bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How fundamental plant functional trait relationships scale‐up to trade‐offs and synergies in ecosystem services
Authors: Lavorel Sandra , Grigulis Karl
Published: December 2011

1. Ecosystem services (ES) lie at the core of the interactions among humans and ecosystems. Fundamental understanding of the ecological mechanisms underlying the simultaneous provision of multiple ES has been lagging behind policy and management needs and stands out as a research priority. In this paper, we focus on interactions between ES resulting from fundamental functional mechanisms.

2. Plant diversity contributes significantly to the delivery of ES. Specifically, functional composition strongly determines different ecosystem properties and services. Knowledge on associations and trade‐offs among different plant traits is well established, but the consequences for ecosystem functioning and the resulting ability for ecosystems to provide multiple services have only started to be explored. We present a conceptual framework linking environmental change to changes in ecosystem functioning and to changes in ES through plant traits. We explicitly consider the leaf economics and size axes of plant functional variation, and how their responses to key environmental variables are expected to scale‐up to ecosystem properties and ES.

3. The framework was tested using a structural equation modelling formalism to understand the trait‐based mechanisms driving trade‐offs in ES in mountain grasslands. Variations along the leaf economics spectrum (LES) towards more exploitative strategies in response to increasing fertility led to a combined increase in several ES valued by local stakeholders, including agronomic value, cultural value and soil water retention. Surprisingly, and contrary to published hypotheses, soil carbon sequestration in the studied subalpine system did not increase at lower fertility which was associated with more conservative plant strategies. Independent variation in LES and height provided alternative pathways to biomass production.

4. Synthesis: A trait‐based framework can support the understanding and aid the management of multiple ES. We recommend testing this framework in a variety of contexts and at larger scales, using additional trait axes such as wood density or seed size.
Metapopulations and metacommunities: combining spatial and temporal perspectives in plant ecology
Authors: Alexander Helen M. , Foster Bryan L. , Ballantyne Ford , Collins Cathy D. , Antonovics Janis , Holt Robert D.
Published: December 2011

1. Metapopulation and metacommunity theories occupy a central role in ecology, but can be difficult to apply to plants. Challenges include whether seed dispersal is sufficient for population connectivity, the role of seed banks and problems with studying colonization and extinction in long‐lived and clonal plants. Further, populations often do not occupy discrete habitat patches. Despite these difficulties, we present case studies to illustrate explicit integration of spatial and temporal data in plant ecology.

2. First, on the population level, we focused on two early successional species that lack discrete habitat patches. Multi‐year data sets taken with a grid approach and simple models permit the analysis of landscape dynamics that reflect regional as well as local processes. Using Silene latifolia, we examined colonization. We found evidence for seed dispersal and connectivity among populations across a large landscape. With Helianthus annuus, a species with seed banks, we determined the degree to which landscape‐level patterns of abundance were predicted by local processes (previous year recruitment at a site plus seed banks) vs. seed dispersal. Local processes dominated dynamics.

3. Second, at the community level, we utilized a landscape‐level experiment to examine the influence of environmental gradients and spatial processes (dispersal limitation) on community composition during 18 years of succession. Throughout succession, environmental and spatial factors both contributed significantly to spatial variation in species composition (beta diversity). When connectivity was disrupted, space was the dominant factor underlying beta diversity, and this did not change over time. Across more connected communities, spatial effects diminished over succession as the importance of environmental factors increased, consistent with species‐sorting metacommunity models.

4. Synthesis. Metapopulation/metacommunity concepts emphasize the interaction between space and time in ecological processes. Spatial processes, such as long‐distance dispersal, play a crucial role in creating new populations. Temporal processes, including seed banks, may dominate dynamics at both local and regional scales. The relative importance of spatial vs. temporal processes changes as populations persist and communities assemble over time; these patterns may only emerge after many years. Integrating long‐term data with spatial data is thus essential for understanding spatio‐temporal patterns inherent in metapopulation and metacommunity theories.
A general integrative framework for modelling woody biomass production and carbon sequestration rates in forests
Authors: Coomes David A. , Holdaway Robert J. , Kobe Richard K. , Lines Emily R. , Allen Robert B.
Published: December 2011

1. Forests are an important, yet poorly understood, component of the global carbon cycle. We develop a general integrative framework for modelling the influences of stand age, environmental conditions, climate change and disturbance on woody biomass production and carbon sequestration. We use this framework to explore drivers of carbon cycling in New Zealand mountain beech forests, using a 30‐year sequence of data from 246 permanent inventory plots.

2. A series of disturbance events (wind, snow storms, earthquakes and beetle outbreaks) had major effects on carbon fluxes: by killing large trees, they removed significant quantities of carbon from the woody biomass pool, and by creating canopy gaps, they reduced the crown area index (CAI) of stands (i.e. canopy area per unit ground area) and woody biomass production. A patch‐dynamics model, which we parameterized using permanent plot data, predicts that episodic disturbance events can create long‐term (c. 100‐year) oscillations in carbon stocks at the regional scale.

