion of EPI relative to the T1 images. However, in practice, this EPI distortion correction step is often skipped. We compare these template‐based strategies empirically in four large datasets. We find that the EPInorm approach consistently shows reduced variability across subjects, especially in the case when distortion correction is not applied. EPInorm also shows lower estimates for coregistration distances among subjects (i.e., within‐dataset similarity is higher). Finally, the EPInorm approach shows higher T values in a task‐based dataset. Thus, the EPInorm approach appears to amplify the power of the sample compared to the T1norm approach when not using distortion correction (i.e., the EPInorm boosts the effective sample size by 12–25%). In sum, these results argue for the use of EPInorm over the T1norm when no distortion correction is used. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5331–5342, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A randomized placebo‐controlled trial of prophylactic dexamethasone for transcatheter arterial chemoembolization
Authors: Ogasawara Sadahisa , Chiba Tetsuhiro , Ooka Yoshihiko , Kanogawa Naoya , Motoyama Tenyu , Suzuki Eiichiro , Tawada Akinobu , Nagai Kazue , Nakagawa Tomoo , Sugawara Takeshi , Hanaoka Hideki , Kanai Fumihiko , Yokosuka Osamu
Published: July 2017

This randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial evaluated dexamethasone efficacy at preventing fever, anorexia, and nausea/vomiting, the most frequent adverse events of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Child‐Pugh class A/B patients with HCC and no macrovascular invasion/extrahepatic metastases were randomly assigned to either a dexamethasone regimen (day 1, intravenous dexamethasone [20 mg] and granisetron [3 mg] before TACE; days 2 and 3, intravenous dexamethasone [8 mg]) or a control regimen (day 1, intravenous placebo [saline] and granisetron [3 mg]; days 2 and 3, intravenous placebo). The primary endpoint was complete response, defined as the absence of grade ≥1 fever, anorexia, or nausea/vomiting according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 4.0) and no use of rescue therapy for 120 hours after TACE. A total of 120 patients between October 2010 and June 2013 were randomly assigned to treatment groups. Overall the complete response rate was greater with the dexamethasone regimen than with the control regimen (47.5%, 95% confidence interval 34.3%‐60.9%, versus 10.2%, 95% confidence interval 3.8%‐20.8%; P < 0.001). Cumulative incidences of fever, anorexia, and nausea/vomiting were higher in the control regimen group compared with the dexamethasone group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.095, respectively). The dexamethasone regimen was generally well tolerated by HCC patients including those with well‐controlled diabetes mellitus and those with hepatitis B virus infection. Conclusion: The dexamethasone regimen was more effective than the control regimen at preventing TACE‐induced fever, anorexia, and nausea/vomiting in patients with HCC. (Hepatology 2018;67:575‐585).
Profiling of the circadian metabolome in thioacetamide‐induced liver cirrhosis in mice
Authors: Fujisawa Koichi , Takami Taro , Matsumoto Toshihiko , Yamamoto Naoki , Sakaida Isao
Published: July 2017

Liver cirrhosis can disturb circadian rhythms, decreasing patient quality of life. Changes in metabolic products in cirrhosis are poorly understood. We evaluated changes in liver metabolism products using a thioacetamide‐induced mouse model of liver cirrhosis exhibiting circadian rhythm disturbance. Principal component analysis indicated that the circular progression found in the control group was disrupted in the thioacetamide group, and Jonckheere‐Terpstra‐Kendall analysis showed an imbalanced pattern of oscillating metabolic products. In addition to changes in serotonin and other vitamin A–related metabolites, differences in metabolic products associated with energetics, redox homeostasis, bile acid production, inflammation, and other processes were identified. Carbohydrate metabolism showed a reduction in metabolic products associated with the tricarboxylic acid cycle, suggesting up‐regulation of glycolysis and reduced mitochondrial activity. Lipid metabolism showed an increase in ω‐oxidation products, suggesting decreased β‐oxidation. Conclusion: These data will be useful for chronotherapy and modulation of circadian rhythms in patients with liver damage. (Hepatology Communications 2017;1:704–718)
A portable experimental hillslope for frozen ground studies
Authors: Pratt Dyan L. , McDonnell Jeffrey J.
Published: July 2017

Frozen ground hydrological effects on runoff, storage, and release have been observed in the field and tested in numerical models, but few physical models of frozen slopes (at scales from 1 to 15 m) exist partly because the design of such an experiment requires new engineering design for realistic whole‐slope freezing and physical model innovation. Here, we present a new freezable tilting hillslope physical model for hydrological system testing under a variety of climate conditions with the ability to perform multiple (up to 20 per year) freeze–thaw cycles. The 4 × 2 m hillslope is mobile and tiltable on the basis of a modified tri‐axle 4.88‐m (16′) dump trailer to facilitate testing multiple configurations. The system includes controllable boundary conditions on all surfaces; examples of side and baseflow boundary conditions include permeable membranes, impermeable barriers, semipermeable configurations, and constant head conditions. To simulate cold regions and to freeze the hillslope in a realistic and controlled manner, insulation and a removable freezer system are incorporated onto the top boundary of the hillslope. The freezing system is designed to expedite the freezing process by the addition of a 10,130‐KJ (9,600‐BTU) refrigeration coil to the top‐centre of the insulated ceiling. Centre placement provides radial freezing of the hillslope in a top‐down fashion, similar to what natural systems encounter in the environment. The perimeter walls are insulated with 100 mm of spray foam insulation, whereas the base of the hillslope is not insulated to simulate natural heat fluxes beneath the frozen layer of soil. Our preliminary testing shows that covers can be frozen down to −10 °C in approximately 7 days, with subsequent thaw on a similar time frame.
BOK displays cell death‐independent tumor suppressor activity in non‐small‐cell lung carcinoma
Authors: Moravcikova Erika , Krepela Evzen , Donnenberg Vera S. , Donnenberg Albert D. , Benkova Kamila , Rabachini Tatiana , Fernandez‐Marrero Yuniel , Bachmann Daniel , Kaufmann Thomas
Published: July 2017

