bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serum chromogranin A is a useful marker for Japanese patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
Authors: Hijioka Masayuki , Ito Tetsuhide , Igarashi Hisato , Fujimori Nao , Lee Lingaku , Nakamura Taichi , Jensen Robert T. , Takayanagi Ryoichi
Published: September 2014

Although chromogranin A (CGA) is a useful marker for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET) in the West, its usefulness in Japanese populations is unclear. To assess this, we evaluated the serum CGA levels in 189 patients with various pancreatic diseases, including proven pNET (n = 69), pancreatic cancer (PC) (n = 50), chronic pancreatitis (CP) (n = 50) and autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) (n = 20), and 112 normal controls (controls) using an ELISA kit. The mean CGA level of patients with pNET was significantly higher than any of the other groups (407.8 ± 984.6 ng/mL [pNET] vs 91.8 ± 101.8 ng/mL [PC], 93.6 ± 57.5 ng/mL [CP], 69.9 ± 52.4 ng/mL [AIP] and 62.5 ± 48.3 ng/mL [controls]). Limiting the analysis to patients not using proton pump inhibitors (PPI), the CGA level of patients with PC or CP was not significantly different compared with the controls. Discriminant analysis revealed that the best cut‐off value of CGA to distinguish patients with pNET from the controls was 78.7 ng/mL, with a sensitivity and specificity of 53.6% and 78.6%, respectively. In patients with pNET, significant factors associating with elevated CGA levels were tumor classification, tumor size, and the presence of liver metastases in univariate analysis as well as PPI use and the presence of liver metastases in multivariate analysis. We show that CGA is a useful marker for diagnosing pNET in Japanese populations and for distinguishing patients with pNET from patients with other pancreatic diseases. The increased use of CGA in Japan will likely be a helpful tool in managing these patients, as found in the West.
Responsibility in Home–School Relations — Finnish Parents' Views
Authors: Böök Marja Leena , Perälä‐Littunen Satu
Published: September 2014

Finnish parents' views on responsibility in the home–school relations were explored. Responsibility was here understood as responsibility over education and upbringing. The data consist of semi‐structured interviews with 24 mothers and four fathers. In the home–school discourses, parents and teachers were often referred to as partners, and active parental involvement in school life was seen as a key to children's success. However, in some discourses teachers and parents were seen as polar opposites, e.g. teachers as experts — parents as laymen. Few references were made to children's responsibility.
Latitudinal gradients of genus richness and endemism and the diversification of New World bats
Authors: Arita Héctor T. , Vargas‐Barón Jimena , Villalobos Fabricio
Published: September 2014

Several hypotheses have been advanced for the origin and diversification of the bat fauna of the New World. Traditional models considered one of the families (Vespertilionidae) to have had a North American origin, whilst the diversification of other seven families was thought to have occurred in South America. Present‐day patterns of diversity are the result, according to these hypotheses, of the mixing of faunas, mostly coinciding with the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) of the Americas. Recent research has challenged the traditional model and has posited the possibility of dual centres of diversification (in South and North America) for families traditionally considered of strict South American origin. Here we examine the latitudinal patterns of bat diversity and endemism at the genus level and show that present‐day patterns are more consistent with this dual‐diversification hypothesis than with the traditional models. We document an asymmetrical latitudinal gradient of genus richness with a plateau near the equator, but with a decline in Central America and Mexico; however, in this area the relative number of genera, considering the species richness, is higher than expected by chance, as shown by a proper null model. The distribution and identity of endemic genera are consistent with models considering a North American origin for two of the families (Vespertilionidae and Natalidae), an early arrival to South America for another family (Molossidae), and a complex diversification process, involving two centres of diversification, for at least two of the families of the Noctilionoidea (Mormoopidae and Phyllostomidae) and possibly for the Emballonuridae. The recently identified Panamanian Realm (including southern Mexico and Central America) seems to have played a significant role in the diversification of New World bats.
Conservation paleobiology needs phylogenetic methods
Authors: Lawing A. Michelle , Matzke Nicholas J.
Published: September 2014

We address several central concerns of conservation paleobiology, namely, the inference of geographic ranges of ancestral and ancient species, the changes in geographic range under climate change, and the associated question of inferring the environmental preferences of ancestral lineages and how they have evolved over geological time. We will show why these questions might be crucial for making better projections of geographic range under future climate change scenarios, and for assessing such scenarios, as well as assessing comparisons between predicted and observed geographic ranges of ancient taxa. We review two major bodies of literature and modelling techniques, namely phylogenetic biogeography – the historical biogeography of lineage presence and absence in large, discrete regions, inferred on phylogenetic trees – and phylogenetic ancestral niche estimation, which utilizes phylogenetic comparative methods to understand temporal changes in species environmental niches and the resulting change in their geographic distributions due to niche evolution, geologic changes, and climatic changes. We suggest that many of the limitations in each of the currently available methods could be ameliorated by combining them, such that coarse‐scale biogeographic history, evolution of environmental niche preferences on a phylogenetic tree, the evolutionary model for these changes, and modern species' environmental niche models are all co‐estimated in formal joint inference framework. We acknowledge that this goal is extremely ambitious, but it is likely to have large payoffs, not just for conservation paleobiology but even for purely neobiological niche modelling studies that typically leave out information about phylogenetic relationship and historical biogeography, and thus, may often conflate several non‐environmental factors with the estimation of species' environmental niches.
The ins and outs of the evolutionary origin of teeth
Authors: Donoghue Philip C. J. , Rücklin Martin
Published: September 2014