3. Productivity declined with stand age, as shown in many other studies, but the effect was hard to detect because of canopy disturbance. Individual trees can increase productivity by adjusting the positioning, nutrient content and angle of leaves within canopies. We show that such optimization is most effective when trees are large and suggest it reduces the impact of water and nutrient limitation in old stands.

4. We found no evidence that forests were responding to changing climatic conditions, although strong altitudinal trends in biomass production indicate that global warming could alter carbon fluxes in future.

5. Synthesis.Our study emphasizes the critical role of disturbance in driving forest carbon fluxes. Losses of biomass arising from tree death (particularly in older stands) exceeded gains arising from growth for most of the 30‐year study, moving 0.3 Mg C ha−1 year−1from biomass to detritus and atmospheric pools. Large‐scale disturbance events are prevalent in many forests world‐wide, and these events are likely to be a driving factor in determining forest carbon sequestration patterns over the next century.
Helping medical learners recognise and manage unconscious bias toward certain patient groups
Authors: Teal Cayla R , Gill Anne C , Green Alexander R , Crandall Sonia
Published: December 2011

Medical Education 2012: 46: 80–88

Context  For the last 30 years, developments in cognitive sciences have demonstrated that human behaviour, beliefs and attitudes are shaped by automatic and unconscious cognitive processes. Only recently has much attention been paid to how unconscious biases based on certain patient characteristics may: (i) result in behaviour that is preferential toward or against specific patients; (ii) influence treatment decisions, and (iii) adversely influence the patient–doctor relationship. Partly in response to accreditation requirements, medical educators are now exploring how they might help students and residents to develop awareness of their own potential biases and strategies to mitigate them.

Methods  In this paper, we briefly review key cognition concepts and describe the limited published literature about educational strategies for addressing unconscious bias.

Discussion  We propose a developmental model to illustrate how individuals might move from absolute denial of unconscious bias to the integration of strategies to mitigate its influence on their interactions with patients and offer recommendations to educators and education researchers.
Multilocus coalescent analysis of haemoglobin differentiation between low‐ and high‐altitude populations of crested ducks (Lophonetta specularioides)
Authors: BULGARELLA MARIANA , PETERS JEFFREY L. , KOPUCHIAN CECILIA , VALQUI THOMAS , WILSON ROBERT E. , McCRACKEN KEVIN G.
Published: December 2011

Hypoxia is a key factor determining survival, and haemoglobins are targets of selection in species native to high‐altitude regions. We studied population genetic structure and evaluated evidence for local adaptation in the crested duck (Lophonetta specularioides). Differentiation, gene flow and time since divergence between highland and lowland populations were assessed for three haemoglobin genes (αA, αD, βA) and compared to seven reference loci (six autosomal introns and mtDNA). Four derived amino acid replacements were found in the globin genes that had elevatedΦSTvalues between the Andean highlands and Patagonian lowlands. A single βA‐globin polymorphism at a site known to influence O2affinity was fixed for different alleles in the two populations, whereas three αA‐ and αD‐globin polymorphisms exhibited high heterozygosity in the highlands but not in the lowlands. Coalescent analyses supported restricted gene flow for haemoglobin alleles and mitochondrial DNA but nonzero gene flow for the introns. Simulating genetic data under a drift–migration model of selective neutrality, the βA‐globin fell outside the 95% confidence limit of simulated data, suggesting that directional selection is maintaining different variants in the contrasting elevational environments, thereby restricting migration of βA‐globin alleles. The αA‐ and αD‐globins, by contrast, did not differ from the simulated values, suggesting that variants in these genes are either selectively neutral, or that the effects of selection could not be differentiated from background levels of population structure and linkage disequilibrium. This study illustrates the combined effects of selection and population history on inferring levels of population divergence for a species distributed across an altitudinal gradient in which selection for hypoxia resistance has likely played an important role.
Patients’ attitudes towards patient involvement in safety interventions: results of two exploratory studies
Authors: Davis Rachel E. , Sevdalis Nick , Pinto Anna , Darzi Ara , Vincent Charles A.
Published: December 2011

Background  In recent years, patient‐focused interventions have been introduced aimed at increasing patient involvement in safety‐related behaviours. However, patients’ attitudes towards these interventions and comfort in participating in the recommended behaviours remain largely unexplored.

Objective  To evaluate patients’ attitudes towards a video and leaflet aimed at encouraging patient involvement in safety‐related behaviours.

Design  Two exploratory studies employing a within‐subjects mixed‐methods design.

Setting  Six hospital wards on an inner‐city London teaching hospital.

Participants  Medical and surgical inpatients: 80 patients in study 1 (mean age 55; 69% men) and 80 patients in study 2 (mean age 52; 60% men).

Intervention  Patients watched the PINK patient safety video (study 1) or read the National Patient Safety Agency’s ‘Please Ask’ about staying in hospital leaflet (study 2).

Main outcome measures  Perceived comfort in participating in safety‐related behaviours; attitudes towards the video or leaflet.

