bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alternative Control of the Leaf-Cutting Ant Atta bisphaerica Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Via Homeopathic Baits
Authors: Ramos Vânia Maria , Cunha Fabiane , Kuhn Karen Carolina , Leite Rafael Gervasoni Ferreira , Roma Wellington Franckievicz
Published: July 2013

Leaf-cutting ants are pests that afflict diverse crops, and are most efficiently controlled by chemical methods that are widely utilized. Other methods have been investigated aiming to efficiently control these insects while reducing the environmental impact of applying such chemical products. Therefore, an assay was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of baits, formulated homeopathically, in nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta bisphaerica, in the field. Thirty (30) colonies were chosen and divided into 10 repetitions for each of the following treatments: control (without baits), standard (8 g/m2 of loose soil of baits based on sulfluramid 0.3%) and homeopathic (60 g/m2 of loose soil of homeopathic baits parceled into 20g/m2 doses applied on 3 consecutive days). At 24 hours after bait application on active foraging trails of colonies, evaluation of parameters was initiated: loading and return of the baits, foraging and mortality. The completed assay demonstrated that the transport of baits was greater in the standard (80%) than the homeopathic treatment (50%), and, to the contrary, the return of baits was significantly higher in the homeopathic treatment (15%) versus the conventional, where return/rejection did not occur. Colony mortality was 20% under the homeopathic treatment, differing statistically from the 80% value produced by the standard treatment. Thus, the homeopathic treatment is not demonstrated to be efficient at controlling leaf-cutting ants, suggesting new studies with different methodologies.
Toxicity of Hydramethylnon to Leaf-cutting Ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: Bueno Fabiana Correa , Forti Luiz Carlos , Bueno Odair Correa
Published: July 2013

Since 2009, when sulfluramid was listed in annex B of the Stockholm Convention’s Persistent Organic Pollutants, effort has been made to search for other active ingredients to use in baits for controlling leaf-cutting ants in Brazil. Considering that active ingredients that inhibit insect cellular respiration have been shown to be effective in controlling ants, the current work aimed at assessing the toxicity of hydramethylnon to Atta sexdens rubropilosa workers. Hydramethylnon was dissolved in acetone and in a solution of acetone + soy oil then incorporated in artificial diet at concentrations of 1 µg/mL, 5 µg/mL, 10 µg/mL, 100 µg/mL, 200 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL. The treatments where ants were daily fed on the diet containing hydramethylnon at 100 µg/mL, 200 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL, especially those dissolved in soy oil, exhibited high mortality in comparison to the controls. The data presented here confirms the insecticidal activity of hydramethylnon and highlights the importance of employing soy oil in the formulation of baits to control leaf-cutting ants because it enhances hydramethylnon efficiency.
Effects of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) on Worker Behavior of red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invcita
Authors: Zhang Zhi-Xiang , Zhou You , Cheng Dong Mei
Published: July 2013

The effect of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) activated under visible light on worker behavior of Solenopsis invcita was studied with the potter spray tower method. The results showed that greater than 10 mg/L HMME activated under visible light could reduce the walking, grasping, aggregation, and water and food recognition abilities of red imported fire worker ant significantly, but 100 mg/L HMME in darkness could not affect their abilities or behaviors significantly. Therefore, HMME may be a potential novel insecticide that can be used as a substitute for toxic insecticides for controlling red imported fire ants.
Antipredator Behavior Produced by Heterosexual and Homosexual Tandem Running in the Termite Reticulitermes chinensis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Authors: Li Ganghua , Zou Xiaofen , Lei Chaoliang , Huang Qiuying
Published: July 2013

Heterosexual and homosexual tandem running can be observed together in the alate pairings in some species of termites. This study examined the effect of heterosexual and homosexual tandem running in the termite Reticulitermes chinensis on the predation risk by a predatory ant, Leptogenys kitteli. Results showed that both heterosexual and homosexual tandem running reduced the predation risk of participants. When a male-male tandem encountered a female, the back male had a significant advantage over the front male in winning a female. Moreover, the back males were significantly heavier than the front males. These results indicated that the predation risk of dealates could be decreased by tandem running through the dilution effect. Furthermore, these data suggest that male-male tandem running could induce selection pressure in favor of vigorous males and may play an essential role in indirect sexual selection.
Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
Authors: Souza Gabriely Köerich , Pikart Tiago Georg , Jacques Gabriel Castro , Castro Ancidértion Antonio , De Souza Marcos Magalhães , Serrão José Eduardo , Zanuncio José Cola
Published: July 2013