The role of teeth and jaws, as innovations that underpinned the evolutionary success of living jawed vertebrates, is well understood, but their evolutionary origins are less clear. The origin of teeth, in particular, is mired in controversy with competing hypotheses advocating their origin in external dermal denticles (“outside‐in”) versus a de novo independent origin (“inside‐out”). No evidence has ever been presented demonstrating materially the traditional “outside‐in” theory of teeth evolving from dermal denticles, besides circumstantial evidence of a commonality of structure and organogenesis, and phylogenetic evidence that dermal denticles appear earlier in vertebrate phylogeny that do teeth. Meanwhile, evidence has mounted in support of “inside‐out” theory, through developmental studies that have indicated that endoderm is required for tooth development, and fossil studies that have shown that tooth‐like structures evolved before dermal denticles (conodont dental elements), that tooth replacement evolving before teeth (thelodont pharyngeal denticles), and that teeth evolved many times independently through co‐option of such structures. However, the foundations of “inside‐out” theory have been undermined fatally by critical reanalysis of the evidence on which it was based. Specifically, it has been shown that teeth develop from dermal, endodermal or mixed epithelia and, therefore, developmental distinctions between teeth and dermal denticles are diminished. Furthermore the odontode‐like structure of conodont elements has been shown to have evolved independently of dermal and internal odontodes. The tooth‐like replacement encountered in thelodont pharyngeal odontodes has been shown to have evolved independently of teeth and tooth replacement and teeth have been shown to have evolved late within the gnathostome stem lineage indicating that it is probable, if not definitive, that teeth evolved just once in gnathostome evolution. Thus, the “inside‐out” hypothesis must be rejected. The phylogenetic distribution of teeth and dermal denticles shows that these odontodes were expressed first in the dermal skeleton, but their topological distribution extended internally in association with oral, nasal and pharyngeal orifices, in a number of distinct evolutionary lineages. This suggests that teeth and oral and pharyngeal denticles emerged phylogenetically through extension of odontogenic competence from the external dermis to internal epithelia. Ultimately, internal and external odontodes appear to be distinct developmental modules in living jawed vertebrates, however, the evidence suggests that this distinction was not established until the evolution of jawed vertebrates, not merely gnathostomes.
Early‐life‐stress affects the homeostasis of glutamatergic synapses
Authors: Toya Syutaro , Takatsuru Yusuke , Kokubo Michifumi , Amano Izuki , Shimokawa Noriaki , Koibuchi Noriyuki
Published: September 2014

Early‐life stress induces several neuropsychological disorders in adulthood, including depression. Such disorders may be induced by functional alteration of the glutamatergic system. However, their underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully clarified. Furthermore, the involvement of glucocorticoids, which are representative stress hormones, has not yet been fully clarified. In this study, we used maternal deprivation (MD) mice as an early‐life‐stress model, and studied the changes in the glutamatergic system in adulthood. The glutamate concentration and neuronal activity in the somatosensory cortex (SSC) increased under basal conditions in MD mice. Stressful physical stimulation (SPS) increased the concentration of corticosterone, but not of glutamate, in the control mouse SSC. On the other hand, in the MD mice, although the basal concentration of corticosterone in the SSC increased, no SPS‐induced increase was observed. In contrast, the concentration of glutamate increased greatly during SPS. It was significantly high for 30 min after stimulation. The expression level of α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole‐4‐propionic acid/N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors in the MD mice was also changed compared with that in the control mice after stimulation. These findings indicate that early‐life stress disrupts the homeostasis of glutamatergic synapses.
Dementia and severity of parkinsonism determines the handicap of patients in late‐stage Parkinson's disease: the Barcelona−Lisbon cohort
Authors: Coelho M. , Marti M. J. , Sampaio C. , Ferreira J. J. , Valldeoriola F. , Rosa M. M. , Tolosa E.
Published: September 2014

Background and purpose

Handicap has not been explored as a patient‐centred outcome measure in Parkinson's disease (PD). The clinical features and medication use in late stages of PD (LS‐PD) were reported previously.

Methods

Handicap, medical conditions, use of healthcare resources and the impact of LS‐PD upon caregivers were characterized in a cross‐sectional study of LS‐PD stages 4 or 5 of Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y). Handicap was measured using the London Handicap Scale (LHS: 0, maximal handicap; 1, no handicap).

