bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of community structure on precipitation‐use efficiency of grasslands in northern Tibet
Authors: Jiang Yanbin , Zhang Yangjian , Zhu Juntao , Tao Jian , Zhang Tao , Xi Yi 
Published: December 2016

AbstractQuestions(1) What are the primary factors determining the precipitation‐use efficiency (PUE) in northern Tibet; (2) how does PUE respond to the gradients of biotic and abiotic factors; and (3) how do the composition and structure of plant functional groups (PFGs) affect PUE?LocationNorthern Tibet, China.MethodsA community survey of species composition, cover and above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) was conducted within 1 m × 1 m plots in 62 slightly disturbed sites. The effects of community features (total cover, cover of PFGs and species richness) and environmental factors [mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean annual temperature, surface soil bulk density, pH and C and N content] on PUE were identified through Pearson's correlation analyses, hierarchical partitioning and ordinary regressions.ResultsAlong the precipitation gradient, ANPP and PUE increased exponentially. Among the community features, total cover and cover of PFGs, including forbs and sedges, were the primary factors that determined PUE. The three cover variables, together with species richness, positively affected PUE and accounted for 47.6% of the total variation in PUE. Among the environmental factors, MAP, surface soil pH and N content were the most significantly related to PUE and accounted for 29.9% of the total contribution.ConclusionCommunities with high cover, species richness and nutrient content, but low soil bulk density, presented the highest PUE. At a regional scale, PUE depended mainly on plant cover, especially the cover of PFGs, namely, forbs and sedges. Environmental factors, including MAP and surface soil N and C content, positively affected PUE, whereas soil pH and bulk density negatively affected PUE. Our results highlight the importance of considering community structure to understand PUE variations in natural alpine grasslands.
Effects of coarse woody debris on plant and lichen species composition in boreal forests
Authors: Kumar Praveen , Chen Han Y.H. , Thomas Sean C. , Shahi Chander 
Published: December 2016

AbstractQuestionAlthough the importance of coarse woody debris (CWD) for understorey species diversity has been recognized, the relative effects of coarse woody debris decay class and substrate species on understorey species composition have received little attention. We examined how the species composition of understorey vegetation change with CWD decay class and substrate species.LocationBoreal mixed‐wood forests, Ontario, Canada.MethodsTo cover a wide range of CWD decay classes and substrate species, we sampled fire‐origin boreal forest stands that varied in stand age and canopy tree species composition. Vegetation on CWD was sampled by visually estimating percentage cover of each species within a 0.1 m × 0.5 m quadrat, randomly laid lengthwise on top of each sampled CWD log. We also recorded the forest floor vegetation by establishing an adjacent plot of the same size at a distance of 1.0 m in a random direction from the CWD vegetation sample.ResultsMultivariate analysis showed that understorey species composition differed among decay classes and substrate species. A NMDS ordination of understorey species composition revealed a clear separation of decay classes 1 and 2 from higher decay classes, and that decay classes 4 and 5 shared several species with the forest floor. The species composition on the forest floor was completely different from the species composition on CWD decay classes 1, 2 and 3. Two distinct groupings of substrates according to CWD species composition were found: conifer species (Pinus banksiana and Picea spp.) and broad‐leaf species (Betula papyrifera and Populus spp.), with Abies balsamea taking an intermediate position. Indicator species analysis showed distinct understorey species affiliations to substrate species at advanced decay classes. Understorey species composition on the CWD of P. banksiana showed particularly pronounced changes from the dominance of lichens on decay classes 2 and 3 to dominance by mosses and vascular species on decay classes 4 and 5.ConclusionsUnderstorey species composition on CWD not only differed with decay class, but also with CWD substrate species. Conservation strategies should aim at retaining diversity of CWD in terms of both decay classes and species composition in boreal forests.
