bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Occurrence patterns of alien freshwater turtles in a large urban pond ‘Archipelago’ (Rome, Italy): Suggesting hypotheses on root causes
Authors: Di Santo Maria Paola , Vignoli Leonardo , Carpaneto Giuseppe M. , Battisti Corrado 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe patterns of the occurrence and distribution of alien freshwater turtle species in an urban pond archipelago (Rome, Italy) were analysed, with the aim of exploring the role of a set of factors (type of ponds, landscape context, size area, distance from the nearest road) with a generalized linear model approach. A total of 311 ponds subdivided in three types (fountains, small basins, lakes) embedded in different landscape contexts (public parks, private parks, urban areas) at differing distances from the nearest road were sampled. Six non‐native freshwater turtle species in 31 sites were recorded (9.97%). Lakes exhibited the highest occurrence rates of alien freshwater turtles, compared to small basins and fountains. Freshwater turtle species in urbanized areas were only observed in parks (both public and private). In both the public and private parks, the lakes exhibited the highest percentage of occupied sites, with fountains being the lowest. A direct and significant relationship was observed between pond size and species richness. The distance from the nearest road did not appear to affect species richness. A first interpretation of the data from this study facilitated the postulation of two a posteriori hypotheses that should be tested, as follows: (i) the causal process of turtle release is random, and the rate of extinction (and recapture) is higher in smaller ponds, thus producing the observed pattern; and (ii) the turtle release is not random, and people actively select the ponds they consider more suitable for their pet animals. In this study, it appears the lakes were perceived by those who abandon their pets as the most ecologically suitable habitats among other pond types to accommodate the different species of turtles. Knowledge of people's attitudes in regard to releasing pet animals also might assist managers of public green spaces to develop strategies aimed to preserve local biodiversity, and to educate the public about the conservation issue represented by the alien species.
Macrocyclization by asparaginyl endopeptidases
Authors: James Amy M. , Haywood Joel , Mylne Joshua S. 
Published: March 2017

Contents

Summary
923

I.
Introduction
923

II.
Plant AEPs with macrocyclizing ability
924

III.
Mechanism of macrocyclization by AEPs
925

IV.
Conclusions
927

Acknowledgements
927

References
927

SummaryPlant asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) are important for the post‐translational processing of seed storage proteins via cleavage of precursor proteins. Some AEPs also function as peptide bond‐makers during the biosynthesis of several unrelated classes of cyclic peptides, namely the kalata‐type cyclic peptides, PawS‐Derived Peptides and cyclic knottins. These three families of gene‐encoded peptides have different evolutionary origins, but all have recruited AEPs for their maturation. In the last few years, the field has advanced rapidly, with the biochemical characterization of three plant AEPs capable of peptide macrocyclization, and insights have been gained from the first AEP crystal structures, albeit mammalian ones. Although the biochemical studies have improved our understanding of the mechanism of action, the focus now is to understand what changes in AEP sequence and structure enable some plant AEPs to perform macrocyclization reactions.
Insights on the evolutionary origin of Detarioideae, a clade of ecologically dominant tropical African trees
Authors: de la Estrella Manuel , Forest Félix , Wieringa Jan J. , Fougère‐Danezan Marie , Bruneau Anne 
Published: March 2017

Summary

African tropical forests are generally considered less diverse than their Neotropical and Asian counterparts. By contrast, the Detarioideae is much more diverse in Africa than in South America and Asia. To better understand the evolution of this contrasting diversity pattern, we investigated the biogeographical and ecological origin of this subfamily, testing whether they originated in dry biomes surrounding the Tethys Seaway as currently hypothesized for many groups of Leguminosae.

We constructed the largest time‐calibrated phylogeny for the subfamily to date, reconstructed ancestral states for geography and biome/habitat, estimated diversification and extinction rates, and evaluated biome/habitat and geographic shifts in Detarioideae.

The ancestral habitat of Detarioideae is postulated to be a primary forest (terra firme) originated in Africa–South America, in the early Palaeocene, after which several biome/habitat and geographic shifts occurred.