Results

The mean LHS score in 50 patients was 0.33 (SD ±0.15). The presence of dementia, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part I score and the H&Y stage in ‘off’ independently predicted the LHS score (adjusted R2 = 0.62; P = 0.000). Comorbidities and past medical conditions were frequent. Thirty‐five patients lived at their house. Forty‐five received unpaid care. Mean visits to the family doctor in the preceding 6 months were 2.2 (SD ±3.0) and to a neurologist 1.7 (SD ±1.0). Use of other health resources was low. Unpaid caregivers spent much time with patients and reported a high burden.

Conclusion

Handicap could be measured in LS‐PD and the LHS was easily completed by patients and caregivers. The high handicap in our cohort was mostly driven by the presence of dementia, behavioural complaints and the severity of non‐dopaminergic motor features. Patients visited doctors infrequently and made low use of health resources, whilst unpaid caregivers reported a high burden.
Bacterial soft tissue infection in psoriasis despite induction of epidermal antimicrobial peptides
Authors: Steinz Kirsten , Schubert Sabine , Harder Jürgen , Gerdes Sascha , Mrowietz Ulrich , Gläser Regine
Published: September 2014

Antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMP) are highly active molecules with a broad‐spectrum of microbicidal activity. Human beta‐defensins (hBD)‐2 and hBD‐3 were initially isolated from psoriatic‐scale extracts, and other AMP have been identified in high concentrations in psoriatic skin explaining the uncommonness of skin infections in these patients. When a 71‐year‐old male patient suffering from a mild form of psoriasis (Psoriasis Area Severity Index PASI 4.4) presented a soft tissue infection (erysipelas) surrounding a psoriatic plaque of the elbow, we asked whether a local deficiency of AMP could be the reason for this infection. A detailed analysis of the expression and secretion levels of different classes of AMP was conducted. Induction of AMP was clearly shown by immunohistochemistry as well as by ELISA performed using skin‐washing fluids. Therefore, other factors, for example deep penetrating injuries bypassing the keratinocyte innate defense system, must have caused the soft tissue infection.
Overexpression of Wnt5a in mouse epidermis causes no psoriasis phenotype but an impairment of hair follicle anagen development
Authors: Zhu Xuming , Wu Yumei , Huang Sixia , Chen Yingwei , Tao Yixin , Wang Yushu , He Shigang , Shen Sanbing , Wu Ji , Guo Xizhi , Li Baojie , He Lin , Ma Gang
Published: September 2014

Increased Wnt5a expression has been observed in psoriatic plaques. However, whether Wnt5a overexpression directly causes psoriasis is unknown. In this study, we generated transgenic (TG) mice with epidermal Wnt5a overexpression under the control of the human K14 promoter. The skin of Wnt5a TG mice was not psoriatic, but characterized with normal proliferation and homeostasis of epidermis. Instead, these TG mice displayed impaired hair follicle transition from telogen to anagen, most likely due to impaired canonical Wnt signalling. These results suggest that increased Wnt5a expression alone is inadequate to induce psoriasis in the skin and possible involvement of Wnt5a in hair follicle cycling.
Combining confocal Raman microscopy and freeze‐drying for quantification of substance penetration into human skin
Authors: Franzen Lutz , Anderski Juliane , Planz Viktoria , Kostka Karl‐Heinz , Windbergs Maike
Published: September 2014

In the area of dermatological research, the knowledge of rate and extent of substance penetration into the human skin is essential not only for evaluation of therapeutics, but also for risk assessment of chemicals and cosmetic ingredients. Recently, confocal Raman microscopy emerged as a novel analytical technique for analysis of substance skin penetration. In contrast to destructive drug extraction and quantification, the technique is non‐destructive and provides high spatial resolution in three dimensions. However, the generation of time‐resolved concentration depth profiles is restrained by ongoing diffusion of the penetrating substance during analysis. To prevent that, substance diffusion in excised human skin can instantly be stopped at defined time points by freeze‐drying the sample. Thus, combining sample preparation by freeze‐drying with drug quantification by confocal Raman microscopy yields a novel analytical platform for non‐invasive and quantitative in vitro analysis of substance skin penetration. This work presents the first proof‐of‐concept study for non‐invasive quantitative substance depth profiling in freeze‐dried excised human stratum corneum by confocal Raman microscopy.
A novel TMEM16A splice variant lacking the dimerization domain contributes to calcium‐activated chloride secretion in human sweat gland epithelial cells
Authors: Ertongur‐Fauth Torsten , Hochheimer Andreas , Buescher Joerg Martin , Rapprich Stefan , Krohn Michael
Published: September 2014

