bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polarization of universities in the Central Federal District of Russia under reform
Authors: Abankina Irina , Filatova Liudmila , Nikolayenko Elena
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the changes in higher education under the new configuration of resources based on the income structure of universities located in the Central Federal District (CFD). Particular focus is given to the changes in the structure of public financing of higher education, considering the explicit priorities of increasing teaching staff salaries and promoting research. The study also assesses regional differentiation in financial resources for the maintenance of university property and the accumulation of funds from extra-budgetary sources.

Design/methodology/approach

Using statistical and economic analysis methods, the research reveals the main trends of structural changes in public funding of higher education in Russia as a whole, and the regional peculiarities of financial support in the universities of the CFD.

Findings

The results of this investigation of universities in the CFD point to inertia in the development of universities in the regions, and problems transitioning to new business models. Groups of universities in the region often lobby for the “previous rules of the game.” The results evidence a change in financial support from different income sources and in cost structures at the university level. These are the result of higher education reform and university support programs aimed at enhancing the academic and research capacity of the leading Russian universities and developing a competitive national education system.

Originality/value

A costs optimization policy has led to polarization of universities and reduced development opportunities for a significant proportion of regional universities. In order to maintain their properties in good condition, they have to make active efforts to seek non-budgetary funding sources against a fall in effective demand from the population.
Stepping stones to sexual murder: the role of developmental factors in the etiology of sexual homicide
Authors: Beauregard Eric , DeLisi Matt
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of a variety of developmental factors on sexual homicide offenders (SHOs), while taking into account other components of sexual homicide theoretical models.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of logistic regression models are performed using a total of 616 incarcerated adult male sexual offenders from Canada to distinguish between three groups of sexual offenders, SHOs, violent non-homicidal sex offenders (NHSOs) and NHSOs.

Findings

Results indicate that contrary to theoretical models, experiences of victimization are not central to the development of SHOs. Instead, it is the adoption of various problematic behaviors in childhood that appear as most important in the etiology of this particular type of sexual crime. This suggests that the various existing theoretical models of sexual homicide need to be revised and/or tested with additional empirical data.

Originality/value

This is the first study to look at developmental factors using two control groups of NHSOs and violent NHSOs.
UK FCA adopts changes to rules governing availability of information for IPOs
Authors: Bergman Mark S. , Satory John J. , Martos Sofia D.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to summarize new disclosure and procedural rules and related guidance for initial public offerings in the UK that will become effective on July 1, 2018.

Design/methodology/approach

This study summarizes new disclosure and procedural rules and related guidance published by the Financial Conduct Authority intended to improve the quality and timeliness of key information made available to investors in advance of an initial public offering (IPO) in the UK, in particular the timing of the publication of IPO research by connected and unconnected analysts.

Findings

While it remains to be determined whether the new process will provide investors with more time to digest information about the issuer and its business and increase the likelihood that investors will place greater emphasis on the prospectus and less on research reports of connected analysts, at the very least, the publication of the prospectus or a registration document, rather than the intention to float announcement as is currently the case, will provide the first public confirmation that an IPO is imminent.

Originality/value

This study provides practical guidance from experienced securities and financial services lawyers.
Chronological clinicopathological characterization of rapidly progressive alopecia areata resistant to multiple i.v. corticosteroid pulse therapies: An implication for improving the efficacy
Authors: Fukuyama Masahiro , Sato Yohei , Kinoshita‐Ise Misaki , Yamazaki Yoshimi , Ohyama Manabu
Published: July 2018

Intravenous corticosteroid pulse therapy (pulse therapy) has been reported to be effective for rapidly progressive alopecia areata (RP‐AA). Mostly, a single 3‐day administration of corticosteroid (methylprednisolone 500 mg/day) has been performed in Japan; however, to what extent additional administrations improve the outcome has not been fully elucidated. To assess the advantage of repeating the pulse therapy to RP‐AA cases refractory to the initial intervention, retrospective clinicopathological analysis was performed. Detailed chronological analysis was conducted in eight cases (one man and seven women; average age, 38.3 ± 10.4 years) demonstrating total scalp hair loss 3 months after the first pulse therapy and treated with additional rounds of the pulse therapy. All cases manifested total hair loss, scalp edema, itch or pain on the scalp after the initial intervention. Histopathological analyses of affected lesions prior to additional pulse therapies revealed persisting dense perifollicular lymphocytic inflammation in all cases. Interestingly, such inflammatory change tended to be severer when compared with previously reported pulse therapy good responders. Extra pulse therapy resulted in partial regrowth of terminal hairs in three out of eight cases, but all of them experienced relapse in the long run. The literature review also suggested limited efficacy of repeating pulse therapy to severe AA cases. These findings suggested that the efficacy of currently conducted repetitive pulse therapy is limited in RP‐AA cases with extensive perifollicular inflammation and resistant to the initial pulse therapy. Modulation of the dose and the interval of intervention, in combination with alternative approaches, may be required to achieve a successful outcome.
Disentangling the processes driving plant assemblages in mountain grasslands across spatial scales and environmental gradients
Authors: Scherrer Daniel , Mod Heidi K. , Pottier Julien , Litsios‐Dubuis Anne , Pellissier Loïc , Vittoz Pascal , Götzenberger Lars , Zobel Martin , Guisan Antoine
Published: July 2018

Habitat filtering and limiting similarity are well‐documented ecological assembly processes that hierarchically filter species across spatial scales, from a regional pool to local assemblages. However, information on the effects of fine‐scale spatial partitioning of species, working as an additional mechanism of coexistence, on community patterns is much scarcer.