Results  Both video and leaflet increased patients’ perceived comfort in engaging in some (but not all) safety‐related behaviours (P < 0.05). In both studies, the majority of patients questioned whether the intervention could help to reduce medical errors in health care. Suggestions on how the video/leaflet could be improved mainly related to content and layout.

Conclusion  Video and leaflet could be effective at encouraging patient involvement in some safety‐related behaviours. Further in‐depth research on patients’ attitudes towards different educational materials is required to help inform future policies and interventions in this very important but under‐researched area.
Aicardi–Goutieres syndrome: from patients to genes and beyond
Authors: Chahwan C , Chahwan R
Published: December 2011

Chahwan C, Chahwan R. Aicardi–Goutieres syndrome: from patients to genes and beyond.

Aicardi–Goutières syndrome (AGS) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder characterized mainly by early onset progressive encephalopathy, concomitant with an increase in interferon‐α levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. Although it was initially mistaken for intrauterine viral infections, AGS has now been genetically attributed to a lack of adequate processing of cellular nucleic acid debris, which culminates in the perpetual trigger of the innate and acquired immune responses. Although the exact mechanisms governing AGS are not fully understood, significant strides have been recently achieved in better characterizing the disorder and the molecular functions of the five known proteins found mutated in AGS. Studies have now uncovered that AGS is tightly linked with the predisposition to other autoimmune disorders such as familial chilblain lupus and systemic lupus erythematosus. Moreover, at least two of the proteins mutated in AGS, namely TREX1 and SAMHD1, also seem to have antagonistic roles in safeguarding humans from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. We hereby synthesize the current developments into the greater framework of AGS and suggest that a better understanding of AGS might help usher a better treatment not only for some autoimmune disorders but also possibly for patients suffering from HIV infections, too.
A formula for determining the standard liver volume in children: A special reference for neonates and infants
Authors: Saeki Isamu , Tokunaga Shoji , Matsuura Toshiharu , Hayashida Makoto , Yanagi Yusuke , Taguchi Tomoaki
Published: December 2011

Saeki I, Tokunaga S, Matsuura T, Hayashida M, Yanagi Y, Taguchi T. A formula for determining the standard liver volume in children: A special reference for neonates and infants.

Abstract:  Accurately evaluating the ratio of GV to the SLV (GV/SLV) is important in successful pediatric liver transplantation. However, the formula used to calculate the SLV of children, including neonates and infants, has not yet been established. The aim of the current study was to estimate the SLV of children, including neonates, and to establish an accurate formula. The LV of 100 children (including 7 neonates and 15 infants) were measured using thin slice (3–5 mm) helical CT images. Their BSA was calculated from height and weight. A new formula to estimate the SLV was established as follows: SLV (mL) = 689.9 × BSA (m2) − 24.7. The SLV of children was significantly lower than that in previous reports (p < 0.001). A formula for calculating the SLV of children including neonates was established. This new formula will be useful in pediatric liver transplantation.
Lactate levels predict mortality and need for peritoneal dialysis in children undergoing congenital heart surgery
Authors: MAARSLET L. , MØLLER M. B. , DALL R. , HJORTHOLM K. , RAVN H.
Published: December 2011

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an initial post‐operative lactate level is a predictor of mortality, need for peritoneal dialysis (PD), duration of intubation or length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) in children undergoing cardiac surgery.

Method

A retrospective, observational follow‐up study was conducted in 206 children undergoing cardiac surgery from 2006 to 2007. Multivariate logistics regression analyses were performed to determine whether the lactate level was an independent risk factor. The lactate concentration at arrival in the ICU, outcome and risk factors (patient demographics, surgical complexity, duration of cardiopulmonary bypass and inotropic score) were obtained from the electronic patient data management program and medical records.

Result

The median (interquartile range) lactate level was 1.9 mmol/l (1.3–2.7) in children immediately after cardiac surgery and a mortality of 3.9%. Eight percent of the children had a lactate level higher than 4.5 mmol/l. An increased lactate level ≥4.5 mmol/l resulted in an odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) of 8.4 (1.5–46.1) for mortality and an odds ratio of 16.9 (2.7–106.8) for PD after adjusting for Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery 1. Because of the low number of deaths, limited confounder analysis was performed. Duration of intubation and LOS in the ICU were not associated with the initial lactate level when adjusting for confounders.