Social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of the subfamily Polistinae, being biological pest control agents, can effectively participate in ongoing efforts to limit the use of chemical agents used in combating insect pests in urban forestry. The objective of the study, conducted in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in May 2011, was aimed at identifying species of this group foraging on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) plants. The study area was monitored once a week, even as data on social wasps foraging on plants of E. uniflora were collected. The data collected included study of their daily activity pattern, diversity, dominance and overlap of temporal niches relating to species of this group. Data analysis revealed that E. uniflora plants were visited by 217 individuals of 16 species of the subfamily Polistinae. Foraging behavior of social wasps bore no relationship with sampling time, but overlap of temporal niche was high. It was observed that the species of social wasps did not damage healthy fruits, but they were probably searching for Lonchaeidae and Tephritidae larvae. It is important to preserve the diversity of these predators, since they are potentially important as a partial alternative to environmentally degrading chemical pesticides currently used in urban forestry for pest control.
Hearsay, Bad Character and Trust in the Jury: Irish and English Contrasts
Authors: Coen Mark
Published: July 2013

This article will consider the extent to which the exclusionary common law rules relating to hearsay and bad character, which existed for hundreds of years in England and Wales and still apply in Ireland, were informed by distrust of jury capabilities. The article will focus on this discrete issue, as opposed to conducting a wide-ranging critique of the relevant rules. It will be demonstrated that the rationales for the radical reform of these rules in England and Wales were partly couched in terms of increased faith in juror competence. The exclusionary rules relating to hearsay and bad character in Ireland and the reformed English law, which is inclusionary in effect, will be analysed in light of empirical jury studies examining the ability of jurors to evaluate these two types of evidence. The capacity for different approaches to certain types of evidence to reflect varying conceptions of the jury and its perceived competence is a central theme of this article, as is the importance of testing juror performance empirically.
La fin de Merlin dans la Suite du Roman de Merlin , son adaptation espagnole, le Baladro del sabio Merlín , et trois romans de chevalerie espagnols
Authors: Lendo Rosalba
Published: July 2013

L’évolution de la figure de Merlin dans les romans arthuriens, résultat des apports successifs, se reflète également dans les différentes versions de sa fin. L’analyse des caractéristiques de la fin du prophète dans la Suite du Roman de Merlin, son adaptation espagnole, le Baladro del sabio Merlin, et trois romans de chevalerie espagnols, l’ Espejo de caballerías, l’ Espejo de príncipes y caballeros et le Belianís de Grecia, font l’objet de notre étude.
Ruled by Merlin: Mirrors for Princes, Counseling Patterns, and Malory’s ‘Tale of King Arthur’
Authors: Boyle Louis J.
Published: July 2013

Malory’s emphasis on Merlin as an infallible advisor lays bare the contradictory nature of counseling patterns advocated by advice texts in the speculum principis tradition.
Community-based Service-Learning as a Way to Meet the Linguistic Needs of Transnational Students in Mexico
Authors: Tacelosky Kathleen
Published: July 2013

Following observations and interviews with transnational children that have one or more years of school in the United States and are now in school in Mexico, it was determined that the Mexican public school system has no mechanism in place to offer them the support they need. Therefore, I collaborated with Mexican university students to seek solutions to the challenge of meeting transnationals’ language needs. Specifically, I implemented community-based service-learning in which university students met one-on-one with transnational students. Community-based projects, like the one described here, offer future teachers and other university students the opportunity to apply what they are learning in the classroom so that their own learning is enhanced in ways it otherwise would not be. Furthermore, help is extended to younger learners who benefit from one-on-one or small group linguistic support.
Johannes von Felden on Usucaption, Justice, and the Society of States
Authors: Blank Andreas
Published: July 2013

In his response to Grotius, the seventeenth-century German jurist and philosopher Johannes von Felden rejects Grotius’s view that usucaption—the acquisition of ownership through long-standing possession—could be a suitable means for settling territorial conflicts. At the same time, he defends a conception of a society of states. For him, the human need for security from the risks of war and the human need for justice demand from rulers that they establish international courts that have jurisdiction over territorial matters. In his view, the juridical relations connected with such international courts are constitutive of a society of states.
Putin versus Civil Society: Outlawing the Opposition
Authors: Lanskoy Miriam , Suthers Elspeth
Published: July 2013

Abstract:
The Russian protest movement of 2011–12, which challenged the outcome of the December 2011 State Duma elections and called for transparency, accountability, and democratic reform, posed the first real challenge to President Vladimir Putin and the political system that he has established in Russia. As hundreds of thousands of Muscovites repeatedly flooded the streets in protest between December 2011 and May 2012 and smaller rallies took place in dozens of other cities, it became clear that Putin and his United Russia party were losing popularity— particularly among the more urban, affluent, and influential segments of the population. Even now, a year into Putin’s third term, the regime has failed to return to business as usual. Demands among the Russian people for transparency and accountability are growing, as is a greater reluctance to accept the status quo.
The Saudi monarchy and economic familism in an era of business environment reforms
Authors: Mazaheri Nimah
Published: July 2013