In this study, we quantified the importance of fine‐scale spatial partitioning, relative to habitat filtering and limiting similarity in structuring grassland communities in the western Swiss Alps. To do so, 298 vegetation plots (2 m × 2 m) each with five nested subplots (20 cm × 20 cm) were used for trait‐based assembly tests (i.e., comparisons with several alternative null expectations), examining the observed plot and subplot level α‐diversity (indicating habitat filtering and limiting similarity) and the among‐subplot β‐diversity of traits (indicating fine‐scale spatial partitioning). We further assessed variations in the detected signatures of these assembly processes along a set of environmental gradients.

We found habitat filtering was the dominating assembly process at the plot level with diminished effect at the subplot level, whereas limiting similarity prevailed at the subplot level with weaker average effect at the plot level. Plot‐level limiting similarity was positively correlated with fine‐scale partitioning, suggesting that the trait divergence resulted from a combination of competitive exclusion between functionally similar species and environmental micro‐heterogeneities. Overall, signatures of assembly processes only marginally changed along environmental gradients, but the observed trends were more prominent at the plot than at the subplot scale.

Synthesis. Our study emphasises the importance of considering multiple assembly processes and traits simultaneously across spatial scales and environmental gradients to understand the complex drivers of plant community composition.
Legacy effects of herbivory enhance performance and resistance of progeny plants
Authors: Kafle Dinesh , Wurst Susanne
Published: July 2018

Herbivory‐induced changes in plant resistance and tolerance traits can mediate the interaction between spatially and temporally separated above‐ and below‐ground herbivores. However, it is unknown how long the impact of transient herbivory events last or if legacy effects can be detected systemically in the plant and across plant generations.

Here, we studied the impact of transient above‐ground herbivory by the specialist caterpillar Manduca sexta on the plant traits of wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata and the consequences for below‐ground root‐knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita in short‐term, long‐term, and transgenerational experiments.

In the short‐ and long‐term experiments, above‐ and below‐ground herbivory had significant, albeit independent, impacts on key plant traits such as plant biomass, nutrient content, and secondary metabolites. In addition, herbivory influenced fitness parameters such as seed yield and quality. In the long‐term and transgenerational experiments, transient above‐ground herbivory had facilitating effects on nematodes, irrespective of any treatments of the parental plants. We found evidence for transgenerational legacy effects of both above‐ and below‐ground herbivory on the resistance of progeny plants against above‐ground herbivores. Additionally, below‐ground herbivory in the parental generation increased the root biomass of progeny plants.

Synthesis. Our results suggest that herbivory may have a long‐term impact on plant fitness by improving the performance of progeny plants challenged by above‐ and below‐ground herbivory.
The impact of teachers’ characteristics on their self‐efficacy and job satisfaction: a perspective from teachers engaging students with disabilities
Authors: Shaukat Sadia , Vishnumolakala Venkat Rao , Al Bustami Ghanem
Published: July 2018

The study investigated the impact of Pakistani special education teachers’ characteristics like gender, age, background qualification, teaching experience and professional qualification on their self‐efficacy beliefs and job satisfaction. The study employed a quantitative research design comprising 94 female and 24 male teachers from five public schools located in the district of Lahore. The findings from self‐efficacy and job satisfaction measures indicate that teachers’ characteristics like gender, age, academic education and teaching experience had significant influence on self‐efficacy beliefs and job satisfaction. Female teachers exhibited higher level of self‐efficacy beliefs and job satisfaction to teach students with diverse needs as compared with their male counterparts. However, a significant correlation between self‐efficacy and job satisfaction was not found. This study suggests professional training programs tailored to enhance male and female teachers’ self‐efficacy beliefs and job satisfaction while addressing the needs of children with disabilities.
A retrospective analysis of surgical resection of large ear keloids
Authors: Lyu Anqi , Xu Erwei , Wang Qiying
Published: July 2018

Objective

To investigate surgical methods for the removal of larger ear keloids.

Methods

Two different surgical techniques were used: Method A, tumour excision followed by in situ scar flap repair; and Method B, wedge resection of an auricular lesion followed by primary closure or local flap repair. After the treatment, patients received postoperative, local radiotherapy. Follow‐up was for 1–3 years (median 28.9 months).

Results

Twenty patients with 35 large ear keloids were reviewed. In Method A, six ears were cured, three ears improved, five ears relapsed after 1 year and one ear recurred within 1 year. In Method B, 17 ears were cured, two ears improved and one ear recurred within 1 year.

