bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Climate warming drives Himalayan alpine plant growth and recruitment dynamics
Authors: Dolezal Jiri , Jandova Veronika , Macek Martin , Mudrak Ondrej , Altman Jan , Schweingruber Fritz Hans , Liancourt Pierre 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Understanding how climate influences plant reproduction and growth at contrasting range limits is crucial for predicting how species' ranges may shift in response to ongoing climate change. Trees and shrubs have shown warming‐induced increases in performance at upper elevation limits but reduced performance at lower distributional limits due to warming‐driven drought limitation. Whether these differential responses are also valid for alpine forbs exposed to accelerated warming remains largely unknown.

We examined climate signal recorded in annual growth and recruitment over the past 60 years in the alpine forb Potentilla pamirica in Western Himalayas, and tested whether the responses to recent climate warming differ between dry steppe, wet alpine and cold subnival zone within the species 5,250–5,900 m elevation range. We reconstructed recruitment and growth chronologies from 1,019 individuals spanning 1–73 years, and more than 21,500 annual growth rings.

We identified contrasting climatic controls of recruitment and growth at opposite elevation range margins, as well as contrasting demographic trends identified from age distributions. In lower‐elevation steppes, recruitment increased with high late‐winter snowfall and decreased with high summer temperatures, while growth increased with high summer precipitation. Conversely, warm winters and summers in higher‐elevation alpine and subnival zones support growth and recruitment, while snowy winters reduce them, especially at their upper elevation limit. The age distribution revealed greater numbers of younger individuals, indicating healthy growing populations, in the alpine habitat, while evidence of ageing plant populations was observed in steppe and subnival zones.

Accelerated warming since the 1990s reduced growth and recruitment in dry steppes while supporting plant performance in the alpine habitat. The recruitment in the subnival zone did not peak during the past warmest decade due to concomitant extreme snowfall events.

Synthesis. Our results provide novel information on population‐specific climate dependency of plant recruitment, growth and population dynamics, suggesting the high vulnerability of high‐elevation Himalayan ecosystems to climate change. This is partly balanced by high species longevity and slow radial growth securing a long‐term population persistence. Continuing trends of extreme snowfall events at higher elevations and droughts at lower elevations may lead to species range contraction.
Seaweed functional diversity revisited: Confronting traditional groups with quantitative traits
Authors: Mauffrey Alizée R. L. , Cappelatti Laura , Griffin John N. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Macroalgal (seaweed) beds and forests fuel coastal ecosystems and are rapidly reorganizing under global change, but quantifying their functional structure still relies on binning species into coarse groups on the assumption that they adequately capture relevant underlying traits.

To interrogate this ‘group gambit’, we measured 12 traits relating to competitive dominance and resource economics across 95 macroalgal species collected from the UK and widespread on North‐East Atlantic rocky shores. We assessed the amount of trait variation explained by commonly used traditional groups—(a) two schemes based on gross morphology and anatomy and (b) two categorizations of vertical space use—and examined species reclassification into post hoc, so‐called emergent groups arising from the functional trait dataset. We then offer an alternative, emergent grouping scheme of macroalgal functional diversity.

(a) Morphology and anatomy‐based groups explained slightly more than a third of multivariate trait expression with considerable group overlap (i.e. low precision) and extensive mismatch with underlying trait expression (i.e. low accuracy). (b) Categorizations of vertical space use accounted for about a quarter of multivariate trait expression with considerable group overlap. Nonetheless, turf species tended to display attributes of opportunistic forms. (c) A nine‐group emergent scheme provided a highly explanatory and parsimonious alternative to traditional functional groupings.

