bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The mammalian decidual cell evolved from a cellular stress response
Authors: Erkenbrack Eric M. , Maziarz Jamie D. , Griffith Oliver W. , Liang Cong , Chavan Arun R. , Wagner Günter P.
Published: January 2018

Among animal species, cell types vary greatly in terms of number and kind. The broad range of number of cell types among species suggests that cell type origination is a significant source of evolutionary novelty. The molecular mechanisms giving rise to novel cell types, however, are poorly understood. Here we show that a novel cell type of eutherian mammals, the decidual stromal cell (DSC), evolved by rewiring an ancestral cellular stress response. We isolated the precursor cell type of DSCs, endometrial stromal fibroblasts (ESFs), from the opossum Monodelphis domestica. We show that, in opossum ESF, the majority of decidual core regulatory genes respond to decidualizing signals, but do not regulate decidual effector genes. Rather, in opossum ESF, decidual transcription factors function in apoptotic and oxidative stress response. We propose that the rewiring of cellular stress responses could be a general mechanism for the evolution of novel cell types.
Hierarchical optimization for the efficient parametrization of ODE models
Authors: Loos Carolin , Krause Sabrina , Hasenauer Jan
Published: January 2018

Mathematical models are nowadays important tools for analyzing dynamics of cellular processes. The unknown model parameters are usually estimated from experimental data. These data often only provide information about the relative changes between conditions, hence, the observables contain scaling parameters. The unknown scaling parameters and corresponding noise parameters have to be inferred along with the dynamic parameters. The nuisance parameters often increase the dimensionality of the estimation problem substantially and cause convergence problems. In this manuscript, we propose a hierarchical optimization approach for estimating the parameters for ordinary differential equation (ODE) models from relative data. Our approach restructures the optimization problem into an inner and outer subproblem. These subproblems possess lower dimensions than the original optimization problem, and the inner problem can be solved analytically. We evaluated accuracy, robustness, and computational efficiency of the hierarchical approach by studying three signaling pathways. The proposed approach achieved better convergence than the standard approach and required a lower computation time. As the hierarchical optimization approach is widely applicable, it provides a powerful alternative to established approaches.
miRNAs play important roles in aroma weakening during the shelf life of ‘Nanguo’ pear after cold storage
Authors: Shi Fei , Zhou Xin , Yao Miao-miao , Tan Zhuo , Zhou Qian , Zhang Lei , Ji Shu-juan
Published: January 2018

Cold storage is commonly employed to delay senescence in ‘Nanguo’ pears after harvest. However, this technique also causes fruit aroma weakening. MicroRNAs play important roles in plant development and in eliciting responses to abiotic environmental stressors. In this study, the miRNA transcript profile of the fruit at the first day (C0, LT0) move in and out of cold storage and the optimum tasting period (COTP, LTOTP) during shelf life at room temperature were analyzed, respectively. More than 300 known miRNAs were identified in ‘Nanguo’ pears; 176 and 135 miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed on the C0vs. LT0 and on the COTP vs. LTOTP, respectively. After prediction the target genes of these miRNAs,LOX2S,LOX1_5,HPL, andADH1were found differentially expressed, which were the key genes during aroma formation. The expression pattern of these target genes and the related miRNAs were identified by RT-PCR. Mdm-miR172a-h, mdm-miR159a/b/c, mdm-miR160a-e, mdm-miR395a-i, mdm/ppe-miR399a, mdm/ppe-miR535a/b, and mdm-miR7120a/b negatively regulated target gene expression. These results indicate that miRNAs play key roles in aroma weakening in refrigerated ‘Nanguo’ pear and provide valuable information for studying the molecular mechanisms of miRNAs in the aroma weakening of fruits due to cold storage.
Data-driven characterization of molecular phenotypes across heterogenous sample collections
Authors: Mehtonen J. , Pölönen P. , Häyrynen S. , Lin J. , Liuksiala T. , Granberg K. , Lohi O. , Hautamäki V. , Nykter M. , Heinäniemi M.
Published: January 2018

The existing large gene expression data repositories hold enormous potential to elucidate disease mechanisms, characterize changes in cellular pathways, and to stratify patients based on their molecular profile. To achieve this goal, integrative resources and tools are needed that allow comparison of results across datasets and data types. We propose an intuitive approach for data-driven stratifications of molecular profiles and benchmark our methodology using the dimensional reduction algorithm t-SNE with multi-center and multi-platform data representing hematological malignancies. Our approach enables assessing the contribution of biological versus technical variation to sample clustering, direct incorporation of additional datasets to the same low dimensional representation of molecular disease subtypes, comparison of sample groups between separate t-SNE representations, or maps, and characterization of the obtained clusters based on pathway databases and additional multi-omics data. In the example application, our approach revealed differential activity of SAM-dependent DNA methylation pathway in the acute myeloid leukemia patient cluster characterized with CEBPA mutations that accordingly was validated to have globally elevated DNA methylation levels.
Motion Sensing Superpixels (MOSES): A systematic framework to quantify and discover cellular motion phenotypes
Authors: Zhou Felix Y. , Ruiz-Puig Carlos , Owen Richard P. , White Michael J. , Rittscher Jens , Lu Xin
Published: January 2018

