bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Larger fragments have more late‐successional species of woody plants than smaller fragments after 50 years of secondary succession
Authors: Liu Jiajia , Coomes David A. , Hu Guang , Liu Jinliang , Yu Jingjing , Luo Yangqing , Yu Mingjian 
Published: September 2018

Abstract

Most fragmentation research focuses on the effects of carving up old‐growth forests, but less is known about influences of habitat fragmentation on secondary succession in patches of regenerating forests.

Working with forest dynamics on islands in a vast lake created by a hydroelectric dam in China (the Thousand Island Lake), we sampled 29 islands that were cleared of forest during dam construction in 1959 and then underwent succession. Measurements taken in 2009–2010 and 2014–2015 evaluated community assembly during succession, based on species diversity, functional traits and structural properties.

Forests on small islands remained at relatively early stages of compositional succession: species richness was low, and communities were dominated by early‐successional species, with few animal‐dispersed and shade‐tolerant plants. However, these islands had accumulated similar above‐ground biomass density to that on larger islands, mostly in the stems of a fast‐growing pine species. Island size was the key driver of secondary succession in regenerating forest fragments, while isolation had comparatively little effect. Edge effects were important for species composition and functional composition.

Synthesis. Habitat fragmentation resulting from the creation of an artificial lake affected community assembly, with fewer late‐successional species on smaller islands. Maintenance of large fragments is critical for the rapid succession of forests. Paradigms on habitat fragmentation effects drawn from old‐growth forest studies are unlikely to hold in regenerating forest fragments. Restoration activities should consider landscape patterns to accelerate secondary succession of regenerating forests.
Facilitation beyond species richness
Authors: Vega‐Álvarez Julia , García‐Rodríguez José Antonio , Cayuela Luis 
Published: September 2018

AbstractFacilitation studies have previously focused on the effects of plant–plant interactions on species richness and, more recently, on functional traits or phylogenetic aspects. Little is known, however, about the simultaneous effects that facilitation have on overall biodiversity, jointly considering taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity.In this study, we investigated shrub facilitation on herb communities in a Mediterranean grassland over a 9‐year period (2007–2015), each year representing different water availability conditions. Taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity indices were estimated using generalised Hill numbers within the integrated framework of attribute diversity. We used generalised linear mixed models to analyse the effect of shrub cover on the different diversity indices along a water availability gradient.Shrub cover had a positive effect on all attribute diversity indices, yet greater for abundant species. Shrubs also favoured survival of certain species (26.5% of total species), but above all they affected relative abundances of common species, filtering growth of dominant species (e.g.,Poa bulbosa)and promoting evenness. Diversity indices accounting only for abundant (i.e., high coverage) species showed the strongest facilitation effects that peaked at mid‐range water availability conditions.Synthesis. Our results suggest that shrubs are key in the maintenance of all three dimensions of biodiversity in the Mediterranean grasslands, promoting more even communities, and to a lower extent, also species richness. We show that shrub facilitation on taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of herbaceous communities is maximum for abundant species at mid‐range values of water availability, in accordance with the humped‐back model. This study illustrates the need to evaluate different biodiversity dimensions from an integrated perspective, such as attribute diversity, to disentangle the role of facilitation in community assembly.
Inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor‐α and interleukin‐8 enhance airway smooth muscle contraction by increasing L‐type Ca2+ channel expression
Authors: Ding Shengang , Zhang Jie , Yin Sheng , Lu Jingsen , Hu Min , Du Juan , Huang Junhao , Shen Bing 
Published: September 2018

