bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Root dentine and endodontic instrumentation: cutting edge microscopic imaging
Authors: Atmeh Amre R. , Watson Timothy F.
Published: April 2016

Cutting of the dental hard tissues is an integral part of restorative dentistry. Cutting of the root dentine is also needed in preparation prior to endodontic treatment, with significant commercial investment for the development of flexible cutting instruments based around nickel titanium (NiTi) alloys. This paper describes the evolution of endodontic cutting instruments, both in materials used, e.g. the transition from stainless steel to NiTi, and the design of the actual instruments themselves and their method of activation—by hand or motor driven. We have been examining tooth-cutting interactions microscopically for over 25 years using a variety of microscopic techniques; in particular, video-rate confocal microscopy. This has given a unique insight into how many of the procedures that we take for granted are achieved in clinical practice, by showing microscopic video images of the cutting as it occurs within the tooth. This technology has now been extended to allow imaging of the endodontic instrument and the root canal wall for the first time. We are able to image dentine distortion and crack propagation during endodontic filing of the root canal space. We are also able to visualize the often claimed, but seldom seen action of contemporary endodontic instruments.
How chimpanzees integrate sensory information to select figs
Authors: Dominy Nathaniel J. , Yeakel Justin D. , Bhat Uttam , Ramsden Lawrence , Wrangham Richard W. , Lucas Peter W.
Published: April 2016

Figs are keystone resources that sustain chimpanzees when preferred fruits are scarce. Many figs retain a green(ish) colour throughout development, a pattern that causes chimpanzees to evaluate edibility on the basis of achromatic accessory cues. Such behaviour is conspicuous because it entails a succession of discrete sensory assessments, including the deliberate palpation of individual figs, a task that requires advanced visuomotor control. These actions are strongly suggestive of domain-specific information processing and decision-making, and they call attention to a potential selective force on the origin of advanced manual prehension and digital dexterity during primate evolution. To explore this concept, we report on the foraging behaviours of chimpanzees and the spectral, chemical and mechanical properties of figs, with cutting tests revealing ease of fracture in the mouth. By integrating the ability of different sensory cues to predict fructose content in a Bayesian updating framework, we quantified the amount of information gained when a chimpanzee successively observes, palpates and bites the green figs of
Ficus sansibarica
. We found that the cue eliciting ingestion was not colour or size, but fig mechanics (including toughness estimates from wedge tests), which relays higher-quality information on fructose concentrations than colour vision. This result explains why chimpanzees evaluate green figs by palpation and dental incision, actions that could explain the adaptive origins of advanced manual prehension.
Levels and determinants of vulnerability of two indigenous communities in the Philippines
Authors: Ancog Rico C. , Rebancos Carmelita M. , Sumalde Zenaida M.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to determine and compare the vulnerability of selected indigenous communities in the Philippines using several integrated index development approaches. Better understanding on how negative impacts of climate change could be effectively reduced is the identification of appropriate vulnerability assessment approach that is applicable to the local and cultural contexts. Critical in the case of indigenous communities is the analyses of determinants of vulnerability by and with themselves.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the survey data of combined 169 households, vulnerability scores of two adjacent Alangan Mangyan indigenous communities were quantified utilizing a set of 31 indicators that were systematically combined via the balanced-weighted (composite index) and unbalanced-weighted (principal component analysis) approaches.

Findings

– The computed vulnerability scores of the Alangan Mangyan communities using several approaches yielded varying results. In both study sites, the degree of vulnerability is differentiated even among households of indigenous communities of comparable socio-economic characteristics. The developed indices confirm that typhoons, level of education, literacy rate and monthly income were found to have direct effect on the Alangan Mangyan communities’ vulnerability.

Originality/value

– The study has successfully tested various methodological frameworks in implementing vulnerability assessment applicable in the context of indigenous communities in the Philippines. Results highlighted the need to simultaneously implement several vulnerability assessment approaches to allow comparison of results instead of solely basing climate change vulnerability-reduction programs to be implemented to a single assessment approach.
Information volunteers’ strategies in crisis communication
Authors: Saputro Kurniawan Adi
Published: April 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the communication strategies used by the information volunteers of Jalin Merapi during the Mt. Merapi disaster in Indonesia 2010.

Design/methodology/approach

In all, 18 information volunteers are interviewed to find out about their strategies in organising crisis communication, and follow-up interviews are conducted with several donors and media professionals to understand the wider context. The questions cover how the information is sourced, published and verified and the reasons behind their decisions. The concept of mediated suffering helps to analyse how their strategies construct with whom, with what subject and how the media users engage with the survivors.

Findings

This study finds that information volunteers of Jalin Merapi focused on the overlooked survivors and issues of Mt. Merapi disaster based on their observation of the mainstream media’s coverage of the previous disaster in 2006. The needs of the refugees, rather than the availability of donor’s aid, were foregrounded to encourage the wider public to donate. And access to connect directly with the survivors was provided to enhance the efficacy of aid and to facilitate repeat donations.

