bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Litter decomposition affected by bamboo expansion is modulated by litter‐mixing and microbial composition
Authors: Luan Junwei , Li Siyu , Dong Wei , Liu Yanchun , Wang Yi , Liu Shirong 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Litter decomposition is a key ecosystem process that drives carbon (C) and nutrient cycling, which could be affected by shifts in plant community composition caused by plant invasion or expansion. However, how changes in leaf litter composition (e.g. litter‐mixing effect) and soil microbial community induced by shift in plant community composition affect decomposition remains elusive.

Here, by deploying 432 litterbags (50‐μm mesh screen), we treated leaf litter of bamboo Phyllostachys edulis and tree species (in a mixture or alone) and decomposed them in forest sites expanded or not expanded by bamboo at three regions, to assess the effects of bamboo expansion on decomposition, microbial community structure and function.

Bamboo expansion reduced microbial C to nitrogen (N) ratio and nutritional stress indicator (cy/pre), which was very likely ascribed to elevated N availability as a result of accelerated litter N release. The N loss of bamboo litter (28.1 ± 3.03%) was more than double of tree species litter (13.2 ± 3.1%), and decomposing litter of bamboo and tree species in a mixture increased litter N loss from 15.3 ± 3.1% to 25.9 ± 3.1% (by 69%). However, no consistent effect of litter type and litter treatment on C loss was observed. The non‐additive litter‐mixing effect is attributable to increased microbial nutrient use efficiency, which is illustrated by the interactive effect between litter treatment and cy/pre on decomposition. Moreover, the forest type interactively affected decomposition with cy/pre as ignoring litter treatment, where higher decay rate and litter N loss at bamboo expanded than non‐expanded sites would be expected when both sites having comparable cy/pre, but the reality is that bamboo expansion tends to have lower cy/pre. These results imply a trade‐off between introduced litter and nutrient use efficiency of local microbial community to drive decomposition.

Our results demonstrate that litter decomposition affected by bamboo expansion was jointly modulated by litter‐mixing and microbial composition, which sheds new insights on predicting changes in soil C and nutrient cycling induced by shifts in plant community composition.

A free plain language summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving tofacitinib
Authors: Wang Sz‐Tsan , Tseng Chih‐Wei , Hsu Chia‐Wen , Tung Chien‐Hsueh , Huang Kuang‐Yung , Lu Ming‐Chi , Lai Ning‐Sheng 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving tofacitinib.MethodThis was a retrospective study performed in a regional teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. During January 2017 and December 2020, patients with a clinician‐confirmed diagnosis of RA using tofacitinib for at least 3 months were enrolled. Serum HBV DNA levels and serum alanine aminotransferase were followed up around every 3 to 6 months to assess HBV reactivation.ResultsA total of 98 patients with RA were enrolled, and eight were hepatitis B surface antigen positive (HBsAg+) (8.1%), 64 were HBsAg‐negative (HBsAg−)/hepatitis B core antibody positive (HBcAb+) (65.3%). In the HBsAg+ patients, two patients received antiviral prophylaxis, and none of them had HBV reactivation or hepatitis flare‐up. The HBV reactivation rate was 33.3% (2/6) in the HBsAg+ RA patient without antiviral prophylaxis. Among the HBsAg−/HBcAb+ patients, the HBV reactivation rate was 3.1% (2/64). The incidence rate of HBV reactivation was 153.8 per 1000 person‐years for overall HBsAg+ patients and 250 per 1000 person‐years after excluding patients receiving antiviral prophylaxis. The incidence rate was 11.2 per 1000 person‐years for HBsAg−/HBcAb+ patients with RA receiving tofacitinib.ConclusionTofacitinib could induce HBV reactivation in both HBsAg+ and HBsAg−/HBcAb+ RA patients. HBsAg+ patients receiving tofacitinib have a high incidence rate of HBV reactivation, which could be prevented by antiviral prophylaxis. Although the risk of reactivation is low in HBsAg−/HBcAb+ patients, closely monitoring HBV DNA and alanine aminotransferase should be suggested.
Application of optic neuro‐ophthalmology imaging in latent meningeal metastases of lung cancer
Authors: Song Shuai , Chang Dong , Li Hao , Liu Chunquan , Li Hongyang , Cui Yong 
Published: September 2021