Conclusion

The initial post‐operative lactate level was a predictor of mortality and need for PD in children undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease.
Cost of cooperation rules selection for cheats in bacterial metapopulations
Authors: DUMAS Z. , KÜMMERLI R.
Published: December 2011

Bacteria secrete a large variety of beneficial metabolites into the environment, which can be shared as public goods among producing bacteria, but also be exploited by nonproducing cheats. Here, we focus on cooperative production of iron‐chelating molecules (siderophores) in the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to study how relevant ecological factors influence selection for cheating. We designed patch‐structured metapopulations that allowed us introducing among‐patch ecological variation. We found that cheating readily evolved in uniform iron‐limited environments. This finding is explained by severe iron limitation demanding high siderophore‐production efforts, which results in high metabolic costs accruing to cooperators, and thereby facilitates the spread of cheats. In contrast, we observed a significant reduction or even negation of selection for cheating in metapopulations where we introduced patches with increased iron availability and/or opportunities to recycle siderophores. These findings are compatible with the view that cheats are less likely to invade in environments that allow bacteria to reduce siderophore‐production efforts, as this lowers the overall metabolic costs accruing to cooperators. Because we increased iron availability and siderophore recycling opportunities moderately, and only in some patches, our findings demonstrate that already‐small local variations in ecological conditions as occurring in nature can significantly affect selection for public‐goods secretion in microbes. In addition, we found that most (84.6%) of the evolved cheats were partially deficient for siderophore production and not loss‐of‐function mutants. Genetic considerations indicate that mutations leading to partial deficiency occur more frequent than mutations leading to loss of function, but also suggest that partially deficient mutants might often be the more competitive cheats.
A new cell line from Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its differentially expressed genes
Authors: Zhang A. , Li X. , Zhang H. , Wang H. , Miao L. , Zhang J. , Qin Q.
Published: December 2011

A new cell line, designated IOZCAS‐Spex XI, was established from the pupal ovaries of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in TNM‐FH medium containing 10% foetal bovine serum. The spherical cells were predominant among the various cell types. The population‐doubling time during the logarithmic phase of growth was 81.7 h. It was confirmed that the cell line originated from S. exigua by DAF‐PCR technique. Analysis of susceptibility to baculovirus showed that the new cell line was susceptible to S. exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeNPV), Autographa californica multiple NPV (AcMNPV) and slightly susceptible to S. litura NPV (SpltNPV), while not permissive to Helicoverpa armigera NPV and Hyphantria cunea NPV (HcNPV). Real‐Time PCR analysis was carried out to compare some differentially expressed genes between the cell line and the primary culture. The result showed that marked significant differences were observed in the expression of the genes of SUMO‐1 activating enzyme, BCCIP‐like protein, 10 kDa HSP, CypA, receptor for activated PKC, PDI‐like protein ERp57, ALDH, DEAD box ATP‐dependent RNA helicase‐like protein (P < 0.01), while a significant difference was obtained in the expression of GST gene between the cell line and the primary culture (P < 0.05).
Giving them what they want: manipulating Argentine ant activity patterns with water
Authors: Enzmann B. L. , Kapheim K. M. , Wang T. B. , Nonacs P.
Published: December 2011

The invasive success of the exotic Argentine ant [Linepithema humile (Mayr)] is often closely tied to year‐round availability of water sources. Previous studies suggest that the location of such water sources can strongly influence activity patterns of colonies and may be a key predictor of building infestations. We studied activity patterns of Argentine ants in relation to water and food resources in two open‐air structures (aviaries). In one series of manipulations, ant activity inside the aviaries was significantly reduced with the placement of numerous water sources around the outside. Inside activity increased again when the outside water sources were removed. A second series of manipulations involved the placement of water sources at targeted locations outside of the structures. Ant activity inside the aviaries consistently shifted significantly closer to these targeted sites. The results suggest that providing a reliable water source to Argentine ant colonies exterior to buildings can be a non‐chemical method of integrated pest management for reducing ant infestations. Independent of our manipulations, L. humile activity levels predictably declined with time of day, but these changes were uncorrelated with observed surface temperatures. In fact, activity was often noted at surface temperatures higher than those that cause worker mortality under laboratory conditions. This suggests that L. humile exhibits a consistent temperature‐independent circadian activity pattern of reduced foraging in afternoons relative to mornings.
Successful outcome of flexible ureteroscopy with holmium laser lithotripsy for renal stones 2 cm or greater
Authors: Takazawa Ryoji , Kitayama Sachi , Tsujii Toshihiko
Published: December 2011

Although percutaneous nephrolithotomy has been recommended as the first‐line treatment for renal stones larger than 2 cm, its major complication rate is not negligible and less invasive approaches are to be explored. Thanks to the recent advances in endoscopic technology, flexible ureteroscopy has become another option in this setting. Herein we report our most recent experience with flexible ureteroscopy for large renal stones. Between September 2008 and May 2011, 20 patients with renal stones ≥2 cm underwent a total of 28 procedures of ureteroscopy with holmium laser lithotripsy, using the Olympus URF‐P5 and a ureteral access sheath. The number of procedures, operative time, stone‐free rates, stone compositions and complications were evaluated. Stone‐free status was defined as the absence of fragments or fragments of ≤4 mm. Mean stone size was 3.1 cm (range 2.0–5.0). The average number of procedures was 1.4. One, two and three procedures were required in 13, six and one patients, respectively. Overall, the stone‐free rate was 90%. The stone‐free rate for preoperative stone size of 2 to ≤4 cm and >4 cm was 100% (14/14) and 67% (4/6), respectively. No major intraoperative complications were identified. Postoperative high‐grade fever was observed in three patients, including one patient who developed sepsis. All these patients were successfully treated conservatively. Our findings suggest that ureteroscopy represents a favorable option for selected patients with renal stones, especially those 2 to ≤4 cm in size.
Mixed electrical–chemical transmission between hippocampal mossy fibers and pyramidal cells
Authors: Vivar Carmen , Traub Roger D. , Gutiérrez Rafael
Published: December 2011