Research limitations/implications

Further empirical studies in other disaster contexts are called for to assess whether similar or different strategies are used in participatory crisis communication.

Originality/value

This study presents a rare case of participatory crisis communication in a disaster. The perspective of the media audience helps situate the findings in the context of the wider media environment and in the context of collective action as often seen in response to disaster.
The space between us: Twitter and crisis communication
Authors: Pond Philip
Published: April 2016

Purpose

A key concept within the wider practice of crisis informatics is situational awareness, which refers to the way that social media can be used to provide local, situation-specific information. This information may be used for disaster response communication and resilience building. The purpose of this study is to argue that, in this context, situational awareness relies on an overly literal interpretation of information sent via the micro-blogging service Twitter.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews relevant literature, including work that seeks to establish social media as a key tool in terms of crisis informatics. It discusses relevant theoretical debates and uses recent examples to interrogate these concepts.

Findings

The paper identifies several issues that complicate the interpretation and application of information from Twitter during crises. Not only can misinformation circulate during disaster events, the relationship between complex meaning-making processes, taking place both online and offline, is not yet well-understood. Locating digital data in physical time and space can better illuminate the dynamics of communication on Twitter.

Research limitations/implications

This is a theoretical discussion paper. It requires empirical work to question and to develop its theoretical findings.

Practical implications

The paper discusses implications for designing crisis informatics tools. It suggests that the cross-referencing of data may assist in the verification and interpretation of tweet content in regards to situational awareness.

Originality/value

This paper advances an important theoretical discussion with practical implications in an emergent field in crisis communication. It highlights the importance of focusing on temporal and spatial parameters for better evaluating situational awareness.
Optimizing production while reducing machinery lockout/tagout circumvention possibilities
Authors: Badiane Abdoulaye , Nadeau Sylvie , Kenné Jean-Pierre , Polotski Vladimir
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The optimization of production imposes a review of facility maintenance policies. Accidents during maintenance activities are frequent, sometimes fatal and often associated with deficient or absent machinery lockout/tagout. Lockout/tagout is often circumvented in order to avoid what may be viewed as unnecessary delays and increased production costs. To reduce the dangers inherent in such practice, the purpose of this paper is to propose a production strategy that provides for machinery lockout/tagout while maximizing manufacturing system availability and minimizing costs.

Design/methodology/approach

– The joint optimization problem of production planning, maintenance and safety planning is formulated and studied using a stochastic optimal control methodology. Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations are developed and studied numerically using the Kushner approach based on finite difference approximation and an iterative policy improvement technique.

Findings

– The analysis leads to a solution that suggests increasing the “comfortable” inventory level in order to provide the time required for lockout/tagout activities. It is also demonstrated that the optimization of lockout/tagout procedures is particularly important when the equipment is relatively new and the inventory level is minimal.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper demonstrates that it is possible to integrate production, maintenance and lockout/tagout procedures into production planning while keeping manufacturing system cost objectives attainable as well as ensuring worker safety.

Originality/value

– This integrated production and maintenance policy is unique and complements existing procedures by explicitly accounting for safety measures.
Airline maintenance strategies – in-house vs. outsourced – an optimization approach
Authors: Bazargan Massoud
Published: April 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to offer a new mathematical modeling approach to help airlines identify which types of heavy aircraft maintenance checks be performed in-house or outsourced.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study offers a mathematical model to minimize the total cost of heavy maintenance programs over a planning period subject to performing all maintenance programs on time and other side constraints.

Findings

– The results are very encouraging and somewhat counter-intuitive. The solutions recommend that more expensive and labor intensive checks be outsourced. A detailed analyses of the total maintenance cost breakdown is presented with implications and recommendation.

Originality/value

– To the best of the knowledge, the literature on quantitative models for airline in-house and outsourced maintenance checks is very limited. The author believes the model and airline cases presented in this paper can help airlines with their strategic maintenance strategies and will initiate further studies in this important area.
Investigations for melt flow index of Nylon6-Fe composite based hybrid FDM filament
Authors: Garg Harish , Singh Rupinder
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to carry out experimental investigations highlighting the role of melt flow index (MFI) in fused deposition modelling (FDM) process by varying the proportion of the Fe powder which is being used as a filler material. An attempt has been made to standardize MFI of Nylon6-Fe composite material to be used as hybrid FDM filament.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research work, it is proposed to make a suitable blend of composite material for FDM filament which can be used directly for rapid tooling applications. Three controllable parameters (namely, composition/proportion of the filler for hybrid filament, extrusion temperature and extrusion load) were studied by using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array (O.A.) MFI which is an indication of flowability has been selected as output parameter.