Cellular motion is fundamental in tissue development and homeostasis. There is strong interest in identifying factors that affect the interactions of cells in disease but analytical tools for robust and sensitive quantification in varying experimental conditions for large extended timelapse acquisitions is limited. We present Motion Sensing Superpixels (MOSES), a method to systematically capture diverse features of cellular dynamics. We quantify dynamic interactions between epithelial cell sheets using cell lines of the squamous and columnar epithelia in human normal esophagus, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma and find unique boundary formation between squamous and columnar cells. MOSES also measured subtle changes in the boundary formation caused by external stimuli. The same conclusions of the 190 videos were arrived at unbiasedly with little prior knowledge using a visual motion map generated from unique MOSES motion ‘signatures’. MOSES is a versatile framework to measure, characterise and phenotype cellular interactions for high-content screens.
Drosophila Toll links systemic immunity to long-term intestinal function
Authors: Atilano Magda L. , Glittenberg Marcus , Bahuguna Shivohum , Wang Lihui , Ligoxygakis Petros
Published: January 2018

The intestine is an organ where immune and metabolic functions are co-ordinated with tissue renewal via progenitor somatic stem cells (PSSCs). How this is achieved is still unclear. We report that in Drosophila, a generalised infection increased PSSC numbers. This was mimicked by expressing a constitutive form of the immune receptor Toll in PSSCs and blocked when Toll was silenced via RNAi. Without infection, absence of bacterial recognition and downstream Toll signalling resulted in a short lifespan and an age-dependent decrease of PSSCs and gut microbiota. The latter implied a metabolic environment incompatible with the presence of bacteria. Indeed, infection or constitutive Toll signalling in PSSCs triggered 4E-BP transcription in enterocytes, while loss of signalling reduced it. 4E-BP controlled fat levels and sustained the microbiota suggesting that Toll-dependent regulation of 4E-BP was important for long-term gut function. Therefore, the Toll pathway is crucial for responses to both infection and microbiota.
Resistance gene discovery and cloning by sequence capture and association genetics
Authors: Arora Sanu , Steuernagel Burkhard , Chandramohan Sutha , Long Yunming , Matny Oadi , Johnson Ryan , Enk Jacob , Periyannan Sambasivam , Md Hatta M. Asyraf , Athiyannan Naveenkumar , Cheema Jitender , Yu Guotai , Kangara Ngonidzashe , Ghosh Sreya , Szabo Les J. , Poland Jesse , Bariana Harbans , Jones Jonathan D. G. , Bentley Alison R. , Ayliffe Mick , Olson Eric , Xu Steven S. , Steffenson Brian J. , Lagudah Evans , Wulff Brande B. H.
Published: January 2018

Genetic resistance is the most economic and environmentally sustainable approach for crop disease protection. Disease resistance (R) genes from wild relatives are a valuable resource for breeding resistant crops. However, introgression of R genes into crops is a lengthy process often associated with co-integration of deleterious linked genes1, 2 and pathogens can rapidly evolve to overcome R genes when deployed singly3. Introducing multiple cloned R genes into crops as a stack would avoid linkage drag and delay emergence of resistance-breaking pathogen races4. However, current R gene cloning methods require segregating or mutant progenies5–10, which are difficult to generate for many wild relatives due to poor agronomic traits. We exploited natural pan-genome variation in a wild diploid wheat by combining association genetics with R gene enrichment sequencing (AgRenSeq) to clone four stem rust resistance genes in <6 months. RenSeq combined with diversity panels is therefore a major advance in isolating R genes for engineering broad-spectrum resistance in crops.
Patterns of polymorphism, selection and linkage disequilibrium in the subgenomes of the allopolyploid Arabidopsis kamchatica
Authors: Paape Timothy , Briskine Roman V. , Lischer Heidi E.L , Halstead-Nussloch Gwyneth , Shimizu-Inatsugi Rie , Hatekayama Masaomi , Tanaka Kenta , Nishiyama Tomoaki , Sabirov Renat , Sese Jun , Shimizu Kentaro K.
Published: January 2018

Although genome duplication is widespread in wild and crop plants, little is known about genome-wide selection due to the complexity of polyploid genomes. In allopolyploid species, the patterns of purifying selection and adaptive substitutions would be affected by masking owing to duplicated genes or ‘homeologs’ as well as by effective population size. We resequenced 25 distribution-wide accessions of the allotetraploid Arabidopsis kamchatica, which has a relatively small genome size (450 Mb) derived from the diploid species A. halleri and A. lyrata. The level of nucleotide polymorphism and linkage disequilibrium decay were comparable to A. thaliana, indicating the feasibility of association studies. A reduction in purifying selection compared with parental species was observed. Interestingly, the proportion of adaptive substitutions (α) was significantly positive in contrast to the majority of plant species. A recurrent pattern observed in both frequency and divergence-based neutrality tests is that the genome-wide distributions of both subgenomes were similar, but the correlation between homeologous pairs was low. This may increase the opportunity of different evolutionary trajectories such as in the HMA4 gene involved in heavy metal hyperaccumulation.
Strong hybrid male incompatibilities impede the spread of a selfish chromosome between populations of a fly
Authors: Verspoor Rudi L. , Smith Jack M. L. , Mannion Natasha L. M. , Hurst Gregory D. D. , Price Tom A. R.
Published: January 2018