An update on cancer risk and surveillance in primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: Horsley‐Silva Jennifer L. , Rodriguez Eduardo A. , Franco Diana L. , Lindor Keith D. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractMalignancy represents substantial morbidity and mortality in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). This subset of patients has been proven to be at increased risk for developing cholangiocarcinoma, gallbladder carcinoma and colorectal cancer in those with overlapping inflammatory bowel disease. Herein, we review the prevalence of these malignancies and recommend screening tools and current knowledge to reduce the disease burden in this population. Cholangiocarcinoma is the most dominant malignancy affecting PSC patients, with a lifetime risk ranging from 5% to 20%. We advocate for serial US or MRI/MRCP and CA 19‐9 to screen for cholangiocarcinoma. Gallbladder cancer has a lifetime risk around 2% in this population and we agree with annual imaging for lesions as recommended by national guidelines. Patients with PSC and concomitant IBD are at increased risk of colorectal carcinoma from time of diagnosis and therefore should likely undergo annual surveillance. The low rates of hepatocellular cancer and pancreatic cancer indicate surveillance for these malignancies is less advantageous.
Iodine status and associations with feeding practices and psychomotor milestone development in six‐month‐old South African infants
Authors: Osei Jennifer , Baumgartner Jeannine , Rothman Marinel , Matsungo Tonderayi M. , Covic Namukolo , Faber Mieke , Smuts Cornelius M. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractIodine is important for normal growth and psychomotor development. While infants below 6 months of age receive iodine from breast milk or fortified infant formula, the introduction of complementary foods poses a serious risk for deteriorating iodine status. This cross‐sectional analysis assessed the iodine status of six‐month‐old South African infants and explored its associations with feeding practices and psychomotor milestone development. Iodine concentrations were measured in infant (n = 386) and maternal (n = 371) urine (urinary iodine concentration [UIC]), and in breast milk (n = 257 [breast milk iodine concentrations]). Feeding practices and psychomotor milestone development were assessed in all infants. The median (25th–75th percentile) UIC in infants was 345 (213–596) μg/L and was significantly lower in stunted (302 [195–504] μg/L) than non‐stunted (366 [225–641] μg/L) infants. Only 6.7% of infants were deficient. Maternal UIC (128 [81–216] μg/L; rs = 0.218, p < 0.001) and breast milk iodine concentrations (170 [110–270] μg/kg; rs = 0.447, p < 0.0001) were associated with infant UIC. Most infants (72%) were breastfed and tended to have higher UIC than non‐breastfed infants (p = 0.074). Almost all infants (95%) consumed semi‐solid or solid foods, with commercial infant cereals (60%) and jarred infant foods (20%) being the most common solid foods first introduced. Infants who reported to consume commercial infant cereals ≥4 days weekly had significantly higher UIC (372 [225–637] μg/L) than those reported to consume commercial infant cereals seldom or never (308 [200–517] μg/L; p = 0.023). No associations between infant UIC and psychomotor developmental scores were observed. Our results suggest that iodine intake in the studied six‐month‐old infants was adequate. Iodine in breast milk and commercial infant cereals potentially contributed to this adequate intake.
The emergence of performance trade‐offs during local adaptation: insights from experimental evolution
Authors: Bono Lisa M. , Smith Leno B. , Pfennig David W. , Burch Christina L. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractEnvironmental heterogeneity is considered a general explanation for phenotypic diversification, particularly when heterogeneity causes populations to diverge via local adaptation. Performance trade‐offs, such as those stemming from antagonistic pleiotropy, are thought to contribute to the maintenance of diversity in this scenario. Specifically, alleles that promote adaptation in one environment are expected to promote maladaptation in alternative environments. Contrary to this expectation, however, alleles that underlie locally adaptive traits often fail to exhibit fitness costs in alternative environments. Here, we attempt to explain this paradox by reviewing the results of experimental evolution studies, including a new one of our own, that examined the evolution of trade‐offs during adaptation to homogeneous versus heterogeneous environments. We propose that when pleiotropic effects vary, whether or not trade‐offs emerge among diverging populations will depend critically on ecology. For example, adaptation to a locally homogeneous environment is more likely to occur by alleles that are antagonistically pleiotropic than adaptation to a locally heterogeneous environment, simply because selection is blind to costs associated with environments that are not experienced locally. Our literature review confirmed the resulting prediction that performance trade‐offs were more likely to evolve during selection in homogeneous than heterogeneous environments. The nature of the environmental heterogeneity (spatial versus temporal) and the length of the experiment also contributed in predictable ways to the likelihood that performance trade‐offs evolved.
