bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Presynaptic, release‐regulating mGlu2‐preferring and mGlu3‐preferring autoreceptors in CNS: pharmacological profiles and functional roles in demyelinating disease
Authors: Di Prisco Silvia , Merega Elisa , Bonfiglio Tommaso , Olivero Guendalina , Cervetto Chiara , Grilli Massimo , Usai Cesare , Marchi Mario , Pittaluga Anna 
Published: January 2016

Background and PurposePresynaptic, release‐regulating metabotropic glutamate 2 and 3 (mGlu2/3) autoreceptors exist in the CNS. They represent suitable targets for therapeutic approaches to central diseases that are typified by hyperglutamatergicity. The availability of specific ligands able to differentiate between mGlu2 and mGlu3 subunits allows us to further characterize these autoreceptors. In this study we investigated the pharmacological profile of mGlu2/3 receptors in selected CNS regions and evaluated their functions in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).Experimental ApproachThe comparative analysis of presynaptic mGlu2/3 autoreceptors was performed by determining the effect of selective mGlu2/3 receptor agonist(s) and antagonist(s) on the release of [3H]‐d‐aspartate from cortical and spinal cord synaptosomes in superfusion. In EAE mice, mGlu2/3 autoreceptor‐mediated release functions were investigated and effects of in vivo LY379268 administration on impaired glutamate release examined ex vivo.Key ResultsWestern blot analysis and confocal microscopy confirmed the presence of presynaptic mGlu2/3 receptor proteins. Cortical synaptosomes possessed LY541850‐sensitive, NAAG‐insensitive autoreceptors having low affinity for LY379268, while LY541850‐insensitive, NAAG‐sensitive autoreceptors with high affinity for LY379268 existed in spinal cord terminals. In EAE mice, mGlu2/3 autoreceptors completely lost their inhibitory activity in cortical, but not in spinal cord synaptosomes. In vivo LY379268 administration restored the glutamate exocytosis capability in spinal cord but not in cortical terminals in EAE mice.Conclusions and ImplicationsWe propose the existence of mGlu2‐preferring and mGlu3‐preferring autoreceptors in mouse cortex and spinal cord respectively. The mGlu3‐preferring autoreceptors could represent a target for new pharmacological approaches for treating demyelinating diseases.
Design Features and Project Age Contribute to Joint Success in Social, Ecological, and Economic Outcomes of Community‐Based Conservation Projects
Authors: Brooks Jeremy S. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractCommunity‐based conservation (CBC) seeks to align various ecological, economic, and social goals. While a number of comparative analyses have examined the factors associated with successful outcomes in each of these domains, far fewer studies have explored joint success across domains. Understanding when and how CBC improves multiple outcomes can generate more sustainable and socially acceptable policies and programs. Here, I use a comparative database of 136 CBC projects identified from a systematic literature review to assess which aspects of national socio‐economic and political context, community‐characteristics, and project design features are associated with win–win outcomes. Using multivariate logistic regressions within a multilevel analysis and model‐fitting framework, I show that capacity building, local participation, environmental education, and project age contribute to win–win outcomes. These results hold across various national and local contexts and resource domains and suggest that general project design features can contribute to joint success in CBC projects.
Functional distance to recipient communities may favour invasiveness: insights from two invasive frogs
Authors: Escoriza D. , Ruhí A. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractAimInvasive species present negative impacts on native biodiversity at a global scale. A key goal of community ecology is to identify what drives invasiveness, but hypotheses relying on biotic mechanisms remain largely untested for many groups. Here we asked whether source and recipient communities of two highly successful invasive anurans (the bullfrogLithobates catesbeianusand the cane toadRhinellla marina) differ consistently from a taxonomic and/or functional standpoint. If affirmative, this pattern could suggest that taxonomic and/or functional distances between an invasive species and a potentially recipient community might influence the alien's invasive potential.LocationWorld‐wide.MethodsBased on co‐occurrence data of 1061 amphibian species, we compared 30 source to 30 recipient communities of bullfrogs and cane toads by means of biotic metrics that summarize taxonomic and functional diversity and the relative position of the invasive species within the community. We also included environmental drivers that reportedly influence invasibility (climate, resource availability, spatial heterogeneity, and propagule pressure).ResultsBoth invasive species were functionally distant to their respective recipient communities; in contrast, community diversity did not explain much variation between source and recipient communities. Climate matching possibly influenced cane toad's but not bullfrog's invasiveness, and landscape factors had little relevance overall.Main conclusionThis study advances the notion that the relative position of a recently introduced species within the native functional space may help predicting its invasive potential.
Reward association facilitates distractor suppression in human visual search
Authors: Gong Mengyuan , Yang Feitong , Li Sheng 
Published: January 2016