Meiotically driving sex chromosomes manipulate gametogenesis to increase their transmission at a cost to the rest of the genome. The intragenomic conflicts they produce have major impacts on the ecology and evolution of their host species. However their ecological dynamics remain poorly understood. Simple population genetic models predict meiotic drivers will rapidly reach fixation in a population and spread across a landscape. In contrast, natural populations commonly show spatial variation in the frequency of drivers, with drive present in clines or mosaics across species ranges. For example,Drosophila subobscuraharbours a Sex Ratio distorting drive chromosome (“SRs”) at 15-25% frequency in North Africa, present at less than 2% frequency in adjacent Southern Spain and absent in other European populations. Here, we investigate the forces preventing the spread of the driver northward. We show that SRshas remained at a constant frequency in North Africa, and failed to spread in Spain. We find strong evidence in favour of our first hypothesis, genetic incompatibility between SRs and Spanish autosomal background. When we cross SRsfrom North Africa onto Spanish genetic backgrounds we observe strong SRsspecific incompatibilities in hybrids. The incompatibilities increase in severity in F2 male hybrids, leading to almost complete infertility. We find no evidence supporting a second hypothesis, that there is resistance to drive in Spanish populations. We conclude that the source of the stepped frequency variation is genetic incompatibility between the SRschromosome and the genetic backgrounds of the adjacent population, preventing SRsspreading northward. The low frequency of SRsin South Spain is consistent with recurrent gene flow across the Strait of Gibraltar combined with selection against the SRselement through genetic incompatibility. This demonstrates that incompatibilities between drive chromosomes and naïve populations can prevent the spread of drive between populations, at a continental scale.
Prepared stimuli enhance aversive learning without weakening the impact of verbal instructions
Authors: Atlas Lauren Y. , Phelps Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2018

Fear-relevant stimuli such as snakes and spiders are thought to capture attention due to evolutionary significance. Classical conditioning experiments indicate that these stimuli accelerate learning, while instructed extinction experiments suggest they may be less responsive to instructions. We manipulated stimulus type during instructed aversive reversal learning and used quantitative modeling to simultaneously test both hypotheses. Skin conductance reversed immediately upon instruction in both groups. However, fear-relevant stimuli enhanced dynamic learning, as measured by higher learning rates in participants conditioned with images of snakes and spiders. Results are consistent with findings that dissociable neural pathways underlie feedback-driven and instructed aversive learning.
Evidence of structure and persistence in motivational attraction to serial Pavlovian cues
Authors: Smedley Elizabeth B. , Smith Kyle S.
Published: January 2018

Sign-tracking is a form of autoshaping where animals develop conditioned responding directed toward stimuli predictive of an outcome even though the outcome is not contingent on the animal's behavior. Sign-tracking behaviors are thought to arise out of the attribution of incentive salience (i.e., motivational value) to reward-predictive cues. It is not known how incentive salience would be attributed to serially occurring cues, despite cues often occurring in a sequence in the real world as reward approaches. The experiments presented here demonstrate that reward-proximal cue responding is not altered by the presence of a distal reward cue (Experiment 1), and similarly that reward-distal cue responding which animals favor, is not altered by the presence of a reward-proximal cue (Experiment 2). Extinction of reward-proximal cues after training of the serial sequence leads to a generalized reduction in lever responding (Experiment 3). Together, we show that both Pavlovian serial lever cues acquire motivational value. These experiments also provide support to the notion that sign-tracking responses are insensitive to changes in outcome value, and that responding to serial cues creates a distinct context for outcome value.
Bond-length distributions for ions bonded to oxygen: metalloids and post-transition metals
Authors: Gagné Olivier Charles , Hawthorne Frank Christopher
Published: January 2018

