bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Forest canopy resists plant invasions: a case study ofChromolaena odoratain sub-tropical Sal (Shorea robusta) forests of Nepal
Authors: Sharma LN , Adhikari B , Watson MF , Karna B , Paudel E , Shrestha BB , Rijal DP 
Published: August 2019

AbstractInvasive Alien Species cause tremendous ecological and economic damage in agriculture, forestry, aquatic ecosystems, and pastoral resources. They are one of the major threats to biodiversity conservation. Understanding the spatial pattern of invasive species and disentangling the biophysical drivers of invasion at forest stand level is essential for managing invasive species in forest ecosystems and the wider landscape. However, forest-level and species-specific information on invasive species abundance and area of extent is largely lacking. In this context, we analysed the cover of one of the world’s worst invasive plant speciesChromolaena odoratain Sal (Shorea robustaGaertn.) forest in central Nepal. Vegetation was sampled in four community-managed forests using 0.01 ha square quadrats, covering forest edge to the interior.Chromolaenacover, floral richness, tree density, forest canopy cover, shrub cover, and tree basal area were measured in each plot. We also estimated the level of disturbance in plots, and calculated distance from the plot to the nearest road. We also explored forest and invasive species management practices in community forests.Chromolaenacover was found to be negatively correlated with forest canopy cover, distance to the nearest road, angle of slope and shrub cover. Canopy cover had the greatest effect on theChromolaenacover.Chromolaenacover did not show any pattern along native species richness gradients. In conclusion, forest canopy cover is the overriding biotic covariate affectingChromolaenacover in Sal forests. The practical application of our results in managingChromolaenain forest ecosystems is discussed.
Large-scale Genetic Analysis Identifies 66 Novel Loci for Asthma
Authors: Han Yi , Jia Qiong , Jahani Pedram Shafiei , Hurrell Benjamin P. , Pan Calvin , Huang Pin , Gukasyan Janet , Woodward Nicholas C. , Eskin Eleazar , Gilliland Frank , Akbari Omid , Hartiala Jaana A. , Allayee Hooman 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for asthma in UK Biobank, followed by a meta-analysis with results from the Trans-National Asthma Genetic Consortium (TAGC). 66 novel genomic regions were identified, bringing the number of known asthma susceptibility loci to 211. Significant gene-sex interactions were also observed where susceptibility alleles, either individually or as a function of polygenic risk scores, increased asthma risk to a greater extent in men than women. Bioinformatics analyses demonstrated that asthma-associated variants were enriched for colocalizing to regions of open chromatic in immune cells and identified candidate causal genes at 52 of the novel loci, including CD52. An anti-CD52 (α-CD52) antibody mimicked the immune cell-depleting effects of an FDA-approved human α-CD52 antibody and reduced allergen-induced airway hyperreactivity in mice. These results further elucidate the genetic architecture of asthma, provide evidence that the immune system plays a prominent role in its pathogenesis, and suggest that CD52 represents a potentially novel therapeutic target for treating asthma.
Eukaryotic plankton community stability across reef environments in Bocas del Toro Archipelago (Panamá)
Authors: Rodas Andrea M. , Buie Logan K. , Aichelman Hannah E. , Castillo Karl D. , Wright Rachel M. , Davies Sarah W. 
Published: August 2019