Findings

MFI of hybrid composite filament material has been studied, and Taguchi’s L9 O.A. was applied under both the conditions of lower the better type and larger the better type. It is observed that the contribution of the extrusion load, extrusion temperature and proportion of the filler material is almost similar, whether lower the better type situation is considered or larger the better type is considered. Further, an attempt has been made to standardize the MFI of Nylon6-Fe composite material for industrial applications, as no standard is available for composites (presently, ASTM-D-1238-95 standard is being used for plastic based materials only).

Originality/value

In recent past, researchers have studied and analysed the flow of the material through the nozzle of the FDM machine, but very little work has been reported on study of the flow characteristics of filament material before the composite material is fed into the machine. This research can open new avenues in the field of MFI and deals with comparison of MFI of the existing FDM feedstock material with the new composite material. The developed feedstock material is ferromagnetic in nature and can find wide variety of industrial applications.
An approach for mechanical property optimization of fused deposition modeling with polylactic acid via design of experiments
Authors: Torres Jonathan , Cole Matthew , Owji Allen , DeMastry Zachary , Gordon Ali P.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to present the influences of several production variables on the mechanical properties of specimens manufactured using fused deposition modeling (FDM) with polylactic acid (PLA) as a media and relate the practical and experimental implications of these as related to stiffness, strength, ductility and generalized loading.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-factor-level Taguchi test matrix was defined to allow streamlined mechanical testing of several different fabrication settings using a reduced array of experiments. Specimens were manufactured and tested according to ASTM E8/D638 and E399/D5045 standards for tensile and fracture testing. After initial analysis of mechanical properties derived from mechanical tests, analysis of variance was used to infer optimized production variables for general use and for application/load-specific instances.

Findings

Production variables are determined to yield optimized mechanical properties under tensile and fracture-type loading as related to orientation of loading and fabrication.

Practical implications

The relation of production variables and their interactions and the manner in which they influence mechanical properties provide insight to the feasibility of using FDM for rapid manufacturing of components for experimental, commercial or consumer-level use.

Originality/value

This paper is the first report of research on the characterization of the mechanical properties of PLA coupons manufactured using FDM by the Taguchi method. The investigation is relevant both in commercial and consumer-level aspects, given both the currently increasing utilization of 3D printers for component production and the viability of PLA as a renewable, biocompatible material for use in structural applications.
How to achieve a win/win for both employees and corporates
Authors: Sheth Mitesh
Published: April 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how we can get better talent retention, employee engagement, productivity, innovation and ultimately results.

Design/methodology/approach

At the heart of this paper is a case study of Redington’s culture.

Findings

Millennials are motivated by more than money. The need is to understand our employees’ motivations/ambitions. More vulnerable leadership is needed.

Originality/value

This is a more human and personal perspective on the subject of employee engagement.
A HOPS protein, CmVps39, is required for vacuolar morphology, autophagy, growth, conidiogenesis and mycoparasitic functions of Coniothyrium minitans
Authors: Yang Xiaoxiang , Cui Hui , Cheng Jiasen , Xie Jiatao , Jiang Daohong , Hsiang Tom , Fu Yanping
Published: April 2016

Coniothyrium minitans is an important sclerotial and hyphal parasite of the plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Previously, a conidiation‐deficient mutant, ZS‐1N22225, was screened from a T‐DNA insertional library of C. minitans. CmVps39, a homologue of Vam6p/Vps39p that plays a critical role in vacuolar morphogenesis in yeast, was disrupted by a T‐DNA insertion in this mutant. CmVps39 is composed of 1071 amino acids with an amino‐terminal citron homology domain and a central clathrin homology domain, as observed for other Vam6p/Vps39p family proteins. Abnormal fragmented vacuoles were observed in ΔCmVps39 under light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and ΔCmVps39 showed impairment in autophagy. ΔCmVps39 also exhibited significantly reduced hyphal development, poor conidiation and decreased sclerotial mycoparasitism. In addition, deletion of CmVps39 affected osmotic adaptation, pH homeostasis and cell wall integrity. Taken together, our results suggest that CmVps39 has an essential function in vacuolar morphology, autophagy, fungal development and mycoparasitism in C. minitans.
Outer membrane vesicles containing signalling molecules and active hydrolytic enzymes released by a coral pathogen Vibrio shilonii AK1
Authors: Li Jie , Azam Farooq , Zhang Si
Published: April 2016

