bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SECULARIZATION AND LONG‐RUN ECONOMIC GROWTH
Authors: Strulik Holger
Published: July 2015

This paper integrates a simple theory of identity choice into a framework of endogenous economic growth to explain how secularization can be both cause and consequence of economic development. A secular identity allows an individual to derive more pleasure from consumption than religious individuals, leading secular individuals to work harder and to save more in order to experience this pleasure from consumption. These activities are conducive to economic growth. Higher income makes consumption more affordable and increases the appeal of a secular identity for the next generation. An extension of the basic model investigates the Protestant Reformation as an intermediate stage during the take‐off to growth. Another extension introduces intergenerationally dependent religious preferences and demonstrates how a social multiplier amplifies the speed of secularization. (JEL N30, O10, O40, Z12, Z13)
On Education and Democratic Preferences
Authors: Chong Alberto , Gradstein Mark
Published: July 2015

We make the point that preferences for democracy are positively correlated with level of education. This correlation is robust even after controlling for a range of personal characteristics, including country of residence, income, age, or using different definitions of preferences for democracy or using instrumental variables. Interestingly, the results hold across countries with different level of democracy. We use data from World Values Surveys and show that our results are consistent with a simple theoretical model in which education makes political accountability easier.
Educated Bandits: Endogenous Property Rights and Intra‐Elite Distribution of Human Capital
Authors: Bedasso Biniam E.
Published: July 2015

This article presents a simple model of endogenous institutions linking property rights to the distribution of human capital between political and economic elite groups. In the absence of institutional constraints, the commitment problem of the political elites is intensified, because their human capital can turn out to be a double‐edged sword raising their efficiency in predation as well as in production. In general, the more human capital the political elites have, the stronger the institutional concessions they are ready to offer to attarct investment. Provided that predation depends sufficiently on human capital, the political elites can credibly commit to respect property rights by specializing in fields that are relevant for the priavte sector. Brain drain can undermine the transition to stable property rights even when the political elites are well‐educated. Comparative narratives from Malaysia and Zimbabwe are presented to motivate the theoretical discussion.
Replacement of severely traumatized teeth with immediate implants and immediate loading: literature review and case reports
Authors: Sheng Lieping , Silvestrin Tory , Zhan Jing , Wu Liqun , Zhao Qirong , Cao Zheng , Lou Zhifeng , Ma Qingfang
Published: July 2015

One of the options for management of severely traumatized dentitions is to provide immediate implant placement with immediate loading. Three representative cases out of 15 patients with 23 traumatized teeth treated to date in our clinic are presented. None had labial bone fractures. The teeth were replaced with NobelReplace Groovy implants (Nobel Biocare, Gothenburg, Sweden) in the fresh sockets immediately after extraction. They were placed toward the palatal areas in the sockets and 3 mm below the gingival margins. If there were gaps between implants and sockets wider than 1 mm, particulate deproteinized bovine bone was grafted in the gaps. Immediately after placement, the implants were loaded with provisional prostheses. The final restorations were installed 3–4 months later. The patients were reevaluated clinically and radiographically 1–3 years after the final restorations had been placed. In all 15 patients, excellent functional and esthetic results were achieved. No implants showed radiolucency, peri‐implant suppuration, or mobility. The patients were satisfied with the results. Immediate implant placement with immediate loading is an option that provides good treatment outcomes and allows good functional and esthetic results, as well as addressing the social/psychological aspects of dental trauma.
The time scale of isotope signals in spiders: molting the remains of a previous diet
Authors: Belivanov Yordan K. , Hambäck Peter A.
Published: July 2015

Stable isotope analysis (SIA) has emerged as an important tool for understanding consumer diets and diet shifts. However, although the general idea behind SIA is clear, the interpretation of data is often fraught with problems because tissue turnover and fractionations are not known. We investigated shifts in stable isotope composition of spiders following a diet shift, using mealworms fed either maize (C4) or wheat (C3) flour. Mealworms had different carbon isotope composition depending on their diet and this difference was reflected in spider body parts. In the experiment, we first fed the spiders on a diet of either maize‐fed or wheat‐fed mealworms and then switched diet at the time of the second molt. Spiders were then sampled repeatedly until the next molt. We sampled both legs and abdomens, as these are presumed to have different turnover of tissue, and also molt remains were sampled when this was relevant. The data indicated that the spider legs had a turnover of about 20 days, whereas the spider abdomens had a turnover of about 8 days. Molt remains had the slowest turnover and reflected the diet at the previous molt, when the exoskeleton was formed. Both these observations indicate that SIA may be successfully used for elucidating diet shifts. More problematic was the fact that fractionation of carbon isotope ratios varied with body parts and diets. When spiders were fed maize‐mealworms then the fractionation was larger for abdomens, but when the spiders were fed wheat‐mealworms then the fractionation was larger for legs. The mechanisms underlying this pattern are unclear and deserve further attention.
Root damage to apple plants by cockchafer larvae induces a change in volatile signals below‐ and above‐ground
Authors: Abraham John , Giacomuzzi Valentino , Angeli Sergio
Published: July 2015