Conclusion

Keloid scars can be effectively treated with a combination of radiotherapy and surgical excision.
Vulvo‐vaginal lichen planus: A focussed review for the clinician
Authors: Dubey Ritika , Fischer Gayle
Published: July 2018

Vulvo‐vaginal lichen planus is a condition which imposes a significant burden of symptoms and sequale. There is a paucity of knowledge and evidenced‐based management with significant diagnostic delay prior to appropriate treatment being common. There remains great variability in clinician practice in the context of limited knowledge. This clinical review presents current evidence on the clinicopathological features, practical assessment and management options. Learning points include characterization of this chronic, burdensome clinical entity that has no standardized diagnostic or management protocols. We provide practical clinical conclusions based on current knowledge and identify areas for future research to improve patient outcomes.
Impact of blood transfusion on outcomes following resection for colorectal liver metastases in the modern era
Authors: Pathak Samir , Al‐Duwaisan Abdullah , Khoyratty Fadil , Lodge J. Peter A. , Toogood Giles J. , Salib Emad , Prasad K. Raj , Miskovic Danilo
Published: July 2018

Background

Evidence suggests that perioperative blood loss and blood transfusions are associated with poorer long‐term outcomes in patients undergoing other oncological surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the long‐term outcomes of patients requiring a blood transfusion post‐hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM).

Methods

This is a retrospective review from 2005 to 2012. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) were assessed using Kaplan–Meier curves. Red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) and other clinic‐pathological parameters were handled as covariates for Cox regression analysis.

Results

Six hundred and ninety patients were included. Median follow‐up was 33 months. Sixty‐four (9.3%) patients required a perioperative RBCT. RBCT was a predictor for decreased OS (median 41 versus 49 months, P = 0.04). However, on multivariate regression analyses preoperative chemotherapy, post‐operative complications and Clinical Risk Score were independently associated with reduced OS, though RBCT was not. There was no association between RBCT and RFS (median 15 versus 17 months, P = 0.28).

Conclusions

RBCT is not independently associated with a poorer OS.
A STAT4 variant increases liver fibrosis risk in Caucasian patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: El Sharkawy R. , Thabet K. , Lampertico P. , Petta S. , Mangia A. , Berg T. , Metwally M. , Bayoumi A. , Boonstra A. , Brouwer W. P. , Smedile A. , Abate M. L. , Loglio A. , Douglas M. W. , Khan A. , Santoro R. , Fischer J. , Leeming D. J. , Liddle C. , George J. , Eslam M.
Published: July 2018

Background

Host genetic modifiers of the natural history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain poorly understood. Recently, a genome‐wide association study (GWAS)‐identified polymorphism in the STAT4 gene that contributes to the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was shown to be associated with the full spectrum of hepatitis B virus (HBV) outcomes in Asian patients. However, the functional mechanisms for this effect are unknown and the role of the variant in modulating HBV disease in Caucasians has not been investigated.

Aims

To determine whether STAT4 genetic variation is associated with liver injury in Caucasian patients with CHB and to investigate potential mechanisms mediating this effect.

Methods

STAT4 rs7574865 was genotyped in 1085 subjects (830 with CHB and 255 healthy controls). STAT4 expression in liver, PBMCs and NK cells, STAT4 phosphorylation and secretion of interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) according to STAT4 genetic variation was examined.

Results

STAT4 rs7574865 genotype was independently associated with hepatic inflammation (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.07‐2.06, P = 0.02) and advanced fibrosis (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.19‐2.83, P = 0.006). The minor allele frequency of rs7574865 was significantly lower than that in healthy controls. rs7574865 GG risk carriers expressed lower levels of STAT4 in liver, PBMCs and in NK cells, while NK cells from patients with the risk genotype had impaired STAT4 phosphorylation following stimulation with IL‐12/IL‐18 and a reduction in secretion of IFN‐γ.

Conclusion

Genetic susceptibility to HBV persistence, hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in Caucasians associates with STAT4 rs7574865 variant. Downstream effects on NK cell function through STAT4 phosphorylation‐dependent IFN‐γ production likely contribute to these effects.
Comment on ‘Did China Import Metals from Africa in the Bronze Age?’
Authors: Sun W.‐D. , Zhang L.‐P. , Guo J. , Li C.‐Y. , Jiang Y.‐H. , Zhang Z.‐F.
Published: July 2018

Lead isotope compositions provide a direct means of assessing provenance. The lead contents in bronzes cannot be used to argue against lead isotopes. Any claim for the origin of the source material for the origin of Yin‐Shang bronzes must satisfy the measured lead isotope compositions. Thus far, only southern African sources are found to meet this criteria.
Strike‐slip reactivation of segmented normal faults: Implications for basin structure and fluid flow
Authors: Rotevatn Atle , Peacock David C. P.
Published: July 2018