AbstractLatent intracranial meningeal metastases (IMM) of lung cancer is difficult to determine, yet it is critical to do so given that it impacts the treatment agent. Studies on this disease are rare, thus necessitating further investigation. As a case study, we will explore the application of optic neuroimaging in IMM. A 62‐year‐old female patient was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, which had progressed to osseous metastasis. During the course of chemotherapy, the patient had bilateral vision loss and paralysis of extraocular muscles. Ophthalmologists ruled out disease of the retina and suspected intracranial metastasis; however, brain‐enhanced magnetic resonance angiography and magnetic resonance venography were normal. Given the patient's severe osteoarthropathy and poor physical condition, she refused to undergo a lumbar puncture examination. Optic neuro‐ophthalmology imaging was ultimately used. Utilizing optical coherence tomography, we found that the basement membrane layer in the papilledema was protruding up towards the vitreous cavity. To assist in visualization, the optic nerve sheath was enhanced with optic magnetic resonance imaging. With these methods, the dural metastasis was identified, the treatment agent was changed for the patient, and she had a successful recovery. Thus, optic neuro‐ophthalmology imaging should be recommended for patients who are in the latent course of dural metastasis, and it could also be used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy.
Next‐generation sequencing assisted diagnosis of cervical metastasis in EGFR‐mutated lung adenocarcinoma: A case report
Authors: Xu Li , Li Kang , Chen Xiaoyan , Chen Bolin , Li Jia , Wu Lin 
Published: September 2021

AbstractEGFR mutation has been detected in more than half of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in Asia. Lung cancer is the main cause of malignant tumor‐related death worldwide. Although distant metastases often occurs in patients with advanced NSCLC, uterine cervical metastasis is rare. Here, we report a case of EGFR‐mutated lung adenocarcinoma with cervical metastasis. A 63‐year‐old female with known lung adenocarcinoma was found to have abnormal vaginal bleeding during osimertinib follow‐up visits. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and next‐generation sequencing (NGS) of the biopsy sample from the uterine cervical tumor confirmed metastatic dissemination from the primary lung malignancy. NGS assisted the diagnosis of uterine cervical metastasis from the primary lung. This is another major clinical application of NGS in addition to medication guidance and identification of drug resistance mechanisms.
Editorial: only steps away from prime time? Hepatitis B virus RNA as routine marker to guide HBV treatment decisions
Authors: Wehmeyer Malte H. , Schulze zur Wiesch Julian 
Published: September 2021

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Xia et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16538 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16570
Letter: universal screening for hepatitis C in pregnancy, children and adolescents—authors' reply
Authors: Indolfi Giuseppe , Lucenteforte Ersilia 
Published: September 2021

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Indolfi et al and Garrido & Macedo papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16037 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16546
Editorial: coeliac disease—it's a family affair. Authors' reply
Authors: Paavola Saana , Kaukinen Katri , Kurppa Kalle 
Published: September 2021