The origin of Detarioideae is older than previous estimates, which postulated a dry (succulent) biome origin according to the Tethys Seaway hypothesis, and instead we reveal a post Gondwana and terra firme origin for this early branching clade of legumes. Detarioideae include some of the most dominant trees in evergreen forests and have likely played a pivotal role in shaping continental African forest diversity.
Dissection of genetic architecture for oil content in soybean seed using two backcross populations
Authors: Xia Ning , Wu Depeng , Zhan Yuhang , Liu Yang , Sun Mengyang , Zhao Xue , Teng Weili , Han Yingpeng 
Published: March 2017

AbstractSoybean seed oil was valued in foods, animal feed and some industrial applications. Molecular marker‐assisted selection (MAS) for high‐oil‐content cultivars was an important method for soybean breeders. The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) and epistatic QTL underlying the seed oil content of soybeans across two backcross (BC) populations (with one common male parent ‘Dongnong47’) and two different environments. Two molecular genetic maps were constructed. They encompassed 1046.8 cM [with an average distance of 6.75 cM in the ‘Dongnong47’ × ‘Jiyu89’ (DJ) population] and 846.10 cM [with an average distance of 5.76 cM in the ‘Dongnong47’ × ‘Zaoshu18’ (DZ) population]. Nine and seven QTL were identified to be associated with oil content in the DJ and DZ populations, respectively. The phenotypic variation explained by most of the QTL was usually less than 10%. Among the identified QTL, those stable ones across multiple environments and populations often had stronger additive effects. In addition, three stable QTL in the DZ populations were identified in the similar genomic region of the three QTL in the DJ population [qDJE and qDZE‐1 were located near Satt151 of Chromosome 15 (Chr15), qDJA1 and qDZA1 were located near Satt200 of Chr15 (LG A1), and qDJD2‐1 and qDZD2‐1 were located near Sat365 of Chr17]. In conclusion, MAS will be able more effectively to combine beneficial alleles of the different donors to design new genotypes with higher soybean seed oil content using the BC populations.
Flexible parasympathetic responses to sadness facilitate spontaneous affect regulation
Authors: Stange Jonathan P. , Hamilton Jessica L. , Fresco David M. , Alloy Lauren B. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe ability of the parasympathetic nervous system to flexibly adapt to changes in environmental context is thought to serve as a physiological indicator of self‐regulatory capacity, and deficits in parasympathetic flexibility appear to characterize affective disorders such as depression. However, whether parasympathetic flexibility (vagal withdrawal to emotional or environmental challenges such as sadness, and vagal augmentation during recovery from sadness) could facilitate the effectiveness of adaptive affect regulation strategies is not known. In a study of 178 undergraduate students, we evaluated whether parasympathetic flexibility in response to a sad film involving loss would enhance the effectiveness of regulatory strategies (reappraisal, distraction, and suppression) spontaneously employed to reduce negative affect during a 2‐min uninstructed recovery period following the induction. Parasympathetic reactivity and recovery were indexed by fluctuations in respiratory sinus arrhythmia and high‐frequency heart rate variability. Cognitive reappraisal and distraction were more effective in attenuating negative affect among individuals with more parasympathetic flexibility, particularly greater vagal augmentation during recovery, relative to individuals with less parasympathetic flexibility. In contrast, suppression was associated with less attenuation of negative affect, but only among individuals who also had less vagal withdrawal during the sad film. Alternative models provided partial support for reversed directionality, with reappraisal predicting greater parasympathetic recovery, but only when individuals also experienced greater reductions in negative affect. These results suggest that contextually appropriate parasympathetic reactivity and recovery may facilitate the success of affect regulation. Impairments in parasympathetic flexibility could confer risk for affective disorders due to attenuated capacity for effective self‐regulation.
Effect of selenium and vitamin E addition to the extender on liquid stored capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) semen quality
Authors: Kowalczyk AM , Klećkowska‐Nawrot J , Łukaszewicz ET 
Published: March 2017