SummaryInflammation elevates intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca2+]i) in airway smooth muscle (ASM). The L‐type Ca2+ channel (L‐VDCC) plays an important role in regulating Ca2+ influx in ASM. However, the role of L‐VDCC in the inflammatory cytokine‐induced pathology of ASM remains unclear. In the present study, we used calcium imaging and isometric tension measurements to assess the role of L‐VDCC in agonist‐induced [Ca2+]i rise and the associated contractions in mouse ASM, and we used immunoblotting to identify L‐VDCC protein expression levels in mouse ASM after exposure to tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) or interleukin‐8 (IL‐8). Our results showed that high‐K+‐ or carbachol‐induced contractions of mouse ASM were significantly greater after pretreatment with TNF‐α or IL‐8 for 24 hours. Both verapamil and nifedipine, L‐VDCC inhibitors, abolished this increased contraction induced by TNF‐α or IL‐8 pretreatment. Moreover, TNF‐α treatment enhanced carbachol‐induced Ca2+ influx in ASM cells, and this effect was abrogated by verapamil. Additionally, immunoblotting results showed that preincubation of mouse ASM with TNF‐α or IL‐8 also enhanced L‐VDCC protein expression. On the basis of these findings, we concluded that proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF‐α and IL‐8, increase the expression level of L‐VDCC, which in turn contributes to augmented agonist‐induced ASM contractions. This effect of inflammation on L‐VDCC expression in ASM may be associated with airway hyper‐responsiveness and involved in the development of asthma.
Is South Korea as Leftist as It Gets? Labour Market Policy Reforms under the Moon Presidency
Authors: Kwon Soon‐Mee , Hong Ijin 
Published: September 2018

AbstractConsidering its conservative past, South Korea is undergoing an unprecedented turn to the left. Since priority was given to economic growth from the 1960s until the beginning of the 1990s, a close alliance between big business and government has characterised the country's labour market. Since the 1997 financial crisis, however, two decades of liberal and conservative governments have pushed a neoliberal agenda of labour market flexibilisation, which has resulted in growing inequality in a dualised labour market and left the trade unions in a marginal role. Following a rapid turn of events that led to the impeachment of conservative president Park Geun‐hye, left‐leaning President Moon Jae‐in seems determined to roll back this legacy of labour oppression with the strong support of trade unions and young voters. His administration is pushing for policy change with a series of expansionary active labour market policies aimed at promoting stability and full‐time employment. This article highlights the social‐democratic character of these reforms and the constraints in implementing them.
Systems Thinking as a Framework for Analyzing Commercial Determinants of Health
Authors: KNAI CÉCILE , PETTICREW MARK , MAYS NICHOLAS , CAPEWELL SIMON , CASSIDY REBECCA , CUMMINS STEVEN , EASTMURE ELIZABETH , FAFARD PATRICK , HAWKINS BENJAMIN , JENSEN JØRGEN DEJGÅRD , KATIKIREDDI SRINIVASA VITTAL , MWATSAMA MODI , ORFORD JIM , WEISHAAR HEIDE 
Published: September 2018

Policy Points:
Worldwide, more than 70% of all deaths are attributable to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), nearly half of which are premature and apply to individuals of working age. Although such deaths are largely preventable, effective solutions continue to elude the public health community.
One reason is the considerable influence of the “commercial determinants of health”: NCDs are the product of a system that includes powerful corporate actors, who are often involved in public health policymaking.
This article shows how a complex systems perspective may be used to analyze the commercial determinants of NCDs, and it explains how this can help with (1) conceptualizing the problem of NCDs and (2) developing effective policy interventions.
ContextThe high burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is politically salient and eminently preventable. However, effective solutions largely continue to elude the public health community. Two pressing issues heighten this challenge: the first is the public health community's narrow approach to addressing NCDs, and the second is the involvement of corporate actors in policymaking. While NCDs are often conceptualized in terms of individual‐level risk factors, we argue that they should be reframed as products of a complex system. This article explores the value of a systems approach to understanding NCDs as an emergent property of a complex system, with a focus on commercial actors.MethodsDrawing on Donella Meadows's systems thinking framework, this article examines how a systems perspective may be used to analyze the commercial determinants of NCDs and, specifically, how unhealthy commodity industries influence public health policy.FindingsUnhealthy commodity industries actively design and shape the NCD policy system, intervene at different levels of the system to gain agency over policy and politics, and legitimize their presence in public health policy decisions.ConclusionsIt should be possible to apply the principles of systems thinking to other complex public health issues, not just NCDs. Such an approach should be tested and refined for other complex public health challenges.
The Impact of Parental and Medical Leave Policies on Socioeconomic and Health Outcomes in OECD Countries: A Systematic Review of the Empirical Literature
Authors: NANDI ARIJIT , JAHAGIRDAR DEEPA , DIMITRIS MICHELLE C. , LABRECQUE JEREMY A. , STRUMPF ERIN C. , KAUFMAN JAY S. , VINCENT ILONA , ATABAY EFE , HARPER SAM , EARLE ALISON , HEYMANN S. JODY 
Published: September 2018