Morphological and electrophysiological studies have shown that granule cell axons, the mossy fibers (MFs), establish gap junctions and therefore electrical communication among them. That granule cells express gap junctional proteins in their axons suggests the possibility that their terminals also express them. If this were to be the case, mixed electrical–chemical communication could be supported, as MF terminals normally use glutamate for fast communication with their target cells. Here we present electrophysiological studies in the rat and modeling studies consistent with this hypothesis. We show that MF activation produced fast spikelets followed by excitatory postsynaptic potentials in pyramidal cells (PCs), which, unlike the spikelets, underwent frequency potentiation and were strongly depressed by activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors, as expected from transmission of MF origin. The spikelets, which persisted during blockade of chemical transmission, were potentiated by dopamine and suppressed by the gap junction blocker carbenoxolone. The various waveforms evoked by MF stimulation were replicated in a multi‐compartment model of a PC by brief current‐pulse injections into the proximal apical dendritic compartment, where MFs are known to contact PCs. Mixed electrical and glutamatergic communication between granule cells and some PCs in CA3 may ensure the activation of sets of PCs, bypassing the strong action of concurrent feed‐forward inhibition that granule cells activate. Importantly, MF‐to‐PC electrical coupling may allow bidirectional, possibly graded, communication that can be faster than chemical synapses and subject to different forms of modulation.
TPV1, the first virus isolated from the hyperthermophilic genus Thermococcus
Authors: Gorlas Aurore , Koonin Eugene V. , Bienvenu Nadège , Prieur Daniel , Geslin Claire
Published: December 2011

We describe a novel virus, TPV1 (Thermococcus prieurii virus 1), which was discovered in a hyperthermophilic euryarchaeote isolated from a deep‐sea hydrothermal chimney sample collected at a depth of 2700 m at the East Pacific Rise. TPV1 is the first virus isolated and characterized from the hyperthermophilic euryarchaeal genus Thermococcus. TPV1 particles have a lemon‐shaped morphology (140 nm × 80 nm) similar to the structures previously reported for Fuselloviruses and for the unclassified virus‐like particle PAV1 (Pyrococcus abyssi virus 1). The infection with TPV1 does not cause host lysis and viral replication can be induced by UV irradiation. TPV1 contains a double‐stranded circular DNA of 21.5 kb, which is also present in high copy number in a free form in the host cell. The TPV1 genome encompasses 28 predicted genes; the protein sequences encoded in 16 of these genes show no significant similarity to proteins in public databases. Proteins predicted to be involved in genome replication were identified as well as transcriptional regulators. TPV1 encodes also a predicted integrase of the tyrosine recombinase family. The only two genes that are homologous between TPV1 and PAV1 are TPV1‐22 and TPV1‐23, which encode proteins containing a concanavalin A‐like lectin/glucanase domain that might be involved in virus–host recognition.
Phenotypic variation and host interactions of Xenorhabdus bovienii SS‐2004, the entomopathogenic symbiont of Steinernema jollieti nematodes
Authors: Sugar Darby R. , Murfin Kristen E. , Chaston John M. , Andersen Aaron W. , Richards Gregory R. , deLéon Limaris , Baum James A. , Clinton William P. , Forst Steven , Goldman Barry S. , Krasomil‐Osterfeld Karina C. , Slater Steven , Stock S. Patricia , Goodrich‐Blair Heidi
Published: December 2011

Xenorhabdus bovienii (SS‐2004) bacteria reside in the intestine of the infective‐juvenile (IJ) stage of the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema jollieti. The recent sequencing of the X. bovienii genome facilitates its use as a model to understand host – symbiont interactions. To provide a biological foundation for such studies, we characterized X. bovienii in vitro and host interaction phenotypes. Within the nematode host X. bovienii was contained within a membrane bound envelope that also enclosed the nematode‐derived intravesicular structure. Steinernema jollieti nematodes cultivated on mixed lawns of X. bovienii expressing green or DsRed fluorescent proteins were predominantly colonized by one or the other strain, suggesting the colonizing population is founded by a few cells. Xenorhabdus bovienii exhibits phenotypic variation between orange‐pigmented primary form and cream‐pigmented secondary form. Each form can colonize IJ nematodes when cultured in vitro on agar. However, IJs did not develop or emerge from Galleria mellonella insects infected with secondary form. Unlike primary‐form infected insects that were soft and flexible, secondary‐form infected insects retained a rigid exoskeleton structure. Xenorhabdus bovienii primary and secondary form isolates are virulent towards Manduca sexta and several other insects. However, primary form stocks present attenuated virulence, suggesting that X. bovienii, like Xenorhabdus nematophila may undergo virulence modulation.
Characterization and localization of prodiginines from Streptomyces lividans suppressing Verticillium dahliae in the absence or presence of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Meschke Holger , Walter Stefan , Schrempf Hildgund
Published: December 2011