Production and release of outer‐membrane vesicles (OMVs) is known in many bacteria including human pathogens. To date, OMV release has not been reported in coral‐associated bacteria. We discovered that Vibrio shilonii AK1, a well‐studied coral pathogen, produces OMVs in culture. Transmission electron microscopy showed that V. shilonii cultures release two types of vesicles, with a single membrane or two membranes, as well as vesicle chain‐like morphotype in purified vesicle fraction. No significant difference was observed in the amount of OMVs produced by cultures grown at 20°C or 30°C. OMV proteomic analysis, never before done in a coral isolate, showed that a large number of low abundance proteins were exclusively detected in OMVs released by 20°C cultures. Further, the OMVs purified from AK1 cultures grown at both 20°C and 30°C carry N‐acylhomoserine lactone quorum sensing signals, as well as alkaline phosphatase, lipase and chitinase activities. Our results show that V. shilonii OMVs are conduits of signalling molecules, active enzymes and other proteins to its environment. These findings suggest important ecophysiological roles of OMVs in coral reef environment. We discuss the importance of OMV release for V. shilonii fitness and propose several hypotheses as well as a conceptual model.
Written and spoken words: representations of animals and intimacy
Authors: Charles Nickie
Published: April 2016

In this paper I explore the differences in the ways people write and talk about their relationships with animals, focusing on those they regard as kin and with whom they live. I draw on responses to the Animals and Humans Mass Observation directive, which was sent out in the summer of 2009, and 21 in-depth interviews with people who share their domestic space with animals. I suggest that writing about relationships with animals produces a particularly intimate representation which is almost confessional, while talking to another person about similar relationships renders the intimacy less obvious and represents human-animal relations in a different way. I argue that this is because the written accounts are composed with a particular audience in mind, the information divulged is not mediated by another human being and, as a result, normative constraints are less pervasive. Interview data, in contrast, are co-constructed in conversation with another person, there is the possibility of judgment during the course of the interview and normative expectations shape the discursive representation of human-animal intimacy. I reflect on the methodological implications of these findings for developing an understanding of intimacy across the species barrier.
Parental physical and lifestyle factors and their association with newborn body composition
Authors: McCarthy FP , Khashan AS , Murray D , Kiely M , Hourihane J O'B , Pasupathy D , Kenny LC ,   on behalf of the SCOPE Ireland Cohort study and the Cork BASELINE Birth Cohort Study
Published: April 2016

Objective

To investigate the parental physical and lifestyle determinants of newborn body composition.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Cork University Maternity Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital in Cork, Ireland.

Population

All babies were recruited as part of a prospective birth cohort, Babies After SCOPE: Evaluating the Longitudinal Impact Using Neurological and Nutritional Endpoints (BASELINE). These babies were recruited from women who had participated in the Screening of Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study Ireland, a prospective, multicentre cohort study

Methods

Multivariate linear regression was used to analyse the effect of a range of maternal and paternal physical and lifestyle features on neonatal body fat percentage (BF%).

Main outcome measures

Neonatal BF%. Neonatal adiposity was assessed within 48 hours of birth using air displacement plethysmography (PEAPOD®).

Results

In all, 1243 infants were enrolled in the study. Increasing maternal body mass index (adjusted mean difference 0.09; 0.04, 0.15) and waist height ratio (adjusted mean difference 6.59; 0.27, 12.92) were significantly associated with increased neonatal BF%. In contrast, maternal smoking was associated with reduced neonatal BF% compared with non smokers (adjusted mean difference –0.55; –1.07, –0.03). Infant sex significantly altered neonatal BF%, with female infants having higher neonatal BF% compared with male infants (adjusted mean difference 1.98; 1.54, 2.53). No association was observed between paternal body mass index (BMI), paternal age or paternal smoking and neonatal BF%.

Conclusions

Maternal smoking, BMI, waist height ratio and infant sex were associated with altered BF%.

Tweetable abstract

Maternal smoking, BMI, waist height ratio and infant sex are associated with altered neonatal body fat percentage.
Transcriptome profile of Chinese bush cricket, Gampsocleis gratiosa: A resource for microsatellite marker development
Authors: Zhou Zhi‐Jun , Kou Xiao‐Yan , Qian Lei‐Yang , Liu Jing
Published: April 2016

The Chinese bush cricket, Gampsocleis gratiosa, has a long history as a pet in China. To date, the sequencing of its whole genome is unavailable as a non‐model organism. Transcriptomic information is also scarce for this species. The G. gratiosa transcriptome was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2000 paired‐end sequencing technology. In total 52 million clean reads with an average length of 90 bp were generated, which produced 74,821 unigenes with a mean length of 580 bp and an N50 length of 759 bp. In total 29,674 (39.66%) unigenes were successfully annotated against the NR, NT, Swiss‐Prot, Gene Ontology (GO), Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COGs) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. Further functionally classified of unigenes against GO, COGs and KEGG found that a total of 11,935 (19.95%) unigenes were categorized into 61 GO terms, 19,576 unigenes were clustered into 25 COG functional categories and 17,971 unigenes were assigned to 258 KEGG pathways. In addition, 2093 microsatellite loci were identified, of which 591 loci had flanking sequences suitable for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer design. The transcriptome profile of G. gratiosa contributed to the accumulation of orthopteran genomic data, and the microsatellite loci provided useful tools for future studies of this and other closely related Gampsocleis species.
Crossover design and its application in late‐phase diabetes studies
Authors: Wang Tao , Malone James , Fu Haoda , Heilmann Cory , Qu Yongming , Huster William J.
Published: April 2016