Bond-length distributions have been examined for 33 configurations of the metalloid ions and 56 configurations of the post-transition metal ions bonded to oxygen, for 5279 coordination polyhedra and 21 761 bond distances for the metalloid ions, and 1821 coordination polyhedra and 10 723 bond distances for the post-transition metal ions. For the metalloid and post-transition elements with lone-pair electrons, the more common oxidation state between n
versus
n+2 is n for Sn, Te, Tl, Pb and Bi and n+2 for As and Sb. There is no correlation between bond-valence sum and coordination number for cations with stereoactive lone-pair electrons when including secondary bonds, and both intermediate states of lone-pair stereoactivity and inert lone pairs may occur for any coordination number > [4]. Variations in mean bond length are ∼0.06–0.09 Å for strongly bonded oxyanions of metalloid and post-transition metal ions, and ∼0.1–0.3 Å for ions showing lone-pair stereoactivity. Bond-length distortion is confirmed to be a leading cause of variation in mean bond lengths for ions with stereoactive lone-pair electrons. For strongly bonded cations (i.e. oxyanions), the causes of mean bond-length variation are unclear; the most plausible cause of mean bond-length variation for these ions is the effect of structure type, i.e. stress resulting from the inability of a structure to adopt its characteristic a priori bond lengths.
A novel representative in the rare family of trivanadates, KMn2V3O10: synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties
Authors: Yakubovich Olga , Shvanskaya Larisa , Pchelkina Zlata , Dimitrova Olga , Volkov Anatoliy , Volkova Olga , Vasiliev Alexander
Published: January 2018

Potassium dimanganese trivanadate, KMn2V3O10, was synthesized hydrothermally and its crystal structure was determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The novel phase crystallizes with triclinic symmetry in space group P\bar 1 with unit-cell parameters of a = 6.912 (5), b = 6.993 (5), c = 9.656 (5) Å, α = 101.858 (5), β = 102.627 (5), γ = 100.669 (5)°, Z = 2 and V = 432.6 (5) Å3. Its structure is built from tetramers of MnO6 octahedra sharing edges and trimers of VO4 tetrahedra sharing vertices. These main structural fragments are linked in a three-dimensional framework with channels occupied by potassium ions. The transformation of this structure to that of interconnected NaCa3Mn(V3O10)(V2O7) is discussed. The title compound orders antiferromagnetically at T
N = 8.2 K due to the magnetic exchange interactions between tetramers of Mn octahedra through VO4 tetrahedra. First-principles calculations show the magnetic couplings via Mn—O—Mn and Mn—O—V—O—Mn pathways.
Avoidance of sponsored posts on consumer-generated content: a study of personal blogs
Authors: Mutum Dilip S. , Ghazali Ezlika M. , Mohd-Any Amrul Asraf , Nguyen Bang
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This study aims to conceptualise and empirically examine how blog users engage with the sponsored posts on consumer-generated content, specifically blogs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper empirically tested the proposed hypotheses using the structural equation modelling using a sample of 399 blog users.

Findings

The need for cognition, perceived interactivity and perceived credibility of blogs has been found to directly influence consumers’ attitude towards blogs. Innovativeness has been found to have a weak negative link with the attitude towards blogs. Blog users were more favourable towards the sponsored posts if the blogs were more interactive. Attitude towards blogs has been found to mediate the relationship between users’ perceived interactivity and their avoidance of the sponsored posts and also between perceived credibility and avoidance of the sponsored posts on blogs. The most significant finding of this study is that the positive attitude towards a blog results in a higher avoidance of the sponsored posts.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on the sponsored posts on blogs. It does not look at other forms of advertising on blogs such as banner ads, or other forms of consumer-generated content.

Practical implications

Marketers and bloggers should carefully consider the suitability of the sponsored posts on blogs as they risk alienating the regular users of the blogs. Sponsored posts which are perceived as honest reviews (as opposed to paid advertorials) might be more acceptable to blog users.

Social implications

This study highlights the importance of credibility of bloggers to blog users. There are some serious ethical issues related to the sponsored posts which have not been discussed here but need to be examined further.

Originality/value

This study represents one of the first attempts to conceptualise and empirically examine how blog users engage with customer-generated advertising – sponsored posts. It contributes to marketing literature by enhancing the understanding of how consumers perceive consumer-generated content and more specifically, with regard to consumer attitudes towards online consumer-generated advertising. This study enhances the theoretical and empirical knowledge on how consumers react to advertisements on social media, with important suggestions for future research and implications for practitioners.
Improving journeys by opening data: the case of Transport for London (TfL)
Authors: Stone Merlin , Aravopoulou Eleni
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This case study describes how one of the world’s largest public transport operations, Transport for London (TfL), transformed the real-time availability of information for its customers and staff through the open data approach, and what the results of this transformation were. The purpose of this paper is therefore to show what is required for an open data approach to work.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study is based mainly on interviews at TfL and data supplied by TfL directly to the researchers. It analyses as far as possible the reported facts of the case to identify the processes required for open data and the benefits thereof.

Findings

The main finding is that achieving an open data approach in public transport is helped by having a clear commitment to the idea that the data belong to the public and that third parties should be allowed to use and repurpose the information, by having a strong digital strategy, and by creating strong partnerships with data management organisations that can support the delivery of high volumes of information.

Research limitations/implications

This research is based upon a single case study, albeit over an extensive period, so the findings cannot be applied simply to other situations, other than as evidence of what is possible. However, similar processes could be applied in other situations as a heuristic approach to open data strategy implementation.

Practical implications

The case study shows how open data can be used to create commercial and non-commercial customer-facing products and services, which passengers and other road users use to gain a better travel experience, and that this approach can be valued in terms of financial/economic contribution to customers and organisations.

