bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combination of herbivore removal and nitrogen deposition increases upland carbon storage
Authors: Smith Stuart W. , Johnson David , Quin Samuel L. O. , Munro Kyle , Pakeman Robin J. , van der Wal René , Woodin Sarah J.
Published: April 2015

Ecosystem carbon (C) accrual and storage can be enhanced by removing large herbivores as well as by the fertilizing effect of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. These drivers are unlikely to operate independently, yet their combined effect on aboveground and belowground C storage remains largely unexplored. We sampled inside and outside 19 upland grazing exclosures, established for up to 80 years, across an N deposition gradient (5–24 kg N ha−1 yr−1) and found that herbivore removal increased aboveground plant C stocks, particularly in moss, shrubs and litter. Soil C storage increased with atmospheric N deposition, and this was moderated by the presence or absence of herbivores. In exclosures receiving above 11 kg N ha−1 year−1, herbivore removal resulted in increased soil C stocks. This effect was typically greater for exclosures dominated by dwarf shrubs (Calluna vulgaris) than by grasses (Molinia caerulea). The same pattern was observed for ecosystem C storage. We used our data to predict C storage for a scenario of removing all large herbivores from UK heathlands. Predictions were made considering herbivore removal only (ignoring N deposition) and the combined effects of herbivore removal and current N deposition rates. Predictions including N deposition resulted in a smaller increase in UK heathland C storage than predictions using herbivore removal only. This finding was driven by the fact that the majority of UK heathlands receive low N deposition rates at which herbivore removal has little effect on C storage. Our findings demonstrate the crucial link between herbivory by large mammals and atmospheric N deposition, and this interaction needs to be considered in models of biogeochemical cycling.
Scale collapse and the emergence of the power law species–area relationship
Authors: Wilber Mark Q. , Kitzes Justin , Harte John
Published: April 2015

Aim

The recently proposed maximum entropy theory of ecology predicts that all nested species–area relationships (SARs) will collapse to a single, universal curve that exhibits a decreasing log–log slope with increasing scale, suggesting that the power law form of the SAR is invalid at any scale. In this analysis we test the generality of this scale collapse behaviour and determine the scale at which approximate power law behaviour of the SAR is predicted to occur.

Location

Global.

Methods

We use common SAR models to recursively upscale SARs to (1) look for scale collapse of SARs built from different community assumptions and (2) identify the scale at which approximate power law SARs are recovered. We explore four SAR models in which species abundance distributions and the spatial aggregation of species vary within and across scales according to observed patterns.

Results

We show that scale collapse is a property of nested SARs, not of maximum entropy theory, and that many types of SARs can exhibit scale‐collapsed curves that follow the general pattern of empirical communities. Moreover, we use the scale‐collapsed curves to show that power law behaviour is not predicted to occur at the scale of most SAR studies and that variation in species spatial aggregation or the scaling of species abundance distributions are needed to produce power law SARs at realistic scales.

Main conclusions

Our findings show that power law behaviour of nested SARs is rare and that communities displaying approximate power law SARs may exhibit predictable characteristics within and across scale, such as interspecific variation in aggregation. Our findings regarding the general rarity of power law behaviour suggests that careful consideration of the curvature of a SAR and the scale of an ecological community are necessary before using power law SARs to predict biodiversity across scales.
Risk factors associated with inhibitor development in Chinese patients with haemophilia B
Authors: Zhou J. , Ding Q. , Chen Z. , Yang H. , Lin L. , Wang H. , Wang X. , Wu R.
Published: April 2015

Introduction

Inhibitor development is a severe complication of factor IX substitution treatment for haemophilia B (HB). Current research examined the association between inhibitor development and F9 genotypes and polymorphisms in immune response genes in Chinese HB patients.

Materials and Methods

11 inhibitor‐positive HB patients and 41 inhibitor‐negative HB patients were enrolled. Direct sequencing, copy number variation (CNV) detection and fragment length analysis were applied to identify F9 genotypes and 15 polymorphisms in immune response genes.

Results

7 patients developed high titer inhibitors, with 5 of them having histories of consecutive exposure to FIX products on demand for at least 5 days. Allergic reactions/anaphylaxis to prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC) occurred in 3 patients before inhibitors were detected. Five nonsense mutations (E54X, R75X, Q185X, R298X and R379X), two large deletions (E1~6del and E1~8del) and one missense mutation (S411G) were identified in patients with inhibitors. Missense mutations had a low odds ratio for FIX inhibitors development (IOR) of 0.078 (P = 0.02), while nonsense mutation presented a high IOR of 8.500 (P = 0.0044). The frequency of allele T in CD4495102 (A/T) was significantly higher in inhibitor‐negative patients, with OR of 0.324 (P = 0.04).