Sweating is an important physiological process to regulate body temperature in humans, and various disorders are associated with dysregulated sweat formation. Primary sweat secretion in human eccrine sweat glands involves Ca2+‐activated Cl− channels (CaCC). Recently, members of the TMEM16 family were identified as CaCCs in various secretory epithelia; however, their molecular identity in sweat glands remained elusive. Here, we investigated the function of TMEM16A in sweat glands. Gene expression analysis revealed that TMEM16A is expressed in human NCL‐SG3 sweat gland cells as well as in isolated human eccrine sweat gland biopsy samples. Sweat gland cells express several previously described TMEM16A splice variants, as well as one novel splice variant, TMEM16A(acΔe3) lacking the TMEM16A‐dimerization domain. Chloride flux assays using halide‐sensitive YFP revealed that TMEM16A is functionally involved in Ca2+‐dependent Cl− secretion in NCL‐SG3 cells. Recombinant expression in NCL‐SG3 cells showed that TMEM16A(acΔe3) is forming a functional CaCC, with basal and Ca2+‐activated Cl− permeability distinct from canonical TMEM16A(ac). Our results suggest that various TMEM16A isoforms contribute to sweat gland‐specific Cl− secretion providing opportunities to develop sweat gland‐specific therapeutics for treatment of sweating disorders.
Gains of DNA methylation in myeloid terminal differentiation are dispensable for gene silencing but influence the differentiated phenotype
Authors: Vento‐Tormo Roser , Álvarez‐Errico Damiana , Rodríguez‐Ubreva Javier , Ballestar Esteban
Published: September 2014

DNA methylation‐mediated regulation drives and stabilizes transcription states throughout development. In myeloid differentiation, DNA methylation changes occur predominantly in the direction towards hypomethylation. Also, in vitro differentiation of monocytes to dendritic cells and macrophages is characterized by DNA demethylation. In this study, we identified the existence of methylation changes in the direction of hypermethylation among genes that become repressed during monocyte‐to‐dendritic cell differentiation. We identified the acquisition of DNA methylation in genes such as CSF3R, FYN, and CX3CR1, but not in others, such as CD14. Analysis of the dynamics of methylation and expression changes of these genes revealed that loss of expression was rapid and was associated with the loss of H3K4me3 and H3K36me3, whereas gains of DNA methylation were progressive and partially concomitant with increases in H3K9me3 and H3K27me3. Inhibition of DNA methyltransferases, with the DNA replication‐independent drug nanaomycin A, revealed that there were no effects on expression and H3K4me3 changes, despite the partial impairment of DNA methylation and H3K27me3 acquisition. However, cells treated with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor showed lower levels of dendritic cell surface markers, suggesting a potential effect on the stability of the differentiated phenotype. Our data give rise to a novel perspective on the functional relevance and mechanisms of the acquisition of DNA methylation in myeloid cell differentiation.
Evolutionary analysis of multidrug resistance genes in fungi – impact of gene duplication and family conservation
Authors: Gossani Cristiani , Bellieny‐Rabelo Daniel , Venancio Thiago M.
Published: September 2014

Although the emergence of bacterial drug resistance is of great concern to the scientific community, few studies have evaluated this phenomenon systematically in fungi by using genome‐wide datasets. In the present study, we assembled a large compendium of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chemical genetic data to study the evolution of multidrug resistance genes (MDRs) in the fungal lineage. We found that MDRs typically emerge in widely conserved families, most of which containing homologs from pathogenic fungi, such as Candida albicans and Coccidioides immitis, which could favor the evolution of drug resistance in those species. By integrating data from chemical genetics with protein family conservation, genetic and protein interactions, we found that gene families rarely have more than one MDR, indicating that paralogs evolve asymmetrically with regard to multidrug resistance roles. Furthermore, MDRs have more genetic and protein interaction partners than non‐MDRs, supporting their participation in complex biochemical systems underlying the tolerance to multiple bioactive molecules. MDRs share more chemical genetic interactions with other MDRs than with non‐MDRs, regardless of their evolutionary affinity. These results suggest the existence of an intricate system involved in the global drug tolerance phenotypes. Finally, MDRs are more likely to be hit repeatedly by mutations in laboratory evolution experiments, indicating that they have great adaptive potential. The results presented here not only reveal the main genomic features underlying the evolution of MDRs, but also shed light on the gene families from which drug resistance is more likely to emerge in fungi.
X‐box binding protein 1 is a novel key regulator of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ2
Authors: Cho Yoon Mi , Kwak Su‐Nam , Joo Nam‐Seok , Kim Dae Hun , Lee Ann‐Hwee , Kim Kyung‐Soo , Seo Jong Bae , Jeong Seong‐Whan , Kwon Oh‐Joo
Published: September 2014

X‐box binding protein 1 (XBP1), a transcription factor of the unfolded protein response, plays various roles in many biological processes. We examined its pro‐adipogenic activity and target genes during adipogenic differentiation in wild‐type and genetically modified 3T3‐L1 cells. Signalling pathways that contribute to Xbp1 mRNA splicing, and the correlation of the transcriptionally active XBP1 isoform (XBP1s) level with body mass index and the level of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ2 (PPARγ2) in human adipose tissues were also examined. The mRNA and nuclear protein expression levels of XBP1s increased immediately following hormonal induction of adipogenesis, reaching a peak at 6 h. Results from cDNA microarray and gene expression analyses using genetically modified cells indicated that PPARγ2 was a principal target of XBP1s. The XBP1s‐specific binding motif, which is distinct from the CCAAT/enhancer‐binding protein α binding site, was identified in the PPARγ2 promoter by site‐directed mutagenesis. Fetal bovine serum, insulin, 3‐isobutyl‐1‐methylxanthine and dexamethasone contributed independently to Xbp1 mRNA splicing. In human subcutaneous adipose tissues, the levels of both Xbp1s and Pparγ2 mRNA increased proportionally with body mass index, and there was a significant positive correlation between the two genes. These data suggest for the first time that positive regulation of PPARγ2 is a principal mechanism of XBP1s‐mediated adipogenesis in 3T3‐L1 cells.
Spawning distribution and abundance of a northern Chinook salmon population
Authors: Sethi S. A. , Tanner T.
Published: September 2014

Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), is an important biological and cultural resource in Alaska, but knowledge about Chinook salmon ecology is limited in many regions. From 2009 to 2012, spawning distribution and abundance of a northern Chinook salmon population on the Togiak River in south‐west Alaska were assessed. Chinook salmon preferred deeper mainstem channel spawning habitat, with 12% (14 of 118 tags in 2009) to 21% (22 of 106 tags in 2012) of radio‐tagged fish spawning in smaller order tributaries. Tributary spawners tended to have earlier run timing than mainstem spawners. Chinook salmon exhibited extended holding and backout (entering freshwater but returning to saltwater before completing anadromous migration) behaviours near the mouth of Togiak River, potentially prolonging their exposure to fishery harvest. Mark–recapture total annual run estimates (2010–2012) ranged from 11 240 (2011) to 18 299 (2012) fish. Exploitation of Chinook salmon ranged from 36% (2012) to 55% (2011) during the study period, with incidental fishery catches near the mouth of the river comprising the largest source of harvest.
Declines in the energy content of yearling non‐native alewife associated with lower food web changes in Lake Michigan
Authors: Pothoven S. A. , Fahnenstiel G. L.
Published: September 2014

Juveniles of non‐native alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson), were collected in Lake Michigan in 1998, 1999, 2010, 2011 and 2013 to evaluate changes in energy content during a period of major ecosystem changes. Consistent with historical data, energy content of yearling alewife declined from late winter into late spring and was at its lowest point in June. Energy density and length‐adjusted, entire‐body energy were lower in 2010, 2011 and 2013 than in 1998 and 1999. Energy losses over the first winter in the lake were more severe for the 2010 year class (56% decrease) than for the 1998 year class (28% decrease). Alewife diets in late spring of 2010–2013 reflected the loss of major prey such as Diporeia spp. and a shift towards lower energy prey. The recent decline in energy content of yearling alewife can be linked to recent changes in productivity and abundance of key components of the lower food web of Lake Michigan following the dreissenid invasion.
Plant diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality peak at intermediate levels of woody cover in global drylands
Authors: Soliveres Santiago , Maestre Fernando T. , Eldridge David J. , Delgado‐Baquerizo Manuel , Quero José Luis , Bowker Matthew A. , Gallardo Antonio
Published: September 2014

Aim

The global spread of woody plants into grasslands is predicted to increase over the coming century. While there is general agreement regarding the anthropogenic causes of this phenomenon, its ecological consequences are less certain. We analysed how woody vegetation of differing cover affects plant diversity (richness and evenness) and the surrogates of multiple ecosystem processes (multifunctionality) in global drylands, and how these change with aridity.

Location

Two hundred and twenty‐four dryland sites from all continents except Antarctica, widely differing in their environmental conditions (from arid to dry‐subhumid sites) and relative woody cover (from 0 to 100%).

Methods

Using a standardized field survey, we measured the cover, richness and evenness of perennial vegetation. At each site, we measured 14 soil variables related to fertility and the build‐up of nutrient pools. These variables are critical for maintaining ecosystem functioning in drylands.

Results

Species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality were strongly related to woody vegetation, with both variables peaking at a relative woody cover (RWC) of 41–60%. This relationship shifted with aridity. We observed linear positive effects of RWC in dry‐subhumid sites. These positive trends shifted to hump‐shaped RWC–diversity and multifunctionality relationships under semi‐arid environments. Finally, hump‐shaped (richness, evenness) or linear negative (multifunctionality) effects of RWC were found under the most arid conditions.

Main conclusions

Plant diversity and multifunctionality peaked at intermediate levels of woody cover, although this relationship became increasingly positive in wetter environments. This comprehensive study accounts for multiple ecosystem attributes across a range of levels of woody cover and environmental conditions. Our results help us to reconcile contrasting views of woody encroachment found in the current literature and can be used to improve predictions of the likely effects of encroachment on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Reassessing global change research priorities in mediterranean terrestrial ecosystems: how far have we come and where do we go from here?
Authors: Doblas‐Miranda E. , Martínez‐Vilalta J. , Lloret F. , Álvarez A. , Ávila A. , Bonet F. J. , Brotons L. , Castro J. , Curiel Yuste J. , Díaz M. , Ferrandis P. , García‐Hurtado E. , Iriondo J. M. , Keenan T. F. , Latron J. , Llusià J. , Loepfe L. , Mayol M. , Moré G. , Moya D. , Peñuelas J. , Pons X. , Poyatos R. , Sardans J. , Sus O. , Vallejo V. R. , Vayreda J. , Retana J.
Published: September 2014

Aim

Mediterranean terrestrial ecosystems serve as reference laboratories for the investigation of global change because of their transitional climate, the high spatiotemporal variability of their environmental conditions, a rich and unique biodiversity and a wide range of socio‐economic conditions. As scientific development and environmental pressures increase, it is increasingly necessary to evaluate recent progress and to challenge research priorities in the face of global change.