As the genomic region containing the Bcl‐2‐related ovarian killer (BOK) locus is frequently deleted in certain human cancers, BOK is hypothesized to have a tumor suppressor function. In the present study, we analyzed primary non‐small‐cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) tumors and matched lung tissues from 102 surgically treated patients. We show that BOK protein levels are significantly downregulated in NSCLC tumors as compared to lung tissues (p < 0.001). In particular, we found BOK downregulation in NSCLC tumors of grades two (p = 0.004, n = 35) and three (p = 0.031, n = 39) as well as in tumors with metastases to hilar (pN1) (p = 0.047, n = 31) and mediastinal/subcarinal lymph nodes (pN2) (p = 0.021, n = 18) as opposed to grade one tumors (p = 0.688, n = 7) and tumors without lymph node metastases (p = 0.112, n = 51). Importantly, in lymph node‐positive patients, BOK expression greater than the median value was associated with longer survival (p = 0.002, Mantel test). Using in vitro approaches, we provide evidence that BOK overexpression is inefficient in inducing apoptosis but that it inhibits TGFβ‐induced migration and epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung adenocarcinoma‐derived A549 cells. We have identified epigenetic mechanisms, in particular BOK promoter methylation, as an important means to silence BOK expression in NSCLC cells. Taken together, our data point toward a novel mechanism by which BOK acts as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC by inhibiting EMT. Consequently, the restoration of BOK levels in low‐BOK‐expressing tumors might favor the overall survival of NSCLC patients.
Correlates of immune defenses in golden eagle nestlings
Authors: MacColl Elisabeth , Vanesky Kris , Buck Jeremy A. , Dudek Benjamin M. , Eagles‐Smith Collin A. , Heath Julie A. , Herring Garth , Vennum Chris , Downs Cynthia J.
Published: July 2017

An individual's investment in constitutive immune defenses depends on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We examined how Leucocytozoon parasite presence, body condition (scaled mass), heterophil‐to‐lymphocyte (H:L) ratio, sex, and age affected immune defenses in golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nestlings from three regions: California, Oregon, and Idaho. We quantified hemolytic‐complement activity and bacterial killing ability, two measures of constitutive immunity. Body condition and age did not affect immune defenses. However, eagles with lower H:L ratios had lower complement activity, corroborating other findings that animals in better condition sometimes invest less in constitutive immunity. In addition, eagles with Leucocytozoon infections had higher concentrations of circulating complement proteins but not elevated opsonizing proteins for all microbes, and eagles from Oregon had significantly higher constitutive immunity than those from California or Idaho. We posit that Oregon eagles might have elevated immune defenses because they are exposed to more endoparasites than eagles from California or Idaho, and our results confirmed that the OR region has the highest rate of Leucocytozoon infections. Our study examined immune function in a free‐living, long‐lived raptor species, whereas most avian ecoimmunological research focuses on passerines. Thus, our research informs a broad perspective regarding the evolutionary and environmental pressures on immune function in birds.
BMP‐2 gene activated muscle tissue fragments for osteochondral defect regeneration in the rabbit knee
Authors: Betz Volker M. , Keller Alexander , Foehr Peter , Thirion Christian , Salomon Michael , Rammelt Stefan , Zwipp Hans , Burgkart Rainer , Jansson Volkmar , Müller Peter E. , Betz Oliver B.
Published: July 2017

Background

Previously published data indicate that BMP‐2 gene activated muscle tissue grafts can repair large bone defects in rats. This innovative abbreviated ex vivo gene therapy is appealing because it does not require elaborative and time‐consuming extraction and expansion of cells. Hence, in the present study, we evaluated the potential of this expedited tissue engineering approach for regenerating osteochondral defects in rabbits.

Methods

Autologous muscle tissue grafts from female White New Zealand rabbits were directly transduced with an adenoviral BMP‐2 vector or remained unmodified. Osteochondral defects in the medial condyle of rabbit knees were treated with either BMP‐2 activated muscle tissue implants or unmodified muscle tissue or remained empty. After 13 weeks, repair of osteochondral defects was examined by biomechanical indentation testing and by histology/imunohistochemistry applying an extended O'Driscoll scoring system and histomorphometry.

Results

Biomechanical investigations revealed a trend towards slightly improved mechanical properties of the group receiving BMP‐2 activated muscle tissue compared to unmodified muscle treatment and empty defect controls. However, a statistically significant difference was noted only between BMP‐2 muscle and unmodified muscle treatment. Also, histological evaluation resulted in slightly higher histological scores and improved collagen I/II ratio without statistical significance in the BMP‐2 treatment group. Histomorphometry indicated enhanced repair of subchondral bone after treatment with BMP‐2 muscle, with a significantly larger bone area compared to untreated defects.

Conclusions

Gene activated muscle tissue grafts showed potential for osteochondral defect repair. There is room for improvement via the use of appropriate growth factor combinations.