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) mediate communication between plants and insects. Plants under insect herbivore attack release VOCs either at the site of attack or systemically, indicating within‐plant communication. Some of these VOCs, which may be induced only upon herbivore attack, recruit parasitoids and predatory insects to feed on the attacking insects. Moreover, some plants are able to ‘eavesdrop’ on herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) to prime themselves against impending attack; such eavesdropping exemplifies plant–plant communication. In apple orchards, the beetle Melolontha melolontha L. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is an important insect pest whose larvae live and feed on roots for about 4 years. In this study, we investigated whether the feeding activity of M. melolontha larvae (1) alters the volatile profile of apple roots, (2) induces the release of HIPVs systemically in the leaves, and (3) whether infested plants communicate to neighbouring non‐infested conspecifics through HIPVs. To answer these questions, we collected constitutive VOCs from intact M9 roots as well as M. melolontha larvae‐damaged roots using a newly designed ‘rhizobox’, to collect root‐released volatiles in situ, without damaging the plant root system. We also collected VOCs from the leaf‐bearing shoots of M9 whose roots were under attack by M. melolontha larvae and from shoots of neighbouring non‐infested conspecifics. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis showed that feeding activity of M. melolontha larvae induces the release of specific HIPVs; for instance, camphor was found in the roots only after larvae caused root damage. Melolontha melolontha also induced the systemic release of methyl salicylate and (E,E)‐α‐farnesene from the leaf‐bearing shoots. Methyl salicylate and (E,E)‐α‐farnesene were also released by the shoots of non‐infested neighbouring conspecifics. These phenomena indicate the induction of specific VOCs below‐ and above‐ground upon M. melolontha larvae feeding on apple roots as well as plant–plant communication in apple plants.
Location, location, location? Analysing property rents in medievalGloucester
Authors: Casson Catherine , Casson Mark
Published: July 2015

Although medieval rentals have been extensively studied, few scholars have used them to analyse variations in the rents paid on individual properties within a town. It has been claimed that medieval rents did not reflect economic values or market forces, but were set according to social and political rather than economic criteria, and remained ossified at customary levels. This article uses hedonic regression methods to test whether property rents in medievalGloucester were influenced by classic economic factors such as the location and use of a property. It investigates both ordinary commercial rents and burgage rents (landgable), and explores the relationship between the two. It also examines spatial autocorrelation. It finds significant relationships between ordinary rents and property characteristics that are similar to those found in modern studies. The findings are consistent with the view that, in late medievalGloucester at least, ordinary rents were strongly influenced by classical economic factors working through the urban property market. The findings also suggest that burgage rents reflected economic factors, even though they remained fixed over time.
Applying a direct aPTT ratio (PlatelinLS/ActinFS) permits to identify rapidly and reliably a bleeding‐related factor deficiency or a lupus anticoagulant sequential to an isolated prolongation of aPTT in paediatric pre‐operative screening
Authors: Li Rong , Swaelens Caroline , Vandermijnsbrugge Francine , Cantinieaux Brigitte
Published: July 2015

Objectives

An isolated prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) found in paediatric pre‐operative screening could be due to bleeding or non‐bleeding aetiologies. The aim of our study was to evaluate clinical benefits of an additional ActinFS and/or a mixing aPTT study to identify a bleeding‐related factor deficiency (BRFD).

Methods

Over a 4‐yr period, isolated prolongation of aPTT with PlatelinLS was detected in 308 paediatric patients and confirmed in 161 cases by a 2nd sample. ActinFS, a mixing study, FVIII, FIX, FXI, FXII and lupus anticoagulant (LA) were performed. Three different aPTT ratios between PlatelinLS and ActinFS were analysed.

Results

We found 17 BRFD, 31 FXII deficiencies and 64 positive LA. A prolonged ActinFS had a significant association with BRFD (P < 0.0001) while a corrected mixing study did not. The direct aPTT ratio had a significant relationship with positive LA (P < 0.05), and with BRFD (P < 0.0001). Using this ratio, the sensitivity of BRFD's and LA's detection could be increased, respectively, to 82% from 59% using ActinFS alone, and to 86% from 55% using mixing study.

Conclusions

Applying this direct aPTT ratio allows to quickly and reliably identify both BRFD and LA sequential to an isolated prolongation of aPTT.
Functional properties of spontaneous excitatory currents and encoding of light/dark transitions in horizontal cells of the mouse retina
Authors: Feigenspan Andreas , Babai Norbert
Published: July 2015

