bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecological effects of fear: How spatiotemporal heterogeneity in predation risk influences mule deer access to forage in a sky‐island system
Authors: Lowrey Christopher , Longshore Kathleen M. , Choate David M. , Nagol Jyoteshwar R. , Sexton Joseph , Thompson Daniel
Published: June 2019

Forage availability and predation risk interact to affect habitat use of ungulates across many biomes. Within sky‐island habitats of the Mojave Desert, increased availability of diverse forage and cover may provide ungulates with unique opportunities to extend nutrient uptake and/or to mitigate predation risk. We addressed whether habitat use and foraging patterns of female mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) responded to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), NDVI rate of change (green‐up), or the occurrence of cougars (Puma concolor). Female mule deer used available green‐up primarily in spring, although growing vegetation was available during other seasons. Mule deer and cougar shared similar habitat all year, and our models indicated cougars had a consistent, negative effect on mule deer access to growing vegetation, particularly in summer when cougar occurrence became concentrated at higher elevations. A seemingly late parturition date coincided with diminishing NDVI during the lactation period. Sky‐island populations, rarely studied, provide the opportunity to determine how mule deer respond to growing foliage along steep elevation and vegetation gradients when trapped with their predators and seasonally limited by aridity. Our findings indicate that fear of predation may restrict access to the forage resources found in sky islands.
Synchronizing conservation to seasonal wetland hydrology and waterbird migration in semi‐arid landscapes
Authors: Donnelly J. Patrick , Naugle David E. , Collins Daniel P. , Dugger Bruce D. , Allred Brady W. , Tack Jason D. , Dreitz Victoria J.
Published: June 2019

In semi‐arid ecosystems, timing and availability of water is a key uncertainty associated with conservation planning for wetland‐dependent wildlife. Wetlands compose only 1–3% of these landscapes; however, large populations of migratory waterbirds rely on these wetlands to support energetically demanding life history events such as breeding and migration. Migration is considered a crucial period for birds associated with individual survival and reproductive success, yet our understanding of migration ecology remains limited. To better inform conservation planning supportive of these demands, we quantified synchrony of wetland flooding and waterbird migration by reconstructing bi‐monthly surface water patterns from 1984 to 2015 across 11.4 million ha of the semi‐arid Great Basin, USA. Results were then linked to seasonal migration chronologies for seven dabbling ducks species. Seasonal patterns were used in landscape planning simulations to assess efficiency in conservation strategies that aligned temporally sensitive wetland flooding and species migration. Wetland data were combined with land tenure to evaluate periodicity in waterfowl reliance on public and private lands. We found migration chronologies misaligned with wetland flooding. In spring, half (43–59%) to three‐quarters (68–74%) of seasonal wetlands were flooded and available to early‐ and late‐migrating species while seasonal drying restricted wetland flooding to 13–20% of sites during fall migration. Simulations showed wetland conservation inconsiderate of temporal availability was only 67–75% efficient in meeting waterfowl habitat goals on private lands that made up ~70% of flooded wetland area in spring. Private–public wetland flooding was equivalent during fall migration. Accounting for spatiotemporal patterns of wetland flooding is imperative to improving efficiencies linked to migratory bird conservation. Timing of public–private wetland flooding, demonstrated by our models, provides landscape context that emphasized a joint role in supporting migratory waterbird habitat. Integrated management scenarios may capitalize on public lands’ flexibility to expand fall flooding to offset seasonal drying on private lands while targeted incentive‐based conservation assures private wetland flooding in spring. Such scenarios illustrate benefits of holistic public–private wetlands management representing a forward‐looking alternative that aligns conservation with forecasts of increasing water scarcity.
Congruence between future distribution models and empirical data for an iconic species at Joshua Tree National Park
Authors: Sweet Lynn C. , Green Tyler , Heintz James G. C. , Frakes Neil , Graver Nicolas , Rangitsch Jeff S. , Rodgers Jane E. , Heacox Scott , Barrows Cameron W.
Published: June 2019

U.S. national parks protect a natural heritage of global significance; those parks, especially those in the arid southwest, are threatened by climate change. Identifying climate refugia within our national parks using not only statistical models, but also validating predictions using robust field data should provide focus for managers in their stewardship of parks’ biological resources. In the region surrounding Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP), which straddles the Colorado and Mojave deserts in southern California, previous research has predicted the widespread demise of its namesake iconic species, the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) due to climate change. In order to assess whether climate refugia exist for Joshua trees in the future at JTNP, we employed both field measurements and statistical models. We used current distribution point data together with historic climate data, to match conditions when the existing Joshua trees established, in order to predict the distribution of continuously suitable conditions (refugia) at the end‐of‐century. While the high and moderate mitigation could result in refugia for approximately 19% and 14% of the original area within JTNP, respectively, the business‐as‐usual scenario indicated an almost complete elimination of Joshua trees from the park. In order to validate model predictions, using teams of community scientists, we measured the demographic patterns of Joshua tree stands from low to upper elevations within JTNP. Recruitment within stands shows a strong concordance with modeled climate refugia; high‐recruiting stands were within or closer to modeled refugia and in areas with lower climatic water deficit, higher precipitation, and lower maximum temperature than low‐recruiting stands. These findings most importantly indicate the importance of regional to global mitigation strategies for carbon emissions, as reflected in the difference between maintenance of refugia vs. an almost complete elimination of the species from the park by the end‐of‐century. This also underscores the need to protect areas predicted to support refugia from multiple management threats. Rather than an ominous prediction of extinction, climate refugia provide land stewards with targets for focusing protective management, giving desert biodiversity places to weather the future.
Effects of native bryophytes on exotic grass invasion across an environmental gradient
Authors: Kleinhesselink Andrew R. , Cushman J. Hall
Published: June 2019