Conclusions

Nonsense mutations conferred a higher risk for while allele T in CD4495102 (A/T) might play a protective role against inhibitor development in Chinese HB patients.
Patient selection and training for home hemodialysis
Authors: Rioux Jean‐Philippe , Marshall Mark R. , Faratro Rose , Hakim Raymond , Simmonds Rosemary , Chan Christopher T.
Published: April 2015

Patient selection and training is arguably the most important step toward building a successful home hemodialysis (HD) program. We present a step‐by‐step account of home HD training to guide providers who are developing home HD programs. Although home HD training is an important step in allowing patients to undergo dialysis in the home, there is a surprising lack of systematic research in this field. Innovations and research in this area will be pivotal in further promoting a higher acceptance rate of home HD as the renal replacement therapy of choice.
Psychosocial aspects in home hemodialysis: A review
Authors: Bennett Paul N. , Schatell Dori , Shah Kamal D.
Published: April 2015

Psychosocial aspects related to home hemodialysis (HD) play an important role in the success of home HD programs. Once patients commence HD at home, unique psychosocial issues related to patient and care partner burden can emerge. Proactive professional support, peer support, respite care, travel support, and financial support from the home HD health care team must be a priority for patient care. If the psychosocial aspects are not proactively addressed, patients receiving HD at home may return to in‐center HD and the program may struggle as a result. This review provides a psychosocial guide for new start‐up home HD programs.
Home hemodialysis needs you!
Authors: Agar John W. M. , Schatell Dori , Walker Rachael
Published: April 2015

This special supplement of Hemodialysis International focuses on home hemodialysis (HD). It has been compiled by a group of international experts in home HD who were brought together throughout 2013–2014 to construct a home HD “manual.” Drawing upon both the literature and their own extensive expertise, these experts have helped develop this supplement that now stands as an A‐to‐Z guide for any who may be unfamiliar or uncertain about how to establish and maintain a successful home HD program.
Home hemodialysis: Infrastructure, water, and machines in the home
Authors: Agar John W. , Perkins Anthony , Heaf James G.
Published: April 2015

We describe the infrastructure that is necessary for hemodialysis in the home focusing on physical requirements, the organization of plumbing and water, and the key features that should guide the selection of machines that are suitable for home use.
The Great War and Christian Faith: The Firsthand Accounts of Three Priests in France
Authors: Guyette Fred
Published: April 2015

In this essay I explore three firsthand accounts of religious faith from The First World War: Forsaken by Private Orr, The Letters of John Ayscough to His Mother, and The Making of a Mind: Letters from a Soldier Priest 1914‐1919, by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. These three priests provide us with a glimpse of how faithful people responded to very challenging situations. Private Orr came into the war as an ordained priest, but lost his faith after two years of fighting. Monsignor Ayscough worked mainly with wounded soldiers, offering them pastoral care in many different settings. Teilhard de Chardin served as a stretcher‐bearer on the frontlines of many fierce battles, earning the respect he would need to talk to soldiers about their faith in the moments just before they went ‘over the top.’ In a concluding section, I try to draw out some implications of their stories for pastoral care today.
Gd2O3:SiO2 Nanocomposite: Study on Structural and Optical Behavior
Authors: Ahlawat Rachna
Published: April 2015

Gd(NO3)3·6H2O and TEOS were used as precursors and obtained powdered form of Gd2O3:SiO2 nanocomposite. The as‐prepared sample was annealed at 773 K and 1173 K and characterized by XRD, TEM, UV–Vis spectra, and PL. The average nanocrystallite size was found of the order of ~27 nm using well‐known Debye–Scherer's equation. From the UV–Vis spectra, it was shown that the position of absorption peak has been shifted toward the higher wavelength side with temperature. In the PL spectra, the broad emission band has been observed at 583 nm along with weak bands at 516, 526, and 556 nm.
The Role of Neuroscience Information in Choosing a Personality Test: Not as seductive as expected
Authors: Diekmann Janina , König Cornelius J. , Alles Julia
Published: April 2015

There is a large number of different personality tests used by practitioners for selection purposes, many of which are promoted by commercial test publishers and do not measure the Big Five. The present study examined one particular promotion factor used by at least one successful personality test: the influence of a link between the brain and personality on the decision for or against a personality test. This factor was chosen as past research has demonstrated the seductive appeal of neuroscience information on judgments in other areas. Three samples consisting of human resource practitioners, business management students, and psychology students rated two versions of a fictitious personality test, one with neuroscience information and one without. Contrary to our expectations, the personality test with neuroscience information was rated more negatively than the same test without this information. Human resource practitioners in particular reacted negatively, whereas psychology students were not influenced by our manipulation.
Predicting Training and Job Performance for Transit Operators
Authors: Hausdorf Peter A. , Risavy Stephen D.
Published: April 2015