ABSTRACTVariation in light and temperature can influence the genetic diversity and structure of marine plankton communities. While open ocean plankton communities receive much scientific attention, little is known about how environmental variation affects tropical coral reef plankton communities. Here, we characterize eukaryotic plankton communities on coral reefs across the Bocas del Toro Archipelago in Panamá. Temperature loggers were deployed for one year and mid-day light levels were measured to quantify environmental differences across reef zones at four inner and four outer reef sites: Inner: Punta Donato, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) Point, Cristobal, Punta Laurel and Outer: Drago Mar, Bastimentos North, Bastimentos South, and Popa Island. Triplicate vertical plankton tows were collected mid-day and high-throughput 18S ribosomal DNA metabarcoding was leveraged to investigate the relationship between eukaryotic plankton community structure and reef zones. Plankton communities from STRI Point were additionally characterized in the morning (∼08:00), mid-day (∼12:00), and evening (∼16:00) to quantify diel variation within a single site. We found that inshore reefs experienced higher average seawater temperatures, while offshore sites offered higher light levels, presumably associated with reduced water turbidity on reefs further from shore. However, these significant reef zone-specific environmental differences did not correlate with overall plankton community differences or changes in plankton genetic diversity. Instead, we found that time of day within a site and diel vertical migration played structuring roles within these plankton communities, and therefore conclude that the time of community sampling is an important consideration for future studies. Overall, plankton communities in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago appear relatively well mixed across space; however, follow-up studies focusing on more intensive sampling efforts across space and time coupled with techniques that can detect more subtle genetic differences between and within communities will more fully capture plankton dynamics in this region.
Assessing the potential of plains zebra to maintain African horse sickness in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
Authors: Porphyre Thibaud , Grewar John D. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAfrican horse sickness (AHS) is a disease of equids that results in a non-tariff barrier to the trade of live equids from affected countries. AHS is endemic in South Africa except for a controlled area in the Western Cape Province (WCP) where sporadic outbreaks have occurred in the past 2 decades. There is potential that the presence of zebra populations, thought to be the natural reservoir hosts for AHS, in the WCP could maintain AHS virus circulation in the area and act as a year-round source of infection for horses. However, it remains unclear whether the epidemiology or the ecological conditions present in the WCP would enable persistent circulation of AHS in the local zebra populations.Here we developed a hybrid deterministic-stochastic vector-host compartmental model of AHS transmission in plains zebra (Equus quagga), where host populations are age- and sex-structured and for which population and AHS transmission dynamics are modulated by rainfall and temperature conditions. Using this model, we showed that populations of plains zebra present in the WCP are not sufficiently large for AHS introduction events to become endemic and that coastal populations of zebra need to be >2500 individuals for AHS to persist >2 years, even if zebras are infectious for more than 50 days. AHS cannot become endemic in the coastal population of the WCP unless the zebra population involves at least 50,000 individuals. Finally, inland populations of plains zebra in the WCP may represent a risk for AHS to persist but would require populations of at least 500 zebras or show unrealistic duration of infectiousness for AHS introduction events to become endemic.Our results provide evidence that the risk of AHS persistence from a single introduction event in a given plains zebra population in the WCP is extremely low and it is unlikely to represent a long-term source of infection for local horses.
Experimental and modeling study of the formation of cell aggregates with differential substrate adhesion
Authors: Adenis Léo , Gontran Emilie , Deroulers Christophe , Grammaticos Basile , Juchaux Marjorie , Seksek Olivier , Badoual Mathilde 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe study of cell aggregation in vitro has a tremendous importance these days. In cancer biology, aggregates and spheroids serve as model systems and are considered as pseudo-tumors that are more realistic than 2D cell cultures. Recently, in the context of brain tumors (gliomas), we developed a new PEG-based hydrogel, with adhesive properties that can be controlled by the addition of poly(L-lysine) (PLL), and a stiffness close to the brain’s. This substrate allows the motion of individual cells and the formation of cell aggregates, and we showed that on a non-adhesive substrate (PEG without PLL is inert for cells), the aggregates are bigger and less numerous than on an adhesive substrate (with PLL).In this article, we present new experimental results on the follow-up of the formation of aggregates on our hydrogels, from the early stages (individual cells) to the late stages (aggregate compaction), in order to compare or two cell lines (F98 and U87) the aggregation process on the adhesive and non-adhesive substrates.We first show that a spaceless model of perikinetic aggregation can reproduce the experimental evolution of the number of aggregates, but not of the mean area of the aggregates. We thus develop a minimal off-lattice agent-based model, with a few simple rules reproducing the main processes that are at stack during aggregation. Our spatial model can reproduce very well the experimental temporal evolution of both the number of aggregates and their mean area, on adhesive and non-adhesive soft gels and for the two different cell lines. From the fit of the experimental data, we were able to infer the quantitative values of the speed of motion of each cell line, its rate of proliferation in aggregates and its ability to organize in 3D. We also found qualitative differences between the two cell lines regarding the ability of aggregates to compact. These parameters could be inferred for any cell line, and correlated with clinical properties such as aggressiveness and invasiveness.
DNA-validated parthenogenesis: first case in a captive female Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer)
Authors: Seixas Fernanda , Morinha Francisco , Luis Claudia , Alvura Nuno , Pires Maria dos Anjos 
Published: August 2019