Policy Points:
Historically, reforms that have increased the duration of job‐protected paid parental leave have improved women's economic outcomes.
By targeting the period around childbirth, access to paid parental leave also appears to reduce rates of infant mortality, with breastfeeding representing one potential mechanism.
The provision of more generous paid leave entitlements in countries that offer unpaid or short durations of paid leave could help families strike a balance between the competing demands of earning income and attending to personal and family well‐being.
ContextPolicies legislating paid leave from work for new parents, and to attend to individual and family illness, are common across Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) countries. However, there exists no comprehensive review of their potential impacts on economic, social, and health outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of the peer‐reviewed literature on paid leave and socioeconomic and health outcomes. We reviewed 5,538 abstracts and selected 85 published papers on the impact of parental leave policies, 22 papers on the impact of medical leave policies, and 2 papers that evaluated both types of policies. We synthesized the main findings through a narrative description; a meta‐analysis was precluded by heterogeneity in policy attributes, policy changes, outcomes, and study designs.FindingsWe were able to draw several conclusions about the impact of parental leave policies. First, extensions in the duration of paid parental leave to between 6 and 12 months were accompanied by attendant increases in leave‐taking and longer durations of leave. Second, there was little evidence that extending the duration of paid leave had negative employment or economic consequences. Third, unpaid leave does not appear to confer the same benefits as paid leave. Fourth, from a population health perspective, increases in paid parental leave were consistently associated with better infant and child health, particularly in terms of lower mortality rates. Fifth, paid paternal leave policies of adequate length and generosity have induced fathers to take additional time off from work following the birth of a child. How medical leave policies for personal or family illness influence health has not been widely studied.ConclusionsThere is substantial quasi‐experimental evidence to support expansions in the duration of job‐protected paid parental leave as an instrument for supporting women's labor force participation, safeguarding women's incomes and earnings, and improving child survival. This has implications, in particular, for countries that offer shorter durations of job‐protected paid leave or lack a national paid leave entitlement altogether.
Beneficial effects of tolvaptan on atrial remodeling induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia in rats
Authors: Zhang Kai , Ma Zuowang , Wang Weiding , Liu Ruimeng , Zhang Yue , Yuan Meng , Li Guangping 
Published: September 2018