Understanding the role of native biodiversity in controlling exotic species invasion is a critical goal in ecology. In terrestrial plant communities, most research has focused on the effects of native vascular plants on invasion by exotic vascular plants. However, in many ecosystems, native bryophytes and other non‐vascular plants are common and can affect the establishment, survival, and growth of vascular plants. A more complete picture of how native biodiversity affects exotic plant invasion demands that more studies measure the effects of native bryophytes on exotic vascular plants. Moreover, there is growing realization that the effects of native species on invaders can range from negative to positive and that a complete picture of interactions between native and exotic plants requires measuring interactions in multiple environments. We used both observational and experimental studies to quantify the effects of native bryophytes on vascular plants along a 200‐m environmental gradient in a coastal dune in northern California. We found a positive association between vascular plants and bryophytes across the environmental gradient. Our experiments with two exotic annual grass species showed the effects of bryophytes to be species‐specific and to vary with environmental context. Bryophytes facilitated the survival of one exotic grass species, Vulpia bromoides, at both ends of the environmental gradient. Bryophytes reduced the survival and inflorescence production of the other exotic grass, Bromus diandrus, at one end of the environmental gradient and had no effect at the other end. Our findings provide a test of the effects of native bryophytes on exotic vascular plant invasion and show that these effects can vary dramatically even across local environmental gradients.
Cryptic dispersal networks shape biodiversity in an invaded landscape
Authors: Germain Rachel M. , Jones Natalie T. , Grainger Tess Nahanni
Published: June 2019

Species interact with the physical world in complex ways, and life‐history strategies could cause species to differ in how they experience the connectedness of the same landscape. As a consequence, dispersal limitation might be present but not captured by distance‐based measures of connectivity. To test these ideas, we surveyed plant communities that live on discrete patches of serpentine habitat embedded within an invaded nonserpentine habitat matrix. Species in these communities differ in dispersal mode (gravity, animal, or wind); thus we used satellite imagery to quantify landscape features that might differentially influence connectivity for some dispersal‐ mode groups over others (surface streams, animal paths). Our data yielded two key insights: first, dispersal limitation appeared to be absent using a conventional distance‐based measure of connectivity, but emerged after considering forms of landscape connectivity relevant to each dispersal mode. Second, the landscape variables that emerged as most important to each dispersal mode were generally consistent with our predictions based on species’ putative dispersal vectors, but also included unexpected interactive effects. For example, the richness of animal‐dispersed species was positively associated with animal connectivity when patches were close in space, but when patches were isolated, animals had a strong negative effect. This finding alludes to the reduced ability of animals to disperse seeds between suitable patches in invaded landscapes because of increased inter‐patch distances. Real landscapes include complex spatial flows of energy and matter, which, as our work demonstrates, sets up ecological opportunity for organisms to differ in how they disperse in a common landscape.
Punching above their weight: the ecological and social benefits of pop‐up parks
Authors: Mata Luis , Garrard Georgia E , Fidler Fiona , Ives Christopher D , Maller Cecily , Wilson Joab , Thomas Freya , Bekessy Sarah A
Published: June 2019

Current global enthusiasm for urban greening and bringing nature back into cities is unprecedented. Evidence of the socioecological benefits of large, permanent greenspaces is mounting, but the collective potential for pop‐up parks (PUPs) – small, temporary greenspaces – to augment urban ecosystem services is unknown. To showcase the potential of PUPs, we first highlight a case study demonstrating how PUPs may enhance biodiversity in a densely urbanized area; we then review evidence linking the design of small greenspaces with positive social outcomes, including benefits to human well‐being. Finally, we emphasize how PUPs can function as socioecological laboratories to help inform urban design, and then propose a research agenda to better understand how PUPs may be optimally designed to provide benefits to humans and other species.
Endoscopic transoral parathyroidectomy: Initial experience
Authors: Hurtado‐López Luis‐Mauricio , Gutiérrez‐Román Sandra‐Haydee , Basurto‐Kuba Erich , Luna‐Ortiz Kuauhyama
Published: June 2019

Background

We evaluate our initial experience of transoral vestibular approach parathyroidectomy (TOEPVA) for the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism.

Methods

We conducted a prospective study of patients with single parathyroid adenoma, using TOEPVA to perform the parathyroidectomy. The variables we analyzed were size, volume, and location of the adenoma, bleeding, identification, and preservation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, injury to the mental nerve, and the effective cure rate, using measures of central tendency.