Crossover design has been widely used in late‐phase clinical studies, as well as in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic, bioequivalence, and medical device studies; however, its interpretability and applicability continue to be debated. Herein we provide discussions around a crossover design's scientific benefit, applicability, and how it can be implemented in late‐phase diabetes studies by properly handling key issues: carryover effect, washout period, and baseline selection. Specifically, detailed considerations are provided about the validity and situations of having appropriate length of study duration to deal with carryover effects so that a washout period may not be needed. A simulation study and data mining results on 12 crossover late‐phase insulin clinical trials are presented to examine the discussion points and proposals.
The formation of financial networks
Authors: Babus Ana
Published: April 2016

Modern banking systems are highly interconnected. Despite various benefits, linkages between banks carry the risk of contagion. In this article, I investigate whether banks can commit ex ante to mutually insure each other, when there is contagion risk in the financial system. I model banks' decisions to share this risk through bilateral agreements. A financial network that allows losses to be shared among various counterparties arises endogenously. I characterize the probability of systemic risk, defined as the event that contagion occurs conditional on one bank failing, in equilibrium interbank networks. I show that there exist equilibria in which contagion does not occur.
An ancient Arabian zodiac. The constellations in the Safaitic inscriptions, Part II
Authors: Al‐Jallad Ahmad
Published: April 2016

The second part of ‘An ancient Arabian zodiac. The constellations in the Safaitic inscriptions’ discusses the position of the Arabian zodiac vis‐à‐vis other parapegmata from antiquity, and takes up a comparative etymological study of the zodiac names in an attempt to locate their source. Four appendices discussing tangential issues that arose in the course of this study follow.
The Piotroski F‐score: evidence from Australia
Authors: Hyde Charles E.
Published: April 2016

A market‐neutral strategy that is long [short] stocks with a high [low] Piotroski F‐score generates an index‐weighted 0.8 percent pm on S&P/ASX 200 stocks and 1.4 percent pm on smaller stocks. Equal‐weighted returns are higher and in all cases returns are statistically significant. However, the Carhart model alphas are not statistically significant except in the case of equal‐weighted small cap portfolios. For such portfolios, however, most of the alpha comes from the short side and most institutional investors would find them uninvestable due to capacity constraints. A range of tests indicate that analyst neglect does not explain the F‐score premium.
Contrasting responses of small mammals to fire and topographic refugia
Authors: Swan Matthew , Galindez‐Silva Carolina , Christie Fiona , York Alan , Di Stefano Julian
Published: April 2016

Unburnt patches within burnt landscapes are expected to provide an important resource for fauna, potentially acting as a refuge from direct effects of fire and allowing animals to persist in burnt landscapes. Nevertheless, there is little information about the way refugia are used by fauna and how populations may be affected by them. Planned burns are often patchy, with unburnt areas generally associated with gully systems providing a good opportunity to study faunal use of refugia. We used a before–after control‐impact design associated with a planned burn in south eastern Australia to investigate how two small mammal species, the bush rat Rattus fuscipes and agile antechinus Antechinus agilis, used unburnt gully systems within a larger burnt area. We tested three alternative hypotheses relating to post‐fire abundance: (i) active refugia – abundance would increase in unburnt patches because of a post‐fire shift of individuals from burnt to unburnt areas; (ii) passive refugia – abundance in unburnt patches would remain similar to pre‐fire levels; and (iii) limited or no refugia – abundance would reduce in unburnt patches related to the change induced by fire in the wider landscape. We found the two species responded differently to the presence of unburnt refugia in the landscape. Relative to controls, fire had little effect on bush rat abundance in gullies, supporting hypothesis 2. In contrast, agile antechinus abundance increased in gullies immediately post‐fire consistent with a shift of individuals from burnt parts of the landscape, supporting hypothesis 1. Differences in site fidelity, habitat use and intraspecific competition between these species are suggested as likely factors influencing responses to refugia. The way unburnt patches function as faunal refugia and the subsequent influence they have on post‐fire population dynamics, will to some extent depend on the life history attributes of individual species.
Revisiting the use of the invasive species concept: An empirical approach
Authors: Pereyra Patricio Javier
Published: April 2016