Synthesis. Our analysis using a comprehensive dataset of directly measured functional traits revealed a general mismatch between traditional groups and underlying traits, highlighting the deficiencies of the group gambit in macroalgae. While existing grouping schemes may allow first order approximations, they risk considerable loss of information at the trait and, potentially, ecosystem levels. Instead, we call for further development of a trait‐based approach to macroalgal functional ecology to capture unfolding community and ecosystem changes with greater accuracy and generality.
Writing Up and Down: The Language of Educational Research
Authors: Smith Richard 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
There is a marked tendency in educational research to marginalise the written word, and to be wary of what I here call its ‘writerliness’: its capacity to go beyond the prosaic and the utilitarian, where meaning is understood largely in terms of the success of language in reflecting reality. I note various symptoms of this in the world of educational research, but especially in standard textbooks of educational research method, where the ambition to eliminate writing is particularly evident. In its second half the paper turns to educational research as the investigation less of causes than of meaning. Here writing—finding the right words—is itself research, rather than a process that is first performed according to various protocols of method and then ‘written up’. I draw on an illuminating discussion of this in Raimond Gaita's Introduction to recent editions of Peter Winch's The Idea of a Social Science and apply it to current debate over discipline in UK schools.
Elevating the role of carers in rheumatoid arthritis management in the Asia‐Pacific region
Authors: Pile Kevin , Norager Rachel , Skillecorn Matthias , Gibson Kathryn A. , Elderton Sue , Favorito Wendy , Li Zhanguo , Mu Rong , Nakahara Hideko , Kishimoto Mitsumasa , Hirata Shintaro , Kaneko Yuko , Lau Chak‐Sing , Tam Lai‐Shan , Chen Yi‐Hsing , Chen Pearly , Wahking Bryan , Furtner Daniel 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAimCarers may offer valuable insight into the true health status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This multinational, multi‐stakeholder, exploratory study in Australia, China and Japan aimed to enrich our understanding of the role and potential impact of carers on RA management.MethodThis study used a 2‐phase sequential mixed methods approach involving 3 key stakeholder groups: rheumatologists, RA patients and carers. The first phase involved an in‐depth qualitative exploratory survey (n = 30), which informed the development of the subsequent quantitative validation survey (n = 908). In both phases, patients and carers provided self‐assessments of disease and support parameters.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, patients usually understated the amount of physical support required, compared to carers. Rheumatologists underestimated the amount of physical and emotional care required, compared to carers and patients; however, in the quantitative phase, rheumatologists overestimated the level of support provided by carers. Levels of support provided by carers increased as disease severity increased. Active participation of carers in clinical consultations and treatment decision‐making was deemed important by 55% of all patients and 82% of all carers. All stakeholders believed carers’ insights into the physical and emotional conditions of patients were useful and should be considered in clinical decision‐making. Over 95% of rheumatologists reported soliciting input from the carer.ConclusionCarers provide valuable input that can give clinicians greater insight into the patients’ physical and emotional states, and treatment adherence. Development of standardized carer‐reported outcomes that correlate with patient‐reported outcomes and clinical parameters will ensure clinical meaningfulness and external validity.
Novel insights into the taxonomic diversity and molecular mechanisms of bacterial Mn(III) reduction
Authors: Szeinbaum Nadia , Nunn Brook L. , Cavazos Amanda R. , Crowe Sean A. , Stewart Frank J. , DiChristina Thomas J. , Reinhard Christopher T. , Glass Jennifer B. 
Published: July 2020

SummarySoluble ligand‐bound Mn(III) can support anaerobic microbial respiration in diverse aquatic environments. Thus far, Mn(III) reduction has only been associated with certain Gammaproteobacteria. Here, we characterized microbial communities enriched from Mn‐replete sediments of Lake Matano, Indonesia. Our results provide the first evidence for the biological reduction of soluble Mn(III) outside the Gammaproteobacteria. Metagenome assembly and binning revealed a novel betaproteobacterium, which we designate ‘Candidatus Dechloromonas occultata.’ This organism dominated the enrichment and expressed a porin‐cytochrome c complex typically associated with iron‐oxidizing Betaproteobacteria and a novel cytochrome c‐rich protein cluster (Occ), including an undecaheme putatively involved in extracellular electron transfer. This occ gene cluster was also detected in diverse aquatic bacteria, including uncultivated Betaproteobacteria from the deep subsurface. These observations provide new insight into the taxonomic and functional diversity of microbially driven Mn(III) reduction in natural environments.
‘The lion's den’: Social workers' understandings of risk to infants
Authors: Critchley Ariane 
Published: July 2020