Results

Our study included 21 women, with an average age of 43 years. The recurrent laryngeal nerve and mental nerve suffered no permanent damage, the average size of the adenoma was 26.6 mm, and a volume of 3.95 mL. We were able to identify the adenoma and cure the hyperparathyroidism in 20 of the patients (95.2%).

Conclusions

TOEPVA is viable and safe in who wish to avoid the cervical scar resulting for the patient with primary hyperparathyroidism.
High Risk of Fatty Liver Disease Amplifies the Alanine Transaminase–Lowering Effect of a HSD17B13 Variant
Authors: Gellert‐Kristensen Helene , Nordestgaard Børge Grønne , Tybjærg‐Hansen Anne , Stender Stefan
Published: June 2019

A common loss‐of‐function variant in HSD17B13 (rs72613567:TA) was recently found to protect from chronic liver disease. Whether the variant confers protection from specific risk factors for liver disease is unclear. We tested the association of rs72613567 with plasma levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and clinical liver disease and mortality in 111,612 individuals from the Danish general population, including 497 with cirrhosis and 113 with hepatocellular carcinoma. HSD17B13 rs72613567:TA was associated with stepwise lower levels of plasma ALT of up to 1.3 U/L in TA/TA homozygotes versus T/T homozygotes. For each TA‐allele, the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma was reduced by 15% and 28%, respectively. In prospective analyses, the TA‐allele was associated with up to 33% lower rates of liver‐related mortality in the general population, and with up to 49% reduced liver‐related mortality in patients with cirrhosis. The ALT‐lowering effect of rs72613567:TA was amplified by increasing adiposity, alcohol consumption, and genetic risk of fatty liver disease. The TA‐allele was associated with only marginally lower ALT in lean nondrinkers with low genetic risk of hepatic steatosis. In contrast, compared with T/T homozygotes, TA/TA homozygotes had 12% to 18% lower plasma ALT among the most obese, in heavy drinkers, and in individuals carrying three or four steatogenic alleles in patatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) and transmembrane 6 superfamily 2 (TM6SF2). Conclusion: High risk of fatty liver disease amplifies the ALT‐lowering effect of HSD17B13 rs72613567:TA in the Danish general population.
Developing a Food Exposure and Urine Sampling Strategy for Dietary Exposure Biomarker Validation in Free‐Living Individuals
Authors: Lloyd Amanda J. , Willis Naomi D. , Wilson Thomas , Zubair Hassan , Xie Long , Chambers Edward , Garcia‐Perez Isabel , Tailliart Kathleen , Beckmann Manfred , Mathers John C. , Draper John
Published: June 2019

Scope

Dietary choices modulate the risk of chronic diseases and improving diet is a central component of public health strategies. Food‐derived metabolites present in urine could provide objective biomarkers of dietary exposure. To assist biomarker validation, this work aims to develop a food intervention strategy mimicking a typical annual diet over a short period of time and assesses urine sampling protocols potentially suitable for future deployment of biomarker technology in free‐living populations.

Methods and results

Six different menu plans comprehensively represent a typical UK annual diet that is split into two dietary experimental periods. Free‐living adult participants (n = 15 and n = 36, respectively) are provided with all their food, as a series of menu plans, over a period of three consecutive days. Multiple spot urine samples are collected and stored at home.

Conclusion

A successful food exposure strategy is established following a conventional UK eating pattern, which is suitable for biomarker validation in free‐living individuals. The urine sampling procedure is acceptable for volunteers and delivered samples suitable for biomarker quantification. The study design provides scope for validation of existing biomarker candidates and potentially for discovery of new biomarker leads, and should help inform the future deployment of biomarker technology for habitual dietary exposure measurement.
Horses from atypical Turkic period burials in southwest Siberia
Authors: Fribus Alexey Victorovich , Grushin Sergey Petrovich , Onishenko S.S. , Vasutin S.A.
Published: June 2019

The article presents the results of a zooarchaeological research of two horse skeletons from atypical Turkic period burials found in the necropolis Chumysh‐Perekat (Altai Kray, Russia). The remains belong to 5 and 10–12‐year‐old male horses. Macromorphological analysis showed some dental (wear on P2, over growths of M1, and irregular wear of M1) and bone pathologies (fusion of the splint bone with metapodia, lumbar vertebrae). Their presence is associated with horse riding. The pattern of dismemberment of one of the horses and tools used to implement it was reconstructed. The authors assume that such manipulations with horse carcasses is a special modification of Turkic funeral tradition by a local Samoyed group. This reflects an early stage of spreading of these traditions to the northern periphery of the Turkic empire.
Prospective longitudinal follow‐up of children with sickle cell disease treated with hydroxyurea since infancy
Authors: Thomas Ronay , Dulman Robin , Lewis Angela , Notarangelo Bailey , Yang Elizabeth
Published: June 2019

Background

Hydroxyurea (HU) increases fetal hemoglobin (HgbF) and ameliorates sickle cell disease (SCD) symptoms. Studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of HU in infants and children. Initiation of HU in infancy for children with SCD needs to be implemented in community practice.

