bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integration of ecological–biological thresholds in conservation decision making
Authors: Mavrommati Georgia , Bithas Kostas , Borsuk Mark E. , Howarth Richard B. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIn the Anthropocene, coupled human and natural systems dominate and only a few natural systems remain relatively unaffected by human influence. On the one hand, conservation criteria based on areas of minimal human impact are not relevant to much of the biosphere. On the other hand, conservation criteria based on economic factors are problematic with respect to their ability to arrive at operational indicators of well‐being that can be applied in practice over multiple generations. Coupled human and natural systems are subject to economic development which, under current management structures, tends to affect natural systems and cross planetary boundaries. Hence, designing and applying conservation criteria applicable in real‐world systems where human and natural systems need to interact and sustainably coexist is essential. By recognizing the criticality of satisfying basic needs as well as the great uncertainty over the needs and preferences of future generations, we sought to incorporate conservation criteria based on minimal human impact into economic evaluation. These criteria require the conservation of environmental conditions such that the opportunity for intergenerational welfare optimization is maintained. Toward this end, we propose the integration of ecological–biological thresholds into decision making and use as an example the planetary‐boundaries approach. Both conservation scientists and economists must be involved in defining operational ecological–biological thresholds that can be incorporated into economic thinking and reflect the objectives of conservation, sustainability, and intergenerational welfare optimization.
Pressure profiles of sport compression stockings
Authors: Reich‐Schupke Stefanie , Surhoff Stefan , Stücker Markus 
Published: April 2016

SummaryBackgroundWhile sport compression stockings (SCS) have become increasingly popular, there is no regulatory norm as exists for medical compression stockings (MCS). The objective of this pilot study was to compare five SCS with respect to their pressure profiles ex vivo and in vivo, and in relation to German standards for MCS (RAL norm).Patients and methodsIn vivo (10 competitive athletes; standardized procedure using the Kikuhime pressure monitor) and ex vivo (tested at the Hohenstein Institute) pressure profiles were tested for the following products: CEP Running Progressive Socks, Falke Running Energizing, Sigvaris Performance, X‐Socks Speed Metal Energizer, and 2XU Compression Race Socks.ResultsEx vivo ankle pressures of CEP (25.6 mmHg) and 2XU (23.2 mmHg) corresponded to class 2 MCS; that of Sigvaris (20.8 mmHg), to class 1 MCS. The remaining SCS achieved lower pressure values. The pressure gradients showed marked differences, and did not meet MCS standards. Average in vivo pressures were higher for 2XU, CEP, and Sigvaris than for Falke and X‐Socks. However, in vivo values for all SCS were below those of class 1 MCS. None of the SCS showed the decreasing pressure gradient (from distal to proximal) required for MCS.ConclusionsIn vivo and ex vivo pressure profiles of all SCS examined showed marked heterogeneity, and did not meet MCS standards. Consequently, the clinical and practical effects of SCS cannot be compared, either. It would therefore be desirable to establish a classification that allows for the categorization and comparison of various SCS as well as their selection based on individual preferences and needs (high vs. low pressure, progressive vs. degressive profile).
Why grow up?Aperspective on insect strategies to avoid metamorphosis
Authors: MCMAHON DINO P. , HAYWARD ALEXANDER 
Published: April 2016