The ascomycete Verticillium dahliae causes worldwide vascular wilt of many field and horticultural plants. The melanized resting structures of this fungus, so‐called microsclerotia, survive for many years in soils and continuously re‐infect plants. Due to the absence of known fungicides, Verticillium wilt causes immense crop losses. We discovered that the Gram‐positive, spore‐forming soil bacterium Streptomyces lividans expresses members of the prodiginine family during co‐cultivation with V. dahliae. Using HPLC and LC‐MS analysis of cultures containing S. lividans alone or grown together with V. dahliae, we found that undecylprodigiosin [394.4 M+H]+ is highly abundant, and streptorubin B [392.4 M+H]+ is present in smaller amounts. Within co‐cultures, the quantity of undecylprodigiosin increased considerably and pigment concentrated at and within fungal hyphae. The addition of purified undecylprodigiosin to growing V. dahliae hyphae strongly reduced microsclerotia formation. Undecylprodigiosin was also produced when S. lividans grew on the roots of developing Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Furthermore, the presence of the undecylprodigiosin producer led to an efficient reduction of V. dahliae hyphae and microsclerotia on plant‐roots. Based on these novel findings and previous knowledge, we deduce that the prodiginine investigated leads to multiple cellular effects, which ultimately impair specific pathways for signal transduction and apoptosis of the fungal plant pathogen.
The Global Financial Crisis and African Economies: Impact and Transmission Channels
Authors: Aryeetey Ernest , Ackah Charles
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  This paper is intended to highlight the general impact of the crisis on African countries in terms of economic performance and then show some variations across countries by discussing how the different transmission channels operated in them, and what their effects have been. The paper has noted that the global financial and economic crisis has affected African economies in a significant way, mostly indirectly through the harm it causes to the real sectors of the economies. In aggregate terms, the impact has been quite strong, as shown by the sharp drop in aggregate output around the region. Even though there are both direct and indirect channels for transmitting the crisis to African economies from the rest of the world, the indirect channels have been more pronounced in their effects largely on account of the structures of these economies. The integration of these economies into the global economy has been largely on account of trade in goods and also the consequence of migration, hence the effects on the real sectors and in remittance flows. There have been significant variations in the impact of the crisis across countries, and this has been influenced largely by the quality of institutions, particularly for regulation, and initial conditions prevailing in the countries.
The Yellow Cake Road: Malcolm Fraser, the Ranger Enquiry and Australia's Role in the US International Fuel Cycle Project
Authors: Reynolds Wayne
Published: December 2011

The 1975–1983 Fraser Government failed to develop an enrichment industry in Australia but did see the initiation of uranium sales following the adoption of the Ranger Enquiry. Both of these developments were shaped by US nuclear commercial and non‐proliferation policies during the Ford and Carter Administrations, which aimed to restrict the spread of enrichment technology. Fraser would come to realise that it was not a question of private ownership of the nuclear fuel cycle, but of accepting a role for Australia in the international fuel cycle as a supplier of cheap yellowcake.
THE ETHICS OF SHAM SURGERY IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE: BACK TO THE FUTURE?
Authors: SWIFT TERESA , HUXTABLE RICHARD
Published: December 2011

Despite intense academic debate in the recent past over the use of ‘sham surgery’ control groups in research, there has been a recent resurgence in their use in the field of neurodegenerative disease. Yet the primacy of ethical arguments in favour of sham surgery controls is not yet established. Preliminary empirical research shows an asymmetry between the views of neurosurgical researchers and patients on the subject, while different ethical guidelines and regulations support conflicting interpretations. Research ethics committees faced with a proposal involving sham surgery should be aware of its ethical complexities. An overview of recent and current placebo‐controlled surgical trials in the field of Parkinson's Disease is provided here, followed by an analysis of the key ethical issues which such trials raise.
BRAIN DEATH IN ISLAMIC ETHICO‐LEGAL DELIBERATION: CHALLENGES FOR APPLIED ISLAMIC BIOETHICS
Authors: PADELA AASIM I. , AROZULLAH AHSAN , MOOSA EBRAHIM
Published: December 2011

Since the 1980s, Islamic scholars and medical experts have used the tools of Islamic law to formulate ethico‐legal opinions on brain death. These assessments have varied in their determinations and remain controversial. Some juridical councils such as the Organization of Islamic Conferences' Islamic Fiqh Academy (OIC‐IFA) equate brain death with cardiopulmonary death, while others such as the Islamic Organization of Medical Sciences (IOMS) analogize brain death to an intermediate state between life and death. Still other councils have repudiated the notion entirely. Similarly, the ethico‐legal assessments are not uniform in their acceptance of brain‐stem or whole‐brain criteria for death, and consequently their conceptualizations of, brain death.