Procedure

Starting in 2011, the Pediatric Sickle Cell Program of Northern Virginia initiated HU in infants with SCD. A prospective longitudinal database tracked the clinical course and outcomes.

Results

Twenty‐four children with HgbSS who started HU by age 1 were continuously followed for a total of 95 person‐years. Age at the time of analysis ranged from 2 to 7 years. Average hemoglobin at 6‐month intervals ranged from 9.5 + 1.9 to 10.7 + 0.8 g/dL, and average HgbF ranged from 27.8 + 5.0% to 34.1 + 6.6%. Twenty‐seven hospitalizations occurred (0.28/person‐year), all before age 3, including 19 (70%) for fever or infection, five (19%) for splenic sequestration, and one (4%) for pain in an infant prior to starting HU. The treat‐and‐release emergency department visits totaled 68 (0.72/person‐year), including 62 visits (91%) for fever, infection, or viral illness, and two visits (3%) for pain/dactylitis in infants before HU initiation. Splenic sequestration accounted for all five transfusions. No pain episodes requiring medical attention were documented after HU initiation. No complicated acute chest syndrome, no abnormal or conditional transcranial Doppler ultrasound, and no overt strokes occurred.

Conclusion

Implementation of HU in infancy for patients with SCD in community practice is feasible and is highly effective in preventing disease complications.
Cardiac Regeneration by Statin-Polymer Nanoparticle-Loaded Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Therapy in Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Yokoyama Ryo , Ii Masaaki , Tabata Yasuhiko , Hoshiga Masaaki , Ishizaka Nobukazu , Asahi Michio
Published: June 2019

Clinical trials with autologous adipose-derived stem cell (AdSC) therapy for ischemic heart diseases (IHDs) are ongoing. However, little is known about combinational therapeutic effect of AdSCs and statin poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles on the ischemic myocardium. We investigated the hypothesis that statins, which have pleiotropic effects, augment the therapeutic potential of AdSCs and that AdSCs also act as drug delivery tools. Simvastatin-conjugated nanoparticles (SimNPs) significantly promoted migration activity without changing proliferation activity and upregulated growth factor gene expression in vitro. A small number of intravenously administered SimNP-loaded AdSCs (10,000 cells per mouse) improved cardiac function following myocardial infarction, inducing endogenous cardiac regeneration in the infarcted myocardium. The de novo regenerated myocardium was thought to be derived from epicardial cells, which were positive for Wilms’ tumor protein 1 expression. These findings were attributed to the sustained, local simvastatin release from the recruited SimNP-loaded AdSCs in the infarcted myocardium rather than to the direct contribution of recruited AdSCs to tissue regeneration. SimNP-loaded AdSCs may lead to a novel somatic stem cell therapy for IHDs. Stem Cells Translational Medicine  2019;8:1055–1067
An improved transfer adaptive boosting approach for mixed‐project defect prediction
Authors: Gong Lina , Jiang Shujuan , Jiang Li
Published: June 2019

Software defect prediction (SDP) has been a very important research topic in software engineering, since it can provide high‐quality results when given sufficient historical data of the project. Unfortunately, there are not abundant data to bulid the defect prediction model at the beginning of a project. For this scenario, one possible solution is to use data from other projects in the same company. However, using these data practically would get poor performance because of different distributional characteristics among projects. Also, software has more non‐defective instances than defective instances that may cause a significant bias towards defective instances. Considering these two problems, we propose an improved transfer adaptive boosting (ITrAdaBoost) approach for being given a small number of labeled data in the testing project. In our approach, ITrAdaBoost can not only employ the Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) as the measure instead of accuracy rate but also use the asymmetric misclassification costs for non‐defective and defective instances. Extensive experiments on 18 public projects from four datasets indicate that: (a) our approach significantly outperforms state‐of‐the‐art cross‐project defect prediction (CPDP) approaches, and (b) our approach can obtain comparable prediction performances in contrast with within project prediction results. Consequently, the proposed approach can build an effective prediction model with a small number of labeled instances for mixed‐project defect prediction (MPDP).
Redescription of Arganasaurus (Metoposaurus) azerouali (Dutuit) comb. nov. from the Upper Triassic of the Argana Basin (Morocco), and the first phylogenetic analysis of the Metoposauridae (Amphibia, Temnospondyli)
Authors: Buffa Valentin , Jalil Nour‐Eddine , Steyer J.‐Sebastien
Published: June 2019