ContentsCaptive breeding has become an important tool in species conservations programmes, maintaining genetic diversity and restoring wild, endangered populations. In order to improve the reproductive efficiency of captive kept capercaillie, the purpose of the study was to determine the effect of selenium and vitamin E addition to semen extender on sperm characteristic during short‐term storage. Ejaculates collected individually from four capercaillie were divided into two parts, diluted threefold with basicEKextender andEKenriched with 1 mg/mlof organic selenium and 8 mg/mlof vitamin E (EK+Se+E) and stored 24 hr at temp. +4°C. Spermatozoa morphology, motility and motility parameter were evaluated in net, diluted and stored semen samples. Significant (p < .05) differences between individual males were stated in relation to the majority of traits evaluated in the freshly collected semen. Comparing to the fresh semen, a significant (p < .05) decrease in percentage of live sperm in total (by 3.8% points on average) has been observed in samples diluted byEKextender, while in semen diluted withEK+Se+E extender this decrease was lower (1.5%pts on average) and not significant. Also per cent of motile sperm inEK+Se+E extender was higher (p < .05) then inEK(71.6% vs. 58.9%), but taking into account the values of individual males, both extender and male effect on liquid semen storage become apparent. Obtained data allow concluding that selenium and vitamin E addition toEKextender had positive effect on morphology and motility of capercaillie semen stored 24 hr at 4°C and can be recommended for similar studies carried out on otherGalliformesspecies.
Cardiac Imaging in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
Authors: Raggi Paolo , Alexopoulos Nikolaos 
Published: March 2017

AbstractCardiovascular disease is highly prevalent and it is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The implementation of various imaging modalities may help to risk stratify these patients with a potential ease on the burden of complications and the rising costs of care. In this article we review some of the modern imaging techniques to diagnose cardiac disease in patients affected by CKD.
Compassion‐Based Meditation in African Americans: Self‐Criticism Mediates Changes in Depression
Authors: Johnson Suzanne B. , Goodnight Bradley L. , Zhang Huaiyu , Daboin Irene , Patterson Bobbi , Kaslow Nadine J. 
Published: March 2017

This study examines self‐criticism as a mechanism through which compassion meditation reduces depressive symptoms in low‐income African American men and women (N = 59) who had recently attempted suicide. After completing several measures, including the Levels of Self‐Criticism Scale and Beck Depression Inventory‐II, participants were randomly assigned to receive either a six‐session compassion meditation (CM) group (Grady Compassion and Meditation Program) or a six‐session support group. As predicted, path analysis results showed that treatment condition led to changes in self‐criticism from pre‐ to posttreatment, with those receiving CM showing greater reductions in levels of self‐criticism than those randomized to the support group. Path analyses also revealed that changes in self‐criticism fully mediated the link between condition and changes in depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance and value of targeting levels of self‐criticism in compassion‐based interventions to reduce the depressive symptoms of suicidal African Americans.
A State‐centred Explanation of the Finance‐Pension Nexus: New Zealand's Pension Reforms as a Typical Case
Authors: Trampusch Christine 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis study analyses the decision‐making processes that led to the introduction of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund (a public pension reserve and investment fund), as well as the KiwiSaver Scheme, which is New Zealand's first soft‐compulsory private pension scheme. Why and how are governments engaged in the development of funded pensions? These are the questions this study addresses. In analyzing the finance‐pension nexus in New Zealand, this article adopts a state‐centric approach. It argues that pension funding reforms are shaped by state officials who pursue their own motives because policymakers frame funded pensions as an instrument for achieving broader fiscal, economic and financial policy outcomes. Because New Zealand is a typical case of a state‐centric explanation, a study of its pension funding reforms helps in finding causal links between finance and pensions.
From Legal Theory to Practical Application: A How‐To for Performing Vote Dilution Analyses*
Authors: Hood M. V. , Morrison Peter A. , Bryan Thomas M. 
Published: March 2017