As all visual information is represented in the spatio‐temporal dynamics of transmitter release from photoreceptors and the combined postsynaptic responses of second‐order neurons, appropriate synaptic transfer functions are fundamental for a meaningful perception of the visual world. The functional contribution of horizontal cells to gain control and organization of bipolar and ganglion cell receptive fields can only be evaluated with an in‐depth understanding of signal processing in horizontal cells. Therefore, a horizontal slice preparation of the mouse retina was established to record from horizontal cell bodies with their dendritic fields intact and receiving functional synaptic input from cone photoreceptors. Horizontal cell bodies showed spontaneous excitatory currents (spEPSCs) of monophasic and more complex multi‐peak waveforms. spEPSCs were induced by quantal release of glutamate from presynaptic cones with a unitary amplitude of 3 pA. Non‐stationary noise analysis revealed that spEPSCs with a monoexponential decay were mediated by 7–8 glutamate receptors with a single‐channel amplitude of 1.55 pA. Responses to photopic full‐field illumination were characterized by reduction of a tonic inward current or hyperpolarization, inhibition of spEPSCs, followed by a fast and transient inward current at light offset. The response to periodic dark/light transitions of different frequencies was dependent on the adaptational status of the cell with a limiting frequency of 10 Hz. Both on and off components of the light response were mediated by AMPA and kainate receptors. Detailed analysis of horizontal cell synaptic physiology is a prerequisite for understanding signal coding and processing at the photoreceptor ribbon synapse.
Releasing ‘brakes’ to nerve regeneration: intrinsic molecular targets
Authors: Krishnan Anand , Duraikannu Arul , Zochodne Douglas W.
Published: July 2015

Restoring critical neuronal architecture after peripheral nerve injury is challenging. Although immediate regenerative responses to peripheral axon injury involve the synthesis of regeneration‐associated proteins in neurons and Schwann cells, an unfavorable balance between growth facilitatory and growth inhibitory signaling impairs the growth continuum of injured peripheral nerves. Molecules involved with the signaling network of tumor suppressors play crucial roles in shifting the balance between growth and restraint during axon regeneration. An understanding of the molecular framework of tumor suppressor molecules in injured neurons and its impact on stage‐specific regeneration events may expose therapeutic intervention points. In this review we discuss how signaling networks of the specific tumor suppressors PTEN, Rb1, p53, p27 and p21 are altered in injured peripheral nerves and how this impacts peripheral nerve regeneration. Insights into the roles and importance of these pathways may open new avenues for improving the neurological deficits associated with nerve injury.
Context‐dependent coding and gain control in the auditory system of crickets
Authors: Clemens Jan , Rau Florian , Hennig R. Matthias , Hildebrandt K. Jannis
Published: July 2015

Sensory systems process stimuli that greatly vary in intensity and complexity. To maintain efficient information transmission, neural systems need to adjust their properties to these different sensory contexts, yielding adaptive or stimulus‐dependent codes. Here, we demonstrated adaptive spectrotemporal tuning in a small neural network, i.e. the peripheral auditory system of the cricket. We found that tuning of cricket auditory neurons was sharper for complex multi‐band than for simple single‐band stimuli. Information theoretical considerations revealed that this sharpening improved information transmission by separating the neural representations of individual stimulus components. A network model inspired by the structure of the cricket auditory system suggested two putative mechanisms underlying this adaptive tuning: a saturating peripheral nonlinearity could change the spectral tuning, whereas broad feed‐forward inhibition was able to reproduce the observed adaptive sharpening of temporal tuning. Our study revealed a surprisingly dynamic code usually found in more complex nervous systems and suggested that stimulus‐dependent codes could be implemented using common neural computations.
Disease status in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: inter‐centre comparative analysis and correlates
Authors: Rajabally Y. A. , Cassereau J. , Robbe A. , Nicolas G.
Published: July 2015

Background and Purpose

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) may have variable evolution profiles, which have not been compared between cohorts. The relationship of disease status with motor strength, function and electrophysiology is uncertain.

Methods

Disease status was studied with a simplified proposed scale in two patient cohorts totalling 72 subjects from Leicester, UK, and Angers, France. Clinical and electrophysiological records were analysed.

Results

Independent ascertainment of disease status in each cohort revealed similar rates of remission (P = 0.23), stable/improving disease (P = 0.34) and unstable/active disease (P = 1). No correlation was ascertained with strength or function. Median nerve compound muscle action potential was the only independent electrophysiological predictor of disease status ascertained (P = 0.046).

Conclusions

Disease status distribution may represent an important comparative indicator for management of CIDP cohorts and could be useful for benchmarking service and treatment provision. Degree of upper limb motor axonal loss may represent a useful electrophysiological marker of disease status in CIDP.
Nest Defence Behaviour and Testosterone Levels in Female Pied Flycatchers
Authors: Cantarero Alejandro , Laaksonen Toni , Järvistö Pauliina E. , Gil Diego , López‐Arrabé Jimena , Redondo Alberto J. , Moreno Juan
Published: July 2015

