bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatio‐temporal dynamics and biomass of Cymodocea nodosa in Bekalta (Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea)
Authors: Sghaier Yassine Ramzi , Zakhama‐Sraieb Rym , Charfi‐Cheikhrouha Faouzia 
Published: February 2017

AbstractLeaf growth, biomass and production of Cymodocea nodosa were measured from October 2006 to September 2007 in Monastir Bay (Tunisia). Shoot density showed a clear seasonal pattern, increasing during spring and summer and decreasing during fall and winter. Monthly mean shoot density ranged between 633 ± 48 and 704 ± 48 shoots∙m−2. The monthly average total biomass ranged between 560 ± 37 and 646 ± 32 g dry weight (DW)∙m−2. Total biomass varied significantly among stations and sampling times but did not show seasonal variation. Leaf plastochrone intervals varied seasonally, with an annual average of 28–30 days. Leaf productivity was highest in August (2.61 g DW∙m−2∙day−1) and lowest in February (0.35 g DW∙m−2∙day−1). Annual belowground primary production varied from 263 to 311 g DW∙m−2∙year−1. Annual leaf production was approximately equal for all the stations (from 264 to 289 g DW∙m−2∙year−1). Variability in water temperature, air temperature and salinity explained the annual variability in biological characteristics. Changes in belowground and total biomass were not correlated with seasonal variability in the environmental parameters monitored. Additionally, a literature review was conducted of C. nodosa features at other Mediterranean sites, encompassing 30 studies from 1985 to 2014.
Understanding process and context in breastfeeding support interventions: The potential of qualitative research
Authors: Leeming Dawn , Marshall Joyce , Locke Abigail 
Published: February 2017

AbstractConsiderable effort has been made in recent years to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of different interventions for supporting breastfeeding. However, research has tended to focus primarily on measuring outcomes and has paid comparatively little attention to the relational, organizational, and wider contextual processes that may impact delivery of an intervention. Supporting a woman with breastfeeding is an interpersonal encounter that may play out differently in different contexts, despite the apparently consistent aims and structure of an intervention. We consider the limitations of randomized controlled trials for building understanding of the ways in which different components of an intervention may impact breastfeeding women and how the messages conveyed through interactions with breastfeeding supporters might be received. We argue that qualitative methods are ideally suited to understanding psychosocial processes within breastfeeding interventions and have been underused. After briefly reviewing qualitative research to date into experiences of receiving and delivering breastfeeding support, we discuss the potential of theoretically informed qualitative methodologies to provide fuller understanding of intervention processes by focusing on three examples: phenomenology, ethnography, and discourse analysis. The paper concludes by noting some of the epistemological differences between the broadly positivist approach of trials and qualitative methodologies, and we suggest there is a need for further dialog as to how researchers might bridge these differences in order to develop a fuller and more holistic understanding of how best to support breastfeeding women.
Pseudomonas protegens CS1 from the lemon phyllosphere as a candidate for citrus canker biocontrol agent
Authors: Michavila G. , Adler C. , De Gregorio P. R. , Lami M. J. , Caram Di Santo M. C. , Zenoff A. M. , de Cristobal R. E. , Vincent P. A. 
Published: February 2017

Abstract

Citrus canker is a worldwide‐distributed disease caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri. One of the most used strategies to control the disease is centred on copper‐based compounds that cause environmental problems. Therefore, it is of interest to develop new strategies to manage the disease. Previously, we reported the ability of the siderophore pyochelin, produced by the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to inhibit in vitro several bacterial species, including X. citri subsp. citri. The action mechanism, addressed with the model bacterium Escherichia coli, was connected to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This work aimed to find a non‐pathogenic strain from the lemon phyllosphere that would produce pyochelin and therefore serve in canker biocontrol.

An isolate that retained its capacity to colonise the lemon phyllosphere and inhibit X. citri subsp. citri was selected and characterised as Pseudomonas protegens CS1. From a liquid culture of this strain, the active compound was purified and identified as the pyochelin enantiomer, enantio‐pyochelin.