1. Insects with complete metamorphosis (holometaboly) are extremely successful, constituting over 60% of all described animal species. Complete metamorphosis confers significant advantages because it enables organisms to optimise life‐history components through temporal partitioning, and thereby to exploit multiple ecological niches. Yet holometaboly can also impose costs, and several lineages have evolved life cycle modifications to avoid complete metamorphosis.2. In this review, we discuss different strategies that have evolved that result in the loss of complete metamorphosis (type I and type II paedomorphosis). In addition, the ecological pressures and developmental modifications that facilitate this avoidance are considered, as well as the importance of life cycle complexity in life‐history evolution.3. Interestingly, only female holometabolous insects have entirely avoided complete metamorphosis, and it is always the ancestrally juvenile morphology that is retained. These findings point to a strong sex‐biased trade‐off between investment in reproduction and development. While the loss of complete metamorphosis in females has occurred independently on several occasions across holometabolous insects, only a small number of species possessing this ability have been described.4. Thus, complete metamorphosis, which originated only once in insects, appears to have been almost fully retained. This indicates that significant modifications to the holometabolan metamorphic ground plan are highly constrained, and suggests that the transition to complete metamorphosis is evolutionarily irreversible.
Immunomodulatory effects of bone marrow versus adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells on NK cells: implications in the transplantation setting
Authors: Blanco Belén , Herrero‐Sánchez María del Carmen , Rodríguez‐Serrano Concepción , García‐Martínez María Lourdes , Blanco Juan F. , Muntión Sandra , García‐Arranz Mariano , Sánchez‐Guijo Fermín , del Cañizo Consuelo 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIntroductionThe ability of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) to suppress T‐cell function has prompted their therapeutic use for graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) control. However, as MSC also modulate the activity of NK cells, which play an important role in graft‐versus‐leukemia (GVL) reaction, their administration could hamper this beneficial effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. MSC can be expanded from several sources, especially bone marrow and fat, but it is not well established if the cell source makes a difference in their immunoregulatory capacity.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the immunomodulatory effect of MSC derived from bone marrow (BM‐CSM) or adipose tissue (AT‐MSC) on NK cells, to determine whether the use of MSC from one or the other origin could be more favorable to preserve NK cell activity and, therefore, GVL.MethodsHuman NK cells were stimulated with IL‐15 in the presence of BM‐MSC or AT‐MSC. The effect of both MSC populations on NK cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and CD56 expression was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cytokine secretion was measured by ELISA, and cytotoxic activity was assessed by calcein release assays.ResultsAlthough both BM‐MSC and AT‐MSC induced a similar inhibition of NK cell proliferation, only BM‐MSC decreased significantly NK cell cytotoxic activity and showed a trend for a higher reduction of IFN‐γ secretion.ConclusionThese results suggest that, in the context of GVHD inhibition, the use of AT‐MSC rather than BM‐MSC could further preserve NK cell activity and, thus, favor GVL.
Urinary incontinence in multiple sclerosis: prevalence, severity and impact on patients’ quality of life
Authors: Zecca C. , Riccitelli G. C. , Disanto G. , Singh A. , Digesu G. A. , Panicari L. , Puccini F. , Mattioli M. , Tubaro A. , Gobbi C. 
Published: April 2016

Background and purposeLower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) including frequent urination, nocturia and urge urinary incontinence negatively impact quality of life. This project aimed at characterizing the prevalence and severity of urinary incontinence in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and its association with demographic and clinical features.MethodsIn all, 403 consecutive clinically stable MS patients answered the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ) and the Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC) questionnaire. Demographic and clinical parameters including the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) were collected. Statistical analyses were performed using univariate and multivariate linear regression models.ResultsFemales represented 72%, relapsing−remitting patients 82%. The mean (SD) disease duration and EDSS were 11.8 (8.6) years and 3.1 (1.9) respectively. Approximately 35% of patients reported urine incontinence. ICIQ scores were positively associated with EDSS, female gender, presence of LUTS therapies and absence of disease modifying treatments (P < 0.001). PPBC scores were positively associated with EDSS and the presence of LUTS therapies (P < 0.001).DiscussionUrinary incontinence is frequent in MS, prevailing in more disabled and female patients. Currently available LUTS therapies appear insufficient in the treatment of this symptom. The negative impact of urinary incontinence on quality of life is high and requires more attention in clinical management and research.
Relationship between advanced glycation end‐product accumulation and low skeletal muscle mass in Japanese men and women
Authors: Kato Michitaka , Kubo Akira , Sugioka Yosuke , Mitsui Rie , Fukuhara Nobuki , Nihei Fumi , Takeda Yoshihiko 
Published: April 2016

AimThe present study aimed to investigate the relationship between advanced glycation end‐product accumulation and skeletal muscle mass among middle‐aged and older Japanese men and women.MethodsA total of 132 participants enrolled in this cross‐sectional study. Skin autofluorescence was assessed as a measure of advanced glycation‐end products. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was measured using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry, and skeletal muscle index was calculated by dividing appendicular skeletal muscle mass by height squared. Participants were divided into two groups (low skeletal muscle index and normal skeletal muscle index) using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia's skeletal muscle index criteria for diagnosing sarcopenia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were used to determine significant factors associated with low skeletal muscle index.ResultsParticipants consisted of 70 men (mean age 57 ± 10 years) and 62 women (mean age 60 ± 11 years). There were 31 and 101 participants in the low and normal skeletal muscle index groups, respectively. Skin autofluorescence was significantly higher in the low skeletal muscle index group compared with the normal skeletal muscle index group (P < 0.01). Skin autofluorescence was a significant independent factor associated with low skeletal muscle index based on multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 15.7, 95% confidence interval 1.85–133.01; P = 0.012). The cut‐off for skin autofluorescence was 2.45 arbitrary units, with a sensitivity of 0.75 and specificity of 0.91.ConclusionsSkin autofluorescence was an independent factor associated with low skeletal muscle index among middle‐aged and older Japanese men and women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 785–790.
Migrant workers and involuntary non‐permanent jobs: agencies as new IR actors?
Authors: Hopkins Benjamin , Dawson Chris 
Published: April 2016

