bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of a trophic cascade on a multi‐level facilitation cascade
Authors: Yakovis Eugeniy , Artemieva Anna 
Published: June 2021

Abstract

The role of cascades in natural communities has been extensively studied, but interactions between trophic and facilitation cascades are unexplored. In the White Sea (65°N) shallow subtidal, bivalve primary facilitators provide hard substrate for secondary facilitator barnacles, that, in turn, provide substrate for conspecifics, ascidians, red algae and multiple associated organisms, composing a multi‐level facilitation cascade. Previous research revealed that predation by the whelk Boreotrophon clathratus accounts for ~7% of adult barnacle mortality. Low whelk abundance limits their effect, with barnacles living on conspecifics several times more vulnerable to predation than those living on primary substrate.

Trophic cascades can selectively shield foundation species from consumers, and hence may affect the structure and length of facilitation cascades. We tested the hypothesis that low abundance of the whelks results from mesopredator predation on their juveniles. Depending on the magnitude of the effect, this would mean that a trophic cascade controls the abundance of barnacles on all substrates or only barnacles living on conspecifics. We also suggested that barnacles on primary substrates and conspecifics facilitate different dependent assemblages.

We manipulated the presence of crab and shrimp mesopredators in field caging experiments to assess their effect on whelk recruitment. In a field survey, we compared the assemblages of sessile macrobenthic organisms associated with barnacles living on different substrates.

Caging experiments evidenced that crab and shrimp mesopredators reduce whelk recruitment by 4.6 times. Field data showed that barnacles on primary substrate and on conspecifics promote different dependent assemblages including secondary facilitator ascidians.

Although mesopredators do not shield barnacles from elimination, their absence would restrict them from living on conspecifics. Barnacles on conspecifics are functionally different from barnacles on primary substrate, and can be considered a separate level of the facilitation cascade. Trophic cascades thus can generate community‐wide effects on facilitation cascades by affecting their structure and possibly length.
Interaction between warming and landscape foraging resource availability on solitary bee reproduction
Authors: Zaragoza‐Trello Carlos , Vilà Montserrat , Bartomeus Ignasi 
Published: June 2021

Abstract

Solitary bees comprise around 90% of bee species, playing an essential role in both wild and crop plant pollination. Bee populations are jeopardized by different global change pressures such as climate change and landscape transformation. However, the interactive effects of global change components have been little explored, especially for solitary bees.

We conducted a factorial experiment using artificial nest‐traps to analyse the combined effect of climate warming and landscape transformation on Osmia bicornis reproduction and offspring body size.

The number of bee cocoons increased with temperature and flower abundance in the landscape. However, the sex ratio was biased towards males with warming, especially at low flower abundances.

Male body size increased with temperature. Conversely, female body sizes showed strong interactive responses, increasing in size with high flower abundance in the landscape, but only at low temperatures. The abortion rate of larvae and parasitization were not significantly affected by neither flower abundance nor temperature.

Because the body size of females in O. bicornis is key for the next generation's progeny success, our results indicate that the simultaneous exposure to a shortage of floral resources and high temperatures may have adverse direct fitness effects.
Cooperating Through Competition: EU Challenge and Support to the World Bank Focality in Multilateral Development Finance
Authors: Baroncelli Eugenia 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBuilding on previous research on the relations between the European Union (EU) and the World Bank, this paper contributes to the debate on the World Bank focality in the regime complex for multilateral development finance. Adopting a historical‐institutionalist perspective, the analysis focuses on the determinants and mechanisms of micro‐institutional changes that have occurred in the context of EU‐World Bank's interaction in non‐core lending, particularly in World Bank trust funds and EU blending facilities. Most of the existing literature has focused on the ascendancy of new regional development banks outside the Bretton Woods camp, qualifying it as mostly conflicting or mostly cooperative. In contrast, this paper contends that a challenge has arisen also from within the group of core Bretton Woods‐inspired institutions. In addition, it shows how the EU has both competed and cooperated with the World Bank in the area of fiduciary funding, across three broad phases, and in response to specific critical junctures and tipping points. The EU’s innovation and quest for leadership in blended finance has replicated the World Bank’s good practices on some counts, yet it has also challenged its focality in non‐core lending.
The International Discourses and Governance of Fake News
Authors: Neo Ric 
Published: June 2021