Reverse reactivation of normal faults, also termed “inversion”, has been extensively studied, whereas little is known about the strike‐slip reactivation of normal faults. At the same time, recognizing strike‐slip reactivation of normal faults in sedimentary basins is critical, as it may alter and impact basin physiography, accommodation and sediment supply and dispersal. Motivated by this, we present a study of a reactivated normal fault zone in the Liassic limestones and shales of Somerset, UK, to elucidate the effects of strike‐slip reactivation of normal faults, and the inherent deformation of relay zones that separate the original normal fault segments. The fault zone, initially extensional, exhibits a series of relay zones between right‐stepping segments, with the steps between the segments having subsequently become contractional due to sinistral strike‐slip movement. The relay zones have therefore been steepened and are cut by a series of connecting faults with reverse and strike‐slip components. The studied fault zone, and comparison with larger‐scale natural examples, leads us to conclude that the relays turned contractional steps are associated with (a) complex fault and fracture networks that accommodate shortening, (b) anomalously high numbers of fractures and faults, (c) layer‐parallel slip and (d) folding and uplift. Comparison with published statistics from global relay zones shows that whereas the reactivated relay zones feature aspect ratios similar to those of unreactivated relay zones, bed dips within reactivated relay zones are significantly steeper than unreactivated relay zones. Given the potential of reactivated relay zones to form areas of local uplift, they may affect basin structure and may also form potential traps for hydrocarbon or other fluids. The elevated faulting and fracturing, on the other hand, means reactivated relays are also likely loci for enhanced up‐fault flow.
The synrift phase of the early Domeyko Basin (Triassic, northern Chile): Sedimentary, volcanic, and tectonic interplay in the evolution of an ancient subduction‐related rift basin
Authors: Espinoza Mauricio , Montecino Diego , Oliveros Verónica , Astudillo Natalia , Vásquez Paulina , Reyes Robinson , Celis Christopher , González Rodrigo , Contreras Juan , Creixell Christian , Martínez Amancay
Published: July 2018

The geodynamic setting along the SW Gondwana margin during its early breakup (Triassic) remains poorly understood. Recent models calling for an uninterrupted subduction since Late Palaeozoic only slightly consider the geotectonic significance of coeval basins. The Domeyko Basin initiated as a rift basin during the Triassic being filled by sedimentary and volcanic deposits. Stratigraphic, sedimentological, and geochronological analyses are presented in order to determine the tectonostratigraphic evolution of this basin and to propose a tectonic model suitable for other SW Gondwana‐margin rift basins. The Domeyko Basin recorded two synrift stages. The Synrift I (~240–225 Ma) initiated the Sierra Exploradora sub‐basin, whereas the Synrift II (~217–200 Ma) reactivated this sub‐basin and originated small depocentres grouped in the Sierra de Varas sub‐basin. During the rift evolution, the sedimentary systems developed were largely controlled by the interplay between tectonics and volcanism through the accommodation/sediment supply ratio (A/S). High‐volcaniclastic depocentres record a net dominance of the syn‐eruptive period lacking rift‐climax sequences, whereas low‐volcaniclastic depocentres of the Sierra de Varas sub‐basin developed a complete rift cycle during the Synrift II stage. The architecture of the Domeyko Basin suggests a transtensional kinematic where N‐S master faults interacted with ~NW‐SE basement structures producing highly asymmetric releasing bends. We suggest that the early Domeyko Basin was a continental subduction‐related rift basin likely developed under an oblique convergence in a back‐arc setting. Subduction would have acted as a primary driving mechanism for the extension along the Gondwanan margin, unlike inland rift basins. Slab‐induced dynamic can strongly influence the tectonostratigraphic evolution of subduction‐related rift basins through controls in the localization and style of magmatism and faulting, settling the interplay between tectonics, volcanism, and sedimentation during the rifting.
The changing nature of collaboration in tropical ecology and conservation
Authors: Perez Timothy M. , Hogan J. Aaron
Published: July 2018

Collaboration can improve conservation initiatives through increases in article impact and by building scientific understating required for conservation practice. We investigated temporal trends in collaboration in the tropical ecology and conservation literature by examining patterns of authorship for 2271 articles published from 2000 to 2016 in Biotropica and the Journal of Tropical Ecology. Consistent with trends in other studies and scientific disciplines, we found that the number of authors per article increased from 2.6 in 2000 to 4.2 in 2015 using a generalized linear model (glm). We modeled changes in multinational collaboration in articles using a glm and found that the mean number of author‐affiliated countries increased from 1.3 (±0.6 SD) to 1.7 (±0.8 SD) over time and that increases were best explained by the number of authors per article. The proportion of authors based in tropical countries increased, but the probability of tropical–extratropical collaboration did not and was best explained solely by the number of authors per article. Overall, our analyses suggest that only certain types of collaboration are increasing and that these increases coincide with a general increase in the number of authors per article. Such changes in author numbers and collaboration could be the result of increased data sharing, changes in the scope of research questions, changes in authorship criteria, or scientific migration. We encourage tropical conservation scientists continue to build collaborative ties, particularly with researchers based in underrepresented tropical countries, to ensure that tropical ecology and conservation remains inclusive and effective.
Argon plasma coagulation treatment of biliary adenomas in a patient with familial adenomatous polyposis
Authors: Syed Aslam , Garg Mrinal , Thakkar Shyam
Published: July 2018