By their own devices: invasive Argentine ants have shifted diet without clear aid from symbiotic microbes
Authors: Hu Yi , Holway David A. , Łukasik Piotr , Chau Linh , Kay Adam D. , LeBrun Edward G. , Miller Katie A. , Sanders Jon G. , Suarez Andrew V. , Russell Jacob A. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe functions and compositions of symbiotic bacterial communities often correlate with host ecology. Yet cause–effect relationships and the order of symbiont vs. host change remain unclear in the face of ancient symbioses and conserved host ecology. Several groups of ants exemplify this challenge, as their low‐nitrogen diets and specialized symbioses appear conserved and ancient. To address whether nitrogen‐provisioning symbionts might be important in the early stages of ant trophic shifts, we studied bacteria from the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile – an invasive species that has transitioned towards greater consumption of sugar‐rich, nitrogen‐poor foods in parts of its introduced range. Bacteria were present at low densities in most L. humile workers, and among those yielding quality 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing data, we found just three symbionts to be common and dominant. Two, a Lactobacillus and an Acetobacteraceae species, were shared between native and introduced populations. The other, a Rickettsia, was found only in two introduced supercolonies. Across an eight‐year period of trophic reduction in one introduced population, we found no change in symbionts, arguing against a relationship between natural dietary change and microbiome composition. Overall, our findings thus argue against major changes in symbiotic bacteria in association with the invasion and trophic shift of L. humile. In addition, genome content from close relatives of the identified symbionts suggests that just one can synthesize most essential amino acids; this bacterium was only modestly abundant in introduced populations, providing little support for a major role of nitrogen‐provisioning symbioses in Argentine ant's dietary shift.
Endemic species may have complex histories: within‐refugium phylogeography of an endangered Iberian vole
Authors: Barbosa S. , Paupério J. , Herman J. S. , Ferreira C. M. , Pita R. , Vale‐Gonçalves H. M. , Cabral J. A. , Garrido‐García J. A. , Soriguer R. C. , Beja P. , Mira A. , Alves P. C. , Searle J. B. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractGlacial refugia protected and promoted biodiversity during the Pleistocene, not only at a broader scale, but also for many endemics that contracted and expanded their ranges within refugial areas. Understanding the evolutionary history of refugial endemics is especially important in the case of endangered species to recognize the origins of their genetic structure and thus produce better informed conservation practices. The Iberian Peninsula is an important European glacial refugium, rich in endemics of conservation concern, including small mammals, such as the Cabrera vole (Microtus cabrerae). This near‐threatened rodent is characterized by an unusual suite of genetic, life history and ecological traits, being restricted to isolated geographic nuclei in fast‐disappearing Mediterranean subhumid herbaceous habitats. To reconstruct the evolutionary history of the Cabrera vole, we studied sequence variation at mitochondrial, autosomal and sex‐linked loci, using invasive and noninvasive samples. Despite low overall mitochondrial and nuclear nucleotide diversities, we observed two main well‐supported mitochondrial lineages, west and east. Phylogeographic modelling in the context of the Cabrera vole's detailed fossil record supports a demographic scenario of isolation of two populations during the Last Glacial Maximum from a single focus in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, our data suggest subsequent divergence within the east, and secondary contact and introgression of the expanding western population, during the late Holocene. This work emphasizes that refugial endemics may have a phylogeographic history as rich as that of more widespread species, and conservation of such endemics includes the preservation of that genetic legacy.