Social implications

This case study shows the value that society can obtain from the opening of data in public transport, and the importance of public service innovation in delivering benefits to citizens.

Originality/value

This is the first case study to show in some detail some of the processes and activities required to open data to public service customers and others.
Understanding intercultural dynamics
Authors: Liu Leigh Anne , Adair Wendi L. , Tjosvold Dean , Poliakova Elena
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview on the state of the field in intercultural dynamics on competition and cooperation at the individual, team, and organizational levels. The authors integrate previous studies from multiple disciplines to articulate the contextual importance of intercultural dynamics. The authors also suggest three overarching themes to expand the field of research on intercultural dynamics.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use an integrative literature review to articulate the importance of intercultural dynamics, provide an introduction to the new contributions in this special issue, and propose new directions for future research.

Findings

Intercultural dynamics research has the potential to expand in three overarching areas: constructive controversy, collaborative communication, and global competency and identity at multiple levels.

Research limitations/implications

Intercultural dynamics is still a nascent field emerging from cross-cultural and strategic management. The authors hope the review lays the groundwork for more studies on intercultural dynamics at the interpersonal, team, organizational, and mixed levels of analysis in both theory building and empirical works.

Practical implications

Understanding intercultural dynamics in competition and cooperation can help individuals and managers in multinationals and born global organizations navigate cultural complexity and foster cooperation.

Social implications

The authors hope the ideas on intercultural dynamics can facilitate collaboration and reduce conflict in intercultural encounters at the individual, organization, and societal levels.

Originality/value

This paper offers an overview on the state of the field and lays groundwork for more systematic inquiries on intercultural dynamics in competition and cooperation.
Economic development and health improvement: mutual support in the historical UK (1541-2001)
Authors: Dalko Viktoria , Wang Michael H.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the mutual disruption and support of economic growth and health improvement in the last 500 years in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a general review and it compares institutional development, public policy, technological advances and scientific discoveries in economic growth with those in health improvement.

Findings

The paper finds the co-existence of slower economic growth and less increasing life expectancy from 1541 to 1871 and that of faster economic growth and rising life expectancy from 1871 to 2001. It is organized health improvement that effectively propelled economic growth in the time span of 1871-2001.

Research limitations/implications

The findings may contribute to the literature on mutual enhancement between economic growth and health improvement.

Practical implications

The findings may also provide implications to the policy makers how important organized health improvement is to economic growth.

Social implications

The findings show that when UK Government was leading in organized health improvement for the population, economic grown got propelled into a faster lane.

Originality/value

This paper is among the first to unveil that a socially responsible government has permanent impact on the paths of both economic and social growth. It has value to other researchers attempting to understand the mutual disruption and support of economic growth and health improvement in the historical UK.
Converging crime rates among European countries? A note
Authors: Kollias Christos , Leventi Theodosia , Messis Petros
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Social change and modernization theories postulate that as countries grow they gradually move toward a condition of similarity in various spheres exhibiting similar economic and social traits. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a process of convergence in terms of criminality levels is present in the case of European countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The research question at hand is tackled through conventional s and ß-convergence methodologies and a battery of unit root tests in the case of 16 European countries over the period 1972-2012.

Findings

The findings reported, herein, are quite uniform irrespective of the empirical methodology employed to investigate the issue at hand. The result points to a process of convergence in terms of crime rates. However, this convergence process, although present and statistically traceable, is a rather gradual one as this is depicted both by the value of the β-coefficient as well as by the trend of the coefficient of variation.

Originality/value

Most of the studies in this strand of the literature focus on investigating the association between economic conditions such as unemployment and crime or on the effectiveness of crime thwarting policies. To the best of the knowledge, this is the first paper that addresses the issue of convergence in terms of crime rates in the case of European countries.
Social transitions in the Savannah
Authors: Majekodunmi Ayodele O.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore social risk management strategies amongst Fulani in the subhumid zone of Nigeria; and second, to determine current status and nature of reciprocal exchange networks, risk pooling and social support for pastoral livelihoods in North-Central Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

Surveys of cattle productivity and pastoral livelihoods were carried out amongst Fulani pastoralists on the Jos Plateau: between 2008 and 2013 using participatory epidemiology methods and the sustainable livelihoods framework. Qualitative and quantitative data on livelihood activities, knowledge, attitudes and practices of animal husbandry and disease control, wealth grouping, herd entries and exits was gathered to determine the current state of cattle productivity and pastoral livelihoods in the study area.

Findings

Results show that reciprocal exchange networks for risk management have mostly disintegrated and patron-client relationships have become an important social risk management strategy.

Practical implications

This research has significant implications for sustainability of Fulani livelihoods and communities: decreased social risk-management strategies and increased self-reliance means that the most vulnerable households will find it more difficult to withstand shocks and climb out of poverty. Wealthier households may cope better with high incidence/low severity shocks like but are more vulnerable to low incidence/high severity shocks. Likewise, decreased social cohesion reduces the ability of communities to mobilise and act collectively in the face of community-level shocks. This is very important for engagement with the state – a crucial process, given current levels of acrimony and conflict.