AbstractUsing Quarterly Labour Force Survey data this article illustrates the involuntary crowding of migrants from Central and Eastern Europe into non‐permanent work when moving to the United Kingdom. The role of agencies in mediating this relationship is examined, as is their new role as actors in industrial relations systems.
Designing business models for cloud platforms
Authors: Giessmann Andrea , Legner Christine 
Published: April 2016

AbstractPlatform as a service (PaaS) has become a strategic option for software vendors who expect to benefit from value co‐creation with partners by developing complementary components and applications. In reality, however, established and new software vendors are battling to redefine their offering to embrace PaaS. They face the challenges of transforming, configuring and calibrating their PaaS business models to align them with existing business models, customer expectations and competitive pressures. This motivates our research question: How can software providers design viable business models for PaaS? Our study develops a design theory for PaaS business models. This theory is grounded on a 12‐month action design research study at one of the largest global software companies (here called Alpha) with mixed PaaS experiences in the past. Our primary research contribution is a set of design principles that guide software providers to define a viable PaaS business model in order to create a flourishing software ecosystem for their cloud platform. By synthesizing prescriptive knowledge related to business model design for emerging cloud platforms, our study advances PaaS research towards the existing body of research on software platforms and business models.
Bankers Trust and the Birth of Modern Risk Management
Authors: Guill Gene D. 
Published: April 2016

A leading financial practitioner traces the origins of the risk management concepts and applications widely used in today's financial institutions to their development at Bankers Trust in the 1970s. The bank became a pioneer out of necessity and entrepreneurship. Lacking the relationships with large corporations enjoyed by J.P. Morgan and Chase, Bankers Trust had to find ways to offer financial products its well‐established competitors could not.The innovations in risk management came from the Bank's “Resources Management” group, which was responsible for its trading and funding activities (but not corporate lending). By applying probability theory to its trading positions, the bank found an effective way to measure “market risk.” Extensions and refinements of this methodology were then used to measure credit risk and, later, liquidity risk and operational risk.These statistical methods and probabilistic concepts were brought together in a metric called Risk Adjusted Return On Capital, or “RAROC,” as it eventually became known throughout the financial services industry. RAROC was a concise way to measure and communicate the economic profits that had been generated by a transaction, product, or business unit, given the amount of “risk‐based” equity capital that was necessary to generate that profit. At Bankers Trust, RAROC eventually was used not only to evaluate profitability, but to guide strategic planning, capital allocation, and incentive compensation. And tools incorporating the same concepts, but with names like Value at Risk (or VaR), were later adopted by many other banks as well as regulators, including the framers of the Basel Accords.The author closes by suggesting how and why Bankers Trust's risk management culture began to deteriorate after 1995, and the bank was acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1998.
Polymorphism in exon 2 encoding the putative ligand binding pocket of the bovine insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor affects milk traits in four different cattle breeds
Authors: Szewczuk M. 
Published: April 2016

SummaryAs a member of the somatotropic axis, insulin‐like growth factor I receptor (IGF1R) seems to be a promising candidate gene. Two silent polymorphisms, identified by MspI and TaqI restriction enzymes, were selected within exon 2, encoding the majority of the putative ligand binding pocket. A total of 1169 cows of four pure breeds (Polish Holstein Friesian, Montbeliarde, Jersey and Holstein Friesian) were genotyped. The T (IGF1R/e2/MspI) and G (IGF1R/e2/TaqI) alleles were found to be prevalent. Three combinations of genotypes (TT/GG, TT/AG and CT/GG) were associated with the highest productivity (milk, protein and fat yields) among all breeds under study, as opposed to individuals carrying the worst CC/AA combination. In view of the specific structure of the ligand binding pocket and the significance of insulin‐like growth factor I signalling promoting the development and differentiation in a variety of tissues (not only limited to mammary gland), the existence of missense mutation is unlikely. Potential mutations are likely limited to mRNA transcription and further post‐transcriptional modifications. Further investigations should follow searching for the most useful IGF1R haplotypes, associated with higher milk production traits, exerting at the same time positive or neutral impact on health and welfare of individuals.
Impaired sperm quality, delayed mating but no costs for offspring fitness in crickets winning a fight
Authors: Tuni C. , Perdigón Ferreira J. , Fritz Y. , Munoz Meneses A. , Gasparini C. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe outcome of male–male contest competition is known to affect male mating success and is believed to confer fitness benefits to females through preference for dominant males. However, by mating with contest winners, females can incur significant costs spanning from decreased fecundity to negative effects on offspring. Hence, identifying costs and benefits of male dominance on female fitness is crucial to unravel the potential for a conflict of interests between the sexes. Here, we investigated males' pre‐ and post‐copulatory reproductive investment and its effect on female fitness after a single contest a using the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. We allowed males to fight and immediately measured their mating behaviour, sperm quality and offspring viability. We found that males experiencing a fight, independently of the outcome, delayed matings, but their courtship effort was not affected. However, winners produced sperm of lower quality (viability) compared to losers and to males that did not experience fighting. Results suggest a trade‐off in resource allocation between pre‐ and post‐mating episodes of sexual selection. Despite lower ejaculate quality, we found no fitness costs (fecundity and viability of offspring) for females mated to winners. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of considering fighting ability when assessing male reproductive success, as winners may be impaired in their competitiveness at a post‐mating level.
Oxidative stress controlling agents are effective for small intestinal injuries induced by non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs
Authors: Kono Yoshiyasu , Kawano Seiji , Takaki Akinobu , Shimomura Yasuyuki , Onji Masahiro , Ishikawa Hisashi , Takahashi Sakuma , Horii Joichiro , Kobayashi Sayo , Kawai Daisuke , Yamamoto Kazuhide , Okada Hiroyuki 
Published: April 2016