Although considerable meta‐analytic research has validated the use of cognitive ability tests, structured interviews, and personality tests with training and job performance criteria, few studies have investigated the validity of these measures with transit operators. There are the only two single studies of concurrent validation research specifically with transit operators. This article presents the results of a predictive validation study conducted with transit operator applicants for a large urban transit authority in Canada. Key knowledge, skills, and abilities were determined for the role and used as a basis for the design and choice of predictors and criteria. Four predictors were used in the study: education, cognitive ability, personality assessment, and structured interview. Criteria included training performance (formative and summative), probationary performance, preventable accidents, and lost time injuries. Validation results supported cognitive ability, structured interview, and several personality factors as predictors of training performance, but less so for job performance. The use of formative training ratings greatly augmented the evidence supporting the predictors beyond typical organizational criteria.
ALTERATIONS IN NEUROLOGIC STATUS WITH AGE*
Authors: NEWMAN GUSTAVE , DOVENMUEHLE R. H. , BUSSE E. W.
Published: April 2015

Recent research in gerontology has included refined measurements of physiologic variables reflecting changes in the central nervous system in aging. Most such measurements are accurate and of general interest; however, they are of relatively little use to the clinician in his evaluation of the aged patient, because of the elaborate equipment required. Standard reference works in medicine offer little help to the physician who attempts to evaluate the neurologic status of his aged patient. Information to be presented in this paper is based on data gathered from routine neurologic examination which has not involved the use of complicated electrical or mechanical equipment.
Management of Respiratory Problems in the Aged
Authors: Ziment Irwin
Published: April 2015

Drug therapy of asthma in the elderly with sympathomimetics, theophylline, steroids, and mucokinetic agents is described, with discussion of dosage evaluation, toxicity, possible drug interactions, and suggested management of common problems. The aspirin hypersensitivity syndrome is reviewed, with an admonition to avoid this drug in asthmatic patients who have nasal polyps, nasal obstruction, or sinusitis, especially patients over the age of 30. The treatments of coughs and colds, and common respiratory infections such as tuberculosis and bronchitis, in the elderly are also outlined. Antihistamines are not advised for elderly patients who have viral or bacterial infections of the nose or throat, and oral preparations containing nasal mucosal vasoconstrictors should also be avoided in managing the elderly patient who has hypertension, vascular disease, or prostatism. Cough suppressants must be used with care, especially if cough is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Special attention is given to the role of oxygen therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Drug Interactions and the Elderly
Authors: Reidenberg Marcus M.
Published: April 2015

The elderly take more drugs than the young, and are therefore more susceptible to adverse drug interactions. Prescribing the minimum number of agents is recommended. Drug absorption, metabolism, and excretion may be altered by various interactions. Dose–response relationships of oral anticoagulants, oral hypoglycemics, anticonvulsants, steroid hormones, theophylline, and tricyclic antidepressants are significantly affected by changes in drug metabolism. Proper adjustment of dosage permits the safe, concomitant use of agents that interact with these drugs. Pharmacodynamic interactions also occur in the elderly. A common example is the additive effect of several drugs with central nervous system depressant activity, causing oversedation.
Impacts of Geriatric Evaluation and Management Programs on Defined Outcomes: Overview of the Evidence
Authors: Rubenstein Laurence Z. , Stuck Andreas E. , Siu Albert L. , Wieland Darryl
Published: April 2015

Comprehensive geriatric assessment is a technique for multidimensional diagnosis of frail elderly people with the purpose of planning and/or delivering medical, psychosocial, and rehabilitative care. When comprehensive geriatric assessment is coupled with some therapy, then the term geriatric evaluation and management (GEM) will be used. Following a brief history of comprehensive geriatric assessment, we describe the varied patterns of GEM program organization and review the literature of studies examining GEM effectiveness. Program diversity complicates drawing firm conclusions about GEM effects; however, the vast majority of studies report positive, if not uniformly significant, results. Our analysis suggests that much of the variability in findings is due to sample size limitations

In order to reach conclusions of program effects across studies and to avoid problems of small sample sizes, we undertook a formal meta‐analysis. In this initial meta‐analysis, we sought to evaluate the effect of GEM programs on a single outcome: mortality. We pooled all published GEM controlled trials into four major groups: inpatient consultation services, inpatient GEM units, home assessment services, and outpatient GEM programs. Meta‐analysis of 6‐month mortality demonstrates a 39% reduction of mortality for inpatient consultation services (odds ratio 0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.46–0.81, P = 0.0008) and a 37% reduction of mortality for inpatient GEM units (odds ratio 0.63, 95% CI 0.42–0.93, P = 0.02). Home assessment services reduced mortality by 29% (odds ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.55–0.90, P = 0.005). On the other hand, no significant survival effect was found for outpatient GEM programs (odds ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.61–1.49). Further use of meta‐analytic techniques should be employed to clarify the effect of GEM on other important outcomes (eg, functional status, use of hospitals and nursing homes) as well as to identify program characteristics most effective in achieving these benefits.
A flowchart‐based intelligent tutoring system for improving problem‐solving skills of novice programmers
Authors: Hooshyar D. , Ahmad R.B. , Yousefi M. , Yusop F.D. , Horng S.‐J.
Published: April 2015