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has strengthened its regulatory and financial institutions and adopted many reforms concerning its business environment. Yet, Saudi Arabia seems an unlikely country to succeed at implementing business environment reforms given the presence of an authoritarian state and rent-seeking behavior from elites that is the outcome of oil wealth. What explains the ability of Saudi Arabia to initiate reforms that many states have struggled to implement or uniformly reject? This paper argues that the country's monarchical system helps the government solve the credible commitment problem with private sector elites, thereby facilitating business environment reforms. The monarchical system does this by legitimizing and reinforcing the institution of economic familism. The salience of this institution provides a reliable guarantee to private sector elites that their rents and business interests will be protected during the reform process. The case of Saudi Arabia stands as an important example of how absolute monarchies can pursue certain economic reforms, and also how an informal institution can solve the credible commitment problem in an authoritarian context where formal institutions are either absent or weak.
The value of a statistical life: some clarifications and puzzles
Authors: Sunstein Cass R.
Published: July 2013

Many people have wondered why the US government conducts cost-benefit analysis with close reference to the value of a statistical life (VSL). It is helpful to answer that question by reference to the “Easy Cases,” in which those who benefit from regulatory protection must pay for it. In such cases, WTP is usually the right foundation for VSL, because beneficiaries are hardly helped by being forced to pay for regulatory protection that they believe not to be in their interests. In the Easy Cases, arguments from both welfare and autonomy support the use of WTP and VSL (with potentially important qualifications involving imperfect information and behavioral market failures). The analysis is less straightforward in harder cases, in which beneficiaries do not pay for all of the cost of what they receive (and may pay little of that cost). In such cases, arguments from welfare and autonomy might not lead in any clear direction. In the harder cases, regulation might be justified on welfare grounds even if the cost-benefit analysis (based on VSL) suggests that it is not. In principle, a direct inquiry into welfare (the master concept) would be preferable to use of cost-benefit analysis. In the harder cases, distributional considerations might also count in favor of proceeding (as prioritarianism suggests). But at the current time, direct inquiries into welfare consequences and into distributional effects are challenging in practice, and hence regulators should generally rely on cost-benefit analysis, making welfarist adjustments, or adjustments based on distributional considerations, only in compelling cases.
Preserved GLP-1 and exaggerated GIP secretion in type 2 diabetes and relationships with triglycerides and ALT
Authors: Alssema Marjan , Rijkelijkhuizen Josina M , Holst Jens J , Teerlink Tom , Scheffer Peter G , Eekhoff Elisabeth M W , Gastaldelli Amalia , Mari Andrea , Hart Leen M't , Nijpels Giel , Dekker Jacqueline M
Published: July 2013

Objective

To i) compare incretin responses to oral glucose and mixed meal of diabetic patients with the normoglycaemic population and ii) to investigate whether incretin responses are associated with hypertriglyceridaemia and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as liver fat marker.

Design

A population-based study.

Methods

A total of 163 persons with normal glucose metabolism (NGM), 20 with intermediate hyperglycaemia and 20 with type 2 diabetes aged 40–65 years participated. Participants received a mixed meal and oral glucose load on separate occasions. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon profiles were analysed as total area under the curve (tAUC) and incremental area under the curve.

Results

In diabetic patients compared with persons with NGM, we found increased GLP-1 secretion (tAUC per hour) following oral glucose (23.2 pmol/l (95% CI 17.7–28.7) vs 18.0 (95% CI 16.9–19.1),P<0.05) but not after the mixed meal. GIP secretion among diabetic patients was increased on both occasions (82.9 pmol/l (55.9–109.8) vs 47.1 (43.8–50.4) for oral glucose and 130.6 (92.5–168.7) vs 83.2 (77.5–88.9) for mixed meal, bothP<0.05). After oral glucose, GLP-1 (tAUC per hour) was inversely related to fasting triglycerides. GIP (tAUC per hour) was positively related to fasting and postprandial triglycerides. Higher fasting GIP levels were related to higher fasting and postprandial triglyceride levels and ALT.

Conclusion

This study confirms that in type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 secretion is generally preserved and that GIP secretion is exaggerated. The mechanism underlying the divergent associations of GLP-1 and GIP metabolism with fat metabolism and liver fat accumulation warrants further study.
Agriculture, work and products: The effects of the market on the economics of an agricultural settlement
Authors: Szabó Árpád
Published: July 2013

In this article I discuss the role of the market on the different branches of the agriculture in a Transylvanian village analysing the complex forms of the market and market behaviour that exist in a peculiar rural settlement. The village once had a sort of regional centre role where families who earned a living from non-agricultural activities lived in high number but this role had faded with socialist modernisation, thus nowadays the main sector is the agriculture. Regarding the links between agricultural production and the market the article delimitates three behavioural patterns, namely self-sufficiency, partial market integration and dominant market integration (differentiating the locations where farmers place their products, too), arguing that in fact these patterns may be found many times in the same households and there are no clear forms of market behaviour. In concordance I argue also that self-sufficiency is not more than a scientific tool used in the description of traditional economies but it does not really exist, and self-sufficiency and market are not opposed, but on the contrary, they complement each other. Consequently the article tries to demonstrate that the peasant farming depends in many ways — both in its consumption and production — on the market and that the market effects in fact mean inequalities.
Interests, resources and status: The distribution of income, work and authority in the family in a Northern Hungarian Village
Authors: Sárkány Mihály
Published: July 2013