SummaryIntroductionAtrial remodeling in the form of fibrosis is considered as the substrate for the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tolvaptan on chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) induced atrial remodeling and the mechanisms underlying such changes.MethodsA total of 45 Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomized into three groups: Control group, CIH group, CIH with tolvaptan treatment (CIH‐T) group (n = 15). CIH rats were subjected to CIH 6 hour/d for 30 days, and CIH‐T rats were administrated tolvaptan while they received CIH. After the echocardiography examination, rats were sacrificed in the 31 days. In each group, 5 rats were randomly selected for isolated heart electrophysiology testing, for other 10 rats, the tissues of atria were sampled for histological and molecular biological experiments, Masson's trichrome staining was used to evaluate the extent of atrial fibrosis, expression levels of microRNA‐21 (miR‐21), Sprouty‐1 (Spry1), phosphatase, and tensin homolog (PTEN), extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK), phospho‐extracellular regulated protein kinase (p‐ERK), matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP‐9), phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), phospho‐protein kinase B (p‐AKT), nuclear factor‐k‐gene binding (NF‐κB), phosphor‐nuclear factor‐k‐gene binding (p‐NF‐κB) were measured.ResultsCompared to the Control rats, CIH rats showed higher atrial interstitial collagen deposition and AF inducibility, mRNA levels of miR‐21, MMP‐9, PI3K, AKT, and protein levels of ERK, p‐ERK, MMP‐9, NF‐κB, p‐NF‐κB were significantly increased, whereas mRNA levels of Spry1, ERK, and protein levels of Spry1, PTEN, PI3K, AKT, p‐AKT were significantly decreased. Treatment with tolvaptan attenuated CIH‐induced atrial fibrosis, reduced AF inducibility, expression levels of miR‐21 and its downstream factors were also improved.ConclusionsCIH‐induced significant atrial remodeling in our rat model, which was attenuated by tolvaptan. These changes may be explained due to alterations in miR‐21/Spry1/ERK/MMP‐9, miR‐21/PTEN/PI3K/AKT, and NF‐κB pathways by tolvaptan.
Bias and sample size in intensive care unit trials: Protocol for a meta‐epidemiological study
Authors: Anthon Carl Thomas , Granholm Anders , Perner Anders , Laake Jon Henrik , Møller Morten Hylander 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundSystematic errors (bias) and random errors result in inflated and imprecise intervention effect estimates in randomised clinical trials (RCT) and meta‐analyses. We aim to assess time trends in the Cochrane risk of bias domains and sample size in RCTs of intensive care unit (ICU) interventions.Methods and designWe will conduct a meta‐epidemiologic study of RCTs included in Cochrane systematic reviews assessing any intervention used in adult patients admitted to the ICU. We will search the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and include reviews published from March 2011 corresponding to the latest update in the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We will extract data on risk of bias judgments in the seven Cochrane bias domains and trial sample sizes and evaluate time trends using run charts. The primary outcome will be time trends in the annual proportion of trials with overall low risk of bias (low risk of bias in all bias domains). The secondary outcomes include time trends in the annual median trial sample size, and the annual proportion of trials with low‐, unclear‐ and high risk of bias in each of the seven Cochrane bias domains.DiscussionThe outlined meta‐epidemiologic study will assess time trends in risk of bias and sample sizes in RCTs assessing ICU interventions. This will inform researchers, healthcare personnel and policymakers on the general reliability of findings from RCTs of ICU interventions over time, and inform future RCT design and reporting.
Glutamate Transmission to Ventral Tegmental Area GABA Neurons Is Altered by Acute and Chronic Ethanol
Authors: Williams Stephanie B. , Yorgason Jordan T. , Nelson Ashley C. , Lewis Natalie , Nufer Teresa M. , Edwards Jeff G. , Steffensen Scott C. 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundVentral tegmental area (VTA) GABA neurons have been heavily implicated in alcohol reinforcement and reward. In animals that self‐administer alcohol, VTA GABA neurons exhibit increased excitability that may contribute to alcohol's rewarding effects. The present study investigated the effects of acute and chronic ethanol exposure on glutamate (GLU) synaptic transmission to VTA GABA neurons.MethodsWhole‐cell recordings of evoked, spontaneous, and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs, sEPSCs, and mEPSCs, respectively) were performed on identified GABA neurons in the VTA of GAD67‐GFP+ transgenic mice. Three ethanol exposure paradigms were used: acute ethanol superfusion; a single ethanol injection; and chronic vapor exposure.ResultsAcute ethanol superfusion increased the frequency of EPSCs but inhibited mEPSC frequency and amplitude. During withdrawal from a single injection of ethanol, the frequency of sEPSCs was lower than saline controls. There was no difference in α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) ratio between neurons following withdrawal from a single exposure to ethanol. However, following withdrawal from chronic ethanol, sEPSCs and mEPSCs had a greater frequency than air controls. There was no difference in AMPA/NMDA ratio following chronic ethanol.ConclusionsThese results suggest that presynaptic mechanisms involving local circuit GLU neurons, and not GLU receptors, contribute to adaptations in VTA GABA neuron excitability that accrue to ethanol exposure, which may contribute to the rewarding properties of alcohol via their regulation of mesolimbic dopamine transmission.
Early‐onset group B streptococcal disease in a risk factor‐based prevention setting: A 15‐year population‐based study
Authors: Chen Julie C. , Jenkins‐Marsh Sue , Flenady Vicki , Ireland Susan , May Meryta , Grimwood Keith , Liley Helen G. 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundIntrapartum chemoprophylaxis reduces early‐onset group B streptococcal disease (EOGBSD) in newborns. Some guidelines advise that intrapartum antibiotics should be offered following universal antenatal screening for GBS carriage and others recommend intrapartum antibiotics based on clinical risk factors alone. Since 1999, Queensland guidelines have recommended a risk factor‐based approach. We examined trends in EOGBSD rates over time in Queensland in the setting of these guidelines and whether management of cases reflected the recommendations.MethodsA state‐wide retrospective search of pathology databases, allowing near‐complete, population‐based case identification, was conducted to detect live‐born infants from January 2000 to December 2014 with GBS cultured from blood or cerebrospinal fluid within seven days of age. A nested audit of EOGBSD cases comparing two epochs, 2000–2010 and 2011–2014, was performed to determine patient characteristics and guideline adherence for each case.ResultsMean incidence of EOGBSD in Queensland from 2000 to 2014 was 0.33 per 1000 live births (SD± 0.08) with no changing trend over time. The case‐mortality rate in the 2011–2014 epoch was 1.2% compared to 11.9% in 2000–2004 (odds ratio (OR) 0.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.002–0.67). The proportion of EOGBSD cases who were preterm infants decreased from 29.8% to 13.3% (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.14–0.84). Of cases with risk factors in the 2011–2014 epoch, 46% received intrapartum antibiotics compared to 25% in 2000–2004 (OR 2.49, 95% CI 0.86–7.58, P = 0.09).ConclusionsEOGBSD incidence rate in Queensland remained low during 2000–2014. However, both the 2011–2014 case‐mortality rate and the proportion of preterm cases significantly decreased. Missed opportunities for intrapartum chemoprophylaxis remain.
A Novel Bayesian Multiple Testing Approach to Deregulated miRNA Discovery Harnessing Positional Clustering
Authors: Chandra Noirrit Kiran , Singh Richa , Bhattacharya Sourabh 
Published: September 2018