Intelligent tutoring and personalization are considered as the two most important factors in the research of learning systems and environments. An effective tool that can be used to improve problem‐solving ability is an Intelligent Tutoring System which is capable of mimicking a human tutor's actions in implementing a one‐to‐one personalized and adaptive teaching. In this paper, a novel Flowchart‐based Intelligent Tutoring System (FITS) is proposed benefiting from Bayesian networks for the process of decision making so as to aid students in problem‐solving activities and learning computer programming. FITS not only takes full advantage of Bayesian networks, but also benefits from a multi‐agent system using an automatic text‐to‐flowchart conversion approach for engaging novice programmers in flowchart development with the aim of improving their problem‐solving skills. In the end, in order to investigate the efficacy of FITS in problem‐solving ability acquisition, a quasi‐experimental design was adopted by this research. According to the results, students in the FITS group experienced better improvement in their problem‐solving abilities than those in the control group. Moreover, with regard to the improvement of a user's problem‐solving ability, FITS has shown to be considerably effective for students with different levels of prior knowledge, especially for those with a lower level of prior knowledge.
Input‐specific regulation of hippocampal circuit maturation by non‐muscle myosin IIB
Authors: Ozkan Emin D. , Aceti Massimiliano , Creson Thomas K. , Rojas Camilo S. , Hubbs Christopher R. , McGuire Megan N. , Kakad Priyanka P. , Miller Courtney A. , Rumbaugh Gavin
Published: April 2015

Myh9 and Myh10, which encode two major isoforms of non‐muscle myosin II expressed in the brain, have emerged as risk factors for developmental brain disorders. Myosin II motors regulate neuronal cytoskeletal dynamics leading to optimization of synaptic plasticity and memory formation. However, the role of these motor complexes in brain development remains poorly understood. Here, we disrupted the in vivo expression of Myh9 and/or Myh10 in developing hippocampal neurons to determine how these motors contribute to circuit maturation in this brain area important for cognition. We found that Myh10 ablation in early postnatal, but not mature, CA1 pyramidal neurons reduced excitatory synaptic function in the Schaffer collateral pathway, whereas more distal inputs to CA1 neurons were relatively unaffected. Myh10 ablation in young neurons also selectively impaired the elongation of oblique dendrites that receive Schaffer collateral inputs, whereas the structure of distal dendrites was normal. We observed normal spine density and spontaneous excitatory currents in these neurons, indicating that Myh10 KO impaired proximal pathway synaptic maturation through disruptions to dendritic development rather than post‐synaptic strength or spine morphogenesis. To address possible redundancy and/or compensation by other Myosin II motors expressed in neurons, we performed similar experiments in Myh9 null neurons. In contrast to findings in Myh10 mutants, evoked synaptic function in young Myh9 KO hippocampal neurons was normal. Data obtained from double Myh9/Myh10 KO neurons largely resembled the MyH10 KO synaptic phenotype. These data indicate that Myosin IIB is a key molecular factor that guides input‐specific circuit maturation in the developing hippocampus.

image

Non‐muscle myosin II is an actin binding protein with three isoforms in the brain (IIA, IIB and IIC) encoded by the myh9, myh10, and myh14 genes in mice, respectively. We have studied the structure and the function of hippocampal CA1 neurons missing NMIIB and/or NMIIA proteins at different times during development. We have discovered that NMIIB is the major isoform regulating Schaffer collateral inputs, and that this regulation is restricted to early postnatal development.
A qualitative investigation into nurses' perceptions of factors influencing staff injuries sustained during physical interventions employed in response to service user violence within one secure learning disability service
Authors: Lovell Andrew , Smith Debra , Johnson Paula
Published: April 2015

Aims and objectives

The aim of the study was to examine learning disability nurses' perceptions of incidents involving physical intervention, particularly factors contributing to injuries sustained by this group.

Background

This article reports on a qualitative study undertaken within one secure NHS Trust to respond to concerns about staff injuries sustained during physical interventions to prevent incidents of service user violence from escalating out of control. The context of the study relates to increasing debate about the most effective approaches to incidents of violence and agression.

Design

A qualitative research design was utilized for the study.

Methods

Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with 20 participants, two from each of the 10 incidents involving staff injury sustained during physical intervention.

Results

Four themes were produced by the analysis, the first, knowledge and understanding, contextualized the other three, which related to the physical intervention techniques employed, the interpretation of the incident and the impact on staff.

Conclusion

Service user violence consistently poses nurses with the challenge of balancing the need to respond in order to maintain the safety of everyone whilst simultaneous supporting and caring for people with complex needs. This study highlights the need for further exploration of the contributory factors to the escalation of potentially violent situations.