A systematic revision of the temnospondyl ‘Metoposaurus’ azerouali Dutuit from the Late Triassic of the Argana Basin (Western High Atlas, Morocco) is presented. The type material is redescribed in detail, and a preliminary phylogenetic analysis – the first one dealing with all metoposaurid species – is also conducted in order to test its position within the Metoposauridae. Our analysis places ‘Metoposaurus’ azerouali as sister‐taxon to Arganasaurus lyazidi in a robust clade supported by two unambiguous synapomorphies (bulge‐like tabular horn and exoccipital process visible in dorsal view) and two ambiguous synapomorphies (cultriform process of uniform width and subtriangular posterior Meckelian fenestra). We therefore propose the new combination Arganasaurus azerouali comb. nov. for the species ‘M.’ azerouali. Our analysis also confirms that the central Laurasian genus Metoposaurus is monophyletic but not the genus Koskinonodon, which deserves its own systematic revision. By consequent, the Late Triassic rich vertebrate fauna from the Argana Basin comprises the metoposauroid Almasaurus habazzi, the basal metoposaurid Dutuitosaurus ouazzoui, and the genus Arganasaurus which is represented by the type species A. lyazidi and A. azerouali comb. nov. Combined with the stratigraphical and geographical occurrences of the taxa, our phylogenetic analysis suggests that metoposaurids may have appeared during the Longobardian (late Ladinian) in central Pangea. Their diversification may be linked to the Carnian Pluvial Episode. At least, their extinction may have occurred during the Rhaetian because of the aridification of the climate and/or competition with amniotes.
Energy Depletion and Stress Levels in Sockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of their Distribution
Authors: Carey Michael P. , Keith Kevin D. , Schelske Merlyn , Lean Charlie , McCormick Stephen D. , Regish Amy , Zimmerman Christian E.
Published: June 2019

The physiological challenge for anadromous fish to migrate upriver is influenced by river temperature, but the impacts of river temperature can be difficult to predict due to an incomplete understanding of how temperature influences migration costs, especially in high‐latitude (>60°N) ecosystems. To assess temperature influences on migrating Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., we measured heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), as an indicator of cellular stress, and energy content of Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka throughout their upriver migration in the Pilgrim River, Alaska. Although HSP70 was elevated as fish moved to the spawning grounds and was higher in fish with low energy content, HSP70 did not increase with warmer river temperatures. We verified in an experiment that HSP70 abundance in Sockeye Salmon does respond to temperatures above 20.5°C. Over the 4 years of sampling, energy content decreased at similar rates as Sockeye Salmon moved upstream. We expected Sockeye Salmon energy levels would be lower when migrating in warmer river temperatures; however, we found higher energy levels occurred with higher temperatures in the Pilgrim River. We hypothesize that the relationship between temperature and energy content is due to river temperatures often occurring below optimal temperatures for migration. Lower temperatures could be energetically costly or reduce migration rates, both of which would result in lower energy content with cooler temperature. Understanding interactions between environmental drivers and physiological responses will help managers anticipate future changes for Sockeye Salmon at the northern edge of their distribution.
The Physics of Health Care: Viewing the U.S. Health‐Care “System” from the Perspective of Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Kislyakov Amy , Mayes Rick
Published: June 2019

Leading explanations for high per capita and total health‐care spending in the United States tend to point to high health‐care prices as the primary culprit, which are a major contributor. Yet prices and spending do not exist in siloed vacuums. They are inherently part of, and deeply intertwined with, patient and clinician interactions, administrative norms and requirements, organizational structures, and socio‐cultural systems of medicine. Consequently, what is often thought of as a bounded health‐care “system”—centered primarily around the volume and price of health care—may, in fact, be unbounded, spilling over and interacting with other seemingly unrelated domains. Adding to the scholarly work already addressing this issue, we aim to provide a new lens that captures (if only partially) the exquisitely complex and hidden equilibrium present in what constitutes U.S. health care. Quantum and relativistic physics, with its focus on non‐deterministic reasoning, can serve as a helpful framework for understanding the moving parts of health care—their interposition as well as their interdependence. Using this analytic lens could potentially lead to new interventions (involving clinicians, patients, and payers) that concurrently target problems at multiple points in the system.
Cultural diversity and knowledge in explaining entrepreneurship in European cities
Authors: Audretsch David B. , Belitski Maksim , Korosteleva Julia
Published: June 2019

This study establishes and empirically explores the relationship between knowledge, cultural diversity and various entrepreneurial outcomes across European cities in 2008–2010. We demonstrate that the mechanism of knowledge spillover entrepreneurship is contextual and contend that cultural diversity and knowledge have differential impact on entrepreneurial outcomes across cities and countries. Cities with high cultural diversity provide more opportunities for entrepreneurship in sectors where technology and knowledge play more important role. While in technology-based sectors, we observe a decline in employment, in cities where cultural diversity is moderately high, this effect is counteracted by an increase in demand for skilful labour that is more concentrated in culturally diverse contexts. Implications for regional and national policy makers and international entrepreneurs are offered.
Environmental factors influencing fruit production and seed biology of the critically endangered Persoonia pauciflora (Proteaceae)
Authors: Emery Nathan J. , Offord Catherine A.
Published: June 2019