Invasion science has not been developed without controversies. Two questions that are still unsolved are: what is an invasive species?, and are invasive species an inherent conservation problem? These questions have led to discussions about effects versus origins. In contrast to the definitional problems, a unified framework describing invasion as a step‐by‐step process has been widely accepted. I conducted a bibliographic search with two separate databases searching for (i) evidence of less use of controversial terms over time; (ii) how many articles defined ‘invasive species’; (iii) the criteria used to define a species as invasive; and (iv) in which stage of the invasion continuum were species labelled as invasive located. My results show that controversial terms are widely used, that authors rarely define ‘invasive species’ and, often, it is very complicated to determine which criterion they used. In addition, only a fraction of the species labelled as invasive could be classified as such according to the unified framework of invasion stages. This is not a merely semantic issue, because invasive is a strong and value‐laden term that is used to guide environmental agendas. The uncritical use of a key concept could hamper research, complicate communication among peers and produce mixed results.
Changes over 46 years in plant community structure in a cleared brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) forest
Authors: Johnson Robert W. , McDonald William J. , Fensham Roderick J. , McAlpine Clive A. , Lawes Michael J.
Published: April 2016

Plant succession theory underpins the development of strategies for the conservation and regeneration of native communities. Current theory has been based largely on space‐for‐time rather than long‐term monitoring data, which have known limitations. There is general consensus that more site‐specific studies are needed to corroborate existing hypotheses. The target vegetation is a brigalow (Acacia harpophylla, Mimosaceae) forest in one of Australia's most endangered ecosystems, which was cleared and burnt in 1963. Forty quadrats were placed systematically within each of six 20 m × 20 m permanent plots. Presence, density and per cent canopy cover data were recorded for each species at 18 times over 46 years. Brigalow dominated the original vegetation, assumed dominance soon after clearing through massive root suckering and remained dominant throughout the study. It achieved maximum density within two years when severe intraspecific competition led to self‐thinning. After approximately 30 years, vacant niches appeared. Woody understorey species were slow to recolonise. Species richness and other diversity indices increased rapidly to a maximum after 2–4 years, declined until the 30th year when they again increased. This was the pattern of the species‐rich herbaceous layer; woody species showed a steady monotonic increase. The ‘hump‐shaped’ relationship between cover (biomass) and species richness was confirmed. This example fits the inhibition model for which few examples have been described. While the long‐term successional pattern is slightly confounded by climatic variability preceding sample surveys, this space‐for‐time study not only supports a bimodal pattern of diversity over time but also indicates that the relative species richness of the herbaceous and woody layers may explain the extreme variability reported in the literature.
Ambroxol inhibits mucoid conversion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and contributes to the bactericidal activity of ciprofloxacin against mucoid P. aeruginosa biofilms
Authors: Wang Wenlei , Yu Jialin , He Yu , Wang Zhengli , Li Fang
Published: April 2016

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that can cause severe infections in immunocompromised individuals. Because it forms biofilms, which protect against host immune attack and increase resistance to conventional antibiotics, mucoid P. aeruginosa is nearly impossible to eradicate. Moreover, mucoid conversion of P. aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients leads to poor outcomes. This conversion is mainly due to mucA gene mutation, which is thought to be induced by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and the reactive oxygen species they release. Ambroxol, a mucolytic agent with antioxidant characteristics, is used clinically, and this compound has recently been demonstrated to possess anti‐biofilm properties. In this study, we found that ambroxol inhibits the H2O2‐mediated conversion of P. aeruginosa from a non‐mucoid to a mucoid phenotype, an effect that is due to its antioxidant property against H2O2. Furthermore, the bactericidal activity of ciprofloxacin against mucoid P. aeruginosa biofilms was increased in vitro when used in combination with ambroxol.
Troubled Negotiations: The Mapuche and the Chilean State (1818–1830)
Authors: CROW JOANNA
Published: April 2016

This paper explores the complex, dynamic relationship that developed between the Mapuche and Chilean state authorities in the first decades following independence from Spain. The greater part of Mapuche society supported royalist forces during the independence wars, but there were also several leaders who allied themselves with the patriot insurgents and, after the latter's victory, entered into negotiations with the fledgling Chilean republic. This paper investigates the intricacies of these negotiations and, in so doing, draws out some notable continuities between the colonial period and the early independence era. It focuses on the language(s) of negotiation – delving into what Mapuche and Chilean authorities were saying about and to one another – and on the symbolic significance of the parlamentos (mass‐meetings), in order to demonstrate that Chile could have adopted an alternative model of government to the (centralist) one we know now.
Autosomal recessive truncating MAB21L1 mutation associated with a syndromic scrotal agenesis
Authors: Bruel A.‐L. , Masurel‐Paulet A. , Rivière J.‐B. , Duffourd Y. , Lehalle D. , Bensignor C. , Huet F. , Borgnon J. , Roucher F. , Kuentz P. , Deleuze J.‐F. , Thauvin‐Robinet C. , Faivre L. , Thevenon J.
Published: April 2016