Using the producing strain and the pure compound, both in vitro and in vivo, we determined that the action mechanism of X. citri subsp. citri inhibition also involved the generation of ROS. Finally, the potential application of P. protegens CS1 was evaluated by spraying the bacterium in a model that mimics the natural X. citri subsp. citri infection.

The ability of P. protegens CS1 to reduce canker formation makes this strain an interesting candidate as a biocontrol agent.
Duration of Second Stage of Labour at Term and Pushing Time: Risk Factors for Postpartum Haemorrhage
Authors: Looft Emelie , Simic Marija , Ahlberg Mia , Snowden Jonathan M. , Cheng Yvonne W. , Stephansson Olof 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackgroundProlonged labour is associated with increased risk of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), but the role of active pushing time and the relation with management during labour remains poorly understood.MethodsA population‐based cohort study from electronic medical record data in the Stockholm‐Gotland Region, Sweden. We included 57 267 primiparous women with singleton, term gestation, livebirths delivered vaginally in cephalic presentation in 2008–14. We performed multivariable Poisson regression to estimate the association between length of second stage, pushing time, and PPH (estimated blood loss >500 mL during delivery), adjusting for maternal, delivery, and fetal characteristics as potential confounders.ResultsThe incidence of PPH was 28.9%. The risk of PPH increased with each passing hour of second stage: compared with a second stage <1 h, the adjusted relative risk (RR) for PPH were for 1 to <2 h 1.10 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07, 1.14); for 2 to <3 h 1.15 (95% CI 1.10, 1.20); for 3 to <4 h 1.28 (95% CI 1.22, 1.33); and for ≥4 h 1.40 (95% CI 1.33, 1.46). PPH also increased with pushing time exceeding 30 min. Compared to pushing time between 15 and 29 min, the RR for PPH were for <15 min 0.98 (95% CI 0.94, 1.03); for 30–44 min 1.08 (95% CI 1.04, 1.12); for 45–59 min 1.11 (95% CI 1.06, 1.16); and for ≥60 min 1.20 (95% CI 1.15, 1.25).ConclusionsIncreased length of second stage and pushing time during labour are both associated with increased risk of PPH.
Restoration of macroinvertebrates, fish, and habitats in streams following mining subsidence: replicated analysis across 18 mitigation sites
Authors: Nuttle Tim , Logan Marisa N. , Parise David J. , Foltz David A. , Silvis Joshua M. , Haibach Mark R. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractHuman activities have led to declines in stream functioning and stream restoration seeks to reverse this trend. Longwall coal mining, an underground full‐extraction method, can cause surface subsidence, affecting streams by creating a series of deep pools that trap sediment, reduce habitat diversity, and impair macroinvertebrate and fish communities. Mining effects on streams must be mitigated to maintain the functions, values, and foreseeable uses of streams. Gate cutting is a procedure that alleviates pooling by reestablishing the stream grade, accompanied by procedures that stabilize the channel, restore substrates, and enhance in‐stream and riparian habitats. We evaluated effectiveness of gate cuts at restoring streams affected by subsidence pooling at 18 independent restoration sites over two mines in southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S.A. At each site, sampling stations were established to monitor effects of mining subsidence and its restoration on macroinvertebrates, fish communities, and habitats. We tested for effects of sequential interventions (subsidence and restoration) on biological and habitat variables in a replicated before–after design, controlling for potentially confounding temporal effects (sample month and antecedent effective precipitation). All biological indices and substrate‐related habitat indices declined following subsidence but improved following restoration. Macroinvertebrate indicex and taxa richness, substrates, and riparian vegetation continued to improve with time following restoration. Whereas other studies have concluded that biological communities may take many years to respond to restoration, these results indicate that where macroinvertebrate and fish communities are altered by subsidence pooling, they can be effectively restored using gate cuts to pre‐mining levels within relatively short time periods.
Two spheres of regulation: Balancing social and economic goals
Authors: Eckert Sandra 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIndependent regulatory authorities hold comprehensive policy mandates that cover both economic and social goals. They take on various roles in market regulation, competition policy, consumer protection, and labor inspection. This article questions whether policymakers are driven by different rationales when delegating the realization of social, as opposed to economic goals, and analyzes how regulators accommodate their various roles in practice. The conceptual framework links the literature on delegation and organizational models. Comparative analysis of postal policy in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom covers a serious area of potential conflict between social and economic regulation. Variation in delegation points to the relevance of instrumental considerations, but also to the politics of institutional arrangements. Variation in regulatory practice shows that organizational models make a difference in accommodating conflict. The article makes a strong case that social and economic regulation need to be addressed as two distinct, yet interacting spheres. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
Just Existing Is Resisting: The Everyday Struggle against the Expansion of GM Crops in Spain
Authors: Herrero Amaranta , Binimelis Rosa , Wickson Fern 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe attempt to have coexistence between organic, conventional and genetically modified (GM) crops has generated unresolved frictions between agro‐food models based on different practices, values, worldviews and cultures. This article explores forms of everyday resistance that have emerged against the domineering power and spread of GM maize in Spain, the gateway nation for GM crops in Europe. Drawing on multi‐sited ethnographic work and interviews, we describe six practices by which social actors throughout the agro‐food system are resisting the expansion of GM maize and forming some unlikely alliances. We conclude that a myriad of practical resistance actions are taking place, from actors in both alternative and conventional food systems, as they fight for their survival against the political power and uncontrolled biological spread of GM crops. These practices challenge the regulatory concept of the possibility of a harmonious coexistence between the systems and highlight how an everyday struggle is required for non‐GM maize actors to continue to exist.
An integrated approach to control glyphosate‐resistant Ambrosia trifida with tillage and herbicides in glyphosate‐resistant maize
Authors: Ganie Z A , Lindquist J L , Jugulam M , Kruger G R , Marx D B , Jhala A J 
Published: February 2017