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A randomized, open‐label, multicentre, parallel‐controlled study comparing the efficacy and safety of biphasic insulin aspart 30 plus metformin with biphasic insulin aspart 30 monotherapy for type 2 diabetes patients inadequately controlled with oral antidiabetic drugs: The merit study
Authors: Guo Lixin , Chen Li , Chang Baocheng , Yang Liyong , Liu Yu , Feng Bo
Published: July 2018

Aim

To confirm non‐inferiority of biphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30) plus metformin to BIAsp 30 in lowering glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in Chinese patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes using oral antidiabetic drugs.

Materials and methods

In this 16‐week, prospective, randomized, open‐label, multicentre, parallel‐controlled study, patients aged 18‐79 years with HbA1c ≥7% were randomized to BIAsp 30 plus metformin (n = 130) or BIAsp 30 (n = 127). Initially, 500 mg metformin was administered twice daily and BIAsp 30 was administered at 0.2‐0.3 U/kg/d. Changes in HbA1c % from baseline to week 16 as well as secondary and safety endpoints were assessed.

Results

In total, 83.66% of patients in the BIAsp 30 plus metformin (n = 110) and the BIAsp 30 (n = 105) groups completed the study. Mean (±standard deviation) change in HbA1c from baseline to endpoint was −1.74 ± 1.64% and −1.32 ± 2.05% with BIAsp 30 plus metformin and BIAsp 30, respectively. Least squares mean treatment difference was −0.67% (95% CI, −1.06; −0.28). The upper limit of the 95% CI was <0.4 (non‐inferiority margin). A significantly higher proportion of individuals reached HbA1c <7% with BIAsp 30 plus metformin than with BIAsp 30 (53.15% vs 35.19%; P = 0.0074). At endpoint, daily BIAsp 30 dose (P < 0.001) and weight gain were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the BIAsp 30 plus metformin group compared with the BIAsp 30 group. No between‐group differences in number of hypoglycaemic events were observed.

Conclusion

BIAsp 30 plus metformin was non‐inferior to BIAsp 30 in safely reducing HbA1c in this study.
Role of hemodynamics in initiation/growth of intracranial aneurysms
Authors: Diagbouga Mannekomba R. , Morel Sandrine , Bijlenga Philippe , Kwak Brenda R.
Published: July 2018

Background

Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is a disease of the vascular wall resulting in abnormal enlargement of the vessel lumen. It is a common pathology with a prevalence of 2%‐3% in the adult population. IAs are mostly small, quiescent and asymptomatic; yet, upon rupture, severe brain damage or even death is frequently encountered. In addition to clinical factors, hemodynamic forces, mainly wall shear stress (WSS), have been associated with the initiation of IAs and possibly with their risk of rupture. However, the mechanism by which WSS contributes to aneurysm growth and rupture is not completely understood.

Design

PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases were searched. In addition, key review articles were screened for relevant original publications.

Results

Current knowledge about the relation between WSS and IA has been obtained from both computational fluid dynamic studies in patients and experimental models of IA formation and growth. It is increasingly recognized that a high wall shear stress (gradient) participates to IA formation and that both low and high WSS can drive IA growth. Primary cilia (PC) play an important role as mechanosensors as patients with polycystic kidney disease, which is characterized by the absence or dysfunction of PC, have increased risk to develop IAs as well as increased risk of rupture.

Conclusion

Wall shear stress is a key player in IA initiation and progression. It is involved in vascular wall remodelling and inflammation, processes underlying aneurysm pathophysiology.
Defaunation and fragmentation erode small mammal diversity dimensions in tropical forests
Authors: Bovendorp Ricardo S. , Brum Fernanda T. , McCleery Robert A. , Baiser Benjamin , Loyola Rafael , Cianciaruso Marcus V. , Galetti Mauro
Published: July 2018

Forest fragmentation and defaunation are considered the main drivers of biodiversity loss, yet the synergistic effects of landscape changes and biotic interactions on assemblage structure have been poorly investigated. Here, we use an extensive dataset of 283 assemblages and 105 species of small mammals to understand how defaunation of medium and large mammals and forest fragmentation change the community composition and diversity of rodents and marsupials in tropical forests of South America. We used structured equation models to investigate the relationship between small mammal species, functional and phylogenetic diversity with forest size, forest cover and the occurrence of medium and large mammals. The best‐fit model showed that defaunation reduced functional diversity, and that species diversity of small mammals increased with forest patch size. Forest cover did not affect functional and phylogenetic diversity. Our results indicate that occurrence of medium and large sized mammals (probably acting as predators, or competitors of small mammals) and forest patch size help to retain species and functional diversity in small mammal communities. Further, the number of species in a small mammal community was critical to the maintenance of phylogenetic diversity, and may have a pronounced influence on the ecological functions played by small mammals. Identifying how phylogenetic and functional diversity change in function of human pressures allows us to better understand the contribution of extant lineages to ecosystem functioning in tropical forests.
Children's and Parents’ Well‐Being in Joint Physical Custody: A Literature Review
Authors: Steinbach Anja
Published: July 2018