Relevance to clinical practice

Services may have good systems in place for responding to and managing service user violence but appear less effective in understanding the reasons for and developing strategies to prevent violence occurring.
Bilateral calcaneal stress fractures in two cats
Authors: Cantatore M. , Clements D. N.
Published: April 2015

Two cats that developed bilateral calcaneal stress fractures are reported. One cat developed lameness associated with incomplete fractures at the base of both calcanei, both of which progressed to acute, complete fractures 2 months later. The second cat presented with acute complete calcaneal fracture, with evidence of remodelling of the contralateral calcaneus, which subsequently fractured two years later. The calcaneal fractures were successfully stabilised with lateral bone plates in each case. Stress fractures were suspected because of the bilateral nature, the simple and similar configuration, the consistent location of the fractures, the absence of other signs of trauma in both cases and the suspected insidious onset of the lameness. The feline calcaneus is susceptible to stress fracture, and cats presenting with calcaneal fractures without evidence of trauma should be evaluated for concurrent skeletal pathology.
Professional, Research, and Publishing Trends in Operations and Supply Chain Management
Authors: Simpson Dayna , Meredith Jack , Boyer Kenneth , Dilts David , Ellram Lisa M. , Leong G. Keong
Published: April 2015

We report on the thoughts of a large group of scholars in the field of operations and supply chain management (O/SCM) regarding current and future issues facing our profession. Broad issues raised and addressed include a perceived lack of relevance in our research, calls from business school deans for faculty to increasingly fund their own research, greater demand for use of large data sets and methodological rigor, along with higher expectations for publishing. We invited four scholars who discussed these issues during an Academy of Management conference session in 2014, to present their perspectives within this essay. We then distributed the perspectives of each of these authors to O/SCM scholars globally so that they could add support, counterpoints, and extensions. Collectively, they raise important points regarding a need for greater innovation and creativity in O/SCM research, the challenges and opportunities of increased complexity and “big data,” the value of working in other research domains and collaborating with others, the promise of new technology, and the importance of improving how we communicate our value to business school colleagues. Finally, our contributors provide recommendations on how we may address these issues and continue to adapt and move our profession forward.
An Iberoamerican Normative Community: A Constructivist Analysis of Normative Power after the Financial Crisis
Authors: Toral Pablo
Published: April 2015

This article reviews Latin America–Spain relations from 1982 to 2014, with a focus on the financial crisis (2008–2014). The theoretical framework for the study follows rule‐oriented constructivism, which regards social activity as a process of interaction among actors mediated by rules. The focus thus falls on rules, rulemaking, and the actors (norm entrepreneurs) who exercise their “normative power” (material or symbolic) to shape these rules. The empirical section of the article analyzes the creation of a “normative Iberoamerican community” constituted by Latin America (the article focuses on Brazil and Mexico) and Spain in the 1980s–1990s and takes the promotion of foreign direct investments as a case study. The article highlights the role of governments and multinational enterprises as “norm entrepreneurs” in the promotion of foreign direct investment within the Iberoamerican community. The Brazilian and Mexican governments hoped to attract Spanish foreign direct investment to gain technology and knowhow and offered Spanish multinational enterprises growing markets. The Spanish government hoped to attract Latin American foreign direct investment during the financial crisis and offered Latin American multinational enterprises a foothold in the European Union. The article concludes that the financial crisis strengthened the Iberoamerican normative community.
Adaptive variability to low‐pH river discharges in Acartia tonsa and stress responses to high PCO2 conditions
Authors: Aguilera Victor M. , Vargas Cristian A. , Lardies Marco A. , Poupin María J.
Published: April 2015

Environmental transitions leading to spatial physical–chemical gradients are of ecological and evolutionary interest because they are able to induce variations in phenotypic plasticity. Thus, the adaptive variability to low‐pH river discharges may drive divergent stress responses [ingestion rates (IR) and expression of stress‐related genes such as Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and Ferritin] in the neritic copepod Acartia tonsa facing changes in the marine chemistry associated to ocean acidification (OA). These responses were tested in copepod populations inhabiting two environments with contrasting carbonate system parameters (an estuarine versus coastal area) in the Southern Pacific Ocean, and assessing an in situ and 96‐h experimental incubation under conditions of high pressure of CO2 (PCO2 1200 ppm). Adaptive variability was a determining factor in driving variability of copepods' responses. Thus, the food‐rich but colder and corrosive estuary induced a traits trade‐off expressed as depressed IR under in situ conditions. However, this experience allowed these copepods to tolerate further exposure to high PCO2 levels better, as their IRs were on average 43% higher than those of the coastal individuals. Indeed, expression of both the Hsp70 and Ferritin genes in coastal copepods was significantly higher after acclimation to high PCO2 conditions. Along with other recent evidence, our findings confirm that adaptation to local fluctuations in seawater pH seems to play a significant role in the response of planktonic populations to OA‐associated conditions. Facing the environmental threat represented by the inter‐play between multiple drivers of climate change, this biological feature should be examined in detail as a potential tool for risk mitigation policies in coastal management arrangements.
Lineage‐specific sequence evolution and exon edge conservation partially explain the relationship between evolutionary rate and expression level in A. thaliana
Authors: Bush Stephen J. , Kover Paula X. , Urrutia Araxi O.
Published: April 2015