Summary
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that function as regulators of gene expression. In recent years, there has been a tremendous interest among researchers to investigate the role of miRNAs in normal as well as in disease processes. To investigate the role of miRNAs in oral cancer, we analyse expression levels of miRNAs to identify miRNAs with statistically significant differential expression in cancer tissues. In this article, we propose a novel Bayesian hierarchical model of miRNA expression data. Compelling evidence has demonstrated that the transcription process of miRNAs in the human genome is a latent process instrumental for the observed expression levels. We take into account positional clustering of the miRNAs in the analysis and model the latent transcription phenomenon nonparametrically by an appropriate Gaussian process. For the purpose of testing, we employ a novel Bayesian multiple testing method where we mainly focus on utilizing the dependence structure between the hypotheses for better results, while also ensuring optimality in many respects. Indeed, our non-marginal method yielded results in accordance with the underlying scientific knowledge which are found to be missed by the very popular Benjamini–Hochberg method.
Humanoid robots supporting children’s learning in an early childhood setting
Authors: Crompton Helen , Gregory Kristen , Burke Diane 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThis qualitative study explored the affordances provided by the integration of the NAO humanoid robot in three preschool classrooms. Using the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework as a lens, the researchers qualitatively analyzed data from focus groups, observations, field notes and student artifacts, using grounded coding to uncover language and communication, physical, cognitive and social–emotional learning experiences for children. The researchers also examined interactions between the robot, children and teachers to identify successes and challenges experienced during the integration. Findings indicate the robot provided opportunities for student development in all learning domains. Students were intellectually curious about the robot; data showed their eagerness to “talk with,” generate questions about, make eye contact with and learn more about the robot. Students viewed these interactions as two‐way. The presence of the robot created much enthusiasm and excitement, resulting in the opportunity for students to practice waiting their turn and cooperation. Challenges uncovered show that teachers lacked experience and knowledge in the integration and operation of the robot. Despite these challenges, findings show that teachers welcomed the robot as a tool in the classroom to align with curriculum requirements and meet the developmental needs of children.