Within the medical literature, and in the statements of Muslim medical professional societies, brain death has been viewed as sanctioned by Islamic law with experts citing the aforementioned rulings. Furthermore, health policies around organ transplantation and end‐of‐life care within the Muslim world have been crafted with consideration of these representative religious determinations made by transnational, legally‐inclusive, and multidisciplinary councils.

The determinations of these councils also have bearing upon Muslim clinicians and patients who encounter the challenges of brain death at the bedside. For those searching for ‘Islamically‐sanctioned’ responses that can inform their practice, both the OIC‐IFA and IOMS verdicts have palpable gaps in their assessments and remain clinically ambiguous. In this paper we analyze these verdicts from the perspective of applied Islamic bioethics and raise several questions that, if answered by future juridical councils, will better meet the needs of clinicians and bioethicists.
Perils of Governance through Networks: The Case of Regulating Payday Lending in Canada
Authors: KOBZAR OLENA
Published: December 2011

Much has been written in recent years about new modes of governance facilitated by discrete policy networks. While emphasis is usually placed on the functional attributes of such governance arrangements, there are occasional observations in the literature about their democratic credentials as well. Such discussions of the democratic potential of governance through networks tend mostly to focus on questions of the efficacy and fairness of these types of interest intermediations. My article seeks to explore the complex prior role that legitimation plays in the policy process associated with governance through networks by way of a case study detailing the recent construction of a new regulatory regime for payday lending in Canada.
Framing Organizational Reform: Misalignments and Disputes among Parole and Union Middle Managers
Authors: RUDES DANIELLE S.
Published: December 2011

Any time organizations undertake change processes there are questions about mobilizing support for the change (Vallas 2003). Two essential factors for mobilizing support are (1) how organizational change is framed by both the organization and its employees and (2) whether or not the change is framed in a way that aligns in any meaningful way with actors' interpretations. This article considers middle managers as first‐line interpreters of organizational policy changes and offers a look at their patterned response to reform mandates. Middle managers' interpretation of changes in organizational policy or practice provides vital information for workers about how the reform fits with larger organizational and personal goals. Using data collected in three years of ethnographic fieldwork with parole personnel in California during correctional reform, I argue that organizational and union middle managers' differing definitions of, and solutions for, policy reform create an outlet for intraorganizational frame misalignments and disputes with the potential for restricting or halting change.
Does higher income equal higher levels of happiness in every society? The case of the Mayan people
Authors: Guardiola Jorge , González‐Gómez Francisco , García‐Rubio Miguel A. , Lendechy‐Grajales Ángel
Published: December 2011

Guardiola J, González‐Gómez F, García‐Rubio MA, Lendechy‐Grajales Á. Does higher income equal higher levels of happiness in every society? The case of the Mayan people

This study analysed happiness and several domains of life of Mayan people in the poor rural areas of Yucatan, Mexico. Using a sample of 373 households, we examined the influence of income on happiness and its domains, obtaining results that lend support to the ‘paradox of happy peasants and miserable millionaires’. According to the results, income influences happiness among the Mayan people, as do material domains and health, but income does not influence the domains related to intangible feelings and public goods. A number of reasons, such as a lack of a means for comparison, close contact with nature, adaptation to deprivation, general material improvements compared with the past, low aspirations and a Mayan culture that is devoted to solidarity and enjoyment of social relationships, could explain why the sample population reported high levels of happiness. Although the Mayans' level of happiness is high, their situation nevertheless requires political attention.
The Direct Relevance of Accounting Information for Credit Default Swap Pricing
Authors: Batta George
Published: December 2011

Abstract:  This paper examines the direct relevance of accounting information for credit default swap (CDS) pricing. Prior research on the impact of accounting information for CDS pricing has neglected to include either the output of theoretical CDS pricing models or credit ratings, both of which should impound credit relevant accounting information. Both in‐ and out‐of‐sample testing results suggest that accounting information's explanatory power for CDS prices is significantly diminished when this additional information is included in regression models. Empirical findings suggest a larger indirect role for accounting information in pricing CDS’, which play an important role in credit risk price discovery.
Contract Farming in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Survey of Approaches, Debates and Issues
Authors: OYA CARLOS
Published: December 2011

The paper provides a selective survey of the most significant literature on the rise of contract farming in developing countries, with a focus on sub‐Saharan Africa. The review of the literature illustrates ideological debates around the meaning and significance of contract farming and whether it is good or bad for small‐scale farmers. The paper then divides the review of the literature into three key themes. First, it addresses the quantitative significance of contract farming in Africa, which may not be as important as it is often portrayed. Second, the paper highlights the substantial diversity of contract farming in Africa and problems with excessive generalizations. Third, it discusses the various drivers fuelling the spread of contract farming, which reflect new production conditions and existing constraints, tendencies and counter‐tendencies, and both economic and political responses to changes in production and market conditions in the era of liberalization and globalization. The variety of drivers is substantial and defies generalizations about the emergence of contract farming. Finally, it briefly suggests research questions that tend to be absent in most of the literature on contract farming, and which are important in order to understand the current dynamics of agrarian change and transitions to capitalism in African countries.
Changing Childhoods: Javanese Village Children in Three Generations
Authors: WHITE BEN
Published: December 2011