The author deals with two interconnected features of contemporary Hungarian rural family life from a historical perspective based on fieldwork carried out in Varsány in the early 1970s and between 2000 and 2005. The first is the intertwining of the lives of successive generations of families in a period when other segments of Hungarian society were becoming more individualistic. This case puts into question whether economic models of the direction of the flow of goods between generations (linear, altruistic or exchange models) are applicable for this situation. The author suggests that Polányi’s ideas may be of help in understanding this phenomenon. The second is the balance of genders within families. Tatjana Thelen, who did fieldwork in another Hungarian village, Mesterszállás, pointed out a decline in the status of women. She holds the Hungarian policy of privatisation and reprivatisation responsible for it, which followed the great socio-economic and political change from socialism to capitalism in 1990. As a similar decrease in the status of women did not occur in Varsány, the author argues that other factors also should be taken into consideration for analysing such situations, like the role of commuting, education, and women’s share in landed property.
No detectable precolostral antibody response in calves born from cows with cotyledons positive for Coxiella burnetii by quantitative PCR
Authors: Tutusaus Joan , López-Gatius Fernando , Almería Sonia , Serrano Beatriz , Monleón Eva , José Badiola Juan , García-Ispierto Irina
Published: July 2013

Samples from 45 dams (milk/colostrum, faeces, vaginal fluid and blood on days 171–177 of gestation and at parturition, and cotyledons at parturition) and their calves (blood collected before colostrum intake and weekly until days 29–35) were analysed to examine the vertical transmission of Coxiella burnetii and links between shedding and seropositivity. All calves were born C. burnetii seronegative. Only those born to seropositive dams seroconverted following colostrum intake. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the likelihood of dam seropositivity was 21 and 4.85 times higher for multiparous than for primiparous (65.6% vs. 8.3%, P = 0.006) and for prepartum shedding cows (75% vs. 38.2%, P = 0.03) compared to the remaining animals, respectively. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate no detectable precolostral antibody response in calves born from dams with cotyledons positive for C. burnetii by qPCR. In order to analyse the possibility of persistent infection due to immunotolerance to an early in utero infection, further studies will need to test for C. burnetii DNA. In addition, in the present study multiparous cows showed a significantly higher seroprevalence than primiparous cows and heifers, colostral antibodies were efficiently transferred to newborn calves, and there was a link between bacterial shedding on days 171–177 of gestation and Coxiella seropositivity of the dam.
Detection and characterisation of hepatitis E virus in naturally infected swine in Croatia
Authors: Lipej Zoran , Novosel Dinko , Vojta Lea , Roić Besi , Šimpraga Miljenko , Vojta Aleksandar
Published: July 2013

Hepatitis E is a viral zoonotic disease infecting swine worldwide. Since pigs represent a likely animal reservoir for the hepatitis E virus, the epidemiology of naturally occurring hepatitis E was investigated in Croatian swine herds. Nearly all tested animals were seropositive for antibodies against the hepatitis E virus (55/60, 91.7%). Active infection was detected in all age groups by RT-PCR of viral RNA in serum (8/60, 13.3%) and bile samples (3/37, 8.1%), which was further confirmed by histopathological findings of characteristic lesions in the livers of the infected animals. Three new strains of hepatitis E virus were isolated from Croatian pig herds. Phylogenetic analysis using median-joining networks clustered those Croatian strains with isolates from various parts of the world, indicating their likely origin in international trade. Similarity to human isolates implies a zoonotic potential of Croatian strains, which raises a public health concern, especially in the light of the high prevalence of hepatitis E in the herds studied.
Retrospective study of bull semen quality — possible correlation with pesticide use?
Authors: Snoj Tomaz , Kobal Silvestra , Premrov Bajuk Blanka , Zuzek Monika , Cebulj-Kadunc Nina , Majdic Gregor
Published: July 2013

Decline in semen quality in humans and increased incidence of male reproductive problems could be caused by different factors, including pesticides that could mimic or block the action of endogenous hormones. If the decline in semen quality is real, and environmental chemicals are at least partially responsible for this decline, similar changes should be observed in animals that live in close connection with humans and are exposed to similar levels of pollutants. In the present study, the semen quality of bulls in the last 30 years was examined with respect to the year of birth. Furthermore, semen quality results were correlated to the total pesticide use in a limited geographical area. The results indicate a notable decrease in both ejaculate volume and total number of spermatozoa in ejaculates of bulls born in the late 1970s, while after that (until 2006) there was no obvious downward or upward trend either in ejaculate volume or in the total number of sperm cells. The amount of pesticides released into the environment increased about twofold in the given period, and linear regression analysis revealed a strong and statistically significant correlation between the amount of pesticides used and the total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate.
Differential diagnosis of Moniezia benedeni and M. expansa (Anoplocephalidae) by PCR using markers in small ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA)
Authors: Yan HongBin , Bo XinWen , Liu Youyu , Lou Zhongzi , Ni XingWei , Shi WanGui , Zhan Fang , Ooi HongKean , Jia WanZhong
Published: July 2013