Joint physical custody (JPC), a parental care arrangement in which a child lives with each parent for at least 25–50% of the time after separation or divorce, is increasingly common in many Western societies. This is a major shift from the standard of sole physical custody, with mostly mothers providing primary childcare after a parental separation or divorce. The increasing share of separated or divorced parents who practice JPC, which in some countries, US states, and regions reaches 30% and more, results from increasing gender equality due to mothers participating considerably in the labor force and fathers being actively involved in their children's daily lives. This review focuses on the effects of JPC on children's and parents’ well‐being, based on 40 studies from North America, Australia, and Europe published between 2007 and 2018. In sum, there is empirical evidence from different countries that suggests that JPC arrangements can have positive effects on the well‐being of children and of parents. However, the existing studies are conceptually, methodologically, and contextually very heterogeneous. In addition, self‐selected highly educated parents with a high socio‐economic status, a low conflict level, and children between the ages of 6–15 practicing JPC dominate the samples. Thus, the risks and benefits of JPC are not clear yet and are heavily debated by advocates and academics. The review concludes with suggestions for future research.
Therapeutic effect of simvastatin on DMBA‐induced breast cancer in mice
Authors: Karimi Behnaz , Ashrafi Mahboobeh , Shomali Tahoora , Yektaseresht Azadeh
Published: July 2018

Preclinical studies have shown positive effects of statins against specific cancers. This study aimed to determine the therapeutic effect of simvastatin in 12‐dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)‐induced breast cancer. Female albino mice were divided into two groups, with or without DMBA administration. After tumor appearance, DMBA‐treated group was further divided into four groups (D1‐D4) as control (D1), treated with simvastatin at 80 and 40 mg/kg/day, orally (D2 and D3) and tamoxifen (50 mg/kg/day, orally) treated group (D4). After 4 weeks, animals were sacrificed, serum samples were collected and tumors were dissected for histopathological study and determination of selected parameters. The tumor marker carcinoma antigen 15‐3 (CA15‐3), oxidative stress parameters and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were analyzed in serum and tumors in experimental groups. Tamoxifen and high dose of simvastatin improved parameters of mammary carcinogenesis including mean tumor volume, body weight and percent of mortality as compared to mice with breast tumors without treatment (D1). Additionally, simvastatin usage increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level, paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity in serum and decreased total oxidant status (TOS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in tumors similar to tamoxifen. No significant decrease was found in serum CA 15‐3 and tumor PGE2 levels in simvastatin and tamoxifen treated groups as compared to D1 group. These data suggest that simvastatin has anticancer effects which are relatively similar to that of tamoxifen in an animal model of breast cancer.
Natural mortality of Trachurus novaezelandiae and its size selection by purse seines off south‐eastern Australia
Authors: Broadhurst Matt K. , Kienzle Marco , Stewart John
Published: July 2018

The natural mortality (M) and purse‐seine catchability and selectivity were estimated for yellowtail scad, Trachurus novaezelandiae, Richardson, a small inshore pelagic species harvested off south‐eastern Australia. Hazard functions were applied to two decades of data describing catches (mostly stable at a mean ± SE of 315 ± 14 t p.a.) and effort (declining from a maximum of 2,289 to 642 boat days between 1999/2000 and 2015/2016) and interdispersed (over 9 years) annual estimates of size at age (0+ to 18 years) to enable survival analysis. The data were best described by a model with eight parameters, including catchability (estimated at <0.1 × 10−7 boat/day), M (0.22/year) and variable age‐specific selection up to 6 years with a 50% retention among 5‐year‐olds (larger than the estimated age at maturation). The low catchability implied very low fishing mortality by the purse‐seine fleet. Ongoing monitoring and applied gear‐based studies are required to validate purse‐seine catchability and selectivity, but the data nevertheless imply T. novaezelandiae could incur additional fishing effort and, in doing so, alleviate pressure on other regional small pelagics.
Accelerating forest loss in Southeast Asian Massif in the 21st century: A case study in Nan Province, Thailand
Authors: Zeng Zhenzhong , Gower Drew B. , Wood Eric F.
Published: July 2018