Rapidly evolving proteins can aid the identification of genes underlying phenotypic adaptation across taxa, but functional and structural elements of genes can also affect evolutionary rates. In plants, the ‘edges’ of exons, flanking intron junctions, are known to contain splice enhancers and to have a higher degree of conservation compared to the remainder of the coding region. However, the extent to which these regions may be masking indicators of positive selection or account for the relationship between dN/dS and other genomic parameters is unclear. We investigate the effects of exon edge conservation on the relationship of dN/dS to various sequence characteristics and gene expression parameters in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We also obtain lineage‐specific dN/dS estimates, making use of the recently sequenced genome of Thellungiella parvula, the second closest sequenced relative after the sister species Arabidopsis lyrata. Overall, we find that the effect of exon edge conservation, as well as the use of lineage‐specific substitution estimates, upon dN/dS ratios partly explains the relationship between the rates of protein evolution and expression level. Furthermore, the removal of exon edges shifts dN/dS estimates upwards, increasing the proportion of genes potentially under adaptive selection. We conclude that lineage‐specific substitutions and exon edge conservation have an important effect on dN/dS ratios and should be considered when assessing their relationship with other genomic parameters.
The Role of Context and Cognitive Effort in Vocabulary Learning: A Study of Intermediate‐Level Learners of Arabic
Authors: Golonka Ewa , Bowles Anita , Silbert Noah , Kramasz Debra , Blake Charles , Buckwalter Tim
Published: April 2015

Despite years of research on vocabulary learning and teaching, relatively little is known about strategies for effective mastery of vocabulary in less commonly taught languages. The current study focuses on English native speakers studying Modern Standard Arabic to identify effective ways to present and learn new vocabulary using tasks varying in the degree of lexical context provided and the amount of cognitive effort needed to complete them.
Enhancing Willingness to Communicate: Relative Effects of Visualization and Goal Setting
Authors: Munezane Yoko
Published: April 2015

This article examines the relative effects of two treatments—goal setting and visualization—on enhancing Willingness to Communicate (WTC) among a group of 373 Japanese university EFL learners. Although longitudinal studies in both EFL and ESL settings have been conducted to examine the developmental aspect of WTC, no solid results of enhancing WTC through instruction have been found in EFL settings. Based on Dörnyei's (2005) concept of the Ideal L2 Self, lessons were designed for the two treatment groups so learners could visualize themselves as future specialists in their field, discussing global issues and presenting their creative ideas for solving these global problems. For the second treatment group, a goal setting activity was introduced in which students articulated their speaking goals in each class. The nontreatment group, the visualization group, and the visualization plus goal setting group had approximately the same amount of communicative activities. The ANCOVA results suggest that the visualization treatment alone was not effective in enhancing learners' L2 WTC over the nontreatment group. However, when visualization was combined with goal setting, the increase in learners' L2 WTC was significantly larger compared to the visualization group, and by implication, significantly larger compared to the nontreatment group. Additionally, the impact of visualization and goal setting on learners' WTC was qualitatively explored.
The saccharopine pathway in seed development and stress response of maize
Authors: Kiyota Eduardo , Pena Izabella Agostinho , Arruda Paulo
Published: April 2015

Lysine is catabolized in developing plant tissues through the saccharopine pathway. In this pathway, lysine is converted into α‐aminoadipic semialdehyde (AASA) by the bifunctional enzyme lysine‐ketoglutarate reductase/saccharopine dehydrogenase (LKR/SDH). AASA is then converted into aminoadipic acid (AAA) by aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (AASADH). Here, we show that LKR/SDH and AASADH are co‐expressed in the sub‐aleurone cell layers of the developing endosperm; however, although AASADH protein is produced in reproductive and vegetative tissues, the LKR/SDH protein is detectable only in the developing endosperm. AASADH showed an optimum pH of 7.4 and Kms for AASA and NAD+ in the micromolar range. In the developing endosperm, the saccharopine pathway is induced by exogenous lysine and repressed by salt stress, whereas proline and pipecolic acid synthesis are significantly repressed by lysine. In young coleoptiles, the LKR/SDH and AASADH transcriptions are induced by abiotic stress, but while the AASADH protein accumulates in the stressed tissues, the LKR/SDH protein is not produced. In the developing seeds, the saccharopine pathway is used for pipecolic acid synthesis although proline may play a major role in abiotic stress response. The results indicate that the saccharopine pathway in maize seed development and stress responses significantly differ from that observed for dicot plants.
Effect of breast‐feeding frequency on hyperbilirubinemia in breast‐fed term neonate
Authors: Chen Ying‐Juang , Yeh Tsu‐Fu , Chen Chung‐Ming
Published: April 2015

Background

Hyperbilirubinemic neonates have significantly less bodyweight gain from nursery discharge to outpatient department (OPD) follow up. We tested the hypothesis that discharge instructions encouraging frequent breast‐feeding given in the nursery would increase infant bodyweight gain and decrease the incidence of hyperbilirubinemia.