We report on a boy with a rare malformative association of scrotum agenesis, ophthalmological anomalies, cerebellar malformation, facial dysmorphism and global development delay. The reported patient was carrying a homozygous frameshift in MAB21L1 detected by whole‐exome sequencing, considered as the most likely disease‐causing variant. Mab21l1 knockout mice present a strikingly similar malformative association of ophthalmological malformations of the anterior chamber and preputial glands hypoplasia. We hypothesize that MAB21L1 haploinsufficiency cause a previously undescribed syndrome with scrotal agenesis, ophthalmological anomalies, facial dysmorphism and gross psychomotor delay as remarkable hallmarks. Four cases from the literature were reported with features suggestive of a similar and recognizable clinical entity. We hypothesize that MAB21L1 should be the culprit gene in these patients.
Rapidity of fibrosis progression in liver transplant recipients with recurrent hepatitis C is influenced by toll‐like receptor 3 polymorphism
Authors: Citores Maria J. , Pérez‐Pulgar Sofia , Duca Ana , Crespo Gonzalo , de la Fuente Sara , Vilches Carlos , Navasa Miquel , Cuervas‐Mons Valentin
Published: April 2016

Liver transplantation activates the innate immune system through toll‐like receptors (TLRs), potentially leading to allograft rejection and graft failure. We evaluated the association of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms in TLR genes with the severity of hepatitis C virus recurrence after liver transplantation (LT). This is a two‐center study of 176 adult patients who received a first LT from deceased donors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis. Eleven polymorphisms were evaluated by real‐time polymerase chain reaction and melting curves analyses: TLR1 (Asp248Ser and Ser602Ile), TLR2 (Arg753Gln), TLR3 (Leu412Phe), TLR4 (Asp299Gly), TLR5 (Arg392Stop), TLR6 (Ser249Pro), TLR7 (Gln11Leu), TLR8 (Met1Val), and TLR9 (−1237T/C and −1486C/T). The CC genotype of TLR3 Leu412Phe in liver recipients was associated with severe recurrence (odds ratio (OR) = 2.01, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.02‐3.93, p = 0.04). We also analyzed this polymorphism in 72 of their donors but no association was found with severity of HCV recurrence (p = 0.89). Multivariate analysis showed donor age older than 40 yr (OR=2.93; 95% CI = 1.49–5.8, p = 0.002) and the TLR3 Leu412Phe CC genotype (OR=2.02, 95%CI=1.01–4.05, p = 0.046) were independently associated with severe HCV recurrence. Our results show that the TLR3 Leu412Phe CC genotype is independently associated with severity of hepatitis C recurrence after LT.
824. SINOWILSONIA HENRYI
Authors: Rix Martyn , Endress Peter K.
Published: April 2016

Sinowilsonia is an isolated genus, with a single species S. henryi, which forms a shrub or small tree in cultivation. Its position within the family Hamamelidaceae is discussed. The flowers and leaves are illustrated, and its cultivation is described.
Dewey's Participatory Educational Democracy
Authors: Višňovský Emil , Zolcer Štefan
Published: April 2016

In this essay, Emil Višňovský and Štefan Zolcer outline John Dewey's contribution to democratic theory as presented in his 1916 classic Democracy and Education. The authors begin with a review of the general context of Dewey's conception of democracy, and then focus on particular democratic ideas and concepts as presented in Democracy and Education. This analysis emphasizes not so much the technical elaboration of these ideas and concepts as their philosophical framework and the meanings of democracy for education and education for democracy elaborated by Dewey. Apart from other aspects of Deweyan educational democracy, Višňovský and Zolcer focus on participation as one of its key characteristics, ultimately claiming that the notion of educational democracy Dewey developed in this work is participatory.
The Role of “Small Publics” in Teacher Dissent
Authors: Stitzlein Sarah M. , Rector‐Aranda Amy
Published: April 2016

In this essay, Sarah Stitzlein and Amy Rector‐Aranda, drawing on John Dewey's theoretical suggestions regarding how to best form publics capable of bringing about change through deliberation and action, offer teachers guidance on how to form and navigate spaces of political protest and become more effective advocates for school reform. Using Aaron Schutz's analysis of teacher activism as a point of departure, Stitzlein and Rector‐Aranda argue for the development in schools of “small publics,” that is, Deweyan democratic spaces within which teachers can dialogue and exchange ideas about the problems they face in the classroom. While Schutz treats this type of space merely as a stepping stone toward the real locus of political action, the power public, Stitzlein and Rector‐Aranda argue that small publics are themselves important spaces where teachers can work together to frame problems and build coalitions and solidarity with other groups in order to take action in the wider public sphere and bring about change in schools.
Imagining Democratic Futures for Public Universities: Educational Leadership Against Fatalism's Temptations
Authors: Abowitz Kathleen Knight
Published: April 2016

At current rates, almost all U.S. public universities could reach a point of zero state subsidy within the next fifty years. What is a public university without public funding? In this essay, Kathleen Knight Abowitz considers the future of public universities, drawing upon the analysis provided in John Dewey's Democracy and Education. Knight Abowitz conducts an initial institutional analysis through two broad prisms: that of the political landscape that authorizes universities as public institutions, and that of the present political–economic context of public education in general and public universities in particular. Dewey's conception of democratic education is then explored; his arguments regarding aims, experience, thinking, and social intelligence provide important tools for imagining the democratic futures of public universities today.
Geography, History, and the Aims of Education: The Possibility of Multiculturalism in Democracy and Education
Authors: Pratt Scott L.
Published: April 2016