Moniezia benedeni and M. expansa are common ruminant tapeworms of worldwide distribution, causing gastrointestinal disorders and even death in sheep and goats. In this study, a polymerase chain reaction- (PCR-) based approach for precise species identification was developed and also applied to faecal DNA diagnosis of the tapeworm infection. Since nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) appears to be a useful target for species and/or strain markers, the 18S regions of the rDNA of M. benedeni and M. expansa were amplified and sequenced. The lengths and GC contents of the regions sequenced were 2476–2487 bp and 51.9–52.1% for M. benedeni and 2473 bp and 51.9–52.0% for M. expansa, respectively. Alignment and comparison of the 18S sequences of the two species showed 92.5–93.3% homology. No matches for the 18S regions of M. benedeni and M. expansa were found with other species by BLAST search, which made the 18S sequences appropriate markers for the design of distinctive primers for the two Moniezia species. Our 18S-based PCR could detect as low levels as 0.5 pg genomic DNA or the DNA extracted from 0.2 g faecal sample collected from the rectum of an M. expansa-infected goat. The results indicate that this PCR approach is a reliable alternative for the differential diagnosis of Moniezia species in faecal samples.
First description of hypospadias and inguinal bilateral cryptorchidism in mouflon (Ovis Gmelini Musimon) — short communication
Authors: Beregi Attila , Erdélyi Károly , Fodor Kinga , Molnar Ladislav , Csányi Sándor
Published: July 2013

A mouflon showing severe weight loss and cachexia was examined. The animal had horns and a male-like body frame but the preputial fur was missing. The scrotum was completely absent. Both testicles were located next to the inguinal canal under the skin, and appeared only slightly smaller than normal. The prepuce was located in a perianal position under the anus and it resembled a vulva. The penis was underdeveloped and curled up inside the prepuce like an enlarged clitoris. The bulbourethral region and the urinary bladder looked normal. The orifice of the urethra was located in its normal position, but the glans penis appeared deformed. Microscopic examination of the testicles revealed mild degeneration of the seminiferous tubules and a marked proliferation of the interstitial connective tissue with Leydig cells still present. There were no marked changes in the bulbar part of the penis but the apical part exhibited marked interstitial fibrosis. This is the first description of hypospadias and cryptorchidism in mouflon.
Osteological redescription of the skull ofMicrocleidus homalospondylus(Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Lower Jurassic of England
Authors: Brown David , Vincent Peggy , Bardet Nathalie
Published: July 2013

The plesiosaur specimen NHMUK 36184 from the Lower Jurassic of Whitby, Yorkshire and kept in the Natural History Museum of London, comprises an almost entire skeleton with nearly complete skull. It was described as one of two syntypes ofPlesiosaurus homalospondylusby Owen, and selected as the lectotype by Lydekker. Extensive preparation of the skull has revealed it as one of the most complete and best-preserved Jurassic plesiosaurian skulls known, and its description adds much-needed data to our knowledge of the cranial osteology of the Plesiosauria. The three-dimensional preservation permits a relatively reliable reconstruction of its form.Microcleidus homalospondylusdisplays an interesting combination of cranial characters present in Jurassic plesiosauroids and Cretaceous Elasmosauridea. Its snout presents a very distinctive sculpture; the first pair of premaxillae teeth are extremely reduced; the frontal is partially overlain by the premaxillae, contacts the pineal foramen but does not contact the temporal fenestra; the jugal does not contact the orbit nor the temporal fenestra; the squamosal contacts the postorbital but not the maxilla and presents a bulb; the postfrontal contacts the posterolateral orbit margin; the anterior interpterygoid vacuity is absent; the pterygoids meet posterior to the posterior interpterygoid vacuities and are pierced by a foramen at this level; the quadrate ramus of the pterygoid presents a ventromedial flange; the parasphenoid is crested; the epipterygoid contacts the parietal; the paroccipital process is spatulate distally; the prootic presents an anteroventral process; the mandibular symphysis is keeled and bears four pairs of teeth.Microcleidusappears very similar toHydrorionandOccitanosaurus, and the three taxa share a great number of plesiomorphic characters with basal plesiosaurians and pliosauroids.
Morphological analysis of phylogenetic relationships among extant rhynchonellide brachiopods
Authors: Schreiber Holly A. , Bitner Maria Aleksandra , Carlson Sandra J.
Published: July 2013

