bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A higher‐level classification of the Pannonian and western Pontic steppe grasslands (Central and Eastern Europe)
Authors: Willner Wolfgang , Kuzemko Anna , Dengler Jürgen , Chytrý Milan , Bauer Norbert , Becker Thomas , Biţă‐Nicolae Claudia , Botta‐Dukát Zoltán , Čarni Andraž , Csiky János , Igić Ruzica , Kącki Zygmunt , Korotchenko Iryna , Kropf Matthias , Krstivojević‐Ćuk Mirjana , Krstonošić Daniel , Rédei Tamás , Ruprecht Eszter , Schratt‐Ehrendorfer Luise , Semenishchenkov Yuri , Stančić Zvjezdana , Vashenyak Yulia , Vynokurov Denys , Janišová Monika 
Published: September 2016

AbstractQuestionsWhat are the main floristic patterns in the Pannonian and western Pontic steppe grasslands? What are the diagnostic species of the major subdivisions of the class Festuco‐Brometea (temperate Euro‐Siberian dry and semi‐dry grasslands)?LocationCarpathian Basin (E Austria, SE Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, N Croatia and N Serbia), Ukraine, S Poland and the Bryansk region of W Russia.MethodsWe applied a geographically stratified resampling to a large set of relevés containing at least one indicator species of steppe grasslands. The resulting data set of 17 993 relevés was classified using the TWINSPAN algorithm. We identified groups of clusters that corresponded to the class Festuco‐Brometea. After excluding relevés not belonging to our target class, we applied a consensus of three fidelity measures, also taking into account external knowledge, to establish the diagnostic species of the orders of the class. The original TWINSPAN divisions were revised on the basis of these diagnostic species.ResultsThe TWINSPAN classification revealed soil moisture as the most important environmental factor. Eight out of 16 TWINSPAN groups corresponded to Festuco‐Brometea. A total of 80, 32 and 58 species were accepted as diagnostic for the orders Brometalia erecti, Festucetalia valesiacae and Stipo‐Festucetalia pallentis, respectively. In the further subdivision of the orders, soil conditions, geographic distribution and altitude could be identified as factors driving the major floristic patterns.ConclusionsWe propose the following classification of the Festuco‐Brometea in our study area: (1) Brometalia erecti (semi‐dry grasslands) with Scabioso ochroleucae‐Poion angustifoliae (steppe meadows of the forest zone of E Europe) and Cirsio‐Brachypodion pinnati (meadow steppes on deep soils in the forest‐steppe zone of E Central and E Europe); (2) Festucetalia valesiacae (grass steppes) with Festucion valesiacae (grass steppes on less developed soils in the forest‐steppe zone of E Central and E Europe) and Stipion lessingianae (grass steppes in the steppe zone); (3) Stipo‐Festucetalia pallentis (rocky steppes) with Asplenio septentrionalis‐Festucion pallentis (rocky steppes on siliceous and intermediate soils), Bromo‐Festucion pallentis (thermophilous rocky steppes on calcareous soils), Diantho‐Seslerion (dealpine Sesleria caerulea grasslands of the Western Carpathians) and Seslerion rigidae (dealpine Sesleria rigida grasslands of the Romanian Carpathians).
Patterns and potentials of plant species richness in high‐ and low‐maintenance urban grasslands
Authors: Rudolph Martin , Velbert Frederike , Schwenzfeier Stefan , Kleinebecker Till , Klaus Valentin H. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractAimsWe investigated urban grasslands to: (1) explore current patterns of plant species richness in high‐maintenance vs low‐maintenance grasslands, (2) investigate environmental drivers of plant species richness and composition, and (3) derive management recommendations and assess the potential for plant species introduction.LocationCities of Cologne (50°56′ N, 6°57′ E) and Münster (51°57′ N, 7°37′ E), North Rhine‐Westphalia, Germany.MethodsWe performed plant inventories and measured soil and above‐ground biomass characteristics in 100 urban grasslands in two cities differing in population size and environmental setting. The data set covered 35 high‐maintenance grasslands, which are cut or mulched up to 14 times a year, and 65 low‐maintenance grasslands with one to two cuts per year or sheep grazing. We used ANCOVA and DCA to assess drivers of vegetation composition and species richness. The floristic potential and options to restore biodiversity were assessed taking into account maintenance intensity and key abiotic variables of the grasslands using thresholds derived from published literature and our own data.ResultsHigh‐maintenance urban grasslands harboured significantly lower plant species richness compared to low‐maintenance grasslands. However, plant species richness of both grassland types turned out to be lower than that of comparable semi‐natural agricultural grasslands. Floristic composition was primarily conditioned by maintenance intensity, but for plant species richness environmental factors such as soil pH, phosphorus availability and city were additionally important. Just eight of the 100 studied urban grasslands were found to be already valuable and species‐rich, whereas the vast majority showed relatively low species richness but a high potential for species introduction.ConclusionsApparently, most urban grasslands exhibited quite constrained plant species richness, suffering from high‐maintenance intensity but probably also from dispersal and seed limitations. Nevertheless, as the majority of the studied grasslands showed favourable abiotic preconditions for higher plant species richness, restoration techniques using species introduction could be an easy and promising method to support grassland biodiversity in urban areas.
Chromatin decondensation is accompanied by a transient increase in transcriptional output
Authors: Vaňková Hausnerová Viola , Lanctôt Christian 
Published: September 2016

Background InformationThe levels of chromatin condensation usually correlate inversely with the levels of transcription. The mechanistic links between chromatin condensation and RNA polymerase II activity remain to be elucidated. In the present work, we sought to experimentally determine whether manipulation of chromatin condensation levels can have a direct effect on transcriptional activity.ResultsWe generated a U‐2‐OS cell line in which the nascent transcription of a reporter gene could be imaged alongside chromatin compaction levels in living cells. The transcripts were tagged at their 5′ end with PP7 stem loops, which can be detected upon expression of a PP7 capsid protein fused to green fluorescent protein. Cycles of global chromatin hypercondensation and decondensation were performed by perfusing culture media of different osmolarities during imaging. We used the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique to analyse the transcriptional dynamics in both conditions. Surprisingly, we found that, despite a drop in signal intensity, nascent transcription appeared to continue at the same rate in hypercondensed chromatin. Furthermore, quantification of transcriptional profiles revealed that chromatin decondensation was accompanied by a brief and transient spike in transcriptional output.ConclusionsWe propose a model whereby the initiation of transcription is not impaired in condensed chromatin, but inefficient elongation in these conditions leads to the accumulation of RNA polymerase II at the transcription site. Upon chromatin decondensation, release of the RNA polymerase II halt triggers a wave of transcription, which we detect as a transient spike in activity.SignificanceThe results presented here shed light on the activity of RNA polymerase II during chromatin condensation and decondensation. As such, they point to a new level of transcriptional regulation.
IDIOSYNCRATIC AND AGGREGATE RISKS, INEQUALITY AND GROWTH
Authors: Getachew Yoseph Yilma 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTThe paper disaggregates productivity shocks at a firm level into idiosyncratic and aggregate risks, and studies their impacts on inequality, growth and welfare. It develops a growth model with human capital and incomplete insurance and credit markets that provides a closed‐form solution for income inequality dynamics. We find that uninsured idiosyncratic risks are the most important determinants of inequality, growth and welfare. They are the source of nondegenerate wealth distribution. A lower weight of these shocks leads to lower steady‐state inequality, higher growth and welfare. A redistribution of income that serves as social insurance against such risks increases welfare and decreases inequality. But, it also decreases growth by distorting individual consumption and saving decisions.
Chronology of Chilean Frontal Cordillera building from geochronological, stratigraphic and geomorphological data insights from Miocene intramontane‐basin deposits
Authors: Rossel Katia , Aguilar Germán , Salazar Esteban , Martinod Joseph , Carretier Sébastien , Pinto Luisa , Cabré Albert 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe Chilean Frontal Cordillera, near 28°45′S, provides a remarkable example to explore the evolution of the Central Andes; this area provides conspicuous pediment surfaces and continental deposits, which allowed us to analyse the timing and propagation of deformation which controlled the Andes building during the Cenozoic using structural, geomorphological, sedimentological, stratigraphic and geochronological data. The study area is characterized by outcrops of the Cerro del Burro Gravels, a continental deposit which is surrounded by four morphostructural mountain systems. Based on a 46 Ma tuff affected by a syncline, which is sealed by a 44 Ma tuff, we recognized an Eocene fault activity that contributed to the uplift of the western and northern systems, which have remained inactive during the last 44 Ma. The deformed lithologies during the last pulse of activity of the western fault and the youngest lithology carved by pediment processes (21 Ma) indicate a pediment surface developed during the Late Eocene and Oligocene. This pediment extended below the Cerro del Burro Gravels associated to a base level which drained to the east. We also recognized Miocene fault activity that played a main role in the uplift of the eastern and southern systems. Geochronological, stratigraphic and geomorphological data suggest a first pulse of fault activity between 19 and 13 Ma, which interrupted the pedimentation processes, developed an intramontane depocenter, and forced the accumulation of the Laguna Grande Succession in an alluvial‐braided fluvial environment. After 13 Ma, an erosive event evidenced by the incision of valleys, resulted after the change in the extension and configuration of the hydric network.
Influence of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia viability on murine pulmonary microRNA and mRNA expression following subchronic inhalation exposure
Authors: Croston T. L. , Nayak A. P. , Lemons A. R. , Goldsmith W. T. , Gu J. K. , Germolec D. R. , Beezhold D. H. , Green B. J. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryBackgroundPersonal exposure to fungal bioaerosols derived from contaminated building materials or agricultural commodities may induce or exacerbate a variety of adverse health effects. The genomic mechanisms that underlie pulmonary immune responses to fungal bioaerosols have remained unclear.ObjectiveThe impact of fungal viability on the pulmonary microRNA and messenger RNA profiles that regulate murine immune responses was evaluated following subchronic inhalation exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus conidia.MethodsThree groups of naïve B6C3F1/N mice were exposed via nose‐only inhalation to A. fumigatus viable conidia, heat‐inactivated conidia (HIC), or HEPA‐filtered air twice a week for 13 weeks. Total RNA was isolated from whole lung 24 and 48 h postfinal exposure and was further processed for gene expression and microRNA array analysis. The molecular network pathways between viable and HIC groups were evaluated.ResultsComparison of data sets revealed increased Il4, Il13 and Il33 expression in mice exposed to viable vs. HIC. Of 415 microRNAs detected, approximately 50% were altered in mice exposed to viable vs. HIC 48 h postexposure. Significantly down‐regulated (P ≤ 0.05) miR‐29a‐3p was predicted to regulate TGF‐β3 and Clec7a, genes involved in innate responses to viable A. fumigatus. Also significantly down‐regulated (P ≤ 0.05), miR‐23b‐3p regulates genes involved in pulmonary IL‐13 and IL‐33 responses and SMAD2, downstream of TGF‐β signalling. Using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, a novel interaction was identified between viable conidia and SMAD2/3.Conclusions and Clinical RelevanceExamination of the pulmonary genetic profiles revealed differentially expressed genes and microRNAs following subchronic inhalation exposure to A. fumigatus. MicroRNAs regulating genes involved in the pulmonary immune responses were those with the greatest fold change. Specifically, germinating A. fumigatus conidia were associated with Clec7a and were predicted to interact with Il13 and Il33. Furthermore, altered microRNAs may serve as potential biomarkers to evaluate fungal exposure.
Highlighting in Early Childhood: Learning Biases Through Attentional Shifting
Authors: Burling Joseph M. , Yoshida Hanako 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe literature on human and animal learning suggests that individuals attend to and act on cues differently based on the order in which they were learned. Recent studies have proposed that one specific type of learning outcome, the highlighting effect, can serve as a framework for understanding a number of early cognitive milestones. However, little is known how this learning effect itself emerges among children, whose memory and attention are much more limited compared to adults. Two experiments were conducted using different versions of the general highlighting paradigm: Experiment 1 tested 3 to 6 year olds with a newly developed image‐based version of the paradigm, which was designed specifically to test young children. Experiment 2 tested the validity of an image‐based implementation of the highlighting paradigm with adult participants. The results from Experiment 1 provide evidence for the highlighting effect among children 3–6 years old, and they suggest age‐related differences in dividing attention among multiple cues during learning. Experiment 2 replicated results from previous studies by showing robust biases for both image‐based and text‐based versions of the highlighting task. This study suggests that sensitivity to learning order emerges early through the process of cued attention, and the role of the highlighting effect in early language learning is discussed.
Update on “What” and “Where” in Spatial Language: A New Division of Labor for Spatial Terms
Authors: Landau Barbara 
Published: September 2016

AbstractIn this article, I revisit Landau and Jackendoff's () paper, “What and where in spatial language and spatial cognition,” proposing a friendly amendment and reformulation. The original paper emphasized the distinct geometries that are engaged when objects are represented as members of object kinds (named by count nouns), versus when they are represented as figure and ground in spatial expressions (i.e., play the role of arguments of spatial prepositions). We provided empirical and theoretical arguments for the link between these distinct representations in spatial language and their accompanying nonlinguistic neural representations, emphasizing the “what” and “where” systems of the visual system. In the present paper, I propose a second division of labor between two classes of spatial prepositions in English that appear to be quite distinct. One class includes prepositions such as in and on, whose core meanings engage force‐dynamic, functional relationships between objects, with geometry only a marginal player. The second class includes prepositions such as above/below and right/left, whose core meanings engage geometry, with force‐dynamic relationships a passing or irrelevant variable. The insight that objects’ force‐dynamic relationships matter to spatial terms’ uses is not new; but thinking of these terms as a distinct set within spatial language has theoretical and empirical consequences that are new. I propose three such consequences, rooted in the fact that geometric knowledge is highly constrained and early‐emerging in life, while force‐dynamic knowledge of objects and their interactions is relatively unconstrained and needs to be learned piecemeal over a lengthy timeline. First, the two classes will engage different learning problems, with different developmental trajectories for both first and second language learners; second, the classes will naturally lead to different degrees of cross‐linguistic variation; and third, they may be rooted in different neural representations.
Predicted Pleistocene–Holocene range shifts of the tiger (Panthera tigris)
Authors: Cooper David M. , Dugmore Andrew J. , Gittings Bruce M. , Scharf Anne K. , Wilting Andreas , Kitchener Andrew C. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractAimIn this article, we modelled the potential range shifts of tiger (Panthera tigris) populations over the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, to provide new insights into the evolutionary history and interconnectivity between populations of this endangered species.LocationAsia.MethodsWe used an ecological niche approach and applied a maximum entropy (Maxent) framework to model potential distributions of tigers. Bioclimatic conditions for the present day and mid‐Holocene, and for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), were used to represent interglacial and glacial conditions of the Late Pleistocene, respectively.ResultsOur results show that the maximum potential tiger range during modern climates (without human impacts) would be continuous from the Indian subcontinent to north‐east Siberia. During the LGM, distributions are predicted to have contracted to southern China, India and Southeast Asia and remained largely contiguous. A potential distribution gap between Peninsular Malaya and Sumatra could have effectively separated tigers on the Sunda Islands from those in continental Asia during interglacials.Main conclusionsThe continuous modelled distribution of tigers in mainland Asia supports the idea of mainly unimpeded gene flow between all populations throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Thus, our data support a pragmatic approach to tiger conservation management, especially of mainland populations, as it is likely that only recent anthropogenic changes caused separation of these populations. In contrast, Sunda tigers are likely to have separated and differentiated following the Last Glacial Maximum and thus warrant separate management.
Residual contamination and bioburden after reprocessing of single‐use endoscopic ultrasound needles: An ex vivo study
Authors: Bhatia Vikram , Gupta Anu , Sharma Shweta , Shandil Rajeev , Wadhawan Manav , Agrawal Nitesh , Kumar Ajay 
Published: September 2016

Background and AimEndoscopic ultrasound (EUS) aspiration needles are single‐use devices. However, in many centers, because of cost‐constraints, these devices are reused multiple times. We studied microbiological contamination and bioburden on reprocessed needles to evaluate whether these devices can be successfully sterilized.MethodsWe studied 10 EUS needles each of 19 G, 22 G, and 25 G in size, and five 22‐G ProCore needles. After initial use, each needle was reprocessed by a standardized protocol. We used standard microbiological cultures, as well as ATP bioluminescence technique to quantify bioburden as relative light units (RLU). We defined significant soil contamination by RLU values >200. We also used extractant fluid to disrupt cell membranes in an attempt to enhance ATP detection.ResultsWe found culture positivity in 3/34 (8.8%), and detectable bioburden on the exposed surface of 33/35 (94.3%), and inside lumen of 29 (82.9%) reprocessed FNA needles. Significant bioburden was found in three (8.6%) and two (5.7%) needles on the surface and lumen, respectively. We found that use of extractant fluid enhanced detection of bioburden. Larger (19 G) needles had higher surface contamination (P = 0.016), but there was no relation of luminal contamination with needle diameter (P = 0.138). Sheath design and presence of side bevel did not influence extent of contamination. There was significant correlation between the surface and intraluminal bioburden (P < 0.001).ConclusionsThere is significant bioburden in reprocessed EUS needles; standard microbiological cultures have low sensitivity for detection of needle contamination. We have provided objective evidence for the futility of reprocessing attempts, and practice of EUS needle reuse should be discontinued.
Early impairment of somatosensory evoked potentials in very young children with achondroplasia with foramen magnum stenosis
Authors: Fornarino Stefania , Rossi Daniela Paola , Severino Mariasavina , Pistorio Angela , Allegri Anna Elsa Maria , Martelli Simona , Doria Lamba Laura , Lanteri Paola 
Published: September 2016

AimTo evaluate the contribution of somatosensory evoked potentials after median nerve (MN‐SEPs) and posterior tibial nerve (PTN‐SEPs) stimulation in functional assessment of cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis in children with achondroplasia.MethodWe reviewed MN‐SEPs, PTN‐SEPs, and spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations performed in 58 patients with achondroplasia (25 males, 33 females; age range 21d–16y 10mo; mean age 4y 3mo [SD 4y 1mo]). Patients were subdivided into four age categories: <2 years, between 2 to 4 years, between 4 to 8 years, and ≥8 years. The peak latency of P37 for PTN‐SEPs, the peak latencies of N11, N13, P14, and N20, and the N13–N20 interpeak latency (IPL) for MN‐SEPs were collected; the diagnostic accuracy measures of these parameters (analysis of receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curves) with respect to the presence of foramen magnum or lumbar spinal stenosis were analysed in each age category.ResultsThe ROC curve analysis showed that the most sensitive parameter in detecting the presence of foramen magnum stenosis was P37 latency in the first two age categories (<2y and ≥2–4y; sensitivity 0.63, specificity 1.00, and sensitivity 1.00, specificity 0.75 respectively). In the third age category (≥4–8y), the most sensitive parameter in detecting the presence of foramen magnum stenosis was IPLs N13–N20 (sensitivity 0.73, specificity 0.87), whereas in the last age category (≥8y), the most important parameter was N20 latency (sensitivity 0.75, specificity 0.77).InterpretationIn children with achondroplasia, the cortical component of PTN‐SEPs is more sensitive than the cortical component and central conduction time of MN‐SEPs in detection of cervical spinal cord compression at early ages.