AbstractSince the 2016 US presidential elections, fake news and misinformation have been recognised as a major problem of the modern, connected world. However, this increased salience has been accompanied by an expansion in voices articulating different approaches towards the issue. This article presents an examination of the range of societal discourses of fake news advanced by four types of hegemonic societal actors: international organisations, states, civil society and large business interests, focusing on the following. First, how do existing discourses conceive of the nature of fake news and the societal objects it threatens? Next, what are the solutions proposed? Through an analysis of policy interventions and texts, this article presents a taxonomy of the current most salient understandings of fake news, showing that present conceptualisations of the issue can be categorised into three competing discourses: discourses constructing fake news as an existential threat, a political problem or a minor issue. The analysis highlights important variations in how different regimes conceptualise fake news, revealing how authoritarian governments have sought to construct fake news as a security threat in order to justify constraints on free speech. On the flipside, leaving fake news completely unregulated leads to conflict‐of‐interest issues and an accountability gulf implicating ‘Big Tech’. This article calls for more analytical focus on the discourses of fake news, which constitutes a significant but under‐examined factor in comprehending the long‐term consequences of the problem of fake news.
Quantification of prenatal marijuana use: evaluation of the correlation between self‐report, serum, urine and umbilical cord assays among women delivering at two urban Colorado hospitals
Authors: Metz Torri D. , McMillin Gwendolyn A. , Silver Robert M. , Allshouse Amanda A. , Heard Kennon , Jensen Triniti L. , Wymore Erica M. , Stickrath Elaine , Conageski Christine , Kinney Gregory L. , Binswanger Ingrid A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackground and AimsTo estimate during pregnancy correlations between frequency of self‐reported use of marijuana and quantified marijuana metabolite in biospecimens including urine, sera and umbilical cord homogenate.DesignProspective cohort.SettingTwo urban hospitals in Colorado with legal recreational and medicinal marijuana.ParticipantsPregnant women (<16 weeks gestation) self‐reporting marijuana use.MeasurementsParticipants completed a written self‐report survey and provided biospecimens at <16 weeks gestation (n = 46), 18 to 22 weeks gestation (n = 43), 32 to 36 weeks gestation (n = 39), and delivery (n = 37). Self‐reported marijuana use frequency was calculated based on past‐month days of use multiplied by number of daily uses. Maternal urine and sera were tested for presence (>5 ng/mL) of 11‐nor‐9‐carboxy‐delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC‐COOH). Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry quantified THC‐COOH in umbilical cord homogenate (ng/g). Last marijuana use by any measure was recorded to evaluate the time frame over which THC‐COOH remains detectable (>0.10 ng/g) in cord.FindingsFrom December 2017 through May 2019, 51 pregnant women enrolled, and 46 were included in analyses (2 withdrew and 3 had a spontaneous abortion). The majority were normal weight, White or Black race, and insured by Medicaid. At the time of enrollment between 7 to 15 weeks’ gestation, 87% had ongoing use by self‐report, or positive urine or serum. The majority (33 [66%]) stopped using before delivery. Sera and urine results were strongly correlated with self‐reported use frequency (Spearman correlation coefficient [r] range 0.70–0.87 across visits, P < 0.001), and with each other. There was only one positive cord result when use stopped before 22 weeks. Frequency of self‐reported marijuana use at delivery had strong correlation with quantified cord THC‐COOH (r = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.62–0.89).ConclusionsQuantified umbilical cord THC‐COOH appears to strongly correlate with frequency of maternal marijuana use in the last month of pregnancy. Earlier use can be measured by either quantitative urine or serum assay.
The impact of compliance among patients with diabetic macular oedema treated with intravitreal aflibercept: a 48‐month follow‐up study
Authors: Angermann Reinhard , Hofer Markus , Huber Anna Lena , Rauchegger Teresa , Nowosielski Yvonne , Casazza Marina , Falanga Valeria , Zehetner Claus 
Published: June 2021