Rhynchonellida is the stratigraphically oldest and phylogenetically most basal of the extant rhynchonelliform brachiopod orders, yet phylogenetic relationships among rhynchonellides are poorly known. The fourteen named rhynchonellide superfamilies (four of which have extant representatives) were defined primarily on the basis of features of the dorsal cardinalia, particularly crural morphology, but their homology and polarity have not been investigated rigorously. Superfamily monophyly is unclear, as is the evolution of several distinctive rhynchonellide morphological features, such as crura.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phylogenetic relationships among extant rhynchonellide genera using skeletal characters, and to compare the results with the current classification, elucidating the evolution of morphological features in the process. We completed parsimony-based and Bayesian analyses using fifty-eight characters of the interior and exterior of the shell that vary among the nineteen extant genera. Our results are readily interpretable with respect to the classification, and indicate that Hemithiridoidea, Dimerelloidea, and (in some analyses) Pugnacoidea appear to be monophyletic. Species classified in Dimerelloidea and Pugnacoidea, and in certain cases Hemithiridoidea, each form derived subclades that evolve from within a paraphyletic Norelloidea at the base of each subclade. Raduliform crura appear to be the most basal, phylogenetically; five other crural morphologies evolve from the raduliform state. However, morphological characters currently uniting genera in rhynchonellide superfamilies are not clearly diagnostic and exhibit a relatively high degree of homoplasy overall, suggesting that consistency with the classification may be based on a false sense of confidence in rhynchonellide morphology to clearly elucidate evolutionary relationships. Published molecular phylogenetic hypotheses conflict with the morphological topologies, further supporting this possibility.

The evolutionary trends among diagnostic characters of Recent rhynchonellides appear to reflect successive juvenilization in adult morphology in several subclades, suggesting that heterochrony may have played an important role in the evolution of the group.
The Eocene apex of panorpoid scorpionfly family diversity
Authors: Archibald S. Bruce , Mathewes Rolf W. , Greenwood David R.
Published: July 2013

The scorpionfly (Mecoptera) superfamily Panorpoidea underwent an Eocene radiation, replacing the extinct Mesozoic orthophlebiid grade and reaching its greatest family-level diversity: Panorpidae, Panorpodidae, Austropanorpidae, Holcorpidae, Dinopanorpidae, and a new family proposed here, the Eorpidae. Only the Panorpidae and Panorpodidae survived the Eocene and persist to the present day. This cluster of family extinctions is exceptional within Cenozoic insects. The Eorpidae includes at least one new genus and three new species described here from four localities of the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands of British Columbia, Canada, and Washington, U.S.A.:Eorpa ypsipedan. gen. n. sp. (McAbee and possibly Falkland, BC, Canada; and Republic, WA, U.S.A.),Eorpa elverumin. gen. n. sp. (Republic), andEorpa jurgenin. gen. n. sp. (Quilchena, BC). Some of the other fragmentary and poorly preserved specimens might represent further new species. We propose that the apex of Panorpoid family diversity ended by pressures from post-Eocene icehouse world climatic stress and the rise to ecological dominance of ants, some of which would have provided strong competition in scavenging for dead arthropods.
First rove beetles from the Jurassic Talbragar Fish Bed of Australia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae)
Authors: Cai Chen-Yang , Yan Evgeny V. , Beattie Robert , Wang Bo , Huang Di-Ying
Published: July 2013

The first two rove beetle fossils discovered from the Late Jurassic Talbragar Fish Bed in New South Wales, Australia are described and illustrated.Juroglypholoma talbragarensen. sp. is the second fossil record for one of the smallest and latest recognized staphylinid subfamily Glypholomatinae. The other staphylinid,Protachinus minorn. gen. n. sp., is an unusual member of extant subfamily Tachyporinae (tribe Tachyporini). It significantly retains several distinct features, including entire epistomal suture, and abdominal tergites III–VI each with a pair of basolateral ridges. The discovery of a new glypholomatine in Australia, together with recently reported one from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou biota of China, suggests the subfamily Glypholomatinae was probably much more widespread in the Jurassic than previously thought.
A new shrimp (Decapoda, Dendrobranchiata, Penaeoidea) from the Middle Triassic of Yunnan, southwest China
Authors: Huang Jinyuan , Feldmann Rodney M. , Schweitzer Carrie E. , Hu Shixue , Zhou Changyong , Benton Michael J. , Zhang Qiyue , Wen Wen , Xie Tao
Published: July 2013

A new penaeoid shrimp collected from the Middle Triassic Member II of the Guanling Formation in the vicinity of the city of Luxi, Yunnan, southwest China, is a new species,Aeger luxiin. sp. The new species possesses prominent spinose third maxillipeds, which is one of the typical characteristics ofAeger. The new species differs from the type species,Aeger tipulariusfrom the Jurassic Solnhofen Plattenkalk, in having a long, smooth rostrum with no subrostral spines. The new taxon increases the diversity of Chinese decapods, and further expands our knowledge of the phylogeny and evolution of the Mesozoic decapods. The find is the first complete specimen ofAegerin the Middle Triassic, and reveals a close biogeographic connection of the marine ecosystem between Eastern and Western Tethys.
Designing for Dissemination Among Public Health Researchers: Findings From a National Survey in the United States
Authors: Brownson Ross C. , Jacobs Julie A. , Tabak Rachel G. , Hoehner Christine M. , Stamatakis Katherine A.
Published: July 2013

Objectives. We have described the practice of designing for dissemination among researchers in the United States with the intent of identifying gaps and areas for improvement.

Methods. In 2012, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 266 researchers using a search of the top 12 public health journals in PubMed and lists available from government-sponsored research. The sample involved scientists at universities, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.