ObjectivesThe Supreme Court opinion inThornburg v. Ginglesthree decades ago established a three‐prong test whereby a vote dilution claim can be substantiated. This article provides practitioners and social scientists with a working understanding of the operational steps involved in analyzing a vote dilution claim.MethodsA brief primer is offered on how to translate theGinglespreconditions into a set of practical, real‐world tests. At each stage, we buttress these explanations with examples from actual court proceedings.ResultsThis primer furnishes readers with the basic knowledge necessary to carry out a vote dilution analysis under the current legal standard.ConclusionWhile the generic process for conducting a test of vote dilution has been well‐defined by decades of case law, practitioners should be mindful that some aspects of these procedures will continue to be affected by future court proceedings.
Minimal pronouns, logophoricity and long‐distance reflexivisation in Avar
Authors: Rudnev Pavel 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis paper discusses two morphologically related anaphoric pronouns in Avar (Avar‐Andic, Nakh‐Daghestanian) and proposes that one of them should be treated as a minimal pronoun that receives its interpretation from a λ‐operator situated on a phasal head whereas the other is a logophoric pronoun denoting the author of the reported event.
Why is Reflexivity so Special? Understanding the World of Reflexives
Authors: Reuland Eric 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWhy do so many languages employ special means to express reflexive predicates, and why can what languages do be so diverse, although the notion of a reflexive predicate appears to be so simple? What happens in languages that don't seem to do anything special? The contributions in this special issue all focus on the various ways in which natural languages express reflexivity, and how the challenges their diversity poses can be addressed. In this contribution I present and further develop my answers to these questions, showing that except for a definition of binding no principles specific to binding need to be assumed. Sections 3–7 provide an overview of issues against which the results of current binding research are to be interpreted. I briefly address the role of phases in the theory of binding and argue that phases are relevant only indirectly namely in so far as the operations involved in the encoding of binding dependencies are themselves sensitive to phase‐hood. I also relate my account to current debates about the relation between syntax and morphology (as in Distributed Morphology), showing that a too loose connection between syntax and morphology leads to severe methodological problems. Section 8, presents an explicit derivation of the need for reflexivity to be licensed, addressing questions that have been raised since that idea was first presented. Section 9 provides a summary of the approach.
Quality control of apheresis platelets: a multicentre study to evaluate factors that can influence pH measurement
Authors: Germain M. , Grégoire Y. , Vassallo R. R. , Acker J. P. , Cardigan R. , de Korte D. , Irving D. O. , Bégué S. ,   the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusions (BEST) collaborative
Published: March 2017

Background and ObjectivesBlood operators routinely monitor the pH of apheresis platelets as a marker of the so‐called storage lesion, which can result from manufacturing problems. It is also suspected that some donor characteristics can increase the risk of poor platelet storage. To explore this hypothesis, we analysed a large, multinational data set of quality control (QC) pH test results on apheresis platelets.Materials and MethodsFor the period between September 2011 and August 2014, seven blood operators in Canada, the USA, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and Australia provided pH QC test results and donor characteristics on a total of 21,671 apheresis platelets.ResultsSome variations in pH distribution between blood operators were in part explained by differences in collection, processing and testing methods. Younger age and female gender were significantly associated with a pH value below the 10th percentile. Among donors who had two or more pH measurements (n = 3672), there was a strong correlation between pH results (r = 0·726; P < 0·0001).ConclusionThe strong intradonor correlation of pH measurements and the association between donor characteristics and pH results suggest that donor factors play a role in the quality of platelets.
Vertebral venous system abnormalities identified with magnetic resonance imaging in sighthounds
Authors: Vernon John C. , Durand Alexane , Guevar Julien , José‐López Roberto , Hammond Gawain , Stalin Catherine , Gutierrez‐Quintana Rodrigo 
Published: March 2017