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Paavola et al and Therrien & Leffler papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16534 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16552
Bivariate small‐area estimation for binary and gaussian variables based on a conditionally specified model
Authors: Sun Hao , Berg Emily , Zhu Zhengyuan 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMany large‐scale surveys collect both discrete and continuous variables. Small‐area estimates may be desired for means of continuous variables, proportions in each level of a categorical variable, or for domain means defined as the mean of the continuous variable for each level of the categorical variable. In this paper, we introduce a conditionally specified bivariate mixed‐effects model for small‐area estimation, and provide a necessary and sufficient condition under which the conditional distributions render a valid joint distribution. The conditional specification allows better model interpretation. We use the valid joint distribution to calculate empirical Bayes predictors and use the parametric bootstrap to estimate the mean squared error. Simulation studies demonstrate the superior performance of the bivariate mixed‐effects model relative to univariate model estimators. We apply the bivariate mixed‐effects model to construct estimates for small watersheds using data from the Conservation Effects Assessment Project, a survey developed to quantify the environmental impacts of conservation efforts. We construct predictors of mean sediment loss, the proportion of land where the soil loss tolerance is exceeded, and the average sediment loss on land where the soil loss tolerance is exceeded. In the data analysis, the bivariate mixed‐effects model leads to more scientifically interpretable estimates of domain means than those based on two independent univariate models.
Estimation of separable direct and indirect effects in continuous time
Authors: Martinussen Torben , Stensrud Mats Julius 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMany research questions involve time‐to‐event outcomes that can be prevented from occurring due to competing events. In these settings, we must be careful about the causal interpretation of classical statistical estimands. In particular, estimands on the hazard scale, such as ratios of cause‐specific or subdistribution hazards, are fundamentally hard to interpret causally. Estimands on the risk scale, such as contrasts of cumulative incidence functions, do have a clear causal interpretation, but they only capture the total effect of the treatment on the event of interest; that is, effects both through and outside of the competing event. To disentangle causal treatment effects on the event of interest and competing events, the separable direct and indirect effects were recently introduced. Here we provide new results on the estimation of direct and indirect separable effects in continuous time. In particular, we derive the nonparametric influence function in continuous time and use it to construct an estimator that has certain robustness properties. We also propose a simple estimator based on semiparametric models for the two cause‐specific hazard functions. We describe the asymptotic properties of these estimators and present results from simulation studies, suggesting that the estimators behave satisfactorily in finite samples. Finally, we reanalyze the prostate cancer trial from Stensrud et al. (2020).
The landmark Escazú Agreement: An opportunity to integrate democracy, human rights, and transboundary conservation
Authors: López‐Cubillos Sofía , Muñoz‐Ávila Lina , Roberson Leslie A. , Suárez‐Castro Andrés F. , Ochoa‐Quintero Jose Manuel , Crouzeilles Renato , Gallo‐Cajiao Eduardo , Rhodes Jonathan , Dressler Wolfram , Martinez‐Harms María José , Runting Rebecca K. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractLatin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the world's most biodiverse regions, but this diversity is threatened by the overexploitation of natural resources and internal social conflicts. In 2018, 33 LAC countries were invited to sign and ratify the landmark Escazú Agreement, which is the first legally binding environmental agreement to explicitly integrate human rights with environmental matters. The agreement outlines an approach to enhance the protection of environmental defenders, increase public participation in environmental decision‐making, and foster cooperation among countries for biodiversity conservation. However, clear mechanisms to implement the ideals of the Agreement are currently lacking. We identify the key provisions of the Agreement and link these to tangible mechanisms which aim to integrate human rights and nature conservation. These mechanisms include technological (e.g., free online data), human‐based (e.g., legal advice from multidisciplinary teams), and nature‐based solutions (e.g., transboundary species management). As environmental assets––and threats to them––span national boundaries, the collaborative and participatory provisions of the agreement could catalyze coordinated transboundary environmental management. Because of the importance of this Agreement for the LAC region, we added a Spanish version of this manuscript in the Supplementary Material (versión del artículo en español en el material suplementario).
Pityriasis rubra pilaris treatment options: A retrospective case series from a tertiary hospital
Authors: Ringin Sarah , Baker Christopher S. , Foley Peter , Daniel Benjamin S. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) is a group of uncommon chronic inflammatory skin conditions with unclear pathophysiology and etiology. To date there is limited published literature and no clinical guidelines for the management of PRP. Infliximab, alone or in combination, is the most widely published successful treatment for adults and etanercept for pediatric populations. We present a case series of patients diagnosed with PRP. Retrospective data were collected from a tertiary Australian dermatology department between January 2010 and December 2019 on patients with PRP. Electronic medical records and pathology database were searched. A total of 13 patients were included. Twelve of the 13 patients used topical agents and three patients attempted narrow‐band ultraviolet B phototherapy. All patients received acitretin as first line systemic agent with the dose varying from 10 to 50 mg daily. Six patients treated with acitretin reported adverse events, requiring dose reduction or cessation. Of the nine patients who did not receive a biologic agent, complete clearance of PRP was achieved in five cases. At least one biologic agent was used in four cases with two experiencing a marked improvement. Overall, complete clearance was achieved in six patients. PRP continues to be a challenge to treat with many treatment options used with variable efficacy.
Echocardiographic characteristics of pediatric preexcitation cardiomyopathy
Authors: Sun Yan , Zhang Hongju , Xue Li , Yang Jiao , Li Jingya , Liu Guowen , Ma Ning 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPreexcitation cardiomyopathy is a rare cardiac anomaly but it can be life threatening. It may occur in type B preexcitation syndrome. A patients with this condition typically has an enlarged left ventricle and reduced systolic function without tachycardia‐associated cardiomyopathy. Echocardiography plays an important role in diagnosis in identifying this condition by revealing the “rebounce” movement of the inter‐ventricular septum (IVS). We report echocardiographic findings of five pediatric patients with preexcitation cardiomyopathy. All of them had a radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) and recovered during the follow‐up.
Evolutionary origins of cooperative and communal breeding: Lessons from the crotophagine cuckoos
Authors: Riehl Christina 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMost cooperatively breeding birds live in family groups, in which a breeding pair is assisted by genetically related “helpers” who do not reproduce. In some species, however, several breeding adults reproduce in a single nest and cooperatively provide parental care to the mixed brood of nestlings. Recent comparative analyses have convincingly argued that these two forms of sociality—family‐based helping and communal breeding—are distinct, since they differ in key respects and have apparently arisen along separate evolutionary trajectories. In this review, I first suggest that the similarities between these systems are also informative for understanding the evolution and persistence of cooperative societies. For example, many communal breeders also have non‐reproductive helpers, suggesting that similar selective pressures may help maintain both kin‐based helping and communal breeding despite their disparate origins. I next discuss hypotheses for the origins of communal breeding in the anis and allies (CrotophagaandGuira), a lineage of Neotropical cuckoos, focusing on the evolutionary and behavioral links between communal breeding and brood parasitism. Several traits that are ancestral to cuckoos, including rapid offspring development and the ability to lay large, indeterminate clutches, are implicated as evolutionary precursors of both strategies. Finally, I discuss recent research on alternative reproductive tactics in the greater ani (Crotophaga major), in which communal breeding, conspecific brood parasitism, and helping by both relatives and non‐relatives are common. The coexistence of all four behaviors within the same population provides a rare opportunity to dissect the costs and benefits of group living and parental care, and, ultimately, to examine the selective pressures favoring cooperation under varying degrees of genetic relatedness.
A positive feedback loop between sociality and social competence
Authors: Taborsky Barbara 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe social environment of animals influences individual social decisions, which in turn feeds back on the social environment. The two halves of this feedback loop are rarely studied in conjunction. Here, I propose and review evidence for a positive feedback loop between sociality and social competence. Because social competence increases the performance during social encounters of all kinds, positive feedback between selection on social competence and sociality seems plausible. In the first part, I present evidence that social competence is an evolving trait: it exhibits consistent variation between individuals, has fitness consequences and is genetically or non‐genetically transmitted across generations. In the second part, I propose that the feedback loop between sociality and social competence may be mediated by a link to dispersal propensity. I review the available evidence for this possible mechanism: higher social competence and philopatry may be part of the same social phenotype, and in some social species dispersal propensity is heritable. Finally, I discuss the evolutionary consequences of the proposed mechanism for the scenarios that social phenotype is transmitted genetically or plastically across generations.
Collective defence and behavioural homogeneity during simulated territorial intrusions in banded mongooses (Mungos mungo)
Authors: Green P.A. , Preston E.F.R. , Nicholl M.H. , Croft D.P. , Thompson F.J. , Cant M.A. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractConflicts between stable social groups (“intergroup conflicts”) can be damaging and exert a strong influence on within‐group social behaviour. The success of groups during intergroup conflict may depend on the ability of individual group members to converge upon collective defence behaviour, such as approaching or attacking. In principle, collective defence can be achieved via a united front, in which each individual responds in the same way to an intergroup threat. We tested the impact of simulated intergroup conflicts on collective defence and individual behaviour in banded mongooses (Mungos mungo), a cooperatively breeding mammal in which intergroup conflict is particularly common and costly. We presented focal groups with scent markings, call playbacks and caged live animals from rival groups and compared their responses to these stimuli with their responses to own‐group control stimuli. A greater proportion of group members approached the stimulus and acted defensively in response to rival stimuli as compared to controls, consistent with a unified collective defence response. However, counter to our expectation, groups exhibited lower behavioural homogeneity when presented with rival stimuli as compared to controls. A closer examination of the behaviours competitors used revealed that lower homogeneity was driven by a greater use, and diversity, of defensive behaviours relevant to repelling simulated rivals. Finally, group size affected responses: as group size increased, the proportion of members approaching the stimulus and behavioural homogeneity decreased. Our results lend support to the hypothesis that intergroup conflict leads to coordinated collective defence behaviour during the immediate threat of an intergroup conflict. However, collective defence need not mean that all group members execute the same behaviours.
Reciprocal relationship between locomotive syndrome and social frailty in older adults
Authors: Ono Rei , Murata Shunsuke , Uchida Kazuaki , Endo Tatsuya , Otani Koji 
Published: September 2021