Results. In the pooled sample, 73% of respondents estimated they spent less than 10% of their time on dissemination. About half of respondents (53%) had a person or team in their unit dedicated to dissemination. Seventeen percent of all respondents used a framework or theory to plan their dissemination activities. One third of respondents (34%) always or usually involved stakeholders in the research process.

Conclusions. The current data and the existing literature suggest considerable room for improvement in designing for dissemination.
Asthma Disparities and Within-Group Differences in a National, Probability Sample of Same-Sex Partnered Adults
Authors: Blosnich John R. , Lee Joseph G. L. , Bossarte Robert , Silenzio Vincent M. B.
Published: July 2013

Objectives. We examined the prevalence and correlates of self-reported lifetime diagnosis of asthma and current asthma among same-sex and opposite-sex partnered adults.

Methods. Data were from the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in which same-sex partnership was a response option to a family planning item in the core questionnaire. Self-reported lifetime diagnosis of asthma and current asthma were examined in logistic regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics and asthma-related confounding factors and stratified by both gender and same-sex partnership status.

Results. Significantly higher proportions of same-sex partnered male and female respondents reported lifetime and current asthma compared with their opposite-sex partnered peers. In adjusted analyses, same-sex partnership status remained significantly associated with asthma outcomes among men and women, with odds ratios ranging from 1.57 to 2.34.

Conclusions. Results corroborated past studies that indicated asthma disproportionately affects sexual minority populations. The addition of sexual minority status questions to federal survey projects is key to further exploring health disparities in this population. Future studies are needed to investigate the etiology of this disparity.
The Association Between Client Characteristics and Recovery in California’s Comprehensive Community Mental Health Programs
Authors: Yoon Jangho , Bruckner Tim A. , Brown Timothy T.
Published: July 2013

Objectives. In November 2004, California voters passed the Mental Health Services Act, which allocated more than $3 billion for comprehensive community mental health programs. We examined whether these county-level programs, known as “full service partnerships,” promoted independent living arrangements (i.e., recovery) among their clients.

Methods. We used Markov chain models to identify probabilities of residential transitions among 8 living arrangements (n = 9208 adults followed up to 4 years). We modeled these transitions on the basis of patterns of program participation and clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.

Results. Interrupted program participation and substance abuse were significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of independent living and a greater probability of homelessness and incarceration. Persons with schizophrenia were the least likely to live independently, followed by persons with bipolar disorder. Compared with Whites, non-Whites were more frequently found to be homeless or in jail.

Conclusions. Clients with sustained enrollment in California’s comprehensive community mental health programs appear most likely to transition to independent living. The likelihood of this transition, however, shows a disparity in that ethnic minority clients appear least likely to transition to independent living.
Smokers Who Try E-Cigarettes to Quit Smoking: Findings From a Multiethnic Study in Hawaii
Authors: Pokhrel Pallav , Fagan Pebbles , Little Melissa A. , Kawamoto Crissy T. , Herzog Thaddeus A.
Published: July 2013

Objectives. We characterized smokers who are likely to use electronic or “e-”cigarettes to quit smoking.

Methods. We obtained cross-sectional data in 2010–2012 from 1567 adult daily smokers in Hawaii using a paper-and-pencil survey. Analyses were conducted using logistic regression.

Results. Of the participants, 13% reported having ever used e-cigarettes to quit smoking. Smokers who had used them reported higher motivation to quit, higher quitting self-efficacy, and longer recent quit duration than did other smokers. Age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.97, 0.99) and Native Hawaiian ethnicity (OR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.45, 0.99) were inversely associated with increased likelihood of ever using e-cigarettes for cessation. Other significant correlates were higher motivation to quit (OR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.08, 1.21), quitting self-efficacy (OR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.06, 1.36), and ever using US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved cessation aids such as nicotine gum (OR = 3.72; 95% CI = 2.67, 5.19).

Conclusions. Smokers who try e-cigarettes to quit smoking appear to be serious about wanting to quit. Despite lack of evidence regarding efficacy, smokers treat e-cigarettes as valid alternatives to FDA-approved cessation aids. Research is needed to test the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes as cessation aids.
Abnormal Audit Fees and Audit Quality: The Importance of Considering Managerial Incentives in Tests of Earnings Management
Authors: Eshleman John Daniel , Guo Peng
Published: July 2013

Are high audit fees a signal that the auditor exerted more effort or a signal that the auditor may be losing her independence? Prior literature offers conflicting evidence. In this paper, we reexamine the issue on a sample of clients who have both the incentive and the ability to use discretionary accruals to meet or beat the consensus earnings forecast. We find a negative relationship between the level of abnormal audit fees paid by the client and the likelihood of using discretionary accruals to meet or beat the consensus analyst forecast. The evidence is consistent with the notion that abnormal audit fees are indicative of greater effort on the engagement. In other words, the results suggest a positive relationship between abnormal audit fees and audit quality. We show that the conflicting evidence in prior research was caused by research designs that did not consider the incentives of the manager.