Nesting holes are a scarce resource for obligated cavity‐nesting birds and an important selective force for the evolution of aggressive female behaviours, which may be mediated by testosterone (T) levels. It is known that during periods of intense intrasexual competition such as initial breeding stages, females are highly aggressive towards intruding females. Here, we studied the implications of T levels for female–female competition by comparing levels of aggressiveness towards simulated female intruders (decoys) in two populations of the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) with a marked difference in breeding density. To this end, we exposed free‐living females to simulated territorial intrusions during 30 min when nest construction was almost complete. T levels of females were measured at the beginning of incubation under the assumption that they are positively associated with T levels during nest building. We also related aggressiveness to T levels in both populations. Furthermore, we aimed at detecting whether variation of T levels may explain female incubation attendance. Females showed higher T levels in the populations where pied flycatchers were exposed to a higher likelihood of conspecific interactions (high breeding density) than in the population with low breeding density. Female territorial presence, vigilance at the nest box and proximity to decoys were negatively related to circulating T levels in the high‐density population, but not in the low‐density population. Differences in T levels between populations did not result in differences in female incubation attendance, but T levels were negatively related to the incubation attendance in females from the population showing high T levels. In our populations, T levels in females prior to laying reflect the need to defend nesting cavities which is higher at high breeding density and in subdominant females. High T levels are costly in terms of incubation attendance.
Wooing during Day or Night is not the Same: an Experimental Study in the Wolf Spider Schizocosa malitiosa
Authors: Bardier Gustavo , Aisenberg Anita , Toscano‐Gadea Carlos A. , Costa Fernando G.
Published: July 2015

Diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns shown by different species will strongly determine the characteristics of signals as well as the sensory channels used during sexual interactions. Despite this, few studies have experimentally tested the effects of lighting and time of day on courtship characteristics in arthropods. Previous studies have shown that the wolf spider Schizocosa malitiosa can be active during the day or at night. We tested whether the period of the day affects the sexual behavior of S. malitiosa, by pairing males and females under diurnal or nocturnal conditions. We carried out mating trials in diurnal and nocturnal conditions in arenas containing female refuges. In diurnal conditions, male leg shaking behavior occurred at higher rates and consisted of greater leg raising angles relatively to nocturnal conditions. We did not find differences in mounts and mount latency between both experimental groups. In nocturnal conditions, female attacks and emergence from refuges were higher. Also, although mount occurrence did not differ between the two treatments, mounts inside the refuge were more frequent in diurnal conditions. Results suggest behavioral flexibility in male courtship and female receptivity responses relative to the time of the day.
Indirect evolutionary rescue: prey adapts, predator avoids extinction
Authors: Yamamichi Masato , Miner Brooks E.
Published: July 2015

Recent studies have increasingly recognized evolutionary rescue (adaptive evolution that prevents extinction following environmental change) as an important process in evolutionary biology and conservation science. Researchers have concentrated on single species living in isolation, but populations in nature exist within communities of interacting species, so evolutionary rescue should also be investigated in a multispecies context. We argue that the persistence or extinction of a focal species can be determined solely by evolutionary change in an interacting species. We demonstrate that prey adaptive evolution can prevent predator extinction in two‐species predator–prey models, and we derive the conditions under which this indirect evolutionary interaction is essential to prevent extinction following environmental change. A nonevolving predator can be rescued from extinction by adaptive evolution of its prey due to a trade‐off for the prey between defense against predation and population growth rate. As prey typically have larger populations and shorter generations than their predators, prey evolution can be rapid and have profound effects on predator population dynamics. We suggest that this process, which we term ‘indirect evolutionary rescue’, has the potential to be critically important to the ecological and evolutionary responses of populations and communities to dramatic environmental change.
Relationships between equine airway reactivity measured by flowmetric plethysmography and specific indicators of airway inflammation in horses with suspected inflammatory airway disease
Authors: Wichtel M. , Gomez D. , Burton S. , Wichtel J. , Hoffman A.
Published: July 2015

Reasons for performing study

Agreement between airway reactivity measured by flowmetric plethysmography and histamine bronchoprovocation, and lower airway inflammation measured by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology, has not been studied in horses with suspected inflammatory airway disease (IAD).

Objectives

We tested the hypothesis that airway reactivity is associated withBALcytology in horses presenting for unexplained poor performance and/or chronic cough.

Study design

Prospective clinical study.

Methods

Forty‐five horses, predominantly young Standardbred racehorses, presenting for unexplained poor performance or chronic cough, underwent endoscopic evaluation, tracheal wash, flowmetric plethysmography with histamine bronchoprovocation andBAL. Histamine response was measured by calculatingPC35, the concentration of nebulised histamine eliciting an increase in Δflowof 35%.

Results

In this population, there was no significant correlation between histamine response and cell populations inBALcytology. When airway hyperreactivity (AHR) was defined as ≥35% increase in Δflowat a histamine concentration of <6 mg/ml, 24 of the 45 horses (53%) were determined to haveAHR. Thirty‐three (73%) had either abnormalBALcytology orAHR, and were diagnosed withIADon this basis. Of horses diagnosed withIAD, 9 (27%) had an abnormalBAL, 11 (33%) hadAHRand 13 (39%) had both.