SummaryGlyphosate‐resistant Ambrosia trifida is a competitive and difficult‐to‐control annual broad‐leaved weed in several agronomic crops in the Midwestern United States and Ontario, Canada. The objectives of this study were to compare treatments for control of glyphosate‐resistant A. trifida with tillage followed by pre‐emergence (PRE) and/or post‐emergence (POST) herbicides in glyphosate‐resistant maize and to determine the impact of A. trifida escapes on maize yield. Field experiments were conducted in 2013 and 2014 in grower fields infested with glyphosate‐resistant A. trifida. Tillage prior to maize sowing resulted in 80–85% control compared with no tillage. Tillage followed by PRE application of saflufenacil plus dimethenamid‐P with or without atrazine resulted in 99% control compared with ≤86 and 96% control with PRE herbicides alone at 7 and 21 days after application respectively. Tillage or POST‐only herbicides resulted in 4–14 A. trifida plants m−2, whereas a PRE and POST programme had <3 plants m−2. Maize yield was greatest (13.1–14.2 tonnes ha−1) with tillage followed by PRE and POST herbicide programme. The relationship between maize yield and late‐season density of A. trifida escapes showed a 50% maize yield reduction irrespective of control measures when A. trifida density was 8.4 plants m−2. It was concluded that the combination of tillage with PRE and/or POST herbicides reduced A. trifida density and biomass accumulation early in the season and provided an integrated approach for effective management.
INVESTIGATING THE “SCIENCE” IN “EASTERN RELIGIONS”: A METHODOLOGICAL INQUIRY
Authors: Barua Ankur 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis article explores some of the understandings of “science” that are often employed in the literature on “science and Eastern religions.” These understandings crucially shape the raging debates between the avid proponents and the keen detractors of the thesis that Eastern forms of spirituality are uniquely able to subsume the sciences into their metaphysical–axiological horizons. More specifically, the author discusses some of the proposed relations between “science” and “Eastern religions” by highlighting three themes: (a) the relation between science and metaphysics, (b) the relation between science and experience, and (c) the European origins of science. The analysis of these relations requires a methodological inquiry into some of the culturally freighted valences of “science,” “metaphysics,” and “experience.”
Parasternal intercostal muscle activity during methacholine‐induced bronchoconstriction
Authors: MacBean Victoria , Pringle Claire L. , Lunt Alan C. , Sharp Keith D. , Ali Ashraf , Greenough Anne , Moxham John , Rafferty Gerrard F. 
Published: February 2017

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
The parasternal intercostal electromyogram (EMGpara) is known to provide an accurate, non‐invasive index of respiratory load–capacity balance. Although relationships between EMGpara and both airflow obstruction and hyperinflation have been shown, the independent contribution of each factor has not been examined.