AbstractPurposeThis study aimed to compare anatomical and functional outcomes between patients with non‐proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) with diabetic macular oedema (DME) who adhered to intravitreal aflibercept therapy and patients lost to follow‐up (LTFU).MethodsWe enrolled 200 patients and recorded the interval between each procedure and the subsequent follow‐up visit. Moreover, visual acuity (VA) and anatomical outcomes were measured at each follow‐up examination.ResultsAmong the patients, 103 (51%) patients adhered to intravitreal aflibercept therapy and follow‐up examination while 97 (49%) patients were LTFU. Forty‐six (47%) patients LTFU who returned for further treatment showed a significant decrease in VA from 0.51 (±0.46) to 0.89 (±0.38) logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) after 48 months (p = 0.004). Compared with the adherent group, the return group showed a worse VA at 48 months (p = 0.036). Further, 1 (1%) patient in the adherent group and 8 (17%) patients in the return group developed a proliferative DR. Patients who were LTFU had a 13.0 times greater chance to develop a proliferative DR (p = 0.022).ConclusionsPatients who did not adhere to intravitreal aflibercept therapy for DME showed significantly worse visual outcomes compared to patients with good therapy adherence. Moreover, patients with LTFU had a 13 times higher risk of developing a proliferative DR. Considering the potential disease progress, better strategies should be applied to optimize the functional outcome of patients at risk of reduced adherence.
Judicial interventions in health policy: Epistemic competence and the courts
Authors: Morales Leticia 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe judiciary is a key policy actor that is involved in deciding health rights and policy by intervening in the policy process through a variety of judicial mechanisms, yet the appropriate extent of its involvement remains contentious. Taking the competence objection seriously requires understanding it as an epistemic problem about how courts assess empirical and scientific evidence in order to competently adjudicate controversial health claims. This paper examines recent advances in social epistemology to develop insights for the epistemic competence of the judiciary from a system‐oriented approach. I outline three epistemic features that set the judiciary and the judicial decision‐making process apart from other types of decision‐makers in health policy: the distribution of epistemic power, the epistemic authority of a justified believer, and the principle of disinterestedness. Finally, I relate these insights back to the judicial decision‐making process with a specific focus on recent court decisions in health rights and health policy in Chile.
COVID‐19‐related neuropathology and microglial activation in elderly with and without dementia
Authors: Poloni Tino Emanuele , Medici Valentina , Moretti Matteo , Visonà Silvia Damiana , Cirrincione Alice , Carlos Arenn Faye , Davin Annalisa , Gagliardi Stella , Pansarasa Orietta , Cereda Cristina , Tronconi Livio , Guaita Antonio , Ceroni Mauro 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe actual role of SARS‐CoV‐2 in brain damage remains controversial due to lack of matched controls. We aim to highlight to what extent is neuropathology determined by SARS‐CoV‐2 or by pre‐existing conditions. Findings of 9 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) cases and 6 matched non‐COVID controls (mean age 79 y/o) were compared. Brains were analyzed through immunohistochemistry to detect SARS‐CoV‐2, lymphocytes, astrocytes, endothelium, and microglia. A semi‐quantitative scoring was applied to grade microglial activation. Thal‐Braak stages and the presence of small vessel disease were determined in all cases. COVID‐19 cases had a relatively short clinical course (0–32 days; mean: 10 days), and did not undergo mechanical ventilation. Five patients with neurocognitive disorder had delirium. All COVID‐19 cases showed non‐SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific changes including hypoxic‐agonal alterations, and a variable degree of neurodegeneration and/or pre‐existent SVD. The neuroinflammatory picture was dominated by ameboid CD68 positive microglia, while only scant lymphocytic presence and very few traces of SARS‐CoV‐2 were detected. Microglial activation in the brainstem was significantly greater in COVID‐19 cases (p = 0.046). Instead, microglial hyperactivation in the frontal cortex and hippocampus was clearly associated to AD pathology (p = 0.001), regardless of the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. In COVID‐19 cases complicated by delirium (all with neurocognitive disorders), there was a significant enhancement of microglia in the hippocampus (p = 0.048). Although higher in cases with both Alzheimer's pathology and COVID‐19, cortical neuroinflammation is not related to COVID‐19 per se but mostly to pre‐existing neurodegeneration. COVID‐19 brains seem to manifest a boosting of innate immunity with microglial reinforcement, and adaptive immunity suppression with low number of brain lymphocytes probably related to systemic lymphopenia. Thus, no neuropathological evidence of SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific encephalitis is detectable. The microglial hyperactivation in the brainstem, and in the hippocampus of COVID‐19 patients with delirium, appears as a specific topographical phenomenon, and probably represents the neuropathological basis of the “COVID‐19 encephalopathic syndrome” in the elderly.
The global regulatory logic of organ regeneration: circuitry lessons from skin and its appendages
Authors: Yue ZhiCao , Lei Mingxing , Paus Ralf , Chuong Cheng‐Ming 
Published: June 2021