Methods

We enrolled consecutively live‐born neonates who were discharged from the nursery and who received OPD follow up within the first 2 weeks of birth in 2011. The nursing staff discussed the discharge instructions with the parents at the time of nursery discharge. Parents were asked to fill in a nursing information form to record the frequency of breast‐feeding and diaper change per day.

Results

Parents of 98 breast‐fed term neonates provided complete nursing information forms. These 98 neonates were classified into two groups according to breast‐feeding frequency, namely <8 times/day (63 neonates) and ≥8 times/day (35 neonates). A significant positive correlation between breast‐feeding frequency and diaper change frequency per day indicated that the data were highly reliable. The gestational age, Apgar score, birthweight, and bodyweight at nursery discharge and at OPD were similar between the two groups. Neonates who were breast‐fed ≥8 times/day had a significantly lower incidence of hyperbilirubinemia.

Conclusions

Nursery discharge instructions that encouraged mothers to breast‐feed their newborns frequently decreased the rate of hyperbilirubinemia in exclusively breast‐fed term neonates.
Ordering Legal Plurality: Allocating Jurisdiction in State and Tribal Courts in Wisconsin
Authors: Nesper Larry
Published: April 2015

This article examines how a Wisconsin statute passed in 2009 that authorized state court judges to transfer cases to American Indian tribal courts unfolded as a political and legal process that was both informed by and produced by fundamental conceptions of cultural difference. It calls specific attention to jurisprudential differences in the form of jury trials and peacemaking in figuring the differences between conceptions of tribal membership and state citizenship.
“A Logic of Camps”: French Antiracism as Competitive Nationalism
Authors: Tejani Riaz
Published: April 2015

As the Charlie Hebdo and Copenhagen attacks starkly remind us, European multicultural policy continues to falter over the growth of public Islam. But long before these events, tension between competing visions of citizenship and nationhood had weakened the very civil society organizations that could shape such policy. In France, where non‐governmental organizations had labored against discrimination for over a century, this conflict led to profound disaffection within the nation's powerful antiracism movement. Drawing from more than two years of ethnographic fieldwork among French antiracist NGOs, this article examines that disaffection among activists whose work in the name of cultural outsiders simultaneously served to rememorialize historic national traumas from the Dreyfus Affair to Algeria. Revealing a new despondency over sociolegal advocacy for Islam, some decried “infiltration” of communitarian voices into their erstwhile republican movement while others, under increasing pressure to adopt an emergent pluralist vision, equated this new model with foreignness itself. The resulting “crisis of antiracism” saw competitive reassertions of nationhood in the face of countervailing state discourses of European postnationalism. If writings on French multiculturalism to date have focused on Islamic piety and urban youth deviance, this article examines the significant impact these have had on France's preeminent social justice movement.
Cost‐Reducing Innovation and the Role of Patent Intermediaries in Increasing Market Efficiency
Authors: Agrawal Anupam , Bhattacharya Shantanu , Hasija Sameer
Published: April 2015

Patent intermediaries have gained importance as non‐practicing entities in the innovation domain, buying innovations from an external provider and then licensing them to practicing firms. In this study, we analyze the competition between two identical incumbent firms and a patent intermediary for the acquisition and licensing of a cost‐reducing innovation developed by an external innovator. We show that the outcome of the IP acquisition and licensing game critically depends on the degree of the cost‐reducing innovation. Patent intermediaries win IP rights in patent markets if the innovation is incremental. They also win the IP rights when the innovation is moderate or radical, providing they have significant efficiency advantages over incumbent firms and the uncertainty about the degree of innovation is low. We also show that patent intermediaries serve to make markets more efficient. When the innovation is incremental or moderate, they help ensure a lower cost of production and a lower price for customers, and when the innovation is radical, they help increase the profits of the incumbent firms.
Product Launches and Buying Frenzies: A Dynamic Perspective
Authors: Courty Pascal , Nasiry Javad
Published: April 2015

Buying frenzies caused by a firm's intentional undersupplying of a new product are frequently evident in several industries including electronics (cell phones, video games), luxury automobiles, and fashion goods. We develop a dynamic model of buying frenzies that incorporates the firm's manufacturing and sale of a product over time and characterizes the conditions under which inducing such frenzies is an optimal strategy. We find that buying frenzies occur when customers are sufficiently uncertain about their valuations of the product and when they discount the future sufficiently but not excessively. We propose measures of “customer desperation” and of the extent of scarcity to measure the depth and breadth of buying frenzies, respectively. We also demonstrate that such frenzies can have a significantly positive effect on firm profits and partially recover the loss due to non‐commitment to future prices. This study provides managerial insights on how firms can influence market response to a new product through production, pricing, and inventory decisions to induce profitable frenzies.
A matching pursuit algorithm for inferring tonic sympathetic arousal from spontaneous skin conductance fluctuations
Authors: Bach Dominik R. , Staib Matthias
Published: April 2015