The factors that influence seed production and seed dormancy in rare plant species are crucial to their conservation yet are often poorly understood. In this study, we examined the breeding system and seed biology of the critically endangered Australian endemic speciesPersoonia pauciflorathrough a series of experiments. Pollinator visitation surveys and manipulative hand-pollination treatments were conducted to investigate the breeding system and subsequent seed production. We used an experimental seed burial to examine the breakdown of the woody endocarp and changes to germination over time. Seed germination response under simulated local seasonal conditions was also examined.Persoonia pauciflorawas found to be predominantly pollinated by native bees, and cross-pollinated flowers produced significantly more mature fruit (18 ± 3%) than self-pollination treatments (2–3%). The average strength ofP. pauciflorapyrenes buried in soil significantly decreased over two years, from 413.3 ± 14.6 N to 130.8 ± 11.8 N. Post-burial seed germination was cyclical, with highest final germination percentage occurring following late-summer exhumations (75 ± 2% and 74 ± 14%, respectively). When seeds were incubated under different local seasonal conditions, germination at local summer temperatures was more likely when compared with autumn/spring and winter temperature-incubated seeds. Our study highlights the importance of ensuring appropriate biotic pollen vectors are present in the local landscape for maximising viable fruit production for this species. In addition, our data indicate that recruitment will most likely occur after the endocarp has suitably weakened, allowing physiological dormancy of the embryo to be relaxed and germination to commence following summer temperatures.
Prefabricated Temporary Housing and Eczema or Respiratory Symptoms in Schoolchildren after the Great East Japan Earthquake: The ToMMo Child Health Study
Authors: Kuniyoshi Yasutaka , Kikuya Masahiro , Miyashita Masako , Yamanaka Chizuru , Ishikuro Mami , Obara Taku , Metoki Hirohito , Nakaya Naoki , Nagami Fuji , Tomita Hiroaki , Hozawa Atsushi , Tsuji Ichiro , Kure Shigeo , Yaegashi Nobuo , Kuriyama Shinichi
Published: June 2019

Objective:

We aimed to investigate the association between types of housing and allergic symptoms at 3–4 years following the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Methods:

Our study was based on the ToMMo Child Health Study conducted in 2014 and 2015, a cross-sectional survey of public school children in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Of the 46 648 invited schoolchildren in the 2nd to 8th grades, 9884 were included. Presence of eczema, wheezing, and mental health symptoms was defined with questionnaires. To calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for the associations between types of housing and eczema or respiratory symptoms, we fitted generalized linear mixed models, included a random effect for municipality of residence, and adjusted for sex, school grade, survey year, and mental health symptoms.

Results:

Prefabricated temporary housing was significantly associated with eczema symptoms (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.06–2.02). Even after adjusting for the presence of mental health symptoms, our analysis produced similar results (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.03–1.96). Conversely, it was not significantly associated with respiratory symptoms (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.61–1.54).

Conclusions:

Children living in prefabricated temporary housing had a higher prevalence of eczema symptoms; however, prevalence of respiratory symptoms was not significantly higher.
Scaling laws for the propulsive performance of three-dimensional pitching propulsors
Authors: Ayancik Fatma , Zhong Qiang , Quinn Daniel B. , Brandes Aaron , Bart-Smith Hilary , Moored Keith W.
Published: June 2019

Scaling laws for the thrust production and energetics of self-propelled or fixed-velocity three-dimensional rigid propulsors undergoing pitching motions are presented. The scaling relations extend the two-dimensional scaling laws presented in Moored & Quinn (AIAA J., 2018, pp. 1–15) by accounting for the added mass of a finite-span propulsor, the downwash/upwash effects from the trailing vortex system of a propulsor and the elliptical topology of shedding trailing-edge vortices. The novel three-dimensional scaling laws are validated with self-propelled inviscid simulations and fixed-velocity experiments over a range of reduced frequencies, Strouhal numbers and aspect ratios relevant to bio-inspired propulsion. The scaling laws elucidate the dominant flow physics behind the thrust production and energetics of pitching bio-propulsors, and they provide guidance for the design of bio-inspired propulsive systems.
Surface deformation and rebound for normal single-particle collisions in a surrounding fluid
Authors: Ruiz-Angulo Angel , Roshankhah Shahrzad , Hunt Melany L.
Published: June 2019

This article presents experimental measurements involving immersed collisions between a rigid impactor and a deformable target for a wide range of Reynolds and Stokes numbers. Three aluminium alloys are used as solid targets submerged in seven different fluids covering a wide range of viscosity and density. The collision and rebound velocities as well as the depth and diameter of the crater produced by the collisions are measured with high resolution. Most of the experiments in this study occur at velocities for which the deformation is within the elastic–plastic regime. Results of the experiments in air are analysed by elastic, plastic and elastic–plastic theories, and demonstrate the complexities of modelling elastic–plastic collisions. For collisions in a liquid, the measurements show that the size of the crater is independent of the fluid characteristics if the Stokes number is beyond a critical value. The normal coefficient of restitution can be estimated by including both viscous losses and plasticity effects and assuming that the collision time scale is significantly shorter than the hydrodynamic time scale. The results of the crater dimensions are also used to develop an analytical expression for the volume of deformation of the material as a function of material properties and the impact and critical Stokes numbers.
Transverse instability of gravity–capillary solitary waves on deep water in the presence of constant vorticity
Authors: Abid M. , Kharif C. , Hsu H.-C. , Chen Y.-Y.
Published: June 2019