AbstractAlthough valuable objects are attractive in nature, people often encounter situations where they would prefer to avoid such distraction while focusing on the task goal. Contrary to the typical effect of attentional capture by a reward‐associated item, we provide evidence for a facilitation effect derived from the active suppression of a high reward‐associated stimulus when cuing its identity as distractor before the display of search arrays. Selection of the target is shown to be significantly faster when the distractors were in high reward‐associated colour than those in low reward‐associated or non‐rewarded colours. This behavioural reward effect was associated with two neural signatures before the onset of the search display: the increased frontal theta oscillation and the strengthened top‐down modulation from frontal to anterior temporal regions. The former suggests an enhanced working memory representation for the reward‐associated stimulus and the increased need for cognitive control to override Pavlovian bias, whereas the latter indicates that the boost of inhibitory control is realized through a frontal top‐down mechanism. These results suggest a mechanism in which the enhanced working memory representation of a reward‐associated feature is integrated with task demands to modify attentional priority during active distractor suppression and benefit behavioural performance.
Knockdown of apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 affects ischaemia‐induced astrocyte activation and glial scar formation
Authors: Cheon So Yeong , Cho Kyoung Joo , Song Juhyun , Kim Gyung Whan 
Published: January 2016

AbstractReactive astrocytes play an essential role in determining the tissue response to ischaemia. Formation of a glial scar can block the neuronal outgrowth that is required for restoration of damaged tissue. Therefore, regulation of astrocyte activation is important; however, the mediator of this process has not been fully elucidated. Apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is an early responder to oxidative stress, and plays a pivotal role in the intracellular signalling pathway of apoptosis, inflammation, and differentiation. To confirm whether ASK1 mediates astrocyte activation and leads to glial scar formation after cerebral ischaemia, we conducted in vivo and in vitro experiments. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, and astrocyte cultures were exposed to oxygen–glucose deprivation. After silencing of ASK1 , astrocyte‐associated genes were downregulated, as seen with the use of microarrays. The glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) level was decreased, and correlated with the reduction in the ASK1 level. In astrocytes, reduction in the ASK1 level decreased the activity of the p38 pathway, and the levels of transcription factors for GFAP and GFAP transcripts after hypoxia. In the chronic phase, ASK1 depletion reduced glial scar formation and conserved neuronal structure, which may lead to better functional recovery. These data suggest that ASK1 may be an important mediator of ischaemia‐induced astrocyte activation and scar formation, and could provide a potential therapeutic target for treatment after ischaemic stroke.
View from the Bench: Parental Mental Health and Child Custody
Authors: Dane Edmund M. , Rosen Jamie A. 
Published: January 2016

Family courts are confronted with an increasing number of custody or visitation disputes where a parent suffers from a mental illness. In fact, when making a custody determination, most state statutes include parental mental health as a factor to consider in a best interests analysis. This article presents best practices from the perspective of a family court judge when it comes to handling cases involving parental mental health and custody, including a discussion of the nexus between parental mental health and the parent's relationship to the child and the weight given to custody or forensic evaluations.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:
In determining the best interests of the child, the family court judge must evaluate the parent–child relationship, parenting capacity, and parenting skills.
Most state statutes authorize judges to consider parental mental health as one of many factors in a best interests analysis.
The judge must weigh all of the evidence and determine whether a parent's mental illness impacts the best interests of the child.
In making this determination, the judge can rely on the custody evaluation, the child's attorney or guardian ad litem, and personal observations, among other sources.
The Unfit Parent: Six Myths Concerning Dangerousness and Mental Illness
Authors: Van Brunt Brian , Zedginidze Ann A. , Light Patti A. 
Published: January 2016

There is a pervasive assumption that mental illness equates to dangerousness and violence as it applies to parenting. We examine this assumption and present a comprehensive literature review of how issues of mental illness impact violence and dangerousness. A range of issues is explored, including the unpredictability of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, stress from mental health problems inhibiting emotional stability, and past in‐patient hospitalizations for suicide attempts as they impact parenting. Risk mitigation strategies are also presented.Practitioner's Key Points:While the stress and difficulties of living with a mental illness certainly present challenges for any parent to overcome, this article answers the larger question, “Does having a mental illness equate with being an unfit parent?”In order to explore what makes an unfit parent, it is necessary to first operationalize what skills, traits, and abilities fit parents possess. The article offers a summary of what it means to be a fit parent.For an individual with mental illness, there may be a risk of unfit parenting or violence. But we can only understand the actuality when we look at the severity of the mental illness, environmental stressors, and additional risk factors.We offer a constellation of protective approaches to better assess the risk by attending to competent risk factors, rather than making broad assumptions concerning mental illness and the ability to parent or proclivity to behave in a violent fashion.
Protecting the Invisible Victim: Incorporating Coercive Control in Domestic Violence Statutes
Authors: Candela Kristy 
Published: January 2016