Location

Mediterranean terrestrial ecosystems.

Methods

This article revisits the research priorities proposed in a 1998 assessment.

Results

A new set of research priorities is proposed: (1) to establish the role of the landscape mosaic on fire‐spread; (2) to further research the combined effect of different drivers on pest expansion; (3) to address the interaction between drivers of global change and recent forest management practices; (4) to obtain more realistic information on the impacts of global change and ecosystem services; (5) to assess forest mortality events associated with climatic extremes; (6) to focus global change research on identifying and managing vulnerable areas; (7) to use the functional traits concept to study resilience after disturbance; (8) to study the relationship between genotypic and phenotypic diversity as a source of forest resilience; (9) to understand the balance betweenCstorage and water resources; (10) to analyse the interplay between landscape‐scale processes and biodiversity conservation; (11) to refine models by including interactions between drivers and socio‐economic contexts; (12) to understand forest–atmosphere feedbacks; (13) to represent key mechanisms linking plant hydraulics with landscape hydrology.

Main conclusions

(1) The interactive nature of different global change drivers remains poorly understood. (2) There is a critical need for the rapid development of regional‐ and global‐scale models that are more tightly connected with large‐scale experiments, data networks and management practice. (3) More attention should be directed to drought‐related forest decline and the current relevance of historical land use.
Vulnerability of biodiversity hotspots to global change
Authors: Bellard Céline , Leclerc Camille , Leroy Boris , Bakkenes Michel , Veloz Samuel , Thuiller Wilfried , Courchamp Franck
Published: September 2014

Aim

Global changes are predicted to have severe consequences for biodiversity; 34 biodiversity hotspots have become international priorities for conservation, with important efforts allocated to their preservation, but the potential effects of global changes on hotspots have so far received relatively little attention. We investigate whether hotspots are quantitatively and qualitatively threatened to the same order of magnitude by the combined effects of global changes.

Location

Worldwide, in 34 biodiversity hotspots.

Methods

We quantify (1) the exposure of hotspots to climate change, by estimating the novelty of future climates and the disappearance of extant climates using climate dissimilarity analyses, (2) each hotspot's vulnerability to land modification and degradation by quantifying changes in land‐cover variables over the entire habitat, and (3) the future suitability of distribution ranges of ‘100 of the world's worst invasive alien species’, by characterizing the combined effects of climate and land‐use changes on the future distribution ranges of these species.

Results

Our findings show that hotspots may experience an average loss of 31% of their area under analogue climate, with some hotspots more affected than others (e.g. Polynesia–Micronesia). The greatest climate change was projected in low‐latitude hotspots. The hotspots were on average suitable for 17% of the considered invasive species. Hotspots that are mainly islands or groups of islands were disproportionally suitable for a high number of invasive species both currently and in the future. We also showed that hotspots will increase their area of pasture in the future. Finally, combining the three threats, we identified the Atlantic forest, Cape Floristic Region and Polynesia–Micronesia as particularly vulnerable to global changes.

Main conclusions

Given our estimates of hotspot vulnerability to changes, close monitoring is now required to evaluate the biodiversity responses to future changes and to test our projections against observations.
Environmental niche modelling fails to predict Last Glacial Maximum refugia: niche shifts, microrefugia or incorrect palaeoclimate estimates?
Authors: Worth James R. P. , Williamson Grant J. , Sakaguchi Shota , Nevill Paul G. , Jordan Greg J.
Published: September 2014

Aim

Many predictions of responses to future climate change utilize ecological niche models (ENMs). We assess the capacity of these models to predict species distributions under conditions that differ from the current environment by testing whether they can predict past distributions of species.

Location

From 43° S to 31° S in south‐eastern Australia (including Tasmania).

Methods

We studied three dominant tree species of temperate Australian mesic forests, Atherosperma moschatum, Eucalyptus regnans and Nothofagus cunninghamii. Phylogeographic evidence indicates that these species each survived the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in multiple refugia. We modelled the current distribution of each species and projected those models onto LGM climates under six palaeoclimatic scenarios. The support for phylogeographic‐based glacial refugia was estimated under each scenario using three different thresholds for inferring species presence/absence.

Results

The LGM models under scenarios that allowed for a realistic level of rainfall failed to predict survival of the study species in refugia identified from genetic evidence, apart from those in perhumid western Tasmania.