Neuroimmune factors in functional gastrointestinal disorders: A focus on irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Boeckxstaens G. E. , Wouters M. M. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractBackgroundAbnormal abdominal pain perception is the most bothersome and difficult to treat symptom of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). Visceral pain stimuli are perceived and transmitted by afferent neurons residing in the dorsal root ganglia that have sensory nerve endings in the gut wall and mesentery. Accumulating evidence indicates that peripheral activation and sensitization of these sensory nerve endings by bioactive mediators released by activated immune cells, in particular mast cells, can lead to aberrant neuroimmune interactions and the development and maintenance of visceral hypersensitivity. Besides direct neuronal activation, low concentrations of proteases, histamine, and serotonin can chronically sensitize nociceptors, such as TRP channels, leading to persistent aberrant pain perception.PurposeThis review discusses the potential mechanisms underlying aberrant neuroimmune interactions in peripheral sensitization of sensory nerves. A better understanding of the cells, mediators, and molecular mechanisms triggering persistent aberrant neuroimmune interactions brings new insights into their contribution to the physiology and pathophysiology of visceral pain perception and provides novel opportunities for more efficient therapeutic treatments for these disorders.
The efficacy of aloe vera in management of oral lichen planus: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Ali S , Wahbi W 
Published: December 2016

ObjectivesThe main objective of oral lichen planus management is to control symptomatic outbreaks via eliminating lesions and alleviating symptoms. Corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and most of the available modalities are associated with adverse effects, which may limit their use. The aim of this review was to assess the effect of aloe vera on pain alleviation and/or clinical improvement in patients with symptomatic oral lichen planus.MethodsMEDLINE‐PubMed; CENTRAL, and LILACS were searched in May 2016 to identify all clinical trials evaluating aloe vera vs placebo or corticosteroids for treatment of oral lichen planus. The included studies were five clinical trials and two case reports.ResultsFrom the included studies, there is weak evidence that aloe vera is more efficient than placebo and has comparable effect to triamcinolone acetonide. The meta‐analyses show heterogeneity and reveals that aloe vera is inferior to the control in general.ConclusionAlthough corticosteroids are still the gold standard, aloe vera shows promising results especially with no adverse effects compared with various adverse effects of corticosteroids. We recommend conducting new randomized clinical trials with larger sample size, sufficiently long follow‐up period as well as standardized aloe vera formulations and outcome measures.
A cryptic record of Burgess Shale‐type diversity from the early Cambrian of Baltica
Authors: Slater Ben J. , Harvey Thomas H. P. , Guilbaud Romain , Butterfield Nicholas J. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractExceptionally preserved ‘Burgess Shale‐type’ fossil assemblages from the Cambrian of Laurentia, South China and Australia record a diverse array of non‐biomineralizing organisms. During this time, the palaeocontinent Baltica was geographically isolated from these regions, and is conspicuously lacking in terms of comparable accessible early Cambrian Lagerstätten. Here we report a diverse assemblage of small carbonaceous fossils (SCFs) from the early Cambrian (Stage 4) File Haidar Formation of southeast Sweden and surrounding areas of the Baltoscandian Basin, including exceptionally preserved remains of Burgess Shale‐type metazoans and other organisms. RecoveredSCFs include taxonomically resolvable ecdysozoan elements (priapulid and palaeoscolecid worms), lophotrochozoan elements (annelid chaetae and wiwaxiid sclerites), as well as ‘protoconodonts’, denticulate feeding structures, and a background of filamentous and spheroidal microbes. The annelids, wiwaxiids and priapulids are the first recorded from the Cambrian of Baltica. The File HaidarSCFassemblage is broadly comparable to those recovered from Cambrian basins in Laurentia and South China, though differences at lower taxonomic levels point to possible environmental or palaeogeographical controls on taxon ranges. These data reveal a fundamentally expanded picture of early Cambrian diversity on Baltica, and provide key insights into high‐latitude Cambrian faunas and patterns ofSCFpreservation. We establish three new taxa based on large populations of distinctiveSCFs:Baltiscalida njordagen. et sp. nov. (a priapulid),Baltichaeta jormungandagen. et sp. nov. (an annelid) andBaltinema ranagen. et sp. nov. (a filamentous problematicum).