AbstractBackground and AimVideo‐capsule endoscopy (VCE) has shown that intestinal ulcers are common in non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) users, although the mechanisms and management have not been clearly defined. To explore the contribution of oxidative stress and potential of anti‐oxidants for NSAIDs‐induced intestinal ulcers, we assessed human serum oxidative stress balance and the effect of anti‐oxidants using a mouse model.MethodsA total of 30 NSAIDs users (17 aspirin and 13 non‐aspirin users) received VCE. Serum reactive oxygen metabolite (d‐ROM) and antioxidative OXY‐adsorbent test (OXY) were measured. The indomethacin (IND)‐induced mouse intestinal ulcer model was used to assess the effect of anti‐oxidants. Eight‐week‐old mice were divided into four groups; control diet and diet including IND (N group), IND and L‐carnitine (NC group), and IND and vitamin E (NE group).ResultsSerum OXY levels among non‐aspirin users were lower in the mucosal injuries positive group than the negative group (P < 0.05). In the mouse models, the degree of mucosal injuries was lower in NC and NE than N (P < 0.01). Serum d‐ROM levels were lower in NC and NE than N (P < 0.01), and OXY levels were higher in NC than N and NE (P < 0.01). The degeneration of intestinal mitochondria was mild in NC and NE. The serum KC/CXCL‐1 level and hepatic expression of the anti‐oxidant molecule Gpx4 were lower in NC than N.ConclusionsNon‐aspirin NSAID‐induced intestinal ulcers are related to decreased anti‐oxidative stress function. Anti‐oxidants, especially L‐carnitine, are good candidates for intestinal ulcers.
Probing amyloid‐β pathology in transgenic Alzheimer's disease (tgArcSwe) mice using MALDI imaging mass spectrometry
Authors: Carlred Louise , Michno Wojciech , Kaya Ibrahim , Sjövall Peter , Syvänen Stina , Hanrieder Jörg 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe pathological mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) are still not understood. The disease pathology is characterized by the accumulation and aggregation of amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptides into extracellular plaques, however the factors that promote neurotoxic Aβ aggregation remain elusive. Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is a powerful technique to comprehensively elucidate the spatial distribution patterns of lipids, peptides and proteins in biological tissues. In the present study, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS)‐based imaging was used to study Aβ deposition in transgenic mouse brain tissue and to elucidate the plaque‐associated chemical microenvironment. The imaging experiments were performed in brain sections of transgenic Alzheimer's disease mice carrying the Arctic and Swedish mutation of amyloid‐beta precursor protein (tgArcSwe). Multivariate image analysis was used to interrogate the IMS data for identifying pathologically relevant, anatomical features based on their chemical identity. This include cortical and hippocampal Aβ deposits, whose amyloid peptide content was further verified using immunohistochemistry and laser microdissection followed by MALDI MS analysis. Subsequent statistical analysis on spectral data of regions of interest revealed brain region‐specific differences in Aβ peptide aggregation. Moreover, other plaque‐associated protein species were identified including macrophage migration inhibitory factor suggesting neuroinflammatory processes and glial cell reactivity to be involved in AD pathology. The presented data further highlight the potential of IMS as a powerful approach in neuropathology.
imageHanrieder et al. described an imaging mass spectrometry based study on comprehensive spatial profiling of C‐terminally truncated Aβ species within individual plaques in tgArcSwe mice. Here, brain region‐dependent differences in Aβ truncation and other plaque‐associated proteins, such as macrophage migration inhibitory factor, were observed. The data shed further light on plaque‐associated molecular mechanisms implicated in Alzheimer's pathogenesis.Cover image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.13328.