What is the main finding and its importance?
Reductions in airway calibre and inspiratory capacity along with increases in EMGpara were induced via methacholine challenge. A strong inverse relationship was observed between EMGpara and airway obstruction, with no influence of inspiratory capacity. These data suggest that EMGpara is more strongly influenced by airway calibre than by changes in end‐expiratory lung volume during airway challenge testing.

Neural respiratory drive, measured via the parasternal intercostal electromyogram (EMGpara), provides a non‐invasive index of the load–capacity balance of the respiratory muscle pump. Previous studies in patients with obstructive lung disease have shown strong relationships between EMGpara and the extent of both airflow obstruction and hyperinflation. The relative influence of the two factors has not, however, been described. Airflow obstruction was induced via methacholine challenge testing in 25 adult humans. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and surface EMGpara during tidal breathing were measured after each dose, with 20 of the participants also undergoing measurements of inspiratory capacity (IC) at each stage. Linear mixed model analysis was used to assess dose‐wise changes in FEV1 and EMGpara, and thereafter to determine the influence of changes in FEV1 and IC on change in EMGpara. Median (interquartile range) FEV1 decreased significantly [from 96.00 (80.00–122.30) to 67.80 (37.98–92.27)% predicted, P < 0.0001] and EMGpara increased significantly [from 5.37 (2.25–8.92) to 6.27 (3.37–19.60) μV, P < 0.0001] from baseline to end of test. Linear mixed model analysis showed a significant interaction between methacholine dose and induced change in EMGpara, with an increase in EMGpara of 0.24 (95% confidence interval 0.11–0.37) μV per methacholine dose2. Change in FEV1 further influenced this relationship [increase in slope of 0.002 (0.004–0.001) μV dose−2 per % predicted fall in FEV1, P = 0.011], but not with change in IC. These data suggest that bronchoconstriction exerts a more potent influence on levels of EMGpara than changes in end‐expiratory lung volume during methacholine challenge.
Neuronal sodium channels: emerging components of the nano‐machinery of cardiac calcium cycling
Authors: Veeraraghavan Rengasayee , Györke Sándor , Radwański Przemysław B. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractExcitation–contraction coupling is the bridge between cardiac electrical activation and mechanical contraction. It is driven by the influx of Ca2+ across the sarcolemma triggering Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) – a process termed Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release (CICR) – followed by re‐sequestration of Ca2+ into the SR. The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger inextricably couples the cycling of Ca2+ and Na+ in cardiac myocytes. Thus, influx of Na+ via voltage‐gated Na+ channels (NaV) has emerged as an important regulator of CICR both in health and in disease. Recent insights into the subcellular distribution of cardiac and neuronal NaV isoforms and their ultrastructural milieu have important implications for the roles of these channels in mediating Ca2+‐driven arrhythmias. This review will discuss functional insights into the role of neuronal NaV isoforms vis‐à‐vis cardiac NaVs in triggering such arrhythmias and their potential as therapeutic targets in the context of the aforementioned structural observations.
image
Protein kinase A regulates C‐terminally truncated CaV1.2 in Xenopus oocytes: roles of N‐ and C‐termini of the α1C subunit
Authors: Oz Shimrit , Pankonien Ines , Belkacemi Anouar , Flockerzi Veit , Klussmann Enno , Haase Hannelore , Dascal Nathan 
Published: February 2017