All states have domestic violence statutes that offer legal remedies to victims of intimate partner abuse. To qualify for these remedies, the victim must demonstrate that they have been subject to certain elements of abuse. Thus, the definition of abuse under these statutes is crucial, as it determines who qualifies as a victim of abuse and as a result is afforded legal protection. Despite the clear importance of an efficient definition, the elements of abuse are outlined differently by each state. Two‐thirds of states define abuse in their domestic violence statutes as criminal acts or imminent threats or acts of physical violence. Limiting the definition of abuse to purely physical acts or threats of physical acts does not address the unforgiving realities of domestic abuse. In reality, all forms of abuse—emotional, economic, and physical—are interrelated, and based on the desire for power and control. Adding the definition of coercive control can effectively address the complex issues faced by these victims. However, the definition of coercive control itself must be outlined as a gender‐neutral term. Doing so will address the numerous plights faced by victims of domestic abuse and afford them the availability of the protection they deserve. This Note proposes a recognition that coercive control affects all genders and urges legislatures to adopt language based on proposed legislation in the United Kingdom that labels and defines coercive control as abuse, permitting its victims to seek legal remedies.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:
Two‐thirds of state domestic violence statutes require the victim to prove they are victims of physical violence or were threatened physically in order to be considered victims of abuse and be able to petition for a civil protection order.
Nonphysical abuse can be just as, if not more, devastating than physical violence for victims.
Coercive control is a catch‐all term that emphasizes the core of most domestic abuse, which is the need for power and control over another person and incorporates numerous types of nonphysical domestic abuse.
Adding coercive control under the definition of abuse in these statutes will better match the reality of intimate partner abuse, afford protection to victims, and aid in preventing further abuse.
The definition of coercive control must be gender neutral in order to provide protection for all potential victims of this form of abuse and not bar anyone from recovery based on gender.
The proposed legislation in the United Kingdom provides worthy model language and an effective definition of coercive control.
Autophagy in the test tube: In vitro reconstitution of aspects of autophagosome biogenesis
Authors: Rao Yijian , Matscheko Nena , Wollert Thomas 
Published: January 2016

Autophagy is a versatile recycling pathway that delivers cytoplasmic contents to lysosomal compartments for degradation. It involves the formation of a cup‐shaped membrane that expands to capture cargo. After the cargo has been entirely enclosed, the membrane is sealed to generate a double‐membrane‐enclosed compartment, termed the autophagosome. Depending on the physiological state of the cell, the cargo is selected either specifically or non‐specifically. The process involves a highly conserved set of autophagy‐related proteins. Reconstitution of their action on model membranes in vitro has contributed tremendously to our understanding of autophagosome biogenesis. This review will focus on various in vitro techniques that have been employed to decipher the function of the autophagic core machinery.
Importance of temporal variability at different spatial scales for diversity of floodplain aquatic communities
Authors: Dittrich Jaqueline , Dias Juliana D. , Bonecker Claudia C. , Lansac‐Tôha Fabio A. , Padial André A. 
Published: January 2016

Summary

Long‐term ecological data were used to evaluate diversity components of aquatic communities at different spatial scales in the Upper Paraná River floodplain.

Diversity of aquatic macrophytes, fish and zooplankton communities were expected to vary in response to temporal variability in hydrological regime and associated environmental heterogeneity.

Results support the importance of β‐diversity (diversity among sites within a floodplain) for γ‐diversity (regional diversity) at both small (e.g. lakes within a subsystem) and large spatial scales, such as subsystems comprised of a main river channel and associated lakes. Interestingly, diversity components for all groups exhibited low temporal variability, despite relatively high temporal variation in γ‐diversity.

Temporal variability of diversity components and environmental variables were not correlated, indicating that the underlying ecological mechanisms driving diversity were not related to environmental variability of the floodplain.