Main conclusions

Correct prediction of nearly all modern occurrences of the species suggests that this failure of ENMs to predict refugial survival was not methodological. Rather we conclude that the existing realized niches of these species may have changed since the LGM. Such niche changes may have involved the occurrence of non‐analogue climates in the LGM and some significant alteration of fundamental niche (for at least E. regnans). Our results emphasize that predictions of future impacts of climate change on biodiversity will benefit from awareness of the limitations of ENMs in predicting the extinction of populations/species. Greater knowledge of how niches have changed through time and how this relates to the characteristics of species is needed to improve the reliability of ENMs. Niche changes in plants may also affect palaeoclimatic estimates based on fossil pollen.
Beyond “The Ecological Indian” and “Virgin Soil Epidemics”: New Perspectives on Native Americans and the Environment
Authors: Rice James D.
Published: September 2014

Indians figured prominently in many of the now‐classic works that helped to define the burgeoning new field of environmental history during the 1970s and 1980s. Although a great deal of new and interesting work on Native Americans and the environment has been conducted since 1990, most of it has been produced not by scholars who think of themselves as environmental historians, but rather by archaeologists, anthropologists, historians of Native Americans, and Native people themselves. This essay surveys this new, multidisciplinary literature, and suggests some ways in which non‐specialists, and particularly environmental historians, might fruitfully engage with it.
Nanometre‐scale investigations by atomic force microscopy into the effect of different treatments on the surface structure of hair
Authors: Durkan C. , Wang N.
Published: September 2014

Synopsis

Objective

To investigate the effect of different washing regimes on the surface of human hair at the nanometre scale – comparable to the size of typical deposits left behind by commercial products.

Methods

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and related techniques.

Results

It can be directly seen that washing hair using commercial hair care products removes deposits that naturally form on the shaft, revealing the underlying structure of the hair, whereas in many cases leaving new deposits behind. The spatial distribution of these deposits is explored and quantified. The spatial distribution of the surface charge of pristine hair is mapped, and the electrical screening effect of deposits is directly observed. We also show that the roughness of the treated hair depends directly on the type of product used, with a marked difference between shampoo and conditioner. Some products leave isolated deposits behind, whereas others leave layers of material behind which wet the hair surface.

Conclusion

Atomic force microscopy and the related techniques we have employed in a forensic approach is able to distinguish between different hair care products on the basis of the deposits they leave behind. This opens up the capability of further analysis tools to complement already existing techniques.
Development of active chitosan films incorporating potassium sorbate or vanillin to extend the shelf life of butter cake
Authors: Sangsuwan Jurmkwan , Rattanapanone Nithiya , Pongsirikul Israpong
Published: September 2014

Active film from chitosan was developed by adding potassium sorbate or vanillin as antimicrobial agents. The addition of potassium sorbate in the film's formula resulted in less transparency, lower strength, water permeability, while increased flexibility and oxygen permeability. Addition of vanillin in film resulted in more yellow of film colour, lower film's strength and permeability. After that, all films were used to wrap around butter cake. The inhibitory effect of film against mould was studied using commercial stretch film as control. Mould was observed on cake wrapped by stretch film and chitosan film on day 4 and 7, respectively, while mould was not observed on cake wrapped by chitosan film containing potassium sorbate or vanillin during 8‐day storage which agreed with the amount of mould enumeration on PDA. The quality of cake during storage at room temperature was also studied. Cake wrapped with film containing vanillin became more yellow. The sensory of all cake treatments were acceptable.
Trends in Functional and Activity Limitations among Chinese Oldest‐Old, 1998 to 2008
Authors: Martin Linda G. , Feng Qiushi , Schoeni Robert F. , Zeng Yi
Published: September 2014

China has the world's largest oldest‐old population, but information on trends in late‐life disability is lacking. We use data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey for 1998 to 2008 to determine whether prevalence of limitations with physical functions and daily activities has changed recently among the Chinese population aged 80 to 105 and, if so, to investigate the factors associated with the change. We find that prevalence of need for assistance with activities of daily living and inability to independently conduct instrumental activities of daily living declined substantially. Males did not experience improvement in ability to carry out underlying physical functions over the same period, but females did. Variables associated with trends in one or more of these outcomes were adequacy of medical care as a child, childhood hunger, father's occupation in agriculture, main occupation before age 60 in agriculture, adequacy of current medical care, and body weight.
Role of Green Governance in Achieving Sustainable Urbanization in China
Authors: Fay Marianne , Wang Jin‐zhao , Draugelis Gailius , Deichmann Uwe
Published: September 2014

Since economic reforms began in 1978, China's urban population has increased by half a billion. Over the next 20 years, cities will likely add another 300 million people through local population growth, migration and the integration of nearby rural areas. Cities account for the majority of resource use and pollution so achieving greener growth will depend on developing and implementing a more sustainable urbanization model. China's leaders have responded to these challenges with ambitious goals and comprehensive environmental laws and regulations. These have so far not significantly reduced the harm from air, water and soil pollution: in large measure because China's green governance does not match its green ambitions. Drawing on the World Bank's work on green growth and a recent joint urbanization study by the Development Research Center of China's State Council and the World Bank, this paper reviews recent academic research on green governance in urban China and discusses its main implications in the context of emerging global green growth concepts.
Validated Prediction of the Strength Size Effect in Polycrystalline Silicon Using the Three‐Parameter Weibull Function
Authors: Saleh Mohamed E. , Beuth Jack L. , de Boer Maarten P.
Published: September 2014