The bifurcation of two-dimensional gravity–capillary waves into solitary waves when the phase velocity and group velocity are nearly equal is investigated in the presence of constant vorticity. We found that gravity–capillary solitary waves with decaying oscillatory tails exist in deep water in the presence of vorticity. Furthermore we found that the presence of vorticity influences strongly (i) the solitary wave properties and (ii) the growth rate of unstable transverse perturbations. The growth rate and bandwidth instability are given numerically and analytically as a function of the vorticity.
REFINED SWAN CONDUCTORS OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL GALOIS REPRESENTATIONS
Authors: KATO KAZUYA , LEAL ISABEL , SAITO TAKESHI
Published: June 2019

For a character of the absolute Galois group of a complete discrete valuation field, we define a lifting of the refined Swan conductor, using higher dimensional class field theory.
PARTITIONS WITH AN ARBITRARY NUMBER OF SPECIFIED DISTANCES
Authors: LIN BERNARD L. S.
Published: June 2019

For positive integers $t_{1},\ldots ,t_{k}$, let $\tilde{p}(n,t_{1},t_{2},\ldots ,t_{k})$ (respectively $p(n,t_{1},t_{2},\ldots ,t_{k})$) be the number of partitions of $n$ such that, if $m$ is the smallest part, then each of $m+t_{1},m+t_{1}+t_{2},\ldots ,m+t_{1}+t_{2}+\cdots +t_{k-1}$ appears as a part and the largest part is at most (respectively equal to) $m+t_{1}+t_{2}+\cdots +t_{k}$. Andrews et al. [‘Partitions with fixed differences between largest and smallest parts’, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc.143 (2015), 4283–4289] found an explicit formula for the generating function of $p(n,t_{1},t_{2},\ldots ,t_{k})$. We establish a $q$-series identity from which the formulae for the generating functions of $\tilde{p}(n,t_{1},t_{2},\ldots ,t_{k})$ and $p(n,t_{1},t_{2},\ldots ,t_{k})$ can be obtained.
State and Private Pension Schemes in the European Economic Community and the United Kingdom
Authors: Ratcliff A. R. N.
Published: June 2019

The European Economic Community came into existence on 1 January 1958, following the ratification of the Treaty of Rome by the parliaments of the six member countries, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The long-term aim of ‘The Six’ in setting up the Community was to achieve a unified economic unit with a common economic policy, and whilst commonly referred to in the United Kingdom as the Common Market it should not be thought of merely as an advanced form of customs union.
Life Funds and Equity Investment
Authors: Moody P. E.
Published: June 2019

It has been the experience for many years that a purchase of ordinary shares has been the purchase of an investment portfolio with a rising income. There has also been an improvement in the status of equities as an investment, or, in other words, investors are now prepared to pay more for a given equity income. It is shown in Appendix I that from 1919 to 1962 the income of a particular portfolio was multiplied over 5 times and the market valuation over 7 times. For the years 1952 to 1962 the corresponding figures are 2·2 times and 2·7 times respectively.
SHINY THINGS AND SOVEREIGN LEGALITIES: EXPROPRIATION OF DYNASTIC PROPERTY IN THE LATE OTTOMAN EMPIRE AND EARLY TURKISH REPUBLIC
Authors: Karamursel Ceyda
Published: June 2019

This article probes the legal expropriation of dynastic property in the late Ottoman Empire and early Turkish Republic. Focused on the period from Abdülhamid II's deposal in 1909 to the decade immediately following the abolition of the caliphate in 1924, it takes parliamentary debates as entry points for exploring how this legislative process redefined the sovereign's relationship with property. Although this process was initially limited only to Yıldız Palace, the debates that surrounded it heuristically helped to shape a new understanding of public ownership of property that was put to use in other contexts in the years to come, most notably during and after World War I and the Armenian genocide, before establishing itself as the foundation of a new ownership regime with the republican appropriation and reuse of property two decades later.
The Servant's Course of Employment
Authors: Barak Aharon
Published: June 2019

It is an accepted principle that a master is vicariously liable for the torts of his servant committed in the course of his employment. While the principle itself is clear, in its practical application many serious problems arise. These problems turn mainly on the question, whether the master is liable when the servant acts solely for his own ends and not on behalf of the master. This question has been considered in numerous cases and there are two apparently opposing trends of judicial authority.

On the one hand there is a long line of decisions, beginning in the 17th century and continuing up to the present time, which lays down that the master is not liable if the servant acts solely to further his own private interests.
Justiciability
Authors: Witkon Alfred
Published: June 2019

The purpose of this article is to discuss the problem of drawing a line between law and politics, as it presented itself to courts in Israel. Any such discussion must take as its starting point the judgment of the late President of the Supreme Court of Israel, Dr. M. Smoira, in Jabotinsky v. Weizmann So far as I know, it was here that the term “justiciable” was first used in this context in Israel. This was a case concerning the formation of a new government. The former government, headed by Mr. Ben-Gurion, had received a vote of non-confidence and resigned. The President of the State, after consulting the parties, asked Mr. Ben-Gurion to form a new government and, upon his refusal, had let the matter rest. The petitioner's complaint was that the President should have called upon each and every one of all the 120 members of the Knesset until one was found who succeeded in forming a new government. He applied to the Supreme Court, sitting in its original jurisdiction as a High Court of Justice, for a writ of mandamus against the President ordering him to do so. Two points were submitted by the Attorney General in opposing the grant of an order nisi. His first submission was that the Court should assume no jurisdiction over the President of the State. In this submission he failed, but he succeeded on his second ground, which concerns us here, namely that the matter, being “political”, was not justiciable.
The Kibbutz: Israel's Collective Settlement
Authors: Weisman J.
Published: June 2019

A visit to one of Israel's collective settlements, the Kibbutzim, has in the last decades become an essential part of the normal itinerary of the foreign tourist. So great is the pride which Israelis take in this form of settlement (of which there were 230 in 1965) that a visit to one is assured by the tourist's unwillingness to offend his hosts, if not by his interest in the Kibbutz.