In this essay, Scott Pratt develops the tension at work in Democracy and Education between conceptions of multiculturalism that emerge from Dewey's commitment to progress as a process of civilization and from his contrasting commitment to a vision of progress as a localized process that requires respect for boundaries and limits. The first is related to what Patrick Wolfe has called “settler colonialism.” The second conception of multiculturalism, framed by the aims of education and the conception of growth, avoids the problems of the first and provides a foundation for a practical, decolonial multiculturalism in the context of twenty‐first‐century education.
Herbivore dung as food for dung beetles: elementary coprology for entomologists
Authors: HOLTER PETER
Published: April 2016

1. How do dung beetles and their larvae manage to subsist on herbivore dung consisting of plant remains that are at least partly indigestible, mixed with various metabolic waste products? To clarify what is known and not known about this basic aspect of dung beetle biology, the present review summarises information on dung composition and discusses the feeding of beetles (food: fresh dung) and larvae (food: older dung) in relation to this information.

2. There is 70–85% water in typical fresh dung, and undigested lignocellulose or ‘fibre’ constitutes about 70% of the organic matter which also contains 1.5–3%N. About 75% of this is ‘metabolic faecal nitrogen’, mostly associated with dead and alive microbial biomass. As all essential amino acids and cholesterol are probably present, additional synthesis by microbial symbionts may not be needed by the beetles.

3. Beetles minimise the intake of lignocellulose by filtering fibre particles out of their food which is probably microbial biomass/debris with much smaller particle size. Excess fluid may be squeezed out of this material by the mandibles before ingestion.

4. All larvae are bulk feeders and unable to filtrate, but little is known about the composition of their food, i.e. older dung in pats or underground brood masses. Larvae in dung pats may depend on easily digestible dung components, probably microbial biomass, whereas the nutritional ecology of larvae in brood masses is still not understood. Unravelling the composition of their food might answer some of the so far unanswered questions.
Parasitoid aggregation and interference in host–parasitoid dynamics
Authors: OKUYAMA TOSHINORI
Published: April 2016

1. Parasitoids do not distribute themselves evenly among available patches, which has an important bearing on the dynamics of host–parasitoid interactions. This study examined the density‐dependent nature of aggregation of the parasitoid Dirhinus giffardii Silvestri on the oriental fruit fly host, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) distributed among discrete patches.

2. Four artificial patches were created in a cage, and the number of hosts in each patch was manipulated. Parasitoids were released into the cage, and whether parasitoid density and host density influence the degree of parasitoid aggregation was examined.

3. Parasitoid aggregation became stronger (e.g. uneven distribution among patches) as the parasitoid density decreased and also as the host density increased. The index of parasitoid aggregation was not influenced by the distribution of hosts among patches.

4. The empirically characterised aggregation pattern was incorporated in a host–parasitoid model that consists of one host and one parasitoid species. The analysis of the model shows that an unstable system (i.e. the coexistence of the host and parasitoid is impossible) can be stabilised (i.e. coexistence is possible) when the parasitoid aggregates in a way that is consistent with the pattern found in the experiment.
Subjective visual awareness emerges prior to P3
Authors: Koivisto Mika , Salminen‐Vaparanta Niina , Grassini Simone , Revonsuo Antti
Published: April 2016

Studies on the neural basis of visual awareness, the subjective experience of seeing, have found several potential neural correlates of visual awareness. Some of them may not directly correlate with awareness but with post‐perceptual processes, such as reporting one's awareness of the stimulus. We dissociated potential electrophysiological correlates of visual awareness from those occurring during response selection and thus co‐occurring with post‐perceptual processing. The participants performed two GO‐NOGO conditions. In the aware‐GO condition they responded with a key press when they were aware of the stimulus and withheld responding when they were unaware of it. In the unaware‐GO condition they withheld responding when they were aware and responded when they were not aware of the stimulus. Thus, event‐related potentials could be measured to aware and unaware trials when responding was required and when not required. The results revealed that the N200 amplitude (180–280 ms) over the occipital and posterior temporal cortex was enhanced in aware trials as compared with trials without awareness. This effect (visual awareness negativity, VAN) did not depend on responding. The amplitude of P3 (350–450 ms) also was enhanced in aware trials as compared with unaware trials. In addition, the amplitudes in the P3 time window depended on responding: they were greater when awareness was mapped to GO‐response than when not, suggesting that P3 reflects post‐perceptual processing, that is, it occurs after awareness has emerged. These findings support theories of visual awareness that assume a relatively early onset of visual awareness before P3.