ABSTRACTIn organ regeneration, the regulatory logic at a systems level remains largely unclear. For example, what defines the quantitative threshold to initiate regeneration, and when does the regeneration process come to an end? What leads to the qualitatively different responses of regeneration, which restore the original structure, or to repair which only heals a wound? Here we discuss three examples in skin regeneration: epidermal recovery after radiation damage, hair follicle fate choice after chemotherapy damage, and wound‐induced feather regeneration. We propose that the molecular regulatory circuitry is of paramount significance in organ regeneration. It is conceivable that defects in these controlling pathways may lead to failed regeneration and/or organ renewal, and understanding the underlying logic could help to identify novel therapeutic strategies.
Social competition as a driver of phenotype–environment correlations: implications for ecology and evolution
Authors: Fokkema Rienk W. , Korsten Peter , Schmoll Tim , Wilson Alastair J. 
Published: June 2021

ABSTRACTWhile it is universally recognised that environmental factors can cause phenotypic trait variationviaphenotypic plasticity, the extent to which causal processes operate in the reverse direction has received less consideration. In fact individuals are often active agents in determining the environments, and hence the selective regimes, they experience. There are several important mechanisms by which this can occur, including habitat selection and niche construction, that are expected to result in phenotype–environment correlations (i.e. non‐random assortment of phenotypes across heterogeneous environments). Here we highlight an additional mechanism – intraspecific competition for preferred environments – that may be widespread, and has implications for phenotypic evolution that are currently underappreciated. Under this mechanism, variation among individuals in traits determining their competitive ability leads to phenotype–environment correlation; more competitive phenotypes are able to acquire better patches. Based on a concise review of the empirical evidence we argue that competition‐induced phenotype–environment correlations are likely to be common in natural populations before highlighting the major implications of this for studies of natural selection and microevolution. We focus particularly on two central issues. First, competition‐induced phenotype–environment correlation leads to the expectation that positive feedback loops will amplify phenotypic and fitness variation among competing individuals. As a result of being able to acquire a better environment, winners gain more resources and even better phenotypes – at the expense of losers. The distinction between individual quality and environmental quality that is commonly made by researchers in evolutionary ecology thus becomes untenable. Second, if differences among individuals in competitive ability are underpinned by heritable traits, competition results in both genotype–environment correlations and an expectation of indirect genetic effects (IGEs) on resource‐dependent life‐history traits. Theory tells us that these IGEs will act as (partial) constraints, reducing the amount of genetic variance available to facilitate evolutionary adaptation. Failure to recognise this will lead to systematic overestimation of the adaptive potential of populations. To understand the importance of these issues for ecological and evolutionary processes in natural populations we therefore need to identify and quantify competition‐induced phenotype–environment correlations in our study systems. We conclude that both fundamental and applied research will benefit from an improved understanding of when and how social competition causes non‐random distribution of phenotypes, and genotypes, across heterogeneous environments.
Improved household living standards can restore dry tropical forests
Authors: DeFries Ruth , Agarwala Meghna , Baquie Sandra , Choksi Pooja , Khanwilkar Sarika , Mondal Pinki , Nagendra Harini , Uperlainen Johannes 
Published: June 2021