Conclusions

Airway reactivity andBALcytology did not show concordance in this population of horses presenting for unexplained poor performance and/or chronic cough. Failure to include tests of airway reactivity may lead to underdiagnosis ofIADin young Standardbred racehorses that present with clinical signs suggestive ofIAD.
7‐Hydroxydehydronuciferine induces human melanoma death via triggering autophagy and apoptosis
Authors: Wu Pei‐Fang , Chiu Chien‐Chih , Chen Chung‐Yi , Wang Hui‐Min David
Published: July 2015

Melanoma is the deadliest cancer. We identified 7‐hydroxydehydronuciferine (7‐HDNF) isolated from the leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn cv. Rosa‐plena to be a bio‐active agent that antagonizes melanoma tumor growth in mice xenograft model in vivo. Cell proliferation assay demonstrated strong anticancer effects of 7‐HDNF to exhibit a dose‐dependent behaviour and displayed minor cytotoxicities on normal human skin cells, including epidermal keratinocytes and melanocytes, and dermal fibroblasts. With acridine orange (AO) staining and flow analysis, we found 7‐HDNF induced the formation of intracellular vacuoles and the augmentation of acidic vesicular organelles (AVO). The apoptotic cell death ratio was measured via two‐dimensional flow cytometry by annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) double stained to confirm the cellular membrane asymmetry lost. One‐dimensional flow cytometric analysis showed 7‐HDNF increased the cellular arrest in cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Through Western blot examinations, protein expressions were discovered to verify autophagy and apoptosis response mechanisms sharing the associated pathways. Finally, 7‐HDNF presented a high‐quality antimigratory activity in wound‐healing assay. Overall, 7‐HDNF presented high‐quality anticancer bio‐functions and inhibited melanoma tumor growth in vivo and in vitro.
Relationship Education for Incarcerated Adults
Authors: Harcourt Kate Taylor , Adler‐Baeder Francesca , Rauer Amy , Pettit Gregory S. , Erath Stephen
Published: July 2015

As relationship education (RE) programs become more widely implemented, it is important to measure and document the changes associated with RE for diverse audiences. Also, researchers have been challenged to examine the impact of RE with more disadvantaged groups. While we are seeing an increase in this area, only three studies have examined RE with an incarcerated sample. These previous studies examined only those currently in a relationship and focused primarily on couple functioning. The aim of this study was to expand the existing literature by examining RE with a broader sample of incarcerated adults, regardless of current relationship status, and to expand our understanding of its association with outcomes beyond the couple domain by also including measures of individual and parental functioning. In addition, we examined whether change from pre‐ to posttest was moderated by individual characteristics. Using a sample of incarcerated adults (N = 122), the study found positive change in three domains of functioning (couple, individual, and parental). Specifically, results indicated change on five of the eight outcome variables examined. Overall, we found both similarities and differences among program participants on changes from pre‐ to posttest. For the majority of outcomes, the positive change from pre‐ to posttest emerged regardless of individual characteristics.
Role of the microRNA, miR‐206, and its target PIK3C2α in endothelial progenitor cell function – potential link with coronary artery disease
Authors: Tang Yong , Zhang Yachen , Chen Yu , Xiang Yin , Xie Yuquan
Published: July 2015

Coronary artery disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Impaired endothelial function and integrity are major contributory factors to coronary artery disease. MicroRNAs have been proposed to play an important role in coronary artery disease pathogenesis. In the present study, the expression of miR‐206 was found to be significantly upregulated in peripheral blood endothelial progenitor cells from patients with coronary artery disease compared to healthy donors. MiR‐206 was found to regulate endothelial progenitor cell activities by targeting the protein kinase PIK3C2α, which showed decreased expression in coronary artery disease endothelial progenitor cells. Knockdown of miR‐206 in coronary artery disease endothelial progenitor cells rescued their angiogenic and vasculogenic abilities both in vitro and in vivo in a mouse ischemic hindlimb model. Furthermore, knockdown of miR‐206 activated not only PIK3C2α, but also the angiogenic signal modulators Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase. It is therefore proposed that repression of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase/Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase signal transduction pathway by miR‐206 downregulates angiogenesis contributing to the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease.
After more than a decade of soil moisture deficit, tropical rainforest trees maintain photosynthetic capacity, despite increased leaf respiration
Authors: Rowland Lucy , Lobo‐do‐Vale Raquel L. , Christoffersen Bradley O. , Melém Eliane A. , Kruijt Bart , Vasconcelos Steel S. , Domingues Tomas , Binks Oliver J. , Oliveira Alex A. R. , Metcalfe Daniel , da Costa Antonio C. L. , Mencuccini Maurizio , Meir Patrick
Published: July 2015