AbstractRecent research has highlighted the increasing trends in newborn and very young children entering child welfare processes and care proceedings in a number of countries. Furthermore, differential responses to risk within young families across different geographical locations and communities in the same child protection system have been found. Safe care arrangements for newborn babies may include placement with kinship carers or with foster carers not previously known to the family. The distinctive needs of the increasing population of infants in the care system are only beginning to be fully recognized. The short‐ and long‐term impact of contested infant removals on birth mothers has been powerfully highlighted, although the impact on fathers remains under‐reported. There has been limited research evidence available on how decisions about the care arrangements for newborn babies are reached. In this paper, the author draws on data from an ethnographic study of pre‐birth child protection in order to explore how social workers understand and frame risk to infants when assessing families during pregnancy. Data from interviews with practitioners reveal the extent to which their conceptualizations of and anxiety about risks to unborn babies shape plans for the future care of infants.
Interactive Programming for Parametric CAD
Authors: Mathur Aman , Pirron Marcus , Zufferey Damien 
Published: July 2020

AbstractParametric computer‐aided design (CAD) enables description of a family of objects, wherein each valid combination of parameter values results in a different final form. Although Graphical User Interface (GUI)‐based CAD tools are significantly more popular, GUI operations do not carry a semantic description, and are therefore brittle with respect to changes in parameter values. Programmatic interfaces, on the other hand, are more robust due to an exact specification of how the operations are applied. However, programming is unintuitive and has a steep learning curve. In this work, we link the interactivity of GUI with the robustness of programming. Inspired by programme synthesis by example, our technique synthesizes code representative of selections made by users in a GUI interface. Through experiments, we demonstrate that our technique can synthesize relevant and robust sub‐programmes in a reasonable amount of time. A user study reveals that our interface offers significant improvements over a programming‐only interface.
Breakfast skipping and overweight/obesity in first grade primary school children: A nationwide register‐based study in Iceland
Authors: Aanesen Anita , Katzmarzyk Peter T. , Ernstsen Linda 
Published: July 2020