Farmers are carving a new agricultural frontier from the forests in the Southeast Asian Massif (SAM) in the 21st century, triggering significant environment degradation at the local scale; however, this frontier has been missed by existing global land use and forest loss analyses. In this paper, we chose Thailand's Nan Province, which is located in the geometric center of SAM, as a case study, and combined high resolution forest cover change product with a fine‐scale land cover map to investigate land use dynamics with respect to topography in this region. Our results show that total forest loss in Nan Province during 2001–2016 was 66,072 ha (9.1% of the forest cover in 2000), and that the majority of this lost forest (92%) had been converted into crop (mainly corn) fields by 2017. Annual forest loss is significantly correlated with global corn price (p < 0.01), re‐confirming agricultural expansion as a key driver of forest loss in Nan Province. Along with the increasing global corn price, forest loss in Nan Province has accelerated at a rate of 2,616 ± 730 ha per decade (p < 0.01). Global corn price peaked in 2012, in which year annual forest loss also reached its peak (7,523 ha); since then, the location of forest loss has moved to steeper land at higher elevations. Spatially, forest loss driven by this smallholder agricultural expansion emerges as many small patches that are not recognizable even at a moderate spatial resolution (e.g. 300 m). It explains how existing global land use/cover change products have missed the widespread and rapid forest loss in SAM. It also highlights the importance of high‐resolution observations to evaluate the environmental impacts of agricultural expansion and forest loss in SAM, including, but not limited to, the impacts on the global carbon cycle, regional hydrology, and local environmental degradation.
Adapting management to a changing world: Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands
Authors: Shriver Robert K. , Andrews Caitlin M. , Pilliod David S. , Arkle Robert S. , Welty Justin L. , Germino Matthew J. , Duniway Michael C. , Pyke David A. , Bradford John B.
Published: July 2018

Restoration and rehabilitation of native vegetation in dryland ecosystems, which encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems, is a common challenge that continues to grow as wildfire and biological invasions transform dryland plant communities. The difficulty in part stems from low and variable precipitation, combined with limited understanding about how weather conditions influence restoration outcomes, and increasing recognition that one‐time seeding approaches can fail if they do not occur during appropriate plant establishment conditions. The sagebrush biome, which once covered over 620,000 km2 of western North America, is a prime example of a pressing dryland restoration challenge for which restoration success has been variable. We analyzed field data on Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) restoration collected at 771 plots in 177 wildfire sites across its western range, and used process‐based ecohydrological modeling to identify factors leading to its establishment. Our results indicate big sagebrush occurrence is most strongly associated with relatively cool temperatures and wet soils in the first spring after seeding. In particular, the amount of winter snowpack, but not total precipitation, helped explain the availability of spring soil moisture and restoration success. We also find considerable interannual variability in the probability of sagebrush establishment. Adaptive management strategies that target seeding during cool, wet years or mitigate effects of variability through repeated seeding may improve the likelihood of successful restoration in dryland ecosystems. Given consistent projections of increasing temperatures, declining snowpack, and increasing weather variability throughout midlatitude drylands, weather‐centric adaptive management approaches to restoration will be increasingly important for dryland restoration success.
Using behavioural insights to increase HIV self‐sampling kit returns: a randomized controlled text message trial to improve England's HIV self‐sampling service
Authors: Brown LJ , Tan KS , Guerra LE , Naidoo CJ , Nardone A
Published: July 2018

Objectives

The aim of the study was to determine whether behaviourally informed short message service (SMS) primer and reminder messages could increase the return rate of HIV self‐sampling kits ordered online.

Methods

The study was a 2 × 2 factorial design randomized control trial. A total of 9585 individuals who ordered a self‐sampling kit from www.freetesting.hiv different SMS combinations: 1) standard reminders sent days 3 and 7 after dispatch (control); 2) primer sent 1 day after dispatch plus standard reminders; 3) behavioural insights (BI) reminders (no primer); or 4) primer plus BI reminders. The analysis was restricted to individuals who received all messages (n = 8999). We used logistic regression to investigate independent effects of the primer and BI reminders and their interaction. We explored the impact of sociodemographic characteristics on kit return as a secondary analysis.

Results

Those who received the primer and BI reminders had a return rate 4% higher than that of those who received the standard messages. We found strong evidence of a positive effect of the BI reminders (odds ratio 1.13; 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.23; P = 0.003) but no evidence for an effect of the primer, or for an interaction between the two interventions. Odds of kit return increased with age, with those aged ≥ 65 years being almost 2.5 times more likely to return the kit than those aged 25–34 years. Men who have sex with men were 1.5–4.5 times more likely to return the kit compared with other sexual behaviour and gender identity groups. Non‐African black clients were 25% less likely to return the kit compared with other ethnicities.

Conclusions

Adding BI to reminder messages was successful in improving return rates at no additional cost.
Faecal calprotectin delivers on convenience, cost reduction and clinical decision‐making in inflammatory bowel disease: a real‐world cohort study
Authors: Motaganahalli Satwik , Beswick Lauren , Con Danny , van Langenberg Daniel R.
Published: July 2018

Background

Faecal calprotectin (FC) is an accurate biomarker of disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), yet the cost/resource implications of incorporating FC into ‘real‐world’ practice remain uncertain.

Aim

To evaluate the utility of FC in clinical decision‐making and on healthcare costs in IBD.

Methods

Retrospective data, including colonoscopy/other investigations, medication, admission and surgical data, were collected from hospital records and compared between two groups: pre‐FC historical cohort (2005–2009) where colonoscopy was used to assess IBD activity versus the cohort where FC was used first instead (2010–2014). Post‐test costs were also compared.