Determining climate change feedbacks from tropical rainforests requires an understanding of how carbon gain through photosynthesis and loss through respiration will be altered. One of the key changes that tropical rainforests may experience under future climate change scenarios is reduced soil moisture availability. In this study we examine if and how both leaf photosynthesis and leaf dark respiration acclimate following more than 12 years of experimental soil moisture deficit, via a through‐fall exclusion experiment (TFE) in an eastern Amazonian rainforest. We find that experimentally drought‐stressed trees and taxa maintain the same maximum leaf photosynthetic capacity as trees in corresponding control forest, independent of their susceptibility to drought‐induced mortality. We hypothesize that photosynthetic capacity is maintained across all treatments and taxa to take advantage of short‐lived periods of high moisture availability, when stomatal conductance (gs) and photosynthesis can increase rapidly, potentially compensating for reduced assimilate supply at other times. Average leaf dark respiration (Rd) was elevated in the TFE‐treated forest trees relative to the control by 28.2 ± 2.8% (mean ± one standard error). This mean Rd value was dominated by a 48.5 ± 3.6% increase in the Rd of drought‐sensitive taxa, and likely reflects the need for additional metabolic support required for stress‐related repair, and hydraulic or osmotic maintenance processes. Following soil moisture deficit that is maintained for several years, our data suggest that changes in respiration drive greater shifts in the canopy carbon balance, than changes in photosynthetic capacity.
Contribution of N from green harvest residues for sugarcane nutrition in Brazil
Authors: Ferreira Danilo A. , Franco Henrique C. J. , Otto Rafael , Vitti André C. , Fortes Caio , Faroni Carlos E. , Garside Alan L. , Trivelin Paulo C. O.
Published: July 2015

Brazil is recognized as a prominent renewable energy producer due to the production of ethanol from sugarcane. However, in order for this source of energy to be considered truly sustainable, conservation management practices, such as harvesting the cane green (without burning) and retaining the trash in the field, need to be adopted. This management practice affects mostly the nitrogen (N) cycle through the effect of trash on immobilization–mineralization of N by soil microorganisms. The aim of the experiments reported here was to evaluate N recovery from trash (trash‐N) by sugarcane during three ratoon crop seasons: 2007, 2008 and 2009. Two field experiments were carried out, one in Jaboticabal and the other in Pradopolis, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The experiments were set up in a randomized block design with four replications. Within each plot, microplots were installed where the original trash was replaced by trash labelled with 15N, and maintained up to the fourth crop cycle. Trash‐N recovery was higher in the Jaboticabal site, the most productive one, than in the Pradópolis site. The average trash‐N recovery across the two sites after three crop cycles was 7.6 kg ha−1 (or 16.2% of the initial N content in trash), with the remaining trash‐N being incorporated into soil organic matter reserves. While these results indicate that the value of trash for sugarcane nutrition is limited in the short term, maintaining trash on the field will serve as a long‐term source of N and C for the soil.
Late Cenozoic climate and the phylogenetic structure of regional conifer floras world‐wide
Authors: Eiserhardt Wolf L. , Borchsenius Finn , Sandel Brody , Kissling W. Daniel , Svenning Jens‐Christian
Published: July 2015

Aim

Using conifers as a model system, we aim to test four hypotheses. H1: the processes that shape the phylogenetic structure of regional species assemblages depend on climate. H2: apparent effects of current climate can be equally well explained by past climate. H3: strong Quaternary climate oscillations have led to phylogenetically non‐random assemblages, either with few closely related species because isolated populations do not persist long enough to become new species or with many close relatives due to increased allopatric speciation. H4: strong late Cenozoic aridification has led to assemblages with many close relatives due to extinction and adaptive radiation.

Location

Global.

Methods

We used boosted regression trees to relate the net relatedness index (NRI) of regional conifer assemblages to current climate, past climate (0.021, 3 and 7.3–11.6 Ma), and gradual and cyclic late Cenozoic climate change while simultaneously accounting for habitat and biogeographic covariates.

Results

Climate was the most important predictor of NRI, supporting H1. Current and past climate showed similar relationships with NRI, supporting H2. Conifer NRI was further related to Quaternary climate oscillations and gradual late Cenozoic climate trends, but the shape of the relationships supported neither H3 nor H4.

Main conclusions

The climate–NRI relationships suggest that late Cenozoic climate consistently influenced the dynamics of conifer speciation, extinction and dispersal, leading to global patterns of phylogenetic assemblage structure. We deduce from the phylogenetic structure that diversification has been highest in warm or dry climates over the last ≥11.6 Myr. The fact that phylogenetic structure is related to climate trends and oscillations indicates that climate change plays an important role in addition to climate per se, but the exact underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Our results suggest that past climate needs to be taken into account when aiming to explain the phylogenetic structure of regional assemblages and other related aspects of biodiversity.
Legal Geography: Becoming Spatial Detectives
Authors: Bennett Luke , Layard Antonia
Published: July 2015

Legal geography investigates the co‐constitutive relationship of people, place and law. This essay provides an overview of how the law and geography cross‐disciplinary project emerged from a context of mutual curiosity and explores how legal practice, in all its discretionary and rule‐bound variety, co‐produces places through an attentiveness to, and sometimes an apparent dismissal of, spatiality. The essay notes the formative importance of studies on power and inequality within urban governance in this predominantly critical field. However, it also considers how the cross‐discipline is increasingly embracing legal geographic scholarship from within cultural, material and post‐human geographies. Adopting the metaphor of the ‘spatial detective’, the essay situates legal geography as a way of examining law's materialisation within space, considering the field's methods, core concepts and the potential directions in which they may evolve.
Perspectives of Open Borders and No Border
Authors: Bauder Harald
Published: July 2015