JEL Classifications: M42; M41.

Data Availability: All data are available from public sources quoted in the text.
Planning and Evaluation of Assurance Services for Sustainability Reporting: An Evidential Reasoning Approach
Authors: Srivastava Rajendra P. , Rao Sunita S. , Mock Theodore J.
Published: July 2013

This study develops a framework for planning, performing, and evaluating evidence obtained to assess and control the risks of providing assurance on sustainability reports. Sustainability reporting, or corporate sustainability reporting (CSR), provides stakeholders with important information on both financial and non-financial factors related to environmental, social, and economic performance. Importantly, the presented framework is developed from both a Bayesian (probability-based theory) and Belief Function (Dempster-Shafer theory) perspective. This facilitates application of the framework to cases where the assurance provider prefers to assess risk in terms of probability versus in terms of beliefs. To demonstrate the application of this framework we evaluate assertions, sub-assertions, and audit evidence relevant to CSR based on the G3 Reporting framework developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

The paper contributes to the literature in three main areas. First, it demonstrates how evidence-based reasoning can be used for engagements where different levels of assurance are provided for the assertions being audited. Second, it shows how various items of evidence at different levels may be aggregated. Third, it presents a generic theoretical model for assuring information based on belief-based assessments, which is then contrasted with a theoretical model based on probability theory. In contrasting the two approaches, we show that in cases where initial uncertainty is substantial, the use of Dempster-Shafer theory has advantages over probability theory in terms of efficiency in achieving a targeted low level of assurance.
Loss of Prohibitin Induces Mitochondrial Damages Altering β-Cell Function and Survival and Is Responsible for Gradual Diabetes Development
Authors: Supale Sachin , Thorel Fabrizio , Merkwirth Carsten , Gjinovci Asllan , Herrera Pedro L. , Scorrano Luca , Meda Paolo , Langer Thomas , Maechler Pierre
Published: July 2013

Prohibitins are highly conserved proteins mainly implicated in the maintenance of mitochondrial function and architecture. Their dysfunctions are associated with aging, cancer, obesity, and inflammation. However, their possible role in pancreatic β-cells remains unknown. The current study documents the expression of prohibitins in human and rodent islets and their key role for β-cell function and survival. Ablation of Phb2 in mouse β-cells sequentially resulted in impairment of mitochondrial function and insulin secretion, loss of β-cells, progressive alteration of glucose homeostasis, and, ultimately, severe diabetes. Remarkably, these events progressed over a 3-week period of time after weaning. Defective insulin supply in β-Phb2−/− mice was contributed by both β-cell dysfunction and apoptosis, temporarily compensated by increased β-cell proliferation. At the molecular level, we observed that deletion of Phb2 caused mitochondrial abnormalities, including reduction of mitochondrial DNA copy number and respiratory chain complex IV levels, altered mitochondrial activity, cleavage of L-optic atrophy 1, and mitochondrial fragmentation. Overall, our data demonstrate that Phb2 is essential for metabolic activation of mitochondria and, as a consequence, for function and survival of β-cells.
Prevention of Diabetes With Pioglitazone in ACT NOW
Authors: DeFronzo Ralph A. , Tripathy Devjit , Schwenke Dawn C. , Banerji MaryAnn , Bray George A. , Buchanan Thomas A. , Clement Stephen C. , Gastaldelli Amalia , Henry Robert R. , Kitabchi Abbas E. , Mudaliar Sunder , Ratner Robert E. , Stentz Frankie B. , Musi Nicolas , Reaven Peter D. ,   for the ACT NOW Study
Published: July 2013

We examined the metabolic characteristics that attend the development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in 441 impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) subjects who participated in the ACT NOW Study and had complete end-of-study metabolic measurements. Subjects were randomized to receive pioglitazone (PGZ; 45 mg/day) or placebo and were observed for a median of 2.4 years. Indices of insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index [MI]), insulin secretion (IS)/insulin resistance (IR; ΔI0–120/ΔG0–120, ΔIS rate [ISR]0–120/ΔG0–120), and β-cell function (ΔI/ΔG × MI and ΔISR/ΔG × MI) were calculated from plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide concentrations during oral glucose tolerance tests at baseline and study end. Diabetes developed in 45 placebo-treated vs. 15 PGZ-treated subjects (odds ratio [OR] 0.28 [95% CI 0.15–0.49]; P < 0.0001); 48% of PGZ-treated subjects reverted to normal glucose tolerance (NGT) versus 28% of placebo-treated subjects (P < 0.005). Higher final glucose tolerance status (NGT > IGT > T2DM) was associated with improvements in insulin sensitivity (OR 0.61 [95% CI 0.54–0.80]), IS (OR 0.61 [95% CI 0.50–0.75]), and β-cell function (ln IS/IR index and ln ISR/IR index) (OR 0.26 [95% CI 0.19–0.37]; all P < 0.0001). Of the factors measured, improved β-cell function was most closely associated with final glucose tolerance status.