Results

A total of 357 FC tests (246 patients, 2010–2014) and 450 colonoscopies (268 patients, 2005–2009) were performed. On subsequent review, both FC and colonoscopy (in their respective cohorts) were associated with changes in management in 50.7 versus 56.2% (P = 0.14), respectively, with similar proportions of subsequent IBD‐related investigations within 6 months (21.8 vs 21.9%, P = 1.0).

Prior to FC availability (2005–2009), a colonoscopy for disease reassessment cost AU$606 578 (cost per patient‐year $1887.34) versus AU$282 048 (cost per patient‐year $968.60) when FC ± colonoscopy was used (2010–2014). Within the FC cohort, 73.6% did not proceed to colonoscopy within 6 months post‐FC, and 60.6% had not undergone colonoscopy post‐FC by the end of follow up (median 1.8 years (0.1, 4.6) post‐FC). Those with FC ≥ 250 were scoped earlier than those with FC < 100 μg/mL (median 0.49 vs 1.0 years, P = 0.03).

Conclusion

Introduction of FC into routine IBD care aided changes in clinical management in a similar proportion, yet at potentially half the total cost, compared to a historical colonoscopy‐only cohort at the same centre.
Concordance between genetic diversity and marine biogeography in a highly mobile marine mammal, the Risso's dolphin
Authors: Chen Ing , Nishida Shin , Chou Lien‐Siang , Tajima Yuko , Yang Wei‐Cheng , Isobe Tomohiko , Yamada Tadasu K. , Hartman Karin , Hoelzel A. Rus
Published: July 2018

Aim

The heterogeneity of the marine environment is thought to be the origin of marine biodiversity, often delineated in marine biogeographical provinces. Cetaceans are highly mobile aquatic mammals, but even those species inhabiting seemingly boundary‐free open waters are found to exhibit degrees of population structure, often attributed to ecological and behavioural factors such as resource specialization and site fidelity. Our aim in this study is to test the hypothesis that a cosmopolitan, resource‐specialist dolphin species, the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) will show an association between genetic diversity and biogeographical provinces.

Location

North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.

Methods

We examined genetic variation at 19 microsatellite loci among 236 samples collected from a range of locations in the North Pacific Ocean, and for a 473 bp mitochondrial DNA control region sequence in 213 samples from the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans to assess genetic diversity, population structure and historic population dynamics.

Results

We found differentiation in the North Pacific primarily among three populations corresponding to the marine biogeographical provinces of the Kuroshio‐Oyashio Current (Sino‐Japanese), California Current (California), and Eastern Tropical Pacific. Analyses using mitochondrial DNA data further reveal that these three populations are genetically different from the populations in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, without strong lineage sorting, and that the western North Pacific population experienced a period of population expansion while the Eastern Tropical Pacific population remained stable.

Main conclusions

We find evidence for biogeographical endemism in a highly mobile marine mammal species that nevertheless shows evidence for long‐range dispersion within and to a lesser extent among biogeographical provinces. We conclude that distinct ecological processes promote differentiation, even though this species forages on narrow range of prey species.
Isolation by marine barriers and climate explain areas of endemism in an island rodent
Authors: Giarla Thomas C. , Maher Sean P. , Achmadi Anang S. , Moore Meagan K. , Swanson Mark T. , Rowe Kevin C. , Esselstyn Jacob A.
Published: July 2018

Aim

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi is home to thousands of endemic terrestrial animal species. Phylogeographical studies of some of these taxa revealed concordant distribution patterns (areas of endemism; AoEs), suggestive of a shared evolutionary or ecological mechanism driving divergence among various terrestrial taxa. Generally, AoEs have been attributed to Pleistocene marine incursions, geological fault zones and Sulawesi's history as an archipelago. We test, for the first time, the hypothesis that population divergences are associated with unsuitable climate spaces at the boundaries between these areas.

Location

Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Taxon

Maxomys musschenbroekii, a common murid rodent endemic to Sulawesi.

Methods

We sequenced a mitochondrial gene, four nuclear protein‐coding genes and hundreds of ultraconserved elements from individuals sampled across the island, which we used to build intraspecific phylogenies and identify population structure. To test climate‐related hypotheses, we used multiple regression to assess the extent to which genetic distances, over‐land geographical distances, environmental distances (derived from ecological niche model resistance surfaces) and areas of endemism are correlated.

Results

In all three genetic datasets, we inferred phylogeographical structure that is geographically concordant with previously defined AoEs. Ecological niche models showed a similar geography of suitability across the island since the Last Glacial Maximum, with varying levels of unsuitable climate space between AoEs. Genetic distances were more strongly correlated with environmental distances than geographical distances and interspecific divergences arose just in the past 1.5 Myr.

Main Conclusions

Population divergences within M. musschenbroekii are consistent with AoE definitions from other taxa. Stable areas of unsuitable habitat near AoE boundaries probably supplemented marine incursions in generating population structure within M. musschenbroekii and other co‐distributed species.