With globalization, the flows of goods, capital, and information across international borders have liberalized. However, the mobility of people across these same borders is still highly controlled. In fact, borders remain a main source not only of labour inefficiencies, but also of human suffering and injustices. These circumstances have prompted scholars to call for open borders for people and for no border. In this article, I review the various philosophical and empirical perspectives based on which scholars have argued for open borders and no border. These perspectives include liberal political‐theory, market‐economy, political‐economy, and other perspectives. In addition, I discuss the relationships between these perspectives, the role of recent border scholarship in open‐borders and no‐border debates, and the importance of the open‐borders and no‐border concepts as critiques of current border policies and practices.
Reactive transport and thermo‐hydro‐mechanical coupling in deep sedimentary basins affected by glaciation cycles: model development, verification, and illustrative example
Authors: Bea S. A. , Mayer U. K. , MacQuarrie K. T. B.
Published: July 2015

Deep sedimentary basins are complex systems that over long time scales may be affected by numerous interacting processes including groundwater flow, heat and mass transport, water–rock interactions, and mechanical loads induced by ice sheets. Understanding the interactions among these processes is important for the evaluation of the hydrodynamic and geochemical stability of geological CO2 disposal sites and is equally relevant to the safety evaluation of deep geologic repositories for nuclear waste. We present a reactive transport formulation coupled to thermo‐hydrodynamic and simplified mechanical processes. The formulation determines solution density and ion activities for ionic strengths ranging from freshwater to dense brines based on solution composition and simultaneously accounts for the hydro‐mechanical effects caused by long‐term surface loading during a glaciation cycle. The formulation was implemented into the existing MIN3P reactive transport code (MIN3P‐THCm) and was used to illustrate the processes occurring in a two‐dimensional cross section of a sedimentary basin subjected to a simplified glaciation scenario consisting of a single cycle of ice‐sheet advance and retreat over a time period of 32 500 years. Although the sedimentary basin simulation is illustrative in nature, it captures the key geological features of deep Paleozoic sedimentary basins in North America, including interbedded sandstones, shales, evaporites, and carbonates in the presence of dense brines. Simulated fluid pressures are shown to increase in low hydraulic conductivity units during ice‐sheet advance due to hydro‐mechanical coupling. During the period of deglaciation, Darcy velocities increase in the shallow aquifers and to a lesser extent in deeper high‐hydraulic conductivity units (e.g., sandstones) as a result of the infiltration of glacial meltwater below the warm‐based ice sheet. Dedolomitization is predicted to be the most widespread geochemical process, focused near the freshwater/brine interface. For the illustrative sedimentary basin, the results suggest a high degree of hydrodynamic and geochemical stability.
Overpressure in the Malay Basin and prediction methods
Authors: Ahmed Satti I. , Wan Yusoff W. I. , Ghosh D.
Published: July 2015

Predrill overpressure prediction is important for well planning and migration modeling for prospect evaluation. The Eaton (Journal of Petroleum Technology, 24, 1972, 929) and Bowers (SPE Drilling & Completion, 10, 1995, 89) methods are used worldwide for postdrill overpressure prediction using sonic log and predrill overpressure prediction using seismic interval velocity. In this research, these two methods were used for overpressure prediction using 3D anisotropic prestack depth‐migrated seismic interval velocity in a field of the Malay Basin. In the shallow overpressured zone, where the mechanism of overpressure is undercompaction, the onset of overpressure was predicted reasonably well using the Eaton and Bowers methods with their standard parameters (i.e., Eaton exponent 3 and Bowers loading curve) for seismic velocity. However, in the deep overpressured zone, where fluid expansion is the cause of overpressure generation, these methods underpredicted the high overpressure. In the deep overpressured zone, the overpressures were better predicted by applying a correction to the Eaton method. On the other hand, the Bowers unloading parameters for the fluid expansion mechanisms did not show any significant effect on overpressure prediction. Hence, in the study area, the Bowers method is not effective for 3D overpressure prediction using seismic velocity, whereas the Eaton method is more robust and can be used for 3D overpressure prediction from seismic velocity.
Validity of the Kihon Checklist for assessing frailty status
Authors: Satake Shosuke , Senda Kazuyoshi , Hong Young‐Jae , Miura Hisayuki , Endo Hidetoshi , Sakurai Takashi , Kondo Izumi , Toba Kenji
Published: July 2015

Aim

The Kihon Checklist is extensively used in Japan to identify elderly persons who are at risk of requiring support/care. We aimed to determine whether or not the Kihon Checklist can estimate frailty status defined by the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study evaluated the Kihon Checklist and activities of daily living based on self‐records maintained with the assistance of nurses in a convenience sample of 164 elderly outpatients who lived without care or support. Body composition was measured using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Physical functions, nutritional status, cognitive function and depressive mood were assessed using standardized evaluations. Frailty status was evaluated using the Cardiovascular Health Study frailty criteria.