This paper explores changes in rural Javanese childhoods over three generations. A combination of historical ethnography and comparison of children's time‐budgets, based on three periods of field research, allows us to trace how the experience of childhood has changed in the Javanese village of Kali Loro, from the 1930s to the early twenty‐first century. We pay particular attention to the ongoing process of prolongation of childhood and adolescence through changes in education, marriage, children's work and young lifestyles. For the grandparents and parents of today's children, working, and earning money, outside school hours was a part of normal life for both boys and girls. While children's need for money has grown with changing lifestyles in the intervening decades, work outside the home, and particularly work that earns money, is no longer a significant part of childrens' experience. This puts today's children in a condition of greater dependence on parents, elder siblings or other relatives for access to cash, bringing new tensions into intergenerational relations.
Increasing trends in atonic postpartum haemorrhage in Ireland: an 11‐year population‐based cohort study
Authors: Lutomski JE , Byrne BM , Devane D , Greene RA
Published: December 2011

Please cite this paper as: Lutomski J, Byrne B, Devane D, Greene R. Increasing trends in atonic postpartum haemorrhage in Ireland: an 11‐year population‐based cohort study. BJOG 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1471‐0528.2011.03198.x

Objective  To derive nationally representative incidence rates of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), and to investigate trends associated with method of delivery, blood transfusion and morbidly adherent placenta (accreta, percreta and increta).

Design  Population‐based retrospective cohort study.

Setting  Republic of Ireland.

Population  Childbirth hospitalisations during the period 1999–2009.

Methods  International Classification of Diseases (ICD)‐9‐CM and ICD‐10‐AM diagnostic codes from hospital discharge records were used to identify cases of PPH. Significant temporal trends in PPH incidence were determined using Cochrane–Armitage tests for trend. Log‐binomial regression was conducted to assess annual changes in the risk of PPH diagnosis, with adjustment for potential confounding factors.

Main outcome measures  PPH, uterine atony, blood transfusion and morbidly adherent placenta.

Results  A total of 649 019 childbirth hospitalisations were recorded; 2.6% (n = 16 909) included a diagnosis of PPH. The overall PPH rate increased from 1.5% in 1999 to 4.1% in 2009; atonic PPH rose from 1.0% in 1999 to 3.4% in 2009. Significant increasing trends in atonic PPH rates were observed across vaginal, instrumental, and emergency and elective caesarean deliveries (P < 0.001). The rate of atonic PPH co‐diagnosed with blood transfusion also significantly increased (P < 0.001). Relative to 1999, the risk of atonic PPH in 2009 was three‐fold increased (adjusted RR 3.03; 95% CI 2.76–3.34). Women diagnosed with a morbidly adherent placenta had a markedly higher risk of total PPH (unadjusted RR 13.14; 95% CI 11.43–15.11).

Conclusions  Increasing rates of atonic PPH highlight the pressing need for research and for clinical audit focusing on aetiological factors, preventative measures and quality of care, to guide current clinical practice.
Expression of GABAρ receptors in the neostriatum: localization in aspiny, medium spiny neurons and GFAP‐positive cells
Authors: Rosas‐Arellano Abraham , Machuca‐Parra Arturo I. , Reyes‐Haro Daniel , Miledi Ricardo , Martínez‐Torres Ataúlfo
Published: December 2011

J. Neurochem. (2012) 122, 900–910.

GABAergic transmission in the neostriatum plays a central role in motor coordination, in which a plethora of GABA‐A receptor subunits combine to modulate neural inhibition. GABAρ receptors were originally described in the mammalian retina. These receptors possess special electrophysiological and pharmacological properties, forming a characteristic class of ionotropic receptors. In previous studies, we suggested that GABAρ receptors are expressed in the neostriatum, and in this report we show that they are indeed present in all the calretinin‐positive interneurons of the neostriatum. In addition, they are located in calbindin‐positive interneurons and projection neurons that express the dopamine D2 receptor. GABAρ receptors were also located in 30% of the glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive cells, and may therefore also contribute to gliotransmission. Quantitative reverse transcription‐PCR suggested that the mRNAs of this receptor do not express as much as in the retina, and that GABAρ2 is more abundant than GABAρ1. Electrophysiological recordings in brain slices provided evidence of neurons expressing a cis‐4‐aminocrotonic acid‐activated, 1,2,5,6‐tetrahydropyridine‐4‐yl methylphosphinic acid‐sensitive ionotropic GABA receptor, indicating the presence of functional GABAρ receptors in the neostriatum. Finally, electron‐microscopy and immunogold located the receptors mainly in perisynaptic as well as in extrasynaptic sites. All these observations reinforce the importance of GABAρ receptors in the neostriatum and contribute to the diversity of inhibitory regulation in this area.