Originality/value

Given the high levels of farmer-herder conflict and civil unrest in this region over the past 15 years this research is valuable in providing insights into economic drivers of conflict, current dynamics of pastoral livelihoods and social cohesion within and between communities.
Parental feeding practice is associated with child’s body mass index in Thai school-aged children
Authors: Yamborisut Uruwan , Visetchart Piyanuch , Thasanasuwan Wiyada , Srichan Weerachat , Unjana Rittirong
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Parental feeding practice (PFP) plays an important role in child’s eating behavior and weight status, but less information is available about its role in the Thai family setting. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of PFP on child’s gender and body mass index (BMI).

Design/methodology/approach

Participants included 227 parents-child dyads from the suburban area of Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand. Children aged 9-12 years and parents who were either child’s mother, father or grandfather/grandmother were enrolled in the study. Body weight, height, waist circumference and body fat were measured in all children. Eating behavior of each child was assessed by using child’s eating questionnaire. Parents also provided their feeding practices in child feeding questionnaires. Information on household food security was also obtained from children’s parents.

Findings

There was significant difference in eating behaviors and home environment between child’s genders. For child’s eating behavior, mean total eating scores of girls were significantly greater (p=0.002) than that of boys and that the inappropriate home environment was more found in families of boys than girls. Regarding feeding practice, parents used more food restriction (p=0.008) and monitoring on child’s eating (p=0.042) in girls than boys. Parents put more pressure to eat on the normal weight than obese children (p=0.001). Regression analysis revealed that, apart from parental BMI and household income, PFPs have a significant impact (15.6 percent explained variance) on child’s BMI.

Originality/value

This study highlights the importance of being aware of child’s gender and weight status when feeding practices were provided to them. Nutrition education for parents should take account for parents’ perceptions and concerns as well as the modification of feeding practices to improve children’s eating behaviors.
Cell compartmentation of ultraviolet‐absorbing compounds: An underexplored tool related to bryophyte ecology, phylogeny and evolution
Authors: Monforte Laura , Soriano Gonzalo , Núñez‐Olivera Encarnación , Martínez‐Abaigar Javier
Published: January 2018

Excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can be harmful to photosynthetic organisms, that most frequently respond with the accumulation of protective UV‐absorbing compounds (UVACs). UVACs location in different cell compartments can influence their preferential protective role as antioxidants and/or UV screens. However, the phylogenetic, ecological and evolutionary implications of UVACs compartmentation has been little studied, particularly in bryophytes.

We analysed UVACs in the methanol‐soluble and ‐insoluble fractions (SUVACs and IUVACs respectively) in extracts of 87 bryophytes belonging to their three evolutionary lineages: 22 liverworts, 64 mosses and one hornwort. Assuming that the cell wall‐bound IUVACs are more effective UV screens than the mainly vacuolar SUVACs, thus conferring a higher UV tolerance, we evaluated whether UVACs levels and compartmentation were related to: (1) the bryophyte phylogeny down to the Order level; and (2) the bryophyte ecological attributes, including sun exposure and Ellenberg indicator values (numerical system classifying species' habitat along gradients of environmental factors). A similar phylogenetic and ecological analysis was conducted on the sclerophylly index (the ratio between the dry mass and the surface area of the bryophyte shoot).

Mosses showed lower SUVACs but higher IUVACs and total UVACs, together with higher IUVAC/SUVAC ratios, than liverworts. Thus, mosses would better tolerate UV radiation than liverworts, which matches well with their general ecological preferences. As bryophytes were the earliest diverging land plants, we could infer that the different UVACs compartmentation between mosses and liverworts could have influenced their ecological segregation upon plant land colonization.

UVACs compartmentation also differed between the two major moss lineages (acrocarpous and pleurocarpous), while the anatomically peculiar Sphagnales were the best characterized Order.

There were not solid relationships between UVACs and the ecological attributes considered. Hence, UVACs might be mainly constitutive in bryophytes, depending more on the species phylogeny than on the habitat occupied in nature.

Liverworts were less sclerophyllous than mosses, and, as in tracheophytes, water restrictions and high sun exposures increased sclerophylly.

In conclusion, UVACs compartmentation represents an ecophysiological trait useful to understand the bryophyte ecophylogeny, because different compartmentation modalities seem to imply different UV adaptations and tolerance.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Current spring warming as a driver of selection on reproductive timing in a wild passerine
Authors: Marrot Pascal , Charmantier Anne , Blondel Jacques , Garant Dany
Published: January 2018

Evolutionary adaptation as a response to climate change is expected for fitness‐related traits affected by climate and exhibiting genetic variance. Although the relationship between warmer spring temperature and earlier timing of reproduction is well documented, quantifications and predictions of the impact of global warming on natural selection acting on phenology in wild populations remain rare. If global warming affects fitness in a similar way across individuals within a population, or if fitness consequences are independent of phenotypic variation in key‐adaptive traits, then no evolutionary response is expected for these traits.