Results

The total Kihon Checklist score closely correlated with validated assessments of physical functions, nutritional state, cognitive function, depressive mood and the number of frailty phenotypes defined by the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria (ρ = 0.655, P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curves for the evaluation of frailty status was 0.81 for prefrailty and 0.92 for frailty. The sensitivity and the specificity were 70.3% and 78.3% for prefrailty, and 89.5% and 80.7% for frailty at total Kihon Checklist scores of 3/4 and 7/8, respectively.

Conclusion

The Kihon Checklist is a useful tool for frailty screening. Analyzing the results of this self‐reporting questionnaire, together with other more high‐tech screening modalities, will cost‐effectively improve the quality of life for many elderly individuals in a timely manner. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; ●●: ●●–●●.
Neuroanatomical correlates of error types on the Clock Drawing Test in Alzheimer's disease patients
Authors: Nakashima Hirotaka , Umegaki Hiroyuki , Makino Taeko , Kato Katsuhiko , Abe Shinji , Suzuki Yusuke , Kuzuya Masahumi
Published: July 2015

Aim

We sought to identify the relationship between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and error types on the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Method

The CDT was administered to 142 patients with AD. We used the Mendez scoring method. Their rCBF values were measured by single‐photon emission computed tomography. The correlation between the CDT total score and rCBF was examined on a voxel‐by‐voxel basis. After we excluded 37 patients whose drawings were inappropriate for assessing the CDT error types, we examined the relationships between each error type on the CDT and rCBF.

Results

Total score on the CDT was positively correlated with rCBF in the left posterior middle temporal lobe. We also found relationships between the error “non‐existence of number 2, or not pointing toward number 2” and the left frontal lobe; the error “uneven number spacing” and the bilateral frontal lobe; “deviation of the clock center” and the left frontal lobe; “missing numbers” and the right parietal lobe; “uneven number distance from edge” and the right parietal and the temporal lobes; “same length hands” and the bilateral temporal lobe; and “unclosed circle” and the left temporal lobe.

Conclusions

Each error type on the CDT appears to relate to a different brain region. These findings will be useful in the understanding of CDT performances and the underlying neuropsychological pathology. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 777–784.
Evaluation of resistance to Pythium root rot by Pythium arrhenomanes in corn by using a toothpick inoculation method
Authors: Mitsuhashi Shohei , Masunaka Akira , Kikawada Tomohiro , Sugawara Koya , Tsukiboshi Takao , Tamaki Hiroyuki , Sato Hisashi
Published: July 2015

A toothpick inoculation method was applied for evaluating the disease severity and infection frequency of Pythium root rot, which seriously restricts forage corn production in Japan. Seven corn hybrids were inoculated with toothpicks infested with Pythium arrhenomanes, the causal pathogen of the disease. Between 2011 and 2013, toothpicks were inserted into holes of the bottom stalks of corn plants just above the ground at the silking stage. At the inoculation plots throughout the experimental years, the infection frequencies of highly susceptible hybrids were stable even under suboptimal climate conditions. Therefore, we have concluded that the toothpick method is useful especially for discarding highly susceptible hybrids based on the data obtained from a single year. Further experiments will be required to overcome such problems as the low correlation between hybrids and their parental inbreds, and the development of more accurate screening systems for selecting resistant genotypes.
Bone health in persons with haemophilia
Authors: Kempton C. L. , Antoniucci D. M. , Rodriguez‐Merchan E. C.
Published: July 2015

Introduction

As the population of patients with haemophilia (PWH) ages, healthcare providers are required to direct greater attention to age‐related co‐morbidities. Low bone mineral density (BMD) is one such co‐morbidity where the incidence not only increases with age, but also occurs with greater frequency in PWH.

Aim

To review risk factors for low BMD, and strategies to promote bone health and identify patients who would benefit from screening for osteoporosis and subsequent treatment.

Methods

A narrative review of the literature was performed in MEDLINE with keywords haemophilia, bone density, osteoporosis and fracture. Reference lists of retrieved articles were also reviewed.

Results

Low BMD occurs more commonly in PWH than the general population and is most likely the result of a combination of risk factors.  Steps to promote bone health include preventing haemarthrosis, encouraging regular exercise, adequate vitamin D and calcium intake, and avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol intake. Adults 50 years of age and older with haemophilia and those younger than 50 years with a fragility fracture or increased fracture risk based on FRAX (The Fracture Risk Assessment Tool), regardless of haemophilia severity, should be screened for low BMD using dual x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). Once osteoporosis is diagnosed based on DXA, fracture risk should guide treatment. Currently, treatment is similar to those without haemophilia and most commonly includes bisphosphonates.

Conclusion

Haemophilia care providers should promote adequate bone formation during childhood and reduce bone loss during adulthood as well as identify patients with low BMD that would benefit from therapy.