It has recently been shown that a three‐parameter Weibull function with a large threshold strength of ≈2 GPa is needed to accurately describe the failure strength statistics of micromachined polycrystalline silicon samples. Here, we explore how to apply this function to predict strength size effects over a size range of 100. A two‐parameter function is unsatisfactory in predicting the size effect. If a three‐parameter Weibull fit to only the largest specimen is used, the prediction also does not satisfactorily agree with strength data in smaller specimens. The prediction is greatly improved if the two largest specimens, a factor of 10 different in size, are used for fitting. It is further demonstrated that the threshold strength depends on geometry in notched samples due to their large stress gradients.
The influence of geological history on diversification in insular species: genetic and morphological patterns of Micromeria Benth. (Lamiaceae) in Tenerife (Canary archipelago)
Authors: Puppo Pamela , Curto Manuel , Velo‐Antón Guillermo , Pérez de Paz Pedro Luis , Meimberg Harald
Published: September 2014

Aim

Using phylogenetic and morphometric approaches, our study aims to understand the diversification process of the two groups of Micromeria species in Tenerife: the species restricted to the palaeoislands, and the species widely distributed in the younger part of the island.

Location

Tenerife, Canary Islands.

Methods

We calculated a calibrated phylogeny and a Neighbor‐Net network based on eight nuclear loci from 37 samples: 22 of the 8 species currently recognized in Tenerife, and 15 of their closest relatives occurring in neighbouring islands and continental populations. We performed a principal components analysis (PCA) of 27 morphological characters from 54 specimens sampled from Tenerife.

Results

Our phylogeny showed that the species from Tenerife can be subdivided into three main clades: one composed of the species inhabiting the palaeoisland of Anaga (M. teneriffae, M. glomerata and M. rivas‐martinezii); another composed of the species present in the palaeoisland of Teno (M. densiflora); and a third group that includes all the central species (M. hyssopifolia, M. varia, M. lachnophylla and M. lasiophylla). Morphometric analyses indicated two main groups corresponding to the palaeoisland species and the central ones.

Main conclusions

Our study points to a relationship between the diversification in Micromeria and the geological history of Tenerife. We conclude that Micromeria first arrived in Anaga where it diversified, subsequently colonized Teno and from there occupied the central part, presumably after the formation of the Teide volcano. The species of Micromeria in Tenerife constitute an interesting example of how species diversification on oceanic islands can be shaped by the island's geological history, which probably contributed to the high levels of endemism on Tenerife.
Pleistocene survival, regional genetic structure and interspecific gene flow among three northern peat‐mosses: Sphagnum inexspectatum, S. orientale and S. miyabeanum
Authors: Shaw A. Jonathan , Shaw Blanka , Stenøien Hans K. , Golinski G. Karen , Hassel Kristian , Flatberg Kjell Ivar
Published: September 2014

Aim

Arctic plant species are often characterized by a complex genetic structure because of changes in their population size, the fragmentation of metapopulation systems, extensive hybridization and allopolyploidization, and survival in disjunct refugia, historical features associated with Pleistocene glaciation. We assessed the biogeographical and genetic patterns in three closely related northern species of peat‐moss (Sphagnum inexspectatum, S. orientale and S. miyabeanum), especially interspecific hybridization, infraspecific geographical differentiation and Pleistocene survival in one or more refugial areas. We tested alternative hypotheses of refugial survival in three widely disjunct regions: eastern Asia, Alaska and Greenland.

Location

North America (Canada, western USA and Greenland), China, Japan and Russia.

Methods

Four hundred and forty‐three plants were genotyped at 12 microsatellite loci. Nucleotide sequences from 130 accessions for two plastid and two nuclear loci were used to reconstruct haplotype relationships. Population genetic analyses produced estimates of genetic diversity, levels of interspecific gene flow and rates of infraspecific intercontinental migration. Approximate Bayesian computation was used to test alternative biogeographical scenarios.

Results

We found evidence of hybridization between two of the three species, but phylogenetic patterns are predominantly divergent rather than reticulate. Disjunct populations of one species, S. orientale, in Greenland, Alaska and China are genetically differentiated, but migration has occurred among all three metapopulation systems. Divergence‐time analyses strongly support the hypothesis that S. orientale survived the Last Glacial Maximum in Beringia and also in Greenland.

Main conclusions

Our results indicate that Beringia served as a refugium for peat‐mosses, and therefore peatlands, which are currently extensive at high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Sphagnum orientale also appears to have survived the Last Glacial Maximum in Greenland, indicating that the species persisted in multiple Pleistocene refugia. Phylogenetic patterns are relatively simple in these mosses compared with those commonly encountered in Arctic angiosperms.