SummaryAlthough several studies have revealed an association between skipping breakfast and overweight (OW) or obesity (OB) in older children and adolescents, less is known about that association in younger children. The purpose of our study was to assess the association between skipping breakfast and OW/OB in children in the first grade. The sample included 4360 children (51.5% boys) aged 5.6 to 7.4 years who participated in the annual health examination in Iceland during 2016 and 2017, completed by 91% of all first graders in Iceland. Binary logistic regression analysis with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was used to assess the association between skipping breakfast and OW/OB. Skipping breakfast was assessed as not eating breakfast on the day of the assessment, whereas OW or OB was based on measured height and weight relative to the International Obesity Task Force reference. The final analyses were adjusted for bedtime, well‐being in school, commuting to school and physical activity. 7.2% of the boys (n = 162) and 7.5% of the girls (n = 158) had not eaten breakfast. After multivariable adjustment, a statistically significant association emerged between skipping breakfast and OW/OB in girls (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.17‐2.36) but not in boys (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.63‐1.63). Because the study's results suggest an association between skipping breakfast and OW/OB only in first‐grade girls in Iceland, sex‐based differences should be further investigated to inform future strategies for preventing OW and OB in young children.
The COVID‐19 Pandemic and Its Impact on the Global Economy: What Does It Take to Turn Crisis into Opportunity?
Authors: Song Ligang , Zhou Yixiao 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic broke out at a time when there were heightened uncertainties in the global economy. Understanding these uncertainties provides an important background for analyzing the impact of the pandemic on the global economy, assessing the effectiveness of policy measures in combating the pandemic and reviving the global economy, and predicting the trajectory of the economic recovery in the post‐pandemic era. We analyze how COVID‐19 would likely deepen an existing malaise in the global economy, and what could be done to address these problems while managing the economic recovery. We argue that three fundamental factors that could lead to a solid recovery in the post pandemic era are structural reform, new technology and re‐integration. They could be managed by instituting a new “global social contract.” Supported by strong public policies at all levels, especially at national level, these three factors could bring about the salvation of the global economy as it recovers or re‐emerges from the pandemic crisis.
A brief self‐compassion intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and disordered eating: a feasibility study
Authors: Boggiss A. L. , Consedine N. S. , Schache K. R. , Jefferies C. , Bluth K. , Hofman P. L. , Serlachius A. S. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAimTo examine the feasibility and acceptability of a brief self‐compassion intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and disordered eating behaviour.MethodsTwenty‐seven adolescents with type 1 diabetes were recruited and randomized to receive the brief (two 2.5‐h sessions) self‐compassion intervention, either in the intervention group (n=11) or in a waitlist control group (n=8). The intervention was adapted from the standardized eight‐session ‘Making Friends with Yourself’ programme, and sessions were delivered 1 week apart. Acceptability was assessed through qualitative questionnaires and feasibility was assessed based on session attendance and recruitment metrics. Possible changes to disordered eating behaviour, self‐care behaviours, diabetes‐related distress, self‐compassion, stress and glycaemic control were also assessed.ResultsNineteen participants completed the study, and they reported an increased sense of common humanity (acknowledging that we are not alone), mindfulness, and coping resources. In terms of feasibility, recruitment took longer than expected (8 months) and not all participants were able to attend both sessions (nine could only attend one of the two sessions).ConclusionsWhile self‐compassion is a strong conceptual fit for the issues of type 1 diabetes and disordered eating behaviour in adolescence, and the intervention content appears acceptable, feasibility issues were such that brief self‐compassion programmes will probably need to be adapted into digital interventions for future research. (Trial registration number: ANZCTR 12619000541101).
Vitamin D for treatment of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease detected by transient elastography: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Lukenda Zanko Vesna , Domislovic Viktor , Trkulja Vladimir , Krznaric‐Zrnic Irena , Turk‐Wensveen Tamara , Krznaric Zeljko , Filipec Kanizaj Tajana , Radic‐Kristo Delfa , Bilic‐Zulle Lidija , Orlic Lidija , Dinjar‐Kujundzic Petra , Poropat Goran , Stimac Davor , Hauser Goran , Mikolasevic Ivana 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAimTo evaluate the effects of vitamin D on transient elastography (TE, FibroScan) indices of liver steatosis (controlled attenuation parameter [CAP]) and fibrosis (liver stiffness measurement [LSM]) in adults with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Patients and MethodsIn this randomized (2:1), double‐blind, single‐centre, 12‐month trial, patients with