AbstractDespite multiple approaches over the last several decades to harmonize conservation and development goals in the tropics, forest‐dependent households remain the poorest in the world. Durable housing and alternatives to fuelwood for cooking are critical needs to reduce multi‐dimensional poverty. These improvements also potentially reduce pressure on forests and alleviate forest degradation. We test this possibility in dry tropical forests of the Central Indian Highlands where tribal and other marginalized populations rely on forests for energy, construction materials, and other livelihood needs. Based on a remotely sensed measure of forest degradation and a 5000 household survey of forest use, we use machine learning (causal forests) and other statistical methods to quantify treatment effects of two improved living standards—alternatives to fuelwood for cooking and non‐forest‐based housing material—on forest degradation in 1, 2, and 5 km buffers around 500 villages. Both improved living standards had significant treatment effects (−0.030 ± 0.078, −0.030 ± 0.023, 95% CI), respectively, with negative values indicating less forest degradation, within 1 km buffers around villages. Treatment effects were lower with increasing distance from villages. Results suggest that improved living standards can both reduce forest degradation and alleviate poverty. Forest restoration efforts can target improved living standards for local communities without conflicts over land tenure or taking land out of production to plant trees.
Adaptation and validation of the Chinese version of Dyspnoea‐12 scale in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Choi Tiffany Ching Man , Chan Lloyd Long Yu , Tsang Hin Cheung , Vong Yee Ping , Cheng Yui Kwan , To Yuk Ling , Choo Kah Lin , Yorke Janelle 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIntroductionDyspnoea‐12 scale is a validated assessment tool, capturing the perception of dyspnoea and its physical and affective effects in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A validated version for the Chinese‐speaking population has been unavailable.ObjectiveTo develop a Chinese version of D‐12 (D‐12‐C) scale and evaluate its validity and reliability.MethodsD‐12 was translated from English to traditional Chinese in collaboration with a physician and a linguist. Back translation was adopted to ensure accuracy of the translation. A total of 155 COPD patients were recruited to test the reliability and validity of the D‐12‐C scale. Internal reliability and test‐retest reliability were measured with Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intra‐class correlation coefficient, respectively. Construct validity was assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Concurrent validity was assessed by the correlation of D‐12‐C total score and sub‐scores and the Chinese version of Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), 36‐Item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36), COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) total score and sub‐scores.ResultsThe two‐factor structure of D‐12‐C was confirmed by EFA. D‐12‐C and its sub‐scores demonstrated high level of internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88) and moderate level of test‐retest reliability. D‐12‐C total score, physical and affective sub‐scores were significantly correlated to SGRQ total score (rs = 0.59, p < 0.001) and activity sub‐score (rs = 0.38, p = 0.006), SF‐36 mental health sub‐score (rs = −0.36, p < 0.001), CAT (rs = 0.56, p < 0.001), HADS anxiety (rs = 0.51, p < 0.001) and depression sub‐scores (rs = 0.44, p < 0.001).ConclusionD‐12‐C scale was developed, which demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity in measuring dyspnoea among COPD patients.