Here, we quantified the selection pressures acting on laying date during a 24‐year monitoring of blue tits in southern Mediterranean France, a hot spot of climate warming. We explored the temporal fluctuation in annual selection gradients and we determined its temperature‐related drivers.

We first investigated the month‐specific warming since 1970 in our study site and tested its influence on selection pressures, using a model averaging approach. Then, we quantified the selection strength associated with temperature anomalies experienced by the blue tit population.

We found that natural selection acting on laying date significantly fluctuated both in magnitude and in sign across years. After identifying a significant warming in spring and summer, we showed that warmer daily maximum temperatures in April were significantly associated with stronger selection pressures for reproductive timing. Our results indicated an increase in the strength of selection by 46% for every +1°C anomaly.

Our results confirm the general assumption that recent climate change translates into strong selection favouring earlier breeders in passerine birds. Our findings also suggest that differences in fitness among individuals varying in their breeding phenology increase with climate warming. Such climate‐driven influence on the strength of directional selection acting on laying date could favour an adaptive response in this trait, since it is heritable.
Trade‐offs in berry production and biodiversity under prescribed burning and retention regimes in boreal forests
Authors: Granath Gustaf , Kouki Jari , Johnson Samuel , Heikkala Osmo , Rodríguez Antonio , Strengbom Joachim
Published: January 2018

Green tree retention and prescribed burning are the practices used to mitigate negative effects of boreal forestry. Beside their effects on biodiversity, these practices should also promote non‐timber forest products (NTFPs). We assessed: (1) how prescribed burning and tree retention influence NTFPs by examining the production of bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus and cowberry, Vaccinium vitis‐idaea; (2) if there are synergies or trade‐offs in the delivery of these NTFPs in relation to the delivery of species richness, focusing on five groups of forest‐dwelling species.

We used a long‐term experiment located in eastern Finland, with three different harvesting treatments: clear‐cut logging, logging with retention patches and unlogged, which were combined with or without prescribed burning. Eleven years after the treatment application, we scored plant cover and berry production in different microhabitats within these treatments, while species richness data for five species groups (ground layer lichens and bryophytes, vascular plants, saproxylic beetles, pollinators—here bees and hoverflies) were collected at the stand level.

Logging favoured cowberry production, particularly for plants growing in the vicinity of stumps. Logging was detrimental for cover and berry production of bilberry. Retention mitigated these negative effects slightly, but cover and berry production were still substantially lower compared to unlogged forests. Prescribed burning increased the cowberry production in retention patches and in unlogged forest. Bilberry production decreased with burning, except in unlogged forest where the effect was neutral.

No single management treatment simultaneously favoured all values—NTFPs and richness—and trade‐offs among values were common. Only bilberry production and beetle diversity were higher under retention forestry, or in unlogged stands, compared to logged stands. Prescribed burning favoured many values when performed in combination with retention forestry, or in unlogged stands, but different treatment combinations favoured different species groups.

Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate that widely applied conservation practices in managed boreal forests are unlikely to benefit all ecosystem values everywhere. If high multifunctionality is desired, managing at a landscape scale, countering the local trade‐offs among values, may be more appropriate than the stand‐scale conservation practices commonly practiced today.
Volatile organic compounds associated with milk spoilage by psychrotrophic bacteria
Authors: Decimo Marilù , Cabeza María C , Ordóñez Juan A , De Noni Ivano , Brasca Milena
Published: January 2018

The volatile organic compounds of milk contaminated with psychrotrophic bacteria were studied by HS‐SPME and GC/MS. Pseudomonas fluorescens PS14, Pseudomonas fragi PS55, Pseudomonas mosselii PS39, Pseudomonas rhodesiae PS62 and Serratia marcescens S92 were inoculated in sterilised milk (2.5% fat) stored at either 5 °C or 10 °C. A total of 47 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) belonging to seven chemical groups were identified in the spoiled milk. Volatile organic compound patterns peculiar to the inoculate bacterial strains were highlighted. 3‐Methylbutan‐1‐ol, 2 methylpropan‐1‐ol, 3‐hydroxybutan‐2‐one, butan‐2,3‐dione, butanoic and hexanoic acids were revealed as potential chemical spoilage indexes of milk spoilage due to the activity of the five psychrotrophic strains studied.
Effect of heat treatment and solution preparation procedure on colloidal stability of whey protein sour cherry beverage
Authors: Ahmadi Sayede Fateme , Nasirpour Ali , Goli Sayed Amir H. , Riahi Esmaeil
Published: January 2018

In this study, a whey protein sour cherry beverage was prepared using whey protein concentrate, sour cherry concentrate, Angum gum, water and sugar as initial ingredients. Whey protein concentrate and gum solutions were prepared by four methods. Heat treatment of the solutions led to denaturation of proteins, a change in the solubility of proteins and sediment formation. Our results showed that denaturation of proteins made the peptide fragments of the proteins to bind the gum, thus preventing the separation of the serum.
Diagnosing Crime and Diagnosing Disease‐II: Visual Pattern Perception and Diagnostic Accuracy
Authors: Satya‐Murti Saty , Lockhart Joseph J.
Published: January 2018