NAFLD were treated with vitamin D (1000 IU/day) (n = 201) or a matching placebo (n = 110). Two co‐primary outcomes were changes in CAP and LSM after 360 days of treatment versus baseline. Two main secondary outcomes were CAP/LSM changes after 180 days of treatment.ResultsBoth CAP and LSM gradually decreased in vitamin D‐treated patients and slightly increased in the placebo arm. Vitamin D was superior to placebo for both primary outcomes (mean differences in CAP and LSM changes (−49.5 dB/m [95% CI −59.5 to −39.4] and −0.72 kPa [95% CI −1.43 to 0.00], respectively) and both secondary outcomes (−22.1 dB/m [−32.1 to −12.1] and −0.89 kPa [−1.61 to −0.17], respectively). Of a number of exploratory outcomes (change at 12 months vs. baseline), vitamin D reduced serum uric acid (−17.9 μmol/L [−30.6 to −5.2]), gamma‐glutamyltransferase (−8.9 IU/L [−15.5 to −2.3)] and fasting serum insulin levels (−5.1 pmol/L [−9.3 to −0.8]) as well as the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index (−1.6 [−3.1 to −0.2]) (false discovery rate [5%]‐adjusted P‐values between .0572 and .0952).ConclusionLow‐medium dose supplementation of vitamin D (1000 IU/day) over 12 months reduces TE indices of liver steatosis (CAP) and fibrosis (LSM) in NAFLD patients.
Driving factors of synchronous dynamics in brown trout populations at the rear edge of their native distribution
Authors: Larios‐López José Enrique , Alonso González Carlos , Galiana‐García Miguel , Tierno de Figueroa José Manuel 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe classical debate about the roles of endogenous factors and external drivers in regulating populations continues to be a very active area of scientific research, and these roles are even more complex in populations located in geographically marginal areas. We tested three hypotheses on two separate brown trout populations inhabiting the southernmost basins of the Iberian Peninsula, with the aims of determining the relationships among (a) rainfall and air temperature for each season preceding fish sampling and the observed age group densities; (b) environmental synchrony and density synchrony for all possible pairs of sites; and (c) physical habitat similarity and the similarity of the density response to climatic drivers among pairs of sites. For this purpose, demographic series (98 surveys at 14 sampling sites), climatic conditions (rainfall and air temperature) and site habitat characteristics (physiogeographic and quality index values) were analysed between 2006 and 2014. The results show how the synchrony in the study populations is the result of a Moran effect directed mainly by winter precipitation and conditioned by the habitat similarity (highlighting the altitude, the distance to the upper limit and IHF index, along with the Euclidian distance among pairs of sites of the whole set of habitat variables). Preserving the heterogeneity of these habitat characteristics will increase the resilience of trout populations that inhabit this rear edge of distribution. The current context of global climate warming predicts extremely drastic changes in the dynamics of external drivers that regulate the trout populations in the study region.
A perspective on the physicochemical and biopharmaceutic properties of marketed antiseizure drugs—From phenobarbital to cenobamate and beyond
Authors: Odi Reem , Bibi David , Wager Travis , Bialer Meir 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe success rate from first time in man to regulatory approval of central nervous system (CNS) drugs is lower than the overall success rate across all therapeutic indications (eg, cardiovascular, infectious diseases). To understand the reasons for drug‐candidate failure and to capture trends in antiseizure drug (ASD) design, we have analyzed the physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of marketed ASDs in comparison with new ASDs in development. Our comparative analysis included molecular weight (MW), logP, polar surface area (PSA), the “Lipinski rule of five,” and the CNS Multiparameter Optimization (MPO) score. LogP is the logarithm of a drug‐partition coefficient (P) between n‐octanol and water. PSA is the molecule's surface sum of its polar atoms. ASDs' biopharmaceutical properties were classified according to their water solubility, permeability, and route of elimination as outlined by the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) and Biopharmaceutics Drug Disposition Classification System (BDDCS). For old ASDs (1912‐1990), logP, PSA, and CNS MPO values ranged between 0.4 and 2.8, 37 and 87 Å2, and 4.4 and 6.0, respectively. For second‐generation ASDs (1990‐2008), PSA values ranged between 39 and 116 Å2. However, logP values showed a difference between the lipophilic (logP = 0.3‐3.21) and hydrophilic (logP = −0.6 to −2.16) ASDs. For third‐generation ASDs (2008‐2020), logP and PSA ranged between 0.3 and 3.5 and between 57 and 76 Å2, respectively. The mean CNS MPO scores of all marketed ASDs were similar, ranging between 4.9 and 5.4, and were similar to those of the ASDs in development (3.5‐5.8). Most ASDs belong to BCS and BDDCS classes 1 and 2. MW, logP, CNS MPO score, and PSA assess lipophilicity and correlate with antiseizure activity. To succeed, a new small‐molecule ASD must have MW < 375 and PSA < 140Å2, belong to BCS and/or BDDCS class 1 or 2, and obey the Lipinski rule of five: logP < 5, MW < 500, and <5 and <10 of hydrogen‐bond donors and acceptors, respectively. The similarity in the MW, logP, and PSA values of marketed and new drugs in development indicates a conservative trend in ASD design.