AbstractIn humans, abnormalities of the vertebral venous system are considered rare but significant causes of radiculopathy and myelopathy. Published information on abnormalities of the canine vertebral venous system is currently lacking. Aims of this retrospective descriptive study were to characterize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities of the vertebral venous system in a population of sighthounds, report prevalence of vertebral venous system abnormalities within that population and explore possible clinical significance. Our hospital database was searched over the period of 2002–2013 for sighthounds with MRI studies of the vertebral column. Medical records and MRI studies for included dogs were retrieved and findings were recorded by a single observer. A total of 92 sighthounds were sampled. Eleven cases (prevalence 12%) showed abnormal enlargement of the internal vertebral venous plexus (10/11 unilaterally, 1/11 bilaterally), external vertebral venous plexus (7/11 cases unilaterally), and/or intervertebral veins (8/11 unilaterally, 2/11 bilaterally, and 1/11 unilaterally and bilaterally at different sites). The majority of the abnormalities were right sided and the most common location for abnormalities was C6/7. Of the 11 cases, nine did not have a definitive diagnosis. Seven of those nine cases had an abnormality in a neuroanatomical localization that could wholly or partly explain the clinical signs. Findings indicated that, while the prevalence of vertebral venous system abnormalities was low in this sample of sighthounds, the majority of dogs with these abnormalities had clinical signs that matched the location of the abnormalities. Further prospective research is needed to investigate potential underlying aetiologies for vertebral venous system abnormalities in dogs and clarify their clinical significance.
Validation of a Maximal Incremental Skating Test Performed on a Slide Board: Comparison With Treadmill Skating
Authors: Piucco Tatiane , Diefenthaeler Fernando , Soares Rogério , Murias Juan M. , Millet Guillaume Y. 
Published: March 2017

Purpose: To investigate the criterion validity of a maximal incremental skating test performed on a slide board (SB). Methods: Twelve subelite speed skaters performed a maximal skating test on a treadmill and on a SB. Gas exchange threshold (GET), respiratory compensation point (RCP), and maximal variables were determined. Results: Oxygen uptake () (31.0 ± 3.2 and 31.4 ± 4.1 mL·min−1·kg−1), percentage of maximal () (66.3 ± 4 and 67.7 ± 7.1%), HR (153 ± 14 and 150 ±12 bpm), and ventilation (59.8 ± 11.8 and 57.0 ± 10.7 L·min−1) at GET, and (42.5 ± 4.4 and 42.9 ± 4.8 mL·min−1·kg−1), percentage of (91.1 ± 3.3 and 92.4 ± 2.1%), heart rate (HR) (178 ± 9 and 178 ± 6 bpm), and ventilation (96.5 ± 19.2 and 92.1 ± 12.7 L·min−1) at RCP were not different between skating on a treadmill and on a SB. (46.7 ± 4.4 vs 46.4 ±6.1 mL·min−1·kg−1) and maximal HR (195 ± 6 vs 196 ± 10 bpm) were not significantly different and correlated (r = .80 and r = .87, respectively; P < .05) between the treadmill and SB. at GET, RCP, and obtained on a SB were correlated (r > .8) with athletes’ best times on 1500 m. Conclusions: The incremental skating test on a SB was capable to distinguish maximal ( and HR) and submaximal (, % , HR, and ventilation) parameters known to determine endurance performance. Therefore, the SB test can be considered as a specific and practical alternative to evaluate speed skaters.
Complete Genome Sequences of Six Copper-Resistant Xanthomonas citri pv. citri Strains Causing Asiatic Citrus Canker, Obtained Using Long-Read Technology
Authors: Richard Damien , Boyer Claudine , Vernière Christian , Canteros Blanca I. , Lefeuvre Pierre , Pruvost Olivier 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT

The gammaproteobacterium
Xanthomonas citri
pv
.
citri causes Asiatic citrus canker. Pathotype A strains have a broad host range, which includes most commercial citrus species, and they cause important economic losses worldwide. Control often relies on frequent copper sprays. We present here the complete genomes of six
X. citri
pv
.
citri copper-resistant strains.