It is therefore interesting to note that the Israel Legislature, unlike the tourist, has for a considerable time not been moved to pay special attention to this unique form of social organization, and only of late have any steps been taken to develop a special body of law specifically relating to the Kibbutz.
Trypanosoma superciliosaesp.nov. from the lizardUranoscodon superciliosaL.
Authors: Walliker D.
Published: June 2019

This paper records the presence of a new species of trypanosome in the lizardUranoscodon superciliosaL. (family Iguanidae), caught near Codajaz, Amazonas, Brazil, in August 1964 during the Guy's Hospital Expedition to the Lower Amazon.

Examination of a methanol-fixed and Giemsa-stained smear of blood taken from the heart of the lizard showed a heavy infection of trypanosomes. Camera lucida drawings of twenty were made, measurements being determined with dividers and a map-measuring wheel. The animal was preserved in 10% formalin, portions of liver, spleen, brain, heart, and lung being later extracted. Sections 5μin thickness were cut and stained in Ehrlich's haematoxylin and eosin, and in Giemsa's stain.

The chief distinguishing feature of the trypanosomes was their comparatively enormous size, up to 124μin total length, including the free flagellum, and 19μin width. The cytoplasm stained deep blue in Giemsa's stain, there being little indication of any vacuoles or inclusions. The posterior end was generally less intensely stained, and in certain cases pale, narrow, channel-like extensions from this region forward into the main body of the organism could be detected (Fig. 1). The nucleus, elongated and rather variable in shape, was distinguished by being less deeply coloured than the surrounding cytoplasm; it lay slightly posterior to the mid-point of the body, its longest diameter being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the animal. The kinetoplast, situated slightly posterior to the nucleus, was usually of circular shape, staining deep red; from it arose the flagellum, which passed forward along the margin of an undulating membrane and terminated in a free portion at the anterior end. Measurements of the organisms are given in Table 1.
Methionine flux between a tapeworm (Hymenolepis diminuta) and its environment
Authors: Hopkins C. A. , Callow L. L.
Published: June 2019

In the course of work designed to measure the extent to which methionine absorbed in one region of a tapeworm became distributed throughout the strobila, it was observed that, whereas, in saline,Hymenolepis diminutalost previously absorbed methionine slowly, in the intestine of a rat the methionine was lost very rapidly. The fact that two worms containing initially the same amount of free methionine should, after a short period in different environments, contain utterly different quantities of methionine indicated that the quantity of a free amino acid present at any time is not simply dependent on the amount previously absorbed less the amount metabolized.

This observation has a bearing on several aspects of tapeworm physiology. Do tapeworms normally absorb amino acids from the intestine during periods of high concentration and release them when the concentration falls? If they do, the presence of tapeworms in the intestine could be beneficial to the host by extending the period over which an amino acid is available to the host, an important point as a mammal is unable to store amino acids for more than a few hours (Gitler, 1964). A knowledge of the environmental conditions which influence the level of free amino acids in a tapeworm, and thereby its ability to synthesize proteins, is obviously also of critical importance to workers attempting to grow wormsin vitro.
Acquired resistance to experimental infections of Schistosoma mansoni in the albino rat
Authors: Smithers S. R. , Terry R. J.
Published: June 2019

The host–parasite relationships of Schistosoma mansoni in the albino rat have been studied recently by Ritchie, Garson & Knight (1963) and by Sadun & Bruce (1964). The general findings of these and other workers are that, in rats, the worms are always stunted, although they may pair and non-viable eggs may be found in the liver. The worms remain in the liver and seldom, if ever, migrate to the mesenteries. Ritchie et al. (1963) found that the majority of the worms were eliminated between the 4th and 8th week after infection; this is much sooner than in other experimental hosts. Sadun & Bruce (1964) suggest that rats are particularly suitable and convenient for studies on acquired resistance to S. mansoni; this suggestion is based mainly on the grounds that acquired resistance is more easily demonstrated in animals which show a relatively great degree of innate resistance.

The present work has been undertaken in order to establish whether the immune response in the albino rat is at all similar to that in the rhesus monkey (Smithers & Terry, 1965b). Two features of the host–parasite system have been studied in detail; the elimination of the worms which follows an initial infection and a comparison of the development of acquired resistance following exposure to X-irradiated cercariae with that following exposure to normal cercariae.

A Puerto-Rican strain of S. mansoni, and Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 100–200 g, were used in all experiments. The methods of exposing the rats percutaneously to infection and the recovery of the worms by perfusion have been fully described (Smithers & Terry, 1965 a).