AimStates of vulnerability are multidimensional and become more prevalent with advancing age. These states and the causal relationships between them, merit thorough investigation. This study aimed to understand the reciprocal relationship between the constructs of the locomotive syndrome and social frailty among a community of older adults.MethodsThis 2‐year cohort study examined a community of older adults (≥75 years) consisting of 1177 members. Using Makizako's method, social frailty was deemed to be present if more than two out of five questions were answered negatively. Locomotive syndrome was measured with the Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale‐25, which consists of 25 items measuring an individual's risk of developing locomotive syndrome; a total score of ≥16 identified the presence of locomotive syndrome. Possible reciprocal associations between locomotive syndrome and social frailty were assessed using Cox proportional hazards analyses.ResultsA total of 748 older adults were analyzed in the following subgroups. Among 574 participants without social frailty at the baseline, the presence of locomotive syndrome at the baseline was associated with new‐onset social frailty during the next 2 years, after adjusting for confounding factors (hazard ratio 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.17–2.65). Conversely, the presence of social frailty among participants without locomotive syndrome in the baseline was not associated with new‐onset locomotive syndrome.ConclusionThe presence of locomotive syndrome was determined to be a risk factor for the onset of social frailty. Therefore, interventions that address the negative impact of locomotive syndrome are a first step toward addressing these vulnerable conditions. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 981–984.