Key points
β‐Adrenergic stimulation enhances Ca2+ entry via L‐type CaV1.2 channels, causing stronger contraction of cardiac muscle cells.
The signalling pathway involves activation of protein kinase A (PKA), but the molecular details of PKA regulation of CaV1.2 remain controversial despite extensive research.
We show that PKA regulation of CaV1.2 can be reconstituted in Xenopus oocytes when the distal C‐terminus (dCT) of the main subunit, α1C, is truncated.
The PKA upregulation of CaV1.2 does not require key factors previously implicated in this mechanism: the clipped dCT, the A kinase‐anchoring protein 15 (AKAP15), the phosphorylation sites S1700, T1704 and S1928, or the β subunit of CaV1.2. The gating element within the initial segment of the N‐terminus of the cardiac isoform of α1C is essential for the PKA effect.
We propose that the regulation described here is one of two or several mechanisms that jointly mediate the PKA regulation of CaV1.2 in the heart.
Abstractβ‐Adrenergic stimulation enhances Ca2+ currents via L‐type, voltage‐gated CaV1.2 channels, strengthening cardiac contraction. The signalling via β‐adrenergic receptors (β‐ARs) involves elevation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels and activation of protein kinase A (PKA). However, how PKA affects the channel remains controversial. Recent studies in heterologous systems and genetically engineered mice stress the importance of the post‐translational proteolytic truncation of the distal C‐terminus (dCT) of the main (α1C) subunit. Here, we successfully reconstituted the cAMP/PKA regulation of the dCT‐truncated CaV1.2 in Xenopus oocytes, which previously failed with the non‐truncated α1C. cAMP and the purified catalytic subunit of PKA, PKA‐CS, injected into intact oocytes, enhanced CaV1.2 currents by ∼40% (rabbit α1C) to ∼130% (mouse α1C). PKA blockers were used to confirm specificity and the need for dissociation of the PKA holoenzyme. The regulation persisted in the absence of the clipped dCT (as a separate protein), the A kinase‐anchoring protein AKAP15, and the phosphorylation sites S1700 and T1704, previously proposed as essential for the PKA effect. The CaVβ2b subunit was not involved, as suggested by extensive mutagenesis. Using deletion/chimeric mutagenesis, we have identified the initial segment of the cardiac long‐N‐terminal isoform of α1C as a previously unrecognized essential element involved in PKA regulation. We propose that the observed regulation, that exclusively involves the α1C subunit, is one of several mechanisms underlying the overall PKA action on CaV1.2 in the heart. We hypothesize that PKA is acting on CaV1.2, in part, by affecting a structural ‘scaffold’ comprising the interacting cytosolic N‐ and C‐termini of α1C.
Assisted Mobility Gait Training System
Authors: Shaw Erik , Vasquez Pablo , Kondo Ryosuke , Ung Kevin , Farrer Zachary , Fagerberg Evan , Baker Jack , Yergeau Bryan , Harrison Matthew , McCusker James , Zenouzi Mansour 
Published: February 2017

Gait training is a rehabilitation process which helps patients improve their ability to walk or stand. Current gait training methods require patients to be in hospitals or rehabilitation facilities to acquire data on their recovery progress; there is no method of monitoring patient’s walking pattern continuously. Patients can fall into bad habits when they are not with their physician. Assisted Mobility Gait Training System is a redesigned walker that wirelessly provides data to patients and healthcare professionals throughout the rehab process. With continuous monitoring of data, patients can obtain live feedback about their walking pattern when they are outside a hospital setting.
Assisted Mobility Gait Trainer combines tele-medicine and out-patient monitoring to improve the gait rehabilitation process. Portability and ease of use allows the device to be used as an outpatient monitoring tool decreasing recovery time and healthcare visitations. Data acquisition and progress monitoring are achieved through load cells and a Microsoft Kinect 2 that collects data regarding the patient’s gait. Imaging arrays within the Microsoft Kinect 2, including an RGB camera, infrared emitter, and depth sensor, monitor limb trajectories. Angle of rotation of each joint is obtained through the use of blob detection and trigonometry, specifically a variation of the dot product. Use of the camera, load cells, and wheel encoder ensures there is minimal set up time, other than turning on the system. Four load cells in each leg measure the force applied to the gait trainer, which allows physicians to identify if the patient is utilizing one leg more than the other, as well as determining if the patient becomes less reliant on the walker over time. Gait speed and distance traveled during use is measured by a wheel encoder. Data collected is sent into cloud storage where it is processed and saved. Saved data is then electronically communicated to the healthcare professional and the patient in two separate user interfaces. Healthcare professionals are able to help patients gage their rehabilitation progress more efficiently. Patients benefit by receiving feedback regarding their gait while they are not at a rehab facility, which assists against patients falling into of bad habits during the rehabilitation process.