AbstractParthenogenesis is a biological process of asexual reproduction. Recent studies have highlighted the significance of this fascinating phenomenon in the vertebrate evolution. Although parthenogenetic reproduction appears to be widespread among reptiles, a restricted number of cases were reported in captivity and wild. Here, we studied and reported an intriguing case of a 20-year old captive female Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer), from the Zoo da Maia (Maia, Portugal) collection, isolated from conspecifics males, that gave birth twice in 4 years. The neonates from both deliveries, one fresh and the other fixed in formalin, were submitted to histopathological and molecular genetic analysis. Both neonates were homozygous for the loci analyzed, carrying only mother alleles. Furthermore, morphological abnormalities (anophthalmia) were observed in the second neonate. Our data support a pattern of parthenogenetic reproduction. This is the first documented case of facultative parthenogenesis in a Cuban boa, which can be of great interest for further research on ecology, evolution, captive breeding and conservation of the species.
Trehalose 6-phosphate Controls Seed Filling by Inducing Auxin Biosynthesis
Authors: Meitzel Tobias , Radchuk Ruslana , McAdam Erin L. , Thormählen Ina , Feil Regina , Munz Eberhard , Hilo Alexander , Geigenberger Peter , Ross John J. , Lunn John E. , Borisjuk Ljudmilla 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPlants undergo several developmental transitions during their life cycle. One of these, the differentiation of the young embryo from a meristem-like structure into a highly-specialized storage organ, is vital to the formation of a viable seed. For crops in which the seed itself is the end product, effective accumulation of storage compounds is of economic relevance, defining the quantity and nutritive value of the harvest yield. However, the regulatory networks underpinning the phase transition into seed filling are poorly understood. Here we show that trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P), which functions as a signal for sucrose availability in plants, mediates seed filling processes in seeds of the garden pea (Pisum sativum), a key grain legume. Seeds deficient in T6P are compromised in size and starch production, resembling the wrinkled seeds studied by Gregor Mendel. We show also that T6P exerts these effects by stimulating the biosynthesis of the pivotal plant hormone, auxin. We found that T6P promotes the expression of the auxin biosynthesis geneTRYPTOPHAN AMINOTRANSFERASE RELATED2 (TAR2), and the resulting effect on auxin levels is required to mediate the T6P-induced activation of storage processes. Our results suggest that auxin acts downstream of T6P to facilitate seed filling, thereby providing a salient example of how a metabolic signal governs the hormonal control of an integral phase transition in a crop plant.
Kainate-type of glutamate receptors regulate wiring of intrinsic glutamatergic connectivity in the amygdala
Authors: Ryazantseva Maria , Englund Jonas , Shintyapina Alexandra , Huupponen Johanna , Pitkänen Asla , Partanen Juha M. , Lauri Sari E. 
Published: August 2019

SummaryPerturbed information processing in the amygdala has been implicated in developmentally originating neuropsychiatric disorders. However, little is known on the mechanisms that guide formation and refinement of intrinsic connections between amygdaloid nuclei. We demonstrate that the glutamatergic connection from basolateral to central amygdala (BLA-CeA) develops rapidly during the first ten postnatal days, before external inputs underlying amygdala dependent behaviors emerge. During this restricted period of synaptic development, kainate-type of ionotropic glutamate receptors (KARs) are highly expressed in the BLA and tonically activated to regulate glutamate release via a G-protein dependent mechanism. Genetic manipulation of this endogenous KAR activity locally in the newborn LA perturbed development of glutamatergic input to CeA, identifying KARs as a physiological mechanism regulating wiring of the intrinsic glutamatergic circuitry in the amygdala.
Numerical investigations of unsteady passing wake effects on turbine blade tip aerothermal performance with different tip clearances
Authors: Zhang Bo , Qiang Xiaoqing , Lu Shaopeng , Teng Jinfang 
Published: August 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to numerically investigate the effect of guide vane unsteady passing wake on the rotor blade tip aerothermal performance with different tip clearances.

Design/methodology/approach
The geometry and flow conditions of the first stage of GE-E3 high-pressure turbine have been used to obtain the blade tip three-dimensional heat transfer characteristics. The first stage of GE-E3 high-pressure turbine has 46 guide vanes and 76 rotor blades, and the ratio of the vane to the blade is simplified to 38:76 to compromise the computational resources and accuracy. Namely, each computational domain comprises of one guide vane passage and two rotor blade passages. The investigations are conducted at three different tip gaps of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 per cent of the average blade span.

Findings
The results show that the overall discrepancy of the heat transfer coefficient between steady results and unsteady time-averaged results is quite small, but the dramatic growth of the instantaneous heat transfer coefficient along the pressure side is in excess of 20 per cent. The change of the aerothermal performance is mainly driven by turbulence-level fluctuations of the unsteady flow field within gap regions. In addition, the gap size expansion has a marginal impact on the variation ratio of tip unsteady aerothermal performances, even though it has a huge influence on the leakage flow state within the tip region.

Originality/value
This paper emphasizes the change ratio of unsteady instantaneous heat transfer characteristics and detailed the mechanism of blade tip unsteady heat transfer coefficient fluctuations, which provide some guidance for the future blade tip design and optimization.
ICTs in hotel management: a research review
Authors: Gonzalez Reyes , Gasco Jose , Llopis Juan 
Published: August 2019

Purpose
Hotels are dependent on information and communication technologies (ICTs) for both their internal management and their relationships with customers and the other stakeholders. Therefore, research on ICTs in the hotel sector has kept growing lately. The purpose of this paper is to offer a review of the literature dedicated to ICTs in hotel management by analyzing papers published in seven prestigious journals in the field of Hospitality Management.