Previously, we reviewed how general cognitive processes might be susceptible to bias across both forensic and clinical fields, and how interdisciplinary comparisons could reduce error. We discuss several examples of clinical tasks which are heavily dependent on visual processing, comparing them to eyewitness identification (EI). We review the “constructive” nature of visual processing, and how contextual factors influence both medical experts and witnesses in decision making and recall. Overall, studies suggest common cognitive factors uniting these visual tasks, in both their strengths and shortcomings. Recently forensic sciences have advocated reducing errors by identifying and controlling nonrelevant information. Such efforts could effectively assist medical diagnosis. We suggest potential remedies for cognitive bias in these tasks. These can generalize across the clinical and forensic domains, including controlling the sequencing of contextual factors. One solution is an agnostic primary reading before incorporation of a complete history and interpretation.
Size Assessment of the Gray Reef Shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos Inferred from Teeth Marks on Human Wounds
Authors: Jublier Noémie , Clua Eric E.
Published: January 2018

An accurate assessment of the biting shark size is paramount for better understanding the agonistic behavior of a species toward humans. The gray reef shark is involved in many accidental bites. Based on the capture of 35 gray sharks, we calculated the algorithm that allows the assessment of the shark size, through the interdental distance (IDD) inferred from teeth marks on human wounds. Our results show a negative allometric relationship and that IDD calculated from imprints perpetrated by the upper jaw are globally similar with those from the lower jaw, in spite of heterodonty. We applied our findings to two cases of accidental bites by this species. Both of the victims had declared that the shark length was “at least 2 m”. Based on our algorithm, the assessment of the shark TL was approx. 180 and 160 cm, respectively, which correspond to an overestimation of ≥20% by the victims.
Violence, Guns, and Suicide in New Orleans: Results from a Qualitative Study of Recent Suicide Decedents
Authors: Ramchand Rajeev , Franklin Enchanté , Thornton Elizabeth , Deland Sarah M. , Rouse Jeffrey C.
Published: January 2018

Many Americans own guns to protect themselves against other people, but there is evidence that both victimization and gun access increase suicide risk. We conducted qualitative interviews with informants of 17 suicide cases in New Orleans of the 60 who died between January 2015 and April 2016 to understand the relationship between past trauma, gun access and storage, and suicide. Nine cases had experienced a past trauma, including three who had recently had a family member killed by homicide. Eight died via firearm; of those, seven owned the guns they used to take their lives and stored them locked (but loaded) at home or in their cars. Preventing community violence and addressing its sequelae may be important for reducing suicides. A multi‐pronged strategy consisting of policies, education, and marketing will likely be needed to address the risk of suicide conferred by gun access.
Polysaccharides Reduce Absorption and Mutagenicity of 3‐Amino‐1,4‐Dimethyl‐5H‐Pyrido[4,3‐b]Indole In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Luo Lingying , Bai Yun , Zhou Guanghong
Published: January 2018

3‐Amino‐1,4‐dimethyl‐5H‐pyrido[4,3‐b]indole (Trp‐P‐1) is a group 2B carcinogen characterized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and great efforts have been taken to reduce Trp‐P‐1 mutagenicity to humans. In this study, the effect of a reduction of Trp‐P‐1 on intestinal absorption as a promising strategy was investigated. The data showed that when 20 mM Trp‐P‐1 cotransported with 10 mM of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xanthan gum, or carrageenan, the absorption rate of Trp‐P‐1 was reduced by 31.5%, 49.5%, or 72.9% in MDCK‐MDR1 cell monolayer, respectively; and 64.6%, 83.4%, or 64.1% in rat intestinal tissues, correspondingly. These 3 polysaccharides also reduced pharmacokinetic parameters, that is, Cmax, AUC0‐t, and AUC0‐∞, after Trp‐P‐1 was given to rats intragastrically. However, gum arabic did not exhibit similar effects on Trp‐P‐1 absorption in vitro or in vivo. The Ames test showed that these 3 polysaccharides reduced Trp‐P‐1 mutagenicity to Salmonella typhimurium TA98, but gum arabic did not. Isothermal titration calorimetry assay indicated that Trp‐P‐1 interacted with these 3 polysaccharides. Thermodynamic study showed that the actual value of △H <0, but its absolute value greater than the corresponding value of T∆S, suggest a specific interaction between Trp‐P‐1 and these 3 polysaccharides, probably through the hydrogen bond and/or ion interaction. Reduction of Trp‐P‐1 intestinal absorption using food additives could be one of the strategies to suppress Trp‐P‐1‐induced carcinogenesis in human.

Practical Application

This study provides insightful information for the food industry how gum arabic, xanthan gum, kappa carrageenan, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose affect the absorption of Trp‐P‐1.

This study also provides novel information regarding a better formulation for meat products to reduce Trp‐P‐1 absorption.