Tonic sympathetic arousal is often inferred from spontaneous fluctuations in skin conductance, and this relies on assumptions about the shape of these fluctuations and how they are generated. We have previously furnished a psychophysiological model for this relation, and an efficient and reliable inversion method to estimate tonic arousal from given data in the framework of dynamic causal modeling (DCM). Here, we provide a fast alternative inversion method in the form of a matching pursuit (MP) algorithm. Analyzing simulated data, this algorithm approximates the true underlying arousal up to about 10 spontaneous fluctuations per minute of data. For empirical data, we assess predictive validity as the ability to differentiate two known psychological arousal states. Predictive validity is comparable between the methods for three datasets, and also comparable to visual peak scoring. Computation time of the MP algorithm is 2–3 orders of magnitude faster for the MP than the DCM algorithm. In summary, the new MP algorithm provides a fast and reliable alternative to DCM inversion for SF data, in particular when the expected number of fluctuations is lower than 10 per minute, as in typical experimental situations.
Diversity of understory birds in old stands of native and Eucalyptus plantations
Authors: Lopes Ileyne T. , Gussoni Carlos O. A. , Demarchi Layon O. , de Almeida Alexandre , Pizo Marco A.
Published: April 2015

We compared the vegetation structure between old (>70 year) stands of planted diversified native forests and stands of Eucalyptus tereticornis embedded in a mosaic of Eucalyptus stands. We then tested for differences in the abundance, species richness, species composition, and ecological traits (forest dependence, sensitivity to forest fragmentation, and diet) of the understory bird assemblages inhabiting both kinds of stands. We expected differences in the structure of the bird assemblages because of the different origins and management strategies (contrary to native stands, Eucalyptus stands were selectively logged in the past). Three stands of each habitat (native and Eucalyptus) were sampled with mist nets during 11 months. Eucalyptus stands had a denser understory, whereas native plantations had a more developed vertical structure and a greater density of native trees. The abundance distribution of bird species was more homogeneous in Eucalyptus than in native stands. Eucalyptus had slightly higher species richness (36 species) than native stands (32 species). The composition of species and the occurrence of the diet, forest dependence, and sensitivity to forest fragmentation categories were similar between habitats. Some bird species (e.g. Turdus leucomelas), however, were more abundant in one habitat over the other. Old stands of Eucalyptus and planted native forest can harbor a diverse bird community similar in structure but not exactly equivalent for individual bird species. Planting native diversified forests and keeping set‐aside stands of the exotic tree should be viewed as complementary rather than alternative strategies for maintaining bird diversity within plantations.
Early trajectories of forest understory development on reclamation sites: influence of forest floor placement and a cover crop
Authors: Macdonald S. Ellen , Snively Alia E. K. , Fair Jordana M. , Landhäusser Simon M.
Published: April 2015

We tested whether direct placement of forest floor material (FFM: litter, fibric, humus layers and surface mineral horizons) and sowing of a cover crop (Melilotus officinalis) could facilitate the establishment of native forest understory species at a reclaimed coal mine in Alberta, Canada. FFM was salvaged at two depths (15 and 40 cm) from a recently harvested native aspen forest and immediately placed at the same depths on the reclamation site. Total richness (approximately 61 species in 96 subplots) was similar in each of 3 years post‐placement; total richness for all 3 years combined was 87 including 34 typical boreal forest understory species plus 30 other natives. The deeper treatment reduced cover of all species, native and non‐native species in year 1. In year 3, the deeper treatment still had lower cover of non‐native species but had higher cover of forest understory species in years 2 and 3. The deeper treatment also resulted in lower species richness per plot, but only in year 1. In year 2 (when the biennial clover was at its tall stage), the cover crop treatment was associated with lower cover of non‐native species but did not affect the cover of native forest understory species. Direct placement of FFM can help facilitate establishment of a diverse native boreal forest understory in a reclaimed landscape. Although richness and cover may be initially higher with shallower salvage and placement, deeper salvage may ultimately be better for encouraging establishment of native forest understory species.
A Marginalized Zero-Inflated Poisson Regression Model with Random Effects
Authors: Leann Long D. , Preisser John S. , Herring Amy H. , Golin Carol E.
Published: April 2015

Public health research often concerns relationships between exposures and correlated count outcomes. When counts exhibit more 0s than expected under Poisson sampling, the zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model with random effects may be used. However, the latent class formulation of the ZIP model can make marginal inference on the population sampled challenging. The paper presents a marginalized ZIP model with random effects to model directly the mean of the mixture distribution consisting of ‘susceptible’ individuals and excess 0s, providing straightforward inference for overall exposure effects. Simulations evaluate finite sample properties, and the new methods are applied to a motivational interviewing-based safer sex intervention trial, designed to reduce the number of unprotected sexual acts, to illustrate the new methods.