Design/methodology/approach
The 147 papers analyzed – published over a 27-year period – have been studied according to a variety of criteria such as their research methods, perspective, statistics used, topics covered, technologies and authors and countries.

Findings
The conclusions suggest a promising future regarding both ICT applications for hotel management and research in this area.

Research limitations/implications
Concerning limitations, the most important one stems from the selection of works subject to examination because our analysis dealt with papers published in only seven journals, other publication sources have not been considered. Nevertheless, the present paper can prove useful both for researchers and hotel managers because new trends are emerging in both contexts with regard to technologies themselves as well as to some of their uses.

Originality/value
One of the most important contributions made with this work is the preparation of a list with the topics covered by the papers under examination. Moreover, no studies have to date specifically tried to identify the technologies used in hotel management by means of a literature review.
Restaurant firms’ IPO motivations and post-IPO performances
Authors: Mun Sung Gyun , Jang SooCheong (Shawn) 
Published: August 2019

PurposeThis study aims to identify why restaurant firms go public (IPO) despite high financing costs and which factors make firms stay public for the long term after an IPO. Also, this study aimed to link and compare restaurant firms’ pre- and post-IPO accounting information and how IPO proceeds were used.Design/methodology/approachThis study used random-effects regression analysis with a number of dependent variables for a sample of 1,347 unbalanced panel data. In addition, logistic regression analyses were used to identify why restaurant firms were delisted within short periods after going public.FindingsFirst, rebalancing financial structures was the most important reason for IPOs, whereas financing future growth was only a minor motivation. Second, post-IPO performance significantly differed between restaurant firms based on their pre-IPO financial conditions, as well as how they used IPO proceeds. Third, restaurant firms with low profitability, inefficient non-operating expenses and difficulties in generating revenue increased their financial burdens, which ultimately caused restaurant firms to be delisted within a short period after an IPO. Furthermore, the reasons for merging included cash shortages, large short-term liabilities and increased major operating expenses, together with increases in capital expenditures.Originality/valueThis study is unique, in that it explains the relationships between motivations for going public and post-IPO performances by directly linking the usages of IPO proceeds with firms’ operational performances. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the effects of IPOs on restaurant firms’ operational, non-operational, investment and financial activities on firms’ performances.
The Chinese approach to arbitration judicial review
Authors: Chen Meng 
Published: August 2019

PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the reforming Chinese arbitration judicial review process and supplement the corresponding suggestions and analyze the practical trends of Chinese arbitration.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents considerable evidence that includes the latest empirical data and iconic cases to demonstrate the Chinese judicial system’s acts of internationalizing Chinese arbitration. This paper then elaborates the Chinese Supreme People’s Court (hereinafter SPC) recent reforms of the mechanisms of arbitration judicial review.FindingsThe SPC’s efforts to coordinate Chinese arbitration practice with international standards are effective and fruitful. However, even after recent reforms, there are still inherent deficiencies and important omissions that hinder the efficiency of Chinese arbitration.Originality/valueThe major contributions of this paper are providing latest empirical data to evaluate effectiveness of current Chinese arbitration judicial review and analyzing latest SPC’s legal interpretations.
Equity in education: the Israeli case
Authors: Dadon-Golan Zehorit , BenDavid-Hadar Iris , Klein Joseph 
Published: August 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it examines the extent of equity in the academic achievement distribution by analyzing Israeli students’ high school matriculation scores, controlling for background characteristics (e.g. parental education) and for previous achievement. Second, it analyzes the trends in equity during the examined period from 2001 to 2011.

Design/methodology/approach
Nationwide extensive data sets, at the student level, of 11 cohorts are analyzed using logistic regression models.

Findings
Major findings reveal that the odds ratios (ORs) are in favor of students from families with a high level of parental education (an increment of one year of parental education increases the odds of student’s success by 3 percent). In addition, the ORs are less favorable for Arab students (30 percent lower). Furthermore, a high previous achievement level increases the odds of success (an increment of 1 percent in achievement increases the odds by 6 percent). In addition, the extent of inequity remains stable throughout the examined period.

Originality/value
Israel serves as an interesting case study, as its student achievement distribution in international examinations is characterized by the highest gap compared with other OECD countries, although its policy aspires to achieve equity. This puzzle, is the motivation for this study. Moreover, insights from this research might assist policy makers to promote equitable education.