Pathogenicity of fungi associated with ash dieback towardsFraxinus excelsior
Authors: Kowalski T. , Bilański P. , Kraj W. 
Published: December 2016

A large part of the area in Europe in whichFraxinus excelsioris native is currently affected by ash dieback, a threatening disease caused by the ascomycetous fungusHymenoscyphus fraxineus. Fungi other thanH. fraxineusalso occur in large numbers on stems of the dying ash trees. To clarify their possible role in the dieback process, six fungal species common on dying stems and twigs of ash in Poland, i.e.Cytospora pruinosa,Diaporthe eres,Diplodia mutila,Fusarium avenaceum,F. lateritiumandF. solani, were tested for pathogenicity using a test based on artificial wound inoculations of 6‐year‐oldF. excelsiorplants under field conditions, withH. fraxineusincluded for comparison. There were significant differences in index of pathogenicity among the fungi tested.Hymenoscyphus fraxineus(mean index 5.78) was the most pathogenic.Diplodia mutila(4.23) andC. pruinosa(4.02) were significantly less pathogenic thanH. fraxineus, but significantly more than the other fungi.Diaporthe eres(2.43),F. avenaceum(1.92),F. solani(1.86) andF. lateritium(1.08) were the least pathogenic (P < 0.0001). The extent of disease symptoms caused byF. solaniandF. lateritiumwas statistically similar to the control (P = 0.05). All tested fungi were successfully reisolated from inoculated stems. The contribution of the results to understanding the possible role of these fungi in the ash dieback process inF. excelsior, particularly in trees weakened after primary infection byH. fraxineus, is discussed.
Variability of ICA decomposition may impact EEG signals when used to remove eyeblink artifacts
Authors: Pontifex Matthew B. , Gwizdala Kathryn L. , Parks Andrew C. , Billinger Martin , Brunner Clemens 
Published: December 2016

AbstractDespite the growing use of independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms for isolating and removing eyeblink‐related activity from EEG data, we have limited understanding of how variability associated with ICA uncertainty may be influencing the reconstructed EEG signal after removing the eyeblink artifact components. To characterize the magnitude of this ICA uncertainty and to understand the extent to which it may influence findings within ERP and EEG investigations, ICA decompositions of EEG data from 32 college‐aged young adults were repeated 30 times for three popular ICA algorithms. Following each decomposition, eyeblink components were identified and removed. The remaining components were back‐projected, and the resulting clean EEG data were further used to analyze ERPs. Findings revealed that ICA uncertainty results in variation in P3 amplitude as well as variation across all EEG sampling points, but differs across ICA algorithms as a function of the spatial location of the EEG channel. This investigation highlights the potential of ICA uncertainty to introduce additional sources of variance when the data are back‐projected without artifact components. Careful selection of ICA algorithms and parameters can reduce the extent to which ICA uncertainty may introduce an additional source of variance within ERP/EEG studies.
Relative Effectiveness of Bilateral and Multilateral Aid on Development Outcomes
Authors: Biscaye Pierre E. , Reynolds Travis W. , Anderson C. Leigh 
Published: December 2016

AbstractAid donors are interested in understanding whether allocating aid via bilateral or multilateral channels might be more effective for achieving development goals. We review 45 papers that empirically test the associations between bilateral and multilateral aid flows and various development outcomes including gross domestic product growth, governance indicators, human development indicators and levels of non‐aid investment flows. Findings suggest that differences between countries and regions, time periods, aid objectives, and individual donor organizations all may influence the effectiveness of aid delivered bilaterally and multilaterally. We find, however, no consistent evidence that either bilateral or multilateral aid is more effective overall.