For management and conservation of floodplain communities our findings imply that efforts designed to preserve biodiversity and maximise environmental heterogeneity at a specific spatial scale should be effective, with conservation focused on maintaining spatial heterogeneity that promotes β‐diversity.
Wood anatomy and carbon‐isotope discrimination support long‐term hydraulic deterioration as a major cause of drought‐induced dieback
Authors: Pellizzari Elena , Camarero J. Julio , Gazol Antonio , Sangüesa‐Barreda Gabriel , Carrer Marco 
Published: January 2016

AbstractHydraulic impairment due to xylem embolism and carbon starvation are the two proposed mechanisms explaining drought‐induced forest dieback and tree death. Here, we evaluate the relative role played by these two mechanisms in the long‐term by quantifying wood‐anatomical traits (tracheid size and area of parenchyma rays) and estimating the intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE) from carbon isotopic discrimination. We selected silver fir and Scots pine stands in NE Spain with ongoing dieback processes and compared trees showing contrasting vigour (declining vs nondeclining trees). In both species earlywood tracheids in declining trees showed smaller lumen area with thicker cell wall, inducing a lower theoretical hydraulic conductivity. Parenchyma ray area was similar between the two vigour classes. Wet spring and summer conditions promoted the formation of larger lumen areas, particularly in the case of nondeclining trees. Declining silver firs presented a lower iWUE than conspecific nondeclining trees, but the reverse pattern was observed in Scots pine. The described patterns in wood anatomical traits and iWUE are coherent with a long‐lasting deterioration of the hydraulic system in declining trees prior to their dieback. Retrospective quantifications of lumen area permit to forecast dieback in declining trees 2–5 decades before growth decline started. Wood anatomical traits provide a robust tool to reconstruct the long‐term capacity of trees to withstand drought‐induced dieback.
Phenotypic plasticity is a negative, though weak, predictor of the commonness of 105 grassland species
Authors: Dostál Petr , Fischer Markus , Prati Daniel 
Published: January 2016

AbstractAimThe usual hypothesis about the relationship between niche breadth and range size posits that species with the capacity to use a wider range of resources or to tolerate a greater range of environmental conditions should be more widespread. In plants, broader niches are often hypothesized to be due to pronounced phenotypic plasticity, and more plastic species are therefore predicted to be more common. We examined the relationship between the magnitude of phenotypic plasticity in five functional traits, mainly related to leaves, and several measures of abundance in 105 Central European grassland species. We further tested whether mean values of traits, rather than their plasticity, better explain the commonness of species, possibly because they are pre‐adapted to exploiting the most common resources.LocationCentral Europe.MethodsIn a multispecies experiment with 105 species we measured leaf thickness, leaf greenness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content and plant height, and the plasticity of these traits in response to fertilization, waterlogging and shading. For the same species we also obtained five measures of commonness, ranging from plot‐level abundance to range size in Europe. We then examined whether these measures of commonness were associated with the magnitude of phenotypic plasticity, expressed as composite plasticity of all traits across the experimental treatments. We further estimated the relative importance of trait plasticity and trait means for abundance and geographical range size.ResultsMore abundant species were less plastic. This negative relationship was fairly consistent across several spatial scales of commonness, but it was weak. Indeed, compared with trait means, plasticity was relatively unimportant for explaining differences in species commonness.Main conclusionsOur results do not indicate that larger phenotypic plasticity of leaf morphological traits enhances species abundance. Furthermore, possession of a particular trait value, rather than of trait plasticity, is a more important determinant of species commonness.
High expression of Mcl‐1L via the MEK‐ERK‐phospho‐STAT3 (Ser727) pathway protects melanocytes and melanoma from UVB‐induced apoptosis
Authors: Fukumoto Takeshi , Iwasaki Tetsushi , Okada Taro , Hashimoto Takanori , Moon Youbin , Sakaguchi Masanobu , Fukami Yasuo , Nishigori Chikako , Oka Masahiro 
Published: January 2016

Ultraviolet (UV) B is a major factor in melanomagenesis. This fact is linked to the resistance of melanocytes to UVB‐induced apoptosis. In this study, we characterized the involvement of Mcl‐1L in the regulation of UVB‐induced apoptosis in melanocytes and in melanoma cells. In melanocytes, apoptosis was not evident at 24 h after UVB irradiation. The Mcl‐1L expression increased after UVB irradiation, and the high Mcl‐1L expression continued for at least 24 h. This UVB‐dependent increase in Mcl‐1L was mediated by the MEK‐ERK‐pS‐STAT3 (STAT3 phosphorylated at Ser727) pathway. The Ser727 phosphorylation facilitated nuclear localization of STAT3. In melanoma cells, the expression levels of Mcl‐1L varied depending on the cell line. WM39 melanoma cells expressed high levels of Mcl‐1L via the MEK‐ERK‐pS‐STAT3 pathway and were resistant to UVB‐induced apoptosis without up‐regulation of Mcl‐1L. In melanocytes and in WM39 cells, transfection with Mcl‐1 siRNA promoted UVB‐induced apoptosis. Immunohistochemical studies showed that melanoma cells in in situ lesions expressed high amounts of Mcl‐1L. These results indicate that the high expression of Mcl‐1L mediated by the MEK‐ERK‐pS‐STAT3 pathway protects melanocytes